At the recent edition of The Meetings Show Asia Pacific, held in Singapore, Northstar Travel Group’s CEO Jason Young reported healthy growth in buyer attendance, pre-booked business meetings and exhibition space booked, along with strong positive sentiments from all sectors of the industry. Young pointed to the growing importance for show organisers of offering high…
At PCMA’s recent Asia-Pacific conference in Singapore, Chair Kelly Ricker and CEO & President Sherrif Karamat called for stronger alignment amongst all players in the industry if we are to be heard more clearly by policymakers and others outside our sector. PCMA’s Vision 2030 aims to unite these diverse voices, anticipate global challenges, and ensure…
This paper summarises the Legacy Event Advocacy Policy Summit 2025 and explains the significance of the Borneo Legacy Declaration as a strategic framework for advancing sustainable development, legacy creation, and policy integration through business events, highlighting how the Declaration aligns with sustainability and legacy theories, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and Sarawak’s long-term development agenda.
The recent unveiling of Hongqiao Tech Week is the latest sign that the global technology events landscape is becoming closer tied to the Chinese market. Taking place in Shanghai in November, the event will bring together enterprises, startups, investors and leaders across sectors including AI, future mobility, digital infrastructure, and life sciences. From M&C/ASIA…
Progressive policies and culture converge with mega-venue developments as Vietnam’s US$6 billion MICE sector is primed for growth. This pivotal growth phase is supported by economic stability, rising consumer spending and government efforts to liberalise the cultural and events industries, according to leaders speaking at the 2026 Exhibition, Event and Advertising Summit in Hanoi.
From Māori-led programming to youth-led declarations, New Zealand’s conferences are shaped by values as much as venues. In M&C Asia’s latest cover story on legacy in business events, Penelope Ryan, Tourism New Zealand Global Manager Business Events, explains how the country deliberately engineers long-term legacy across every event it hosts.
Today, legacy matters just as much as delegate numbers, room nights and economic impact. Across Asia-Pacific, destinations are embedding legacy thinking into each stage of the event lifecycle, from bid strategy to programme design and post-event tracking. M&C Asia asks how convention bureaus are turning business events into catalysts for lasting change and impact.
Leading associations expert Thomas Reiser has joined business events industry consulting firm GainingEdge. Reiser has more than 25 years’ experience working within international associations, including the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, association management companies and PCOs. His main role will be to focus on expanding GainingEdge’s service portfolio towards international associations. From AMI…
Australian PCO owner Emma Bowyer argues that legacy measurement is woefully absent across most of Asia-Pacific Destination Marketing Organisations, and that it’s become the responsibility of event organisers to educate clients to include such metrics in the way they evaluate the impact of their meetings. A Robotics conference that will track 200 local high-school attendees…
BEIA CEO Lisa Hopkins outlines the combination of advantageous factors and hard work that have enabled New Zealand’s industry to enjoy the proactive support of their recently appointed Minister. With a ministerial portfolio that covers social development and employment, the voluntary sector and disabilities, as well as tourism and hospitality, the new Minister is an…
Business Events Sydney CEO Amanda Lampe and ACCI’s Director Strategic Partnerships & Engagement Andrew Hiebl describe the necessity of building strategic partnerships aligned to the economic and societal development priorities of government, rather than petitioning or lobbying for support. Our role as an at-scale medium of knowledge and know-how transfers and an effective means of…
Singapore is announcing major new long-term-focused infrastructure and investment initiatives on the back of continuing strong growth, whilst preparing for short-term challenges related to the Gulf conflict by expanding funding support for 2026 events. From M&C Asia…
At MICE City Summit, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau united government, academia, and vocational education to tackle Asia-Pacific’s workforce shortages and drive sustainable growth in secondary cities, signing MOUs involving the Ministry of Interior, utilising the business events industry to distribute wealth, empower local entrepreneurs, and elevate local governance. From TTGmice…
With over half the population and rapidly evolving industries, Asia-Pacific is poised to shape the future of many sectors. PCMA’s Kelly Ricker (Chair, Board of Directors), and Sheriff Karamat (President & CEO) assert that APAC is entering a phase where it can redefine what associations and their meetings are meant to do. From Association Commons…
Executive assistants remain the largest group of business event organisers in Australia; this provides a useful snapshot of how buying behaviour is shifting. Activity and budgets are back to 2019 levels but the way events are being planned has changed: Lead times are shorter. Convenience, speed and ease of delivery are now key decision drivers.
With support from Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, RX is readying its IBTM series for another foray into the region after Covid-era knockbacks in Singapore and reportedly dim market expectations in Hong Kong. Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre will host IBTM APAC, 9-10 June 2027, intensifying competition among APAC event organisers and host cities.
Findings from the newly released Northstar Meetings Group/Cvent PULSE Survey (APAC), conducted in March 2026, show geopolitical and economic risks rising to the top of planners’ concerns, reshaping sentiment across the region. Despite this, demand remains resilient as the region’s planners continue to actively source and book events.
Iceberg Ambassador Peng Ee Ooi argues for a creative synthesis between competing visions of business events as either a sub-sector of the travel and tourism economy or a driver of economic and social agendas, supported by examples from leading destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. From Associations Commons…
This White Paper from MayvinGlobal association consultancy contains a case study on the journey undertaken by the Australian Business Events community to create a unified industry body, the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) in 2023, to ensure the sector had an authoritative voice that would be taken seriously by national government and other policymakers.
Former Events Director at International Gas Union Rodney Cox has strong views on the all-too-frequent under-utilisation of exhibitors at international association events, to the detriment of the event owner, the delegates, and the host destination. Far too many organisers build exhibitions as a matter of habit rather than intent. “I like the word intent,” states…
From its pioneering beginnings in 1983 to a world-class event hosting thousands, AIME has grown into a powerhouse for connection and collaboration. AIME 2026 brought together industry leaders, associations, and innovators to spark over 25,000 meaningful conversations in just two days. Beyond meetings, it is a catalyst for ideas, partnerships, and economic growth—driving opportunities across…
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