More than 200 conventions and exhibitions have been successfully held in Macao from January to April 2024, including the just-concluded “6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” and a supporting activity thereof the “Conference of Entrepreneurs”, as well as the 2024 UFI Asia Pacific Conference. From May to June, Macao will host a number of professional MICE events involving “1+4” industries, such as tourism and leisure, modern financial services and high technology, as well as infrastructure. According to the “One-stop Service” for MICE Bidding and Support provided by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), 26 conventions and exhibitions will be held in this period, implying three MICE events every week in average. These events are expected to attract over 14,000 visitors to the city.
Some of the international MICE authorities have highly recognised Macao’s MICE capacities in organisation, event co-ordination and hardware facilities. According to some businessmen from the Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao’s MICE platform could solve their problems such as language communication. And local companies are glad to see that the MICE visitors and participants have been organised to visit stores in local community, creating more business opportunities for local SMEs.
Investment Promotion Services Launched in MICE Events to Maximise Opportunities
IPIM takes the opportunity arising from the MICE events to enhance their investment promotion, maximising the efficacy of the events. In the MICE events hosted/co-ordinated by IPIM, a variety of supporting services have been provided, including business matching and “pre-event positioning, throughout-event follow-up and post-event tracking” services, to assist local enterprises to quickly identify potential partners, and to seize the opportunities in accordance with their own needs. IPIM has also arranged various signing ceremonies to promote the business co-operations and to assist investors to set up companies in Macao through the Investor’s “One-Stop Service”. At the same time, guided community tours and MICE environment experience tours for MICE participants and trade visitors have been organised to give full play to the synergistic effect of “MICE+ Tourism” in promoting the economic development; Multi-venue Events have been organised to highlight the functions of Macao and Hengqin in a “1+1>2” way, and to promote the co-operation and industrial development of both regions.
As one of the four major industries, the MICE sector has been playing a key role in promoting the advantageous positioning of Macao as a China-PSC platform. As more and more high-quality and influential MICE events are held in Macao, an increasing flow of logistics, people, capital, business, and information will also be brought to the city, which is conducive to the construction and development of the “1+4” industrial structure. The implementation of the deepened “Industry + MICE” business model will also constantly enhance the international reputation and competitiveness of Macao’s MICE industry. In addition, it can also strengthen the industry in the areas of marketing, professionalism, internationalisation, digitalisation and green development, and to promote the appropriately diversified development for Macao’s economy.
