How an AI guide in exhibition halls connected the exhibition experience to city tourism

About

As COEX, one of Korea’s largest exhibition venues, hosts large-scale exhibitions that attract countless domestic and international visitors, there is very high demand not only for event information inside COEX but also for information about surrounding areas and the city as a whole. However, existing guidance was limited to event-centered information, making it difficult to fully support visitors’ actual movement and experience.

To address this, we introduced a Perso Interactive AI-based guidance station, enabling visitors to converse with an AI Avatar and receive not only event information but also spatial guidance, tourism, dining, and culture within a single conversational flow, thereby creating an expanded guidance experience.

As a result, the exhibition experience, which had previously remained at the level of event information guidance, evolved into an integrated guidance platform connecting the exhibition hall to the entire city, creating an environment where visitors can enjoy a richer overall urban experience beyond simply attending events.

Background of Adoption

As visitors’ expectations for COEX increased, there emerged a need for an intelligent guidance environment that goes beyond simple information acquisition to provide personalized experiences.

The existing approach was limited to one-way information delivery, creating major structural constraints for visitors to participate actively or obtain surrounding information organically. In particular, foreign visitors also faced the issue of not being able to naturally continue into a city experience after the exhibition due to language barriers.

The introduction of Perso Interactive began with the question: “Can visitors who came to see an event fully enjoy their entire city journey through conversation alone?” Going beyond simple exhibition-hall guidance, it organically connected nearby commercial facilities and information on Seoul’s tourist attractions within a single conversational flow, developing into the establishment of a virtuous cycle structure in which visitors’ experiences expand beyond the event venue boundaries into a citywide journey.

Solution

Through the station, visitors can naturally ask the AI Avatar for a wide range of information—from exhibition and booth details to COEX internal facilities and nearby attractions—and get instant answers. Even with everyday expressions such as “How long is the exhibition running?” or “Are there places worth visiting near COEX?”, the AI accurately understands intent and provides context-appropriate responses, allowing visitors to resolve all necessary information within a single conversational flow without complicated searches or visiting a separate information desk.

Another key feature is that it enables integrated guidance that naturally extends beyond event information to Seoul travel attractions and restaurant recommendations. The flow in which visitors who have finished viewing an exhibition then ask for travel information is connected within a single conversation, and the station functions as a city guidance platform that accompanies the visitor’s entire journey, going beyond a simple event information display.

In addition, through a real-time multilingual support feature, it has created an environment where overseas visitors can experience the same level of advanced interaction as domestic visitors.

Outcomes

After introducing the solution, an expanded guidance experience connecting the exhibition hall to the entire city was successfully realized, moving beyond the previous fragmented event guidance. As visitors naturally asked follow-up questions about nearby travel destinations or restaurants after finishing exhibition-related questions within a single conversation, the information exploration process was dramatically simplified, resulting in improved overall usability.

In particular, real-time multilingual responses significantly increased satisfaction among foreign visitors who had been marginalized in information access due to language barriers, achieving meaningful results in creating an inclusive exhibition environment.

Recommended For

Above all, this case provides an innovative guide for large convention center and exhibition hall operators, international event planners, local governments, and tourism promotion managers. It will be a highly useful reference case for those who want to design visitors’ entire journeys through real-time interaction.

Related article: ESTsoft, the AI kiosk “Perso AI Avatar Station” expanding into everyday AI services... from home and work to leisure!

You May Be Wondering

Q. Can it be deployed on-site immediately without installation or additional development?

A. Yes. Perso Interactive AI can be deployed on-site immediately without separate development or infrastructure setup. However, if adding event information or customization is required, desired development is carried out through prior consultation. After development, station (kiosk) devices can be placed and operated on-site right away.

Q. Can it provide different information for each event?

A. Yes. It supports customized settings for exhibition-specific information, booth data, event schedules, and more, enabling guidance tailored to the characteristics of various events.