When Seoul showed new DOOH possibilities for Asia

When we prepared for the World Out of Home Organization (WOO) APAC Forum in Seoul, our intention was not to position Korea above others, but to open our city as a reference point for where DOOH can go when industry, policy, and creativity move in the same direction.

The response from the global community – particularly from Asia – confirmed that this approach resonated.

The collective vision for DOOH

With 459 delegates from 31 countries, the Seoul Forum became the largest APAC gathering in WOO’s history and the first sold-out event the organisation has ever recorded. This outcome reflected more than scale or novelty. It reflected a shared curiosity across markets about how DOOH can mature beyond isolated assets into a coherent urban system.

During the forum, Seoul itself became the most persuasive presentation.

Not through slides, but through streets, intersections, and daily urban life.

Large-format screen clusters in Myeongdong and Gwanghwamun, enabled by Korea’s Free Display Zone policy, demonstrated how impact and regulation can coexist. Samseong-dong, centred around COEX, showed how a city can function as a testing ground for global brands launching flagship campaigns and 3D formats. In Gangnam, Dosan-daero and Hongdae, delegates saw another layer — DOOH integrated with architecture and streetscape, not imposed upon it.

Synergy across the eco-system

What many visitors found striking was not any single screen, but the consistency of the system. Technology, design, measurement ambition and policy alignment were working together — something many fast-growing markets, including India, are now actively shaping in their own way.

Cutting across barriers

The forum was also intentionally designed to be more Asian in voice and participation. Language has long limited engagement across the region, so for the first time in WOO history, we introduced simultaneous interpretation in Korean, Chinese and Japanese. The effect was immediate: discussions became more inclusive, more regional, and more practical.

Equally important were the media tours, led directly by Korean OOH professionals. Rather than showcasing assets alone, these tours explained the thinking behind regulation, investment models and long-term planning. For many delegates, this context mattered more than scale.

None of this would have been possible without collective effort. Members of the Korea Out of Home Association voluntarily aligned their networks, dedicating over 50 digital screens across Seoul to WOO messaging and effectively turning the city into a shared platform.

I would also like to acknowledge the crucial role played by Asia’s leadership — including Pawan Bansal, Ichiro Jinnai, Angie Cutter, Agung Prihambodo, Rebecca Chung and Jim Liu — whose sustained outreach ensured strong participation from across the region, including India.

The lesson from Seoul is not that one market has found the only answer.

It is that Asia now has multiple mature paths, and by sharing them openly, we accelerate progress for everyone.

Seoul did not claim the future of DOOH.

It simply showed what becomes possible when a city, an industry, and a region move forward together.