MICE attendance, spending rise in 1H despite flat event numbers

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the number of MICE events held in Macau in the first half (1H) of this year remained broadly the same year-on-year at 918. Still, the number of participants and attendees at such events increased by 16% to 494,000.

In the same DSEC release, it was noted that MICE-driven receipts in the non-gaming industries stood at about MOP2.43 billion in the same period, up 44.8% year-on-year.

An analysis of the second quarter (Q2) of this year shows a similar trend: the number of events remained the same year-on-year at 499. At the same time, the number of participants and attendees increased by 37.6% to 314,000, mainly due to more exhibition attendees.

Moreover, MICE-driven receipts in the non-gaming industries in Q2 surged 54.8% year-on-year to MOP1.59 billion. The increase was driven by growth in the number of non-local participants and attendees, as well as higher per-capita spending by MICE visitors.

In total, 463 meetings and conferences were held in Q2, down 6% year-on-year; however, the number of participants rose by 29.3% to 54,000. Concurrently, the number of exhibitions increased by 3 year-on-year to 18, and attendees grew markedly by 41% to 257,000.

These exhibitions brought together 1,882 exhibitors and 17,357 professional visitors, of whom international exhibitors and professional visitors accounted for 16.8% and 21.4% of the respective totals, increases of 1.8 and 2.7 percentage points, respectively, year-on-year.

The number of incentive events increased by three year-on-year to 18.

As organizers mentioned on a separate occasion, major worldwide meetings held in Macau contribute to local MICE results, such as the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Conference and Extraordinary General Assemblies held in Macau in late June.

The three-day global gathering brought together over 400 delegates representing FIA member organizations from 149 countries.

Before the meeting, and in an interview with the Times, the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said he was pleased that this year, more members had chosen to attend the Conference and Extraordinary General Assemblies in person rather than remotely, a fact that also contributed to more people from different nationalities arriving in Macau during this period.