IPIM collects opinions from operators of the convention and exhibition industry
Since January this year, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) has assumed the responsibilities of co-ordinating and promoting MICE-related activities in Macao, and adopted the slogan “Macao – Mega Events City” in promoting its advantages in conventions and exhibitions industry as well as the “One-stop Service” for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao. In the first half of this year, IPIM has organised several delegations for operators of the convention, exhibition and tourism sectors to participate in various overseas MICE trade shows, including AIME 2016 (the Asia-pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo), IT&CM China 2016 (Incentive Travel & Convention, Meetings China), and IMEX Frankfurt (the Worldwide Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events in Frankfurt). Operators of the convention and exhibition industry who have participated in the events acknowledged the fruitful outcome, given that, in addition to assisting them in business expansion, through contacts with their international counterparts, they could broaden their horizons and enhanced their standards. They are also generally optimistic about the development of the MICE industry in Macao, as the city, offering world-class facilities and infrastructures along with qualified professionals, is capable of holding various types of MICE-related events. Therefore, the charisma of “Macao – Mega Events City” has already reached the world stage. Fruitful outcome achieved in the convention and exhibition sector, thanks to the concerted efforts of government and private entities to make Macao a world-class event destination One of the delegation members, the Director and Deputy General Manager of Top Holiday-P&E International Travel Co., Ltd., Ms. Elisa Ng, said that through the participation in trade shows abroad, she managed to sourced two conventions that are likely to be held in Macao, in the areas of information technology and direct marketing. These two events are expected to attract approximately 200 to 1,000 participants. The Director of Inbound Department of China International Travel Service (Macao) Ltd., Mr. Cooper Zhang said that, soon after his participation in the trade shows, he had received three to four enquiries from customers in Belgium, Sweden and other European countries, requesting quotations of itinerary for around 50 to 60 participants over a period of five to six days in Macao. Supports convention and exhibition industry to achieve self-improvement and to develop overseas markets In addition to business development, participation in MICE trade shows could also help operators of the convention and exhibition industry to enhance their standards, and increase the “added value” of their businesses. According to the Director of Commercial Division of TurboJET, Mr. Alcuin Li, he has gathered a number of travel agencies contacts during his participation in the trade shows, and also took the opportunity to introduce to these agencies the advantages of his company in the area of maritime passenger transport in the Pearl River Delta region, as well as the various types of their products, thus promoting the corporate image. The Project Managers of 615 Event Planning Company Ltd., Mr. Keith Ngai and Ms. Sio Ng, said that participation in the trade shows enabled them to expand their international vision, connect with the world and improve their perspectives, and, thus, increase the “added value” of their companies. Combination of advantages in different areas to promote the development of “Macao - Mega Events City” The development of Macao´s convention and exhibition industry advances “progressively”. The Project Manager of Macao Expo Group Ltd., Mr. Andrew Jiang and the Sales Manager of MGM Macao, Ms. Sherry Xu both agreed that Macao not only offers an array of prime hotels, providing integrated services in the areas of fashion retail, catering, accommodation and transportation, to meet the requirements of different types of events, the strengths of Macao also include its ideal geographic location, being adjacent to the Pearl River Delta Region and a hub where Chinese and western cultures meet, the close ties with the Portuguese-speaking, European and US markets, as well as the subvention programmes to support the convention and exhibition industry, in particular, the “One-stop Service” for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao offered by IPIM. These advantages, coupled with sophisticated hotel facilities, are crucial factors to attract more business to choose Macao to stage their events. Given that they are optimistic on the good development momentum of their development of the MICE industry in Macao, MGM plans to strengthen their investments in software and hardware facilities. The project currently under construction at Cotai, will offer new entertainment elements, namely, the Grande Praça and a multi-purpose theatre, which are intended to provide more support services for conventions and exhibitions. New Ideas to explore New Potentials In the current era of rapid changes, innovative thinking is essential. In this connection, the Travel Industry Council of Macau (TICM), has since the beginning of the first half of this year, participated in the delegation as an “organisation”. Mr. Paul Wong, Vice-President of Board of Directors of Travel Industry Council of Macao, said that, compared with the past, when he participated as an “enterprise”, this year he was able to meet a greater number of officials and semi-official organisations related to the convention and exhibition industry and believed that, by means of their business contacts and social impact, help to promote and publicise Macao advantages, in a more systematic and organised manner. On the other hand, Mr. Clemson Lo, General Manager of C&E Conference and Exhibition Management Ltd., with over 30 years of experience in the participation in tourism and MICE exhibitions and trade shows, said that he agrees IPIM in the launching of the “Ambassador Programme of Conference” to, through the concerted efforts of the academic associations and organisations, to jointly bid for the organisation of international conventions in Macao, as he believes that such initiatives would facilitate the publicity of “Macao - Mega Events City” . Regarding the best method to fully utilise the convention and exhibition activities to promote social economy, the Account Director of MICE Sales and Destination Marketing at Studio City Macao Mr. Patrick Ma agreed that the recommendation of the events to the respective event participants would benefit community consumption and thereby promotes social economy. Industry praised IPIM for their first-time organization of delegations to MICE trade shows Most of the participants praised IPIM for the effort in its first-time organisation of delegation to participate in local and overseas MICE trade shows. In addition to the organisation of the briefing sessions before departure, IPIM´s staff, has also set up a social group on “WeChat” to facilitate contacts and provided first-hand updates on the trade shows and the trip. Furthermore, it also enabled members of the group to know each other and facilitate networking, in a bid to promote co-operation. Furthermore, participants also praised the contemporary design of the “Macao Pavilion”, which highlighted the positioning of Macao´s convention and exhibition industry. They believed that it will help to lead the participants, through international trade fairs, to “go global”. Some participants suggested the “Macao Pavilion” to showcase coffee from the Portuguese-speaking Countries, as well as Portuguese wine or typical Macanese snacks, to promote the characteristics of the integration of the Chinese and Western cultures, given that, in their opinion, this could assist in the exploration of potential business opportunities. Furthermore, in the second half of this year, IPIM will continue to organise the delegation of local convention and exhibition industry to participate in CIBTM 2016 (Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings expo China) and IMEX America 2016 (The Worldwide Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events in America), in order to play the role as a bridge to facilitate co-operation between operators of the MICE industry in Macao and their counterparts in Mainland China and abroad, while endeavouring, to promote the charisma of “Macao - Mega Events City”.
