To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, the 29th Macao International Trade & Investment Fair (29th MIF) and the Macao Franchise Expo 2024 (2024MFE), organised by the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), were concluded with great success today (19 October).
Attracting over 66,000 visitors in the 4-day events
This year, the four-day events attracted a total of 66,000 visitors, with over 9,600 of them being trade visitors, up 14% from that of last year. The number of both the business matching sessions held and projects signed increased. The organiser arranged more than 1,000 business matching sessions and witnessed the signing of 103 projects. Nearly half of the projects were related to the four major industries, which are conducive to the “1+4” development strategy for appropriate economic diversification. Meanwhile, IPIM has invited various exhibitors to be investors by approaching them for investment attractions before and during the events. Through approaches made prior to the events, around 18 companies had planned to open business in Macao; seven of which had finished the company establishment procedure in Macao. During the events, another 22 companies announced that they would establish their operations in Macao.
Both the effectiveness of “promoting investment through exhibitions” and the exhibitions’ professionalism were elevated in this year of double celebrations. The first-ever attempt to organise the events for three consecutive working days contributed to the increased participation and the extended stay of traders, which facilitated more in-depth business discussions and exchanges among business visitors from around the world and maximised the results of enterprise collaboration.
Featuring a total exhibition area of 38,000m2 and 10 exhibition areas, with over 80 economic and trade activities
This year, the 29th MIF and the 2024MFE closely adhered to their respective theme, “Economic Diversification and Development Opportunities” and “Brands Gathering with Business Opportunities”. The two exhibitions, covering an area of 38,000 square metres in total, were held across four pavilions and ten exhibition areas, attracting over 1,300 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions.
During the four-day events, more than 80 trade and investment promotion sessions revolving around the “1+4” industries were held, including eight themed matching sessions, two signing ceremonies, five “multi-venue events”, over ten activities on Portuguese-speaking countries, two livestream sales sessions from the Macao Ideas Promotion Series, as well as multiple conferences, forums, promotion and exchange sessions, new product launches, online business matching sessions through “Matching GoGo” and community tours. These activities extended the events’ impact beyond the venue to the community and further expanded it into the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin, as well as collaborations between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, China and Portugal, and among other countries, bringing together both online and offline business opportunities.
All enterprises and traders achieving fruitful results in the celebration of the two anniversaries
A porcelain enterprise from Shenzhen, MIF’s Partner City, successfully reached co-operation intentions with two integrated tourism and leisure enterprises of Macao for the procurement of hotel tableware, and received a number of orders, with the highest amount exceeding MOP 700,000. An enterprise from Portuguese-speaking countries expressed pleasant surprise towards their achievements during the events, indicating that the events’ themed matching sessions enabled them to connect precisely with enterprises from mainland China and obtain more information about the exports and imports, which immensely helped with their business expansion. The enterprise agreed that Macao was a critical portal for them to enter the mainland market. A popular tea beverage brand from the mainland said that they reached preliminary co-operation intentions with international buyers and that they will follow up and provide support services in terms of the selection of store location and training from the headquarters. A Hengqin enterprise expressed recognition towards the “multi-venue events”, considering that the “multiple entry for tourist groups” policy helped attract more MICE projects to be held in Macao and Hengqin. An exhibitor from the Macao Ideas Promotion Series – “Macao Premium Goods” Exclusive Livestream Sales Session remarked that the events helped them promote Macao brand products online and offline in an innovative way, which helped increase more online viewers and stimulate purchasing power among young audiences while expanding broader business opportunities.
Besides, the exhibitors of the “Macao Local Enterprise Sales Area” expressed satisfaction with their sales, indicating that the dual celebration check-in activity with gifts and the large consumption promotion activity “Macao Spending Rewards” helped attract more visitors and encourage consumption. Besides, residents and tourists also exclaimed that the high-tech products on-site were both eye-catching and intriguing and that they managed to purchase their favourite items while having a taste of the beverages from the globally renowned China-chic tea brand, calling it a rewarding experience.
International awards accentuating Macao’s MICE and business advantages
In addition, to further extend the effectiveness of the exhibitions, the organiser arranged experience tours on the exhibition environment and community tours during the event period, inviting traders to explore exhibition facilities and visit local businesses in the community. Through the tours, they experienced the advantages and charm of Macao as a city having garnered the titles of “Best Convention City (Asia)” and “Best BT-MICE City”. Such arrangements helped leverage the “MICE + Tourism” synergistic effect, expand the reach of the MICE industry and promote the development of SMEs in the community and surrounding areas.
To review the events’ information, please subscribe to MICE_IPIM on WeChat or visit the websites: www.mif.com.mo and www.mfe.mo.
