The Meetings Show Asia Pacific,
the region's leading event for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and
Exhibitions) industry, launched its highly successful inaugural edition this
week at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
The show welcomed more than 1,000 event professionals across the Asia
Pacific region and from around the world who gathered to learn, connect and do
business over the two-day event on 17 and 18 April 2024.
It is the largest organic event launch ever organised by Northstar
Travel Group, featuring over 160 exhibitors
from a wide range of destination bureaus, meeting venues, hotels, technology
providers and suppliers; timely and topical education sessions provided by
industry influencers, a Technology Campfire Showcase, networking receptions, and
nearly 5,000 curated one-to-one hosted buyer business appointments.
"The Meetings Show Asia Pacific represents a watershed moment
for the MICE industry throughout the region and globally,” said David
Blansfield, executive vice president and group publisher, Northstar Travel
Group. "Never have so many influential MICE industry professionals come
together in one place at one time in a leading Asian destination to connect,
share best practices, and do business together as they have this week.”
Many of the world’s leading MICE associations, including the Global
MICE Collaborative - comprised of Meetings Professional International (MPI),
the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), and the International
Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) – the International Congress and
Convention Association (ICCA), the Professional Convention Management
Association (PCMA), and the Singapore Association of Convention &
Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS) contributed education
opportunities at the event. In addition, the Events Industry Council (EIC)
provided introductory sessions for their Sustainable Event Professional Certificate
Course, offered for the first time in the region at The Meetings Show Asia
Pacific.
Conference attendees also gained valuable insights on the latest in
Sustainability, Technology, Workforce Management, Experience Design, and
Wellness in the MICE industry, delving deep into topics such as:
- The great MICE rebound and
potential risks in tourism in the global economy
- How the future of business
events is impacted by geo-political tensions, titanic shifts in technology (AR,
XR etc.) and the rise of the Gen Z workforce
- Event marketing trends
- Elevating MICE experiences with
the power of luxury
- Behavioural learning for sustainable
wellness
All of the content shared at The Meetings Show Asia Pacific was
summarised and will be made available globally to the MICE community through
the use of Snapsight™, a new AI content analysis and translation tool developed
by Gevme, a leading Singapore-based omni-channel event management platform.
“The inaugural edition of The Meetings Show Asia Pacific offered a
hub of networking and sourcing opportunities for event planners, bringing
together leading MICE partners from meeting destinations and venues, to hotels
and technology solution providers across the Asia Pacific region,” said Ong Wee
Min, Vice President of Sales and MICE, Marina Bay Sands. “With wellness and
sustainability being a growing priority amongst delegates, it was also the
perfect platform for us to showcase our new Wellness in MICE programme and
share our best practices.”
The core deliverable of the event was its pre-arranged, curated
buyer-seller appointments. Meeting planners with identified near-term business
for the region met with destinations and hoteliers suitable for their programs
throughout the event.
“I love the intimacy of the event and the 20-minute appointment
format. It’s fantastic, as it allows you to really learn about the
destinations, companies and individuals that you’re speaking to,” said Timothy
Glanzer, founder and CEO, Elevated Meetings Solutions. “The quality of appointments is better than
some of the other trade shows I’ve been to. The level of vendors in the
appointments is really nice and I’ve had the opportunity to make some really
useful connections at the show.”
“As New Zealand actively pursues association conference business in
the Asia Pacific region, we are happy to share our expertise, events
infrastructure and unique culture with key decision makers at The Meetings Show
Asia Pacific,” said Bjoern Spreitzer, general manager NZ & business events,
Tourism New Zealand. “It has proven to be a great platform for us to build on
and enhance our relationships and connections, whilst growing our presence and
share of conferences in the region.”
Following its successful debut, The Meetings Show Asia Pacific will
return to Singapore and the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on April 23 and 24,
2025.
