Delta Bridge, Zhuhai cooperation key to MICE success, says expert

Todd Cai with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge seen in the background

The opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macau Bridge and greater cooperation between the neighboring cities of Zhuhai and Macau will be key factors in driving the growth of the local meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) sector, a leading local practitioner said on the sidelines of an industry event last week.

Todd Cai, president of non- profit organization, Macau Meetings, Incentives and Special Events Association (MISE), which seeks to mature the local MICE sector, made the comments on the sidelines of an event at a new local venue at Fisherman’s Wharf by the waterside.

In Cai’s opinion, the key to the industry’s success will be the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, set to commence general operations in the second quarter of this year.

“The Bridge will bring more international players to Macau, both industry players and consumers,” he said. “This, together with many new resorts [in the city], is making Macau an exciting destination for MICE.”

Cai said that although the government records the  number of total visitors to Macau each month and year, there are almost no statistics that pertain to business visitors, making it difficult to ascertain the size of the market and whether it is growing.

He also noted that Macau still has a long way to go before it can be known across Asia as a ‘MICE destination’. However, Macau can offer more in terms of value than emerging rival jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region such as Japan and Vietnam.

“Vietnam is looking to bring more industry players, and Japan is developing its integrated resorts, but the value [proposition] offered in Macau is still one of the best in Asian countries,” he said.

Another key will be greater cooperation with Zhuhai.

“Macau and Zhuhai can be partners or competitors,” admitted Cai. “Of course, their industries can complement each other,” he added, in reference to the beaches, space and theme park business in Zhuhai. But according to him, the extent of their cooperation will depend on “ease of access” for visitors between the two municipalities.

“Some companies [running MICE events] have tried to get visa requirements eased [for their trip], but it is not always easy. This is a key factor if the two cities want to cooperate: ease of access. There must be some way to make this easier.”

MISE is a non-profit association that seeks to support Macau professionals working in the meetings, incentives and special events sector. For the last two years, its main objectives have been to generate business opportunities for its members, promote Macau as a MICE destination, attract events from the international arena to Macau and provide education and training to the industry.

In the third quarter of 2017, the latest quarter for which data is available, the number of participants at meetings and conferences increased by 33.9 percent year-on-year to about 60,000, and the number of attendees at incentives activities soared 220 percent to 18,000. During the same time, the number of attendees at exhibitions dropped almost 13 percent to 503,000.