Gangnam Event Venues: A Guide for International Companies

Gangnam suits international companies that want their event close to Seoul's southern business district and its convention infrastructure: the COEX and Samseong area for conferences and exhibitions, the Teheran-ro and Eonju-ro corridor for hotel ballrooms and banquet halls, and the Apgujeong area for brand events and design-led dinners. Choosing the area first, then the venue, keeps your guests, hotel and programme in one part of the city.

If your Seoul office, clients or partners are south of the Han River, or your delegates are staying around COEX, this guide sorts our Gangnam venues by area and by the kind of event each suits.

Why companies choose Gangnam

Gangnam brings together three things international events often need in one district.

• Business audience. Teheran-ro, the office corridor running through Gangnam, puts many corporate guests within a short trip of the venue.
• A convention cluster. COEX combines a convention centre, connected hotels, a shopping mall and subway access, so a multi-day programme can stay in one complex.
• Brand and lifestyle venues. The Apgujeong area has galleries, design spaces and restaurants that suit launches and client dinners.

The trade-off is that the areas are distinct. Moving guests between COEX and Apgujeong during a programme means a transfer, so where possible keep each day in one cluster.

COEX and Samseong: conferences, exhibitions and visiting delegates

This is the area to start with for conferences, trade events and programmes with overseas delegates.

• COEX Convention & Exhibition Center — Seoul's convention and exhibition centre at the World Trade Center Seoul complex. Hall D holds over 7,000 and can be partitioned, and rooms such as Grand Conference Room 401 (400) handle mid-size sessions. Our guide to venues for 1,000+ attendees compares it with other large halls.
• Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas — a hotel with indoor access to COEX; its pillar-free Grand Ballroom takes up to 1,500, with the Orchid and Chrysanthemum rooms (150–200) for breakouts.
• Park Hyatt Seoul — a boutique-style luxury hotel across from COEX; the Salon holds up to 200, with boardrooms for private sessions. It suits IR meetings and executive events rather than large conventions; see our guide to IR and finance event venues.
• Oakwood Premier COEX Center — a serviced residence within the COEX complex; the Oak Room takes up to 250, which suits multi-day training programmes where delegates stay on site.
• Sono Felice Convention — a pillar-free convention venue built into the City Airport Terminal, with media walls and room for up to 1,000; suits kickoffs and gala dinners.
• Studio 159 — a broadcast-equipped studio inside COEX with curved LED walls, for up to 100; suits hybrid seminars and press conferences.
• COEX Aquarium — an aquarium within the complex for receptions of up to 200, as an evening alternative to a hotel function room.

Chris & Partners co-organised Seoul Meta Week 2025 with TV Chosun at the COEX Auditorium on 26–27 June 2025: 21 sessions and 26 global speakers over two days, with around 1,500 participants. We've written up lessons from running Seoul Meta Week for anyone planning a tech conference in Seoul.

Teheran-ro and Eonju-ro: hotels, ballrooms and halls

Along Teheran-ro and Eonju-ro you'll find hotel ballrooms and independent banquet halls, with a second exhibition centre, SETEC, near Hangnyeoul Station.

• Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam — on Teheran-ro, with an art-deco-inspired interior; the pillar-free Great Hall takes up to 300 and the Royal Chamber 150. Suits launches, IR events and formal dinners.
• Imperial Palace Seoul — a renovated hotel on Eonju-ro with a classic European interior; the Dubhe Hall holds up to 1,000 for banquets and the Selena Hall 300.
• Raum Art Center — an independent banquet venue on Eonju-ro designed after European castles; the Majestic Ballroom holds up to 800 and the Gallery Hall (300) opens onto an outdoor courtyard.
• Hotel The Designers LYJ Gangnam Premier — a boutique hotel on Bongeunsa-ro with a designer interior; the Banquet Hall takes up to 250 for a seminar or standing reception.
• SETEC — an exhibition and convention centre near Hangnyeoul Station with ground-level, pillar-free halls; Hall 1 holds up to 3,000 and the International Conference Room 300. Suits trade shows and exhibitions with heavy load-in.

Apgujeong and around: brand events and dinners

For launches, client dinners and events where the setting is part of the message, look to the Apgujeong area.

• Andaz Seoul Gangnam — a lifestyle hotel on Nonhyeon-ro; its "Beyond the Glass" space holds up to 250 and has an open show kitchen for interactive dining, with Andaz Studio spaces (150) alongside.
• Market O Apgujeong — a vintage-industrial space with exposed brick and its own banqueting kitchen, for up to 150; suits networking dinners and culinary team events.
• SJ Kunsthalle — a multi-level cultural and event space built from shipping containers, for up to 400; suits launches and parties with an industrial look.
• Platform-L Contemporary Art Center — a contemporary art centre in Nonhyeon-dong with a courtyard and rooftop; suits fashion, beauty and design brand events.

For more launch-focused options across the city, see our guide to venues for product launches and press events.

Just across the line in Seocho

Several venues often grouped with Gangnam sit in neighbouring Seocho-gu.

• JW Marriott Seoul — in the Express Bus Terminal and Shinsegae complex; the Grand Ballroom takes up to 900, with Salon rooms (150) for breakouts.
• EL Tower — an established convention facility in Yangjae with pillar-free ballrooms, LED media walls and in-house catering.
• Plenty Convention — a pillar-free event venue on Banpo-daero for up to 350.

What to check for a Gangnam event

• Which cluster your guests are in. Match the venue to where delegates stay and where your office is, not just to the Gangnam name.
• Transfers. If the programme moves between areas, plan vehicles and timing around weekday rush hours.
• Parking and drop-off. Ask hotels and halls about coach drop-off points and guest parking, especially for evening events.
• COEX-area weeks. Check the COEX exhibition calendar for your dates. A large show in the complex brings crowds and can affect hotel availability nearby, so confirm room blocks early.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gangnam a good area for an international conference in Seoul? It often is, especially around COEX, where the convention centre, connected hotels and subway access let delegates stay in one complex. If your audience is mainly government or institutional, a central location north of the river may suit better.

Should we use COEX or a Gangnam hotel ballroom? It depends on size and service. COEX suits large conferences and exhibitions with flexible production, while hotels such as Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas or Josun Palace include catering and service in one contract and suit events up to their ballroom capacity.

Which Gangnam venues suit a brand launch? Venues around Apgujeong such as Platform-L, SJ Kunsthalle and Andaz Seoul Gangnam suit launches where design matters; Studio 159 at COEX suits launches that are streamed or broadcast.

Can we host a client dinner and a conference in Gangnam on the same day? Yes, but plan the transfer. Choosing a conference venue and a dinner venue in the same cluster — for example, both around COEX — keeps the evening on schedule.

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Event Korea is the venue sourcing arm of Chris & Partners, a Seoul event agency founded in 2013 that has planned and run 250+ events in 12 countries across five continents. Tell us about your event.