In 2024, GroundK ran tailored ground transport and motorcade operations across more than ten MICE events, from the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan to the Korea-Africa Summit and the Audi Summer Tour. At the Korea-Africa Summit in June, GroundK sourced 500 vehicles to coordinate motorcade and transport as one operation, and used the lessons from its T-RiseUp platform to expand into Thailand, Singapore, and wider Asia and the Middle East.
The events GroundK operated in 2024
As international events resumed in full, demand in Korea grew quickly for tailored ground transport, business travel mobility, and protocol services. Against that backdrop, GroundK handled tailored mobility for more than ten MICE events over the year.
The roster began with the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan in February, followed by the BVLGARI Studio global event in March, the Korea-Africa Summit and the Deloitte global meeting in June, the Audi Summer Tour in July, the 2024 Climate Industry International Expo and the 19th Seoul International Drama Awards in September, and the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) 2023 Awards in October.
How GroundK ran 500 vehicles at the Korea-Africa Summit
Of all the year's projects, the Korea-Africa Summit in June stood out for sheer scale. For this event, GroundK sourced 500 vehicles and ran tailored transport and motorcade services as a single coordinated operation. Managing the routes of heads of state and their delegations without a single misstep drew comparisons with the leading protocol service firms worldwide.
Coordinating that many motorcade routes at once rested on the company's own mobility platform, T-RiseUp PMS. A central control point tracked each vehicle's real-time position and service status — a case in which GroundK applied the platform directly in the field on its own motorcade operation.
T-RiseUp: a platform that pairs mobility and protocol with ICT
Building on its MICE experience, GroundK has grown T-RiseUp, a B2B mobility platform that pairs ground transport and protocol services with ICT. The name reads as transportation that rises up a level, and the cloud solution brings chauffeur service, airport protocol, and concierge into one channel.
Flight numbers, arrival and departure times, gates, the concierge staff meeting and seeing off each guest, vehicle type, and plate number all appear on a single screen. With only a PC or a mobile device, anyone can check a guest's real-time location and service status, which keeps satisfaction high. This year, PCOs, PEOs, and travel agencies were joined by government bodies and corporations who experienced the technology and service first-hand.
Thailand and Singapore as a base for interest across Asia and the Middle East
The overseas business is also gaining pace. Drawing on its T-RiseUp development know-how, GroundK supported the digital transition of a limousine service operator in Thailand this year, and is now pursuing solution supply to hotel operators in Korea and resort operators abroad. In Thailand and Singapore, where GroundK already has branch offices, the company is moving quickly to widen its footprint.
"There is strong interest from Japan, the Philippines, and Macau, as well as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar in the Middle East." — Jang Dong-won, CEO of GroundK
GroundK has already built partnership infrastructure for chauffeur service across 50 countries and has opened a global website (www.groundk.com). Beyond serving inbound visitors within Korea, the company is preparing to let institutions and corporations call on the ground transport they need anywhere in the world when travelling for business.
Recognition and the year ahead
That standard of service earned recognition across the industry. In 2024, GroundK was named a Tourism Plus-Tech company by the Korea Tourism Organization, won the Digital MICE category at the Korea MICE Awards, and was selected as an Outstanding MICE Company for 2024. CEO Jang Dong-won was also appointed to lead the MICE support division of the Seoul MICE Alliance.
A business model like GroundK's exists so far only in North America and Europe, not yet in Asia. On the strength of the overseas network and foundation built to date, the company plans to make a full entry into Japan and the Middle East in the new year.