China’s Macau and Hengqin, both located next to each other, have joined forces to put up a stronger front in their acquisition of international business events, with the launch of a new brand, MICE² Macao x Hengqin.
The brand emphasises the ease of creating multi-city corporate event itineraries that will capitalise on the exhibition advantages and tourism resources of the two destinations, especially against the backdrop of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
The zone is a collaborative initiative between Guangdong province and the Macau Special Administrative Region of China to foster close economic ties and promote cooperation between the two regions.
At their first joint international exhibition at the recent IT&CM Asia and CTW APAC 2023, Vincent U, president of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) told TTGmice why it is a win-win for both Macau and Hengqin on the business events front. Not only can event attendees gain wider destination experiences across two destinations, exhibition organisers can also benefit from logistical flexibility.
U explained: “Some cross-border events may encounter exhibition arrangements that may not be feasible in Macau, but possible in Hengqin.”
For example, brand-new electronic equipment from Shenzhen can be easily shipped to Hengqin, but may face export restrictions in Macau.
For those seeking expanded business opportunities and new markets, Macau can be a convenient launchpad to enter China under the new initiative.
Access to more attractions in both Macau and Hengqin will also appeal to the younger generation of event attendees, who now play a more significant role in event decision-making.
U elaborated: “Preferences of the younger generation are different – they attached importance on experiences and also the ability to sharing them.”
U believes that the collaboration will provide fresh products and services that will translate into more experiential offerings collectively.
Response to the collaboration has been encouraging; to date, there are about nine events staged under the One Event, Two Places format, according to U.
The first such event held in both Macau and Hengqin is the China (Macao) High Quality Consumption Exhibition & Hengqin Global Bay Areas Forum last year. It welcomed more than 220 brands from 172 enterprises.
More than 600 exhibitors also came onboard for the Beyond Expo 2023 held at The Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre, in addition to a promotion summit hosted in Hengqin for 400 delegates.
Another delegation, which involved head honchos of business events associations from nine provinces in China, visited Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition 2023 and attended a conference in Hengqin.
