The Marriott Grand Ballroom (MGB) within Newport World Resort in Manila, Philippines, has added a new event space, the 3,800m2 MGBX Convention Hall.
The new MGBX Convention Hall is located on the lower Level B1 of the Marriott Grand Ballroom. It has a total floor area of 4,400m2 and is furnished with high-tech audiovisual and lighting systems. It is a tad smaller than MGB, which has a total floor area of 4,7000m2.
Bruce Winton, Marriott International’s multi-property vice president in the Philippines, said the company decided to convert an under-utilised space into an exhibition area to “fulfil a growing need as the industry recovers”.
Although the Philippines’ business events industry has not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, the future is looking bright. Social and milestone events are back in full swing, while domestic corporate meetings, association and governmental events, have picked up. These are complemented by several international corporate events from around Asia-Pacific.
“We are seeing positive signs in 4Q this year, and I think that year-end activity is on track to match 2019 volumes,” Winton told TTGmice.
He added that the hosting of the 2022 WTTC Global Summit in April helped to bring “positive attention” to the Philippines as a business events destination, and highlighted its capability to executive international business events of the highest degree despite pandemic-related setbacks.
