SEOUL, September 30, 2024 – Hyundai Card announced the successful completion of its fourth DaVinci MOTEL event, a unique cultural convergence festival held in Itaewon.
More than 60,000 people enjoyed the 2024 Hyundai Card DaVinci MOTEL event, which took place across Hyundai Card’s branded spaces in Itaewon (Vinyl & Plastic, Understage, Music Library, and Storage). The trendy lineup of speakers and performers was especially well received by foreign visitors, as the first-ever international presale tickets were sold out well in advance.
Inspirational talks by world-famous cultural icons
Korean-American actor Steven Yeun’s talk resonated with audiences as he shared his self-sustaining approach to acting and his personal philosophy of life, which has propelled him to international fame and recognition, including his Golden Globe-winning performance in ‘Beef.’ Among other notable sessions included talks by Daniel Arnold, one of the most beloved chroniclers of New York street life and world-renowned fashion photographer, and by Yoon Ahn, global fashion designer and co-founder of Ambush.
Dazzling performances by popular artists
Hyundai Card’s nearly 20-year partnership with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) enabled both domestic and international audiences to experience performance art in a session led by the curatorial team at MoMA in New York. Johnny Stimson, a singer-songwriter who signed with Elton John’s record label, also captivated the audience with his soulful voice and catchy melodies.
Dynamic performances by K-pop artists such as RAIN and SUNMI, as well as a joint performance by The Quiett and CHANGMO were well received with audiences ending the evening singing along to the artists’ hit songs.
Improved NFT experience for festival goers
Last year’s DaVinci MOTEL was the first large-scale event in Korea to issue all tickets as NFTs. The 2023 event was praised for helping to prevent ticket scalping, a long-standing problem in the live music industry. This year, the scope of such misuse prevention expanded to international participants. To make DaVinci MOTEL more accessible to foreign visitors, Hyundai Card applied a global patch to the KONKRIT app, an NFT marketplace, to make the ticket purchase, verification and payment process easier and more convenient for foreigners.
This year’s DaVinci MOTEL also introduced improved NFT experiences. All ticket holders received an NFC-enabled limited-edition t-shirt to download coupons to the KONKRIT app and redeem at pop-up stores and other participating shops in Itaewon.
DaVinci MOTEL has developed into a popular local and international festival covering the entire Itaewon area in central Seoul. Hyundai Card continues to strengthen its partnerships with neighboring businesses. The company expanded its collaborations from 20 in 2023 to a total of 36 stores this year, including offering a 10% discount to festival goers at nearby restaurants and bars. Non-festival goers were also able to enjoy busking and other public events.
From performances, talks, and lectures to spoken word and music … more genres to engage festival goers’ intellect and emotions
Continuing to evolve as a festival representing Korea, this year’s DaVinci MOTEL showcased a wider variety of genres that resonated with local and international audiences’ intellect and emotions.
Returning by popular demand for a second year in a row, Hyundai Card’s Vice Chairman Ted Chung led a business insight session on ‘Attitude towards design, attitude in design’ with Sangyup Lee, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center. As the two executives shared their thoughts on branding and design at their respective companies, the captivated audience was given an opportunity to learn from both leaders. The session ended with a stimulating Q&A, during which the audience was able to ask for further insights and advice.