Macau played host to a total of 307 MICE events in the first three months of 2024, up 31.2% year-on-year but down on the 362 events held in the December 2023 quarter, according to information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).
The 1Q24 tally included 289 meetings and conferences, 12 exhibitions and six incentives, generating MICE-driven receipts of the non-gaming industries to MOP$900 million (US$112 million), up more than 50% year-on-year.
Of the 289 meetings and conferences held in Q1, the number of participants grew by 39.1% to 34,000. These included 146 meetings and conferences with less than 50 participants, while those with 200 participants or more grew by 58.6% to 46.
The number of exhibitions went up by two year-on-year to 12, while the number of attendees (143,000) dropped by 18.3%, DSEC said. The exhibitions attracted 979 exhibitors, with non-locals accounting for 38.8%, and 4,305 professional visitors with non-locals at 50.5%.
The number of incentives also increased by four year-on-year to six, while the number of participants dropped by 31.5% year-on-year to 1,575.
DSEC said the majority of the events held in the first quarter were centered on “Commerce & Management” at 127, while there were 39 events about Finance, 36 about Information Technology and 26 about Medical & Health.
