Large convention activities bring in a large number of tourists and generate business opportunities for SMEs
Subsequent to the development of the convention and exhibition industry, driven continuously by the Macao SAR Government, a growing number of conventions and exhibitions have chosen Macao as the venue for their events. According to statistics, three hundred and thirty-three conventions and exhibitions events were held in the second quarter of 2017, of which, three hundred and eight were conventions, representing an increase of 16 events compared to the same period in the previous year. By way of example, the largest convention held in last September was attended by approximately 14,000 delegates. In the upcoming fourth quarter of this year, between October and December, several large convention and exhibition events will take place in Macao. In addition to promoting the development of the inherent industry chains, by attracting a large number of high-end professional visitors, such events also help to promote the economy of the community neighbourhoods and generate business opportunities for various sectors, including accommodation, transportation, tourism, catering and retail.
Driven by convention and exhibition events, the hotel industry is optimistic about its performance in the fourth quarter
Several resort-hotels in Cotai stated that, thanks to the constant increase in the number of conventions and exhibitions held in Macao, there has been an improvement in such events, both in terms of size and level, resulting in the continuous raising of the professional skills of the relevant work teams. According to Ms. Keong, sales representative for conventions and exhibitions at a hotel, “after the typhoon that struck Macao on August 23 the received numerous phone calls from conventions and exhibitions organisers to enquire about the situation, fortunately, thanks to the joint efforts of all sectors, the city has rapidly recovered, all business was back to normal and her hotel has successfully confirmed a large number of new businesses”. She considers that one of the characteristics of the convention and exhibition industry is its long “delivery period”. Therefore, the impact of typhoons is only temporary and over a short period of time and only slightly affected the long-term development of the convention and exhibition business of her company. Namely in September, her hotel received two convention delegations, with 12,000 and 14,000 participants, respectively. In addition, new business was confirmed for the fourth quarter, and therefore she expects this year business in the convention area will see an increase from previous years.
Ms. Tou, sales and marketing representative of a hotel said that, subsequent to the completion of a number of large infrastructures, coupled with the existing world-class facilities especially designed for conventions and exhibitions, Macao has already become one of the ideal destinations for the convention and exhibition organisers from all over the world to hold their events.
According to Mr. Wu, representative of the sales department of another hotel, thanks to the holding in Macao of large conventions and exhibitions, the performance of his hotel was stable, with the occupancy rate exceeding 95%, and considers that the results achieved were satisfactory. The successive hosting in Macao of large conventions and exhibitions not only raised the technical level and quality of service of events organisers and suppliers, but also strengthened Macao´s competitiveness as a destination for international conventions and exhibitions. Visitors to the events will share the experience of their stay in Macao with their relatives and friends, positively affecting the promotion of this city and will significantly help to promote the building of Macao into a travel or business destination.
The convention and exhibition industry drives the “1 + 1> 2" business environment of the surrounding industries
Ms. Ho, who is engaged in the planning of conventions and exhibitions, said that such events not only generate enormous economic benefits for the MICE-related sector, but also promote multiple developments and creates substantial employment opportunities, thus demonstrating that it is not merely a “1 + 1> 2" factor, given that convention and exhibition events help the various business sectors to achieve multiple economic benefits. On the one hand, through the introduction of equipment and technology and co-operation with overseas counterparts, significantly raises the level of the local convention and exhibition sector, and, on the other hand, helps the industry to acquire experience, improve their mechanisms, and thus lay a solid foundation for the development of the MICE business.
The convention and exhibition industry generates business opportunities for the neighbourhood communities
The Macao SAR government has always supported the economic development of the neighbourhood communities, by encouraging convention and exhibition visitors to visit the said communities, aiming to raise the economic vitality of these localities. This year, when drawing up plans to support the local conventions and exhibitions, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) introduced measures to subsidise transportation costs, aiming to benefit different types of tourist facilities and SMEs in the surrounding areas. In this regard, Mr. Fan, representative of a Portuguese restaurant in Rua do Cunha, Taipa, said that large conferences help to bring in a large number of visitors, which not benefits the economy of the surrounding area, but will also help to boost the moderate diversification of Macao´s economy and generate business opportunities for the SMEs in that locality. Likewise, Ms. Mok, the person in charge of a dessert shop in the same street, said that there have been instances of members of a single delegation buying in one go 50 types of products and said that not only helps to enhance the turnover of her shop, but will also benefit the diversification of Macao´s economy.
