Melbourne

Melbourne continues to show their capabilities to the world, especially in terms of hosting global conferences, conventions, and other events.

Melbourne has secured hosting rights to the 14th World Chambers Congress (WCC), one of the most anticipated global annual business events, in 2025. At least 1000 business chamber leaders from all over the world are expected to attend, and the event is expected to bring in around $3.9 million into the local economy.

Slated to happen in September 2025 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the bid for this event was a result of the collaboration among the Melbourne Convention Bureau, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Victorian Government, and the Tourism Australia Business Events Bid Fund Program.

Melbourne has been named as the host city for the 2023 BestCities Global Forum, once again providing the opportunity to showcase the city to international associations. 

Aside from the opportunity to bring in a lot of potential business for Melbourne, this also allows our partner cities and other key figures in the MICE industry to see what Melbourne has to offer and learn best practices from their initiatives.

The Melbourne Convention Bureau had an exceptional 2022, closing with a 33% increase in economic contribution from 2021. Their economic contribution for the entire state totaled to $203 million, with over 110 events secured bringing in 53,200 guests.

Because of the future business secured, the MCB now has a sure contribution to the state up to 2028.

Tokyo

Tokyo has won the bid to host next year’s World Veterinary Cancer Congress (WVCC) scheduled to happen in March 2024 at the Hotel New Otani. 

The WVCC 2024 is the first time that the annual event will be held in Japan. The Japan Veterinary Cancer Society (JVCS) will be in charge of the entire event while working closely with Associação Brasileira de Oncologia Veterinária (ABROVET), Asociación Mexicana de Oncología Veterinaria (AMONCOVET), the European Society of Veterinary Oncology, and the Veterinary Cancer Society (VCS).

Tokyo was named among the world’s best destinations for disabled travellers. New research based on a global survey of 3,500 tourists with disabilities has been released by the Valuable 500 – the only global CEO collective committed to disability inclusion – reveals that Tokyo is among the top 10 most accessible cities in the world.

January events:

16 – 19 January 2023: ASP-DAC 2023

25 – 27 January 2023: NEPCON JAPAN 2023 – 37th Electronics R&D, Manufacturing and Packaging Technology Expo

Dublin

The Dublin Convention Bureau ended the year 2022 in high spirits, with amazing numbers despite the challenges. Here’s their year-end message to everyone:

A Special Message From the Dublin Convention Bureau:

This time last year, we drew a difficult year to a close and looked ahead to 2022 with cautious optimism. While this year has not been without its challenges, business tourism has recovered well and everyone in the sector can be proud of what we have achieved in such a short space of time.  

This year we saw the return of festivals, sporting events and global conferences, all of which are critical in continuing to grow overseas visitors. SITE Global Conference which took place in the CCD in April was one of our standout events this year, which welcomed attendees from all over the world to our beautiful capital city. We also welcomed the Aer Lingus College Football Classic back to the Aviva Stadium in August where the North-western Wildcats took on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. And we were delighted to be able to host our annual Meet Dublin in London event earlier this month in the Mercato Mayfair London. The event was a huge success with over 100 buyers in attendance on the night, and we had a fantastic line-up of entertainment on the night including Triplicity, an electric trio of musicians, and our fabulous hosts Joanne McNally and Vogue Williams. 

This year we have generated a total of 314 leads worth over €181 million, and year to date we have confirmed 143 opportunities to the value of €64 million. We are so excited for a new year full of prospects and collaboration. 

Also, this year we were absolutely delighted to collect the Best Overseas Convention Bureau Gold Award at the M&IT Magazine Awards for the second year in a row. We also saw the opening of Dublin’s newest meeting and events venue, the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. Offering convenient, functional, and flexible facilities. 

What a great year it was, and we wish you all a happy and prosperous Christmas and New Year.   

Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise Duit,

Dublin Convention Bureau

Berlin

It’s the beginning of a new year, and the visitBerlin Convention Office wishes all clients a good start and much success. Team Berlin is looking forward to prosperous cooperation and exchange in 2023.

This year, the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office will continue to work towards its goal of making Berlin one of the most sustainable, innovative and reliable meeting destinations in the world.

Therefore, the new sustainability initiative was presented at the end of last year. With the initiative, visitBerlin is actively supporting the city’s visitor economy in becoming more sustainable. In the future, there will be three free offers for businesses in the tourism and events industry: the new Sustainable Tourism Berlin and the existing Sustainable Meetings Berlin, both management and certification programs for our partners. In addition, the Sustainable Berlin Commitment, a voluntary commitment by Berlin’s MICE and tourism industry to make companies a more visible part of the sustainability movement. In 2022, the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office was able to increase the number of certified MICE partners by 12 to a total of 50.

Looking at their partners, the Estrel Congress Center in Berlin was honored with a “Special Mention” at the German Design Award 2023. The jury was impressed by the special design approach of the new auditorium, which can accommodate almost 800 visitors and is complemented by 5,000 square meters of adjoining meeting rooms. The award is presented every year by the German Design Council for groundbreaking design solutions.

Also new this year: Berlin will have its own Berlin booth at IMEX 2023 in Frankfurt. With 15 partners from the city, the Berlin Convention Office will represent Berlin and attract customers to the city at this core gathering of the international meetings industry. We look forward to seeing you there – or right here in Berlin. 

Dubai

The World Congress of Gastroenterology closed a successful 2022 for Dubai, with over 2,000 attendees from 110 countries participating in the much-anticipated scientific congress. Held at the Dubai World Trade Center, the team that put together the World Congress of Gastroenterology 2022 worked closely with the Emirates Gastroenterology and Hepatology Society under the guidance of the Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed.

Meanwhile, Digital Editor and Journalist featured Dubai in a feature at the Boardroom Magazine entitled “Picking Dubai’s Brain”. 

The article highlighted the Crown Prince’s launch of the Dubai Research and Development (R&D) Program, which plays a huge role in the city’s Centennial Plan 2071. The project not only focuses on providing solutions for issues related to food supply, but also in joining the global efforts against climate change through the Space Climate Observatory (SCO) International.

Madrid

The 15th edition of the Recognition Night was held in December by the Madrid Convention Bureau. This yearly ceremony honours 13 new Madrid ambassadors, representing 11 congresses that were held in Madrid in 2022.

More than 250 city ambassadors have been awarded since the Madrid Convention Bureau launched this program in 2008.

The Madrid Convention Bureau Team wishes you a happy and prosperous 2023! “We are hoping that this year will be another successful one for Madrid and its Best Cities partners as we continue to work together!” – Team Madrid

Guadalajara

The Guadalajara International Book Fair, better known as the FIL (from its Spanish name: Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara) has been scheduled to happen in November 2023. It is the largest book fair in the Americas, and second-largest book fair in the world after Frankfurt’s. It is also considered the most important cultural annual event of its kind in the Latin-America. 

The purpose of the FIL is to provide an optimal business environment for the book-industry professionals and exhibitors who attend the fair, and for the reading public eager to meet authors and pick up the latest entries in the market.

The Guadalajara International Film Festival in Spanish Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara is a week-long film festival held each March/June in the Mexican city of Guadalajara since 1986. The presence in Guadalajara of delegates from other important festivals worldwide has helped Mexican cinema have a strong international presence in the last twenty years.

Gay Games are considered to be the most important sports and cultural competition of diversity organized by the LGBT+ community; like the Olympic Games, it is held every four years with a participation of approximately 10,000 athletes. The Gay Games, in addition to integrating sports disciplines, also integrate a cultural and conference agenda.

Guadalajara was also featured in Boardroom Magazine through an article called “Guadalajara: Social Progress Starts With Innovation” written by Vicky Koffa. 

The article highlights the city’s current focus on education as enforced under the Jalisco Tech Hub Act. This initiative is a collaboration between the local academia, the government, and private entities.

Also featured is the project called ‘Ciencia al Mercado’ or ‘From Science to Market’, which helps local inventors and scientists to showcase their capabilities on a global level.

Singapore

Singapore recently launched the MICE Sustainability Roadmap in December, taking another big stride towards being a sustainable MICE destination. The Roadmap was developed by the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS) in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board.

Guided by the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, the roadmap lists three specific targets:
– Develop a set of Singapore MICE sustainability standards by 2023 and aim to be globally recognised by 2024.
– For all six purpose-built MICE venues in Singapore and 80% of SACEOS members to obtain nationally and/or globally recognised certification by 2025.
– For the Singapore MICE industry to commence tracking waste and carbon emissions by 2023, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

With a growing demand for sustainable business events, the MICE Sustainability Roadmap sets clear targets and strategies to guide local industry players in forging ahead to pursue attainable and relevant sustainability goals.

We are proud to announce that Singapore will play host to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Global Conference for the first time, in 2024 – strengthening Singapore’s reputation as the choice destination for quality events which focus on sustainability. 

The conference will provide a conducive platform for best-in-class tourism stakeholders and thought leaders to forge new partnerships and address critical issues in sustainable tourism. With more than six sustainability-focused events hosted in 2022 alone, the addition of GSTC to Singapore’s MICE calendar will see more than five sustainability-focused events in the pipeline.

The Singapore MICE Destination Report by Meeting Media Group details our city’s latest meeting venues, technology and innovative experiences. A recent success story is the International Solid Waste Association’s decision to host their World 2022 Congress in Singapore, which showcases the dedicated support from local partners in realizing greener meetings and events for organizations.