Was CJ & EM’s IdolCON As Successful As KCON?
Hallyu has been steadily rising over the years. K-pop is no longer an obscure concept overseas, and one might even argue that it is more appreciated outside of South Korea. That's why international music events like KCON has been making a name for itself by boosting recognition of idols abroad while also giving foreign fans better chances of seeing the popular groups. Meanwhile, there's an impression that music fans in South Korea are overlooked and left out of the industry as companies are focused on pushing to grow their influence and revenue outside the country. While the notion that local K-pop fans are somehow neglected by agencies remains to be seen, there's been an effort to grow and address the gap between the locals and the K-pop industry, and that's where the first ever IdolCON comes in.
What is IdolCON? It's a joint venture by CJ & EM and its TV network subsidiary Mnet that establishes itself as an expo-style convention where local fans can watch the newest K-pop stars perform. The 2-day event was held at COEX and included programs like meet and greets, mini performances, radio shows and even Idol auditions. Attendees of IdolCON also have a chance to be trained by industry professionals on how to become an idol and get an exclusive sneak peek into the life of idols.
What differentiates IdolCON from KCON is its "freshness", not just because of the newness of the event itself but its lineup of artists as well. While attending groups like BI1A4, Gugudan and Oh My Girl are already somewhat well known, newer groups in the lineup like KNK, Vromance and Imfact have yet to gain attention.
So with that being said, was the local counterpart to KCON successful? According to attendees, the experience was quite underwhelming. Seeing as it is only the first event, 'underwhelming' is an acceptable modifier. The highlight of IdolCON is its concerts, yet the auditorium barely held any audience. As a result, the event-goers blamed the lack of publicity and hype by the management. "While this is a K-pop event, the lack of English promotion on the event's Facebook page was somewhat disappointing," A Kyunghee University student said.
IdolCON's social media promotions could've indeed been done better - their Facebook page only garnered around 4,000 likes. The Facebook Live video they broadcasted was turned sideways as well, which turned away viewers. According to CJ & EM, they pre-sold over 8,000 tickets but the on-site sales haven't been released yet. When asked if they will continue to hold this event in the future, an employee said, "Whether it will be held in the future would depend on the turnout of this year's event." Whether IdolCON will continue in the future or not, to compare it to KCON's success is a bit too much. It still has a long way to go, and who knows, its promotions might improve in the long run.
