Business events industry leaders from key destinations around Asia-Pacific share their outlook on the year ahead.
Singapore Tourism Board
Poh Chi Chuan, executive director,
exhibitions and conferences
The business events industry in Singapore has seen a strong rebound, and 2025 is set to build on the positive momentum seen in post-pandemic years.
We look forward to a robust events pipeline including SuperAI 2024 (AI conference), SEMICON SEA 2025 (semiconductor exhibition), ITMA Asia + CITME (textile machinery exhibition), and World Sleep in 2025. We also expect to see show attendances continue to push the envelope, with more shows that outperform pre-pandemic numbers as we have seen with Singapore FinTech Festival 2023 and Milipol Asia Pacific x TechX Summit 2024 which both achieved record turnout.
South-east Asia’s growth potential – through its expanding middle class and increasing urbanisation – also presents opportunities for the industry. The region’s diverse economies offer a fertile ground for industry leaders in sectors such as technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing to connect.
STB will continue to pursue events that are aligned with Singapore’s priority industries that support our economic growth.
For example, given the country’s vibrant ecosystem for manufacturing medical devices as well as advancing drug discovery and development, Singapore is well-placed to host healthcare events.
Some examples of healthcare events in Singapore include Medical Fair Asia and Asia Bio Partnering Forum. We will also welcome new international events in 2025 such as HealthTechX Asia and LSI Asia, and Smart Health Asia in 2026.
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau
Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya,
president
Thailand’s business events industry is poised for significant growth in 2025.
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) aims to attract 1.4 million business events travellers and generate 92 billion baht (US$2,648 million) in revenue for FY2025, driven by initiatives like MICE Visas and dedicated lanes for large groups.
Building on the impressive 40 per cent growth in overseas corporate traveller numbers in 2024, we are optimistic about sustaining this momentum.
For 2025, we will focus on attracting high-end and future industries like electric vehicles, health and wellness, food, digital technology, robotics, automation, logistics, and transportation, as these sectors will drive professional advancement through conferences and foster business opportunities through trade fairs.
Several upcoming high-profile events include the inaugural South-east Asia edition of the IDF World Diabetes Congress, expected to draw 10,000 delegates to Bangkok’s BITEC Buri in 2Q2025. Additionally, the World Cultural Heritage City and Night Festival Conference will be hosted by Phitsanulok in the north.
Looking ahead to 2026, major events such as the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group; World Congress on Pain; Global Sustainable Tourism Conference; and International Horticultural Exposition are already fuelling preparations in key cities across Thailand.
Thailand’s distinctive cultural identity, or “Thainess”, will also add to the appeal for festival-style mega-events. For example, Devcon 7, a tech festival that featured many Thai elements such as traditional fabrics, drew over 12,500 attendees to Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in November 2024.
Tourism Promotions Board Philippines
Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles, chief operating officer
The Philippine business events industry is projected to achieve remarkable growth by 2025, fuelled by its strong recovery post-pandemic and alignment with global trends like sustainability, and industry-specific conferences.
This growth has been bolstered by our latest initiative, We Take Your Business to Heart, which serves as a rallying cry for the local business events industry. The campaign highlights the Philippines’ reputation for world-class hospitality, personalised service, and cultural vibrancy, setting it apart as a premier business events destination.
Stakeholders from event organisers to hospitality providers are united to ensure that every gathering hosted in the Philippines exceeds expectations and delivers transformative outcomes. As such, there has been an increase in the number of regional and international events.
Continued investments in infrastructure, including state-of-the-art convention centres, enhanced transportation networks, and technology-driven event solutions, are strengthening the country’s capacity to host global events. Public and private sector collaborations further enable innovative approaches to meet the evolving needs of event organisers and participants.
Business Events Australia
Robin Mack, executive general manager commercial & Business Events Australia
Australia’s business events industry continues to look strong. Out of Asia, Australia is experiencing continued interest – particularly in the incentive space – from key markets like China and India which value Australia’s unique experiences, new infrastructure and safety of the destination.
For example in March 2024, Brisbane welcomed a 1,500-strong incentive trip from Nu Skin China, where delegates experienced the city’s urban and coastal offerings. In October 2024, Sydney hosted CREDAI Natcon 2024 where more than 1,000 real estate leaders from India came together over three days to discuss the future of the industry.
We are confident that growth will remain strong into 2025 and beyond.
Our Bid Fund Program shows a pipeline of business events to 2029, including Perth hosting Asia Pacific’s leading aviation event, Routes Asia in March 2025, and Melbourne welcoming more than 10,000 delegates from Amway China next year to celebrate the direct selling company’s 30th anniversary.
We have been investing heavily in our key markets in Asia – through our major marketing campaign, There’s Nothing Like Australia for Business Events; famils; trade events; and destination seminars – to ensure we remain competitive and top-of-mind for international event planners.
As such, we have seen growth across the South-east Asia region in recent years for Australia’s business events industry. For example, Singapore is fifth in visitation (behind major markets New Zealand, China, US and UK) with 47,000 business events visitors in the year to June 2024, and we are also seeing increasing business events arrivals and spend out of Indonesia.
One emerging market in particular is India – with increased aviation and a simplified online visa process, we have seen demand increase. Our strategy to attract more business from India is to focus on targeted engagement with agents across markets to showcase new products, experiences, and destinations that cater specifically to the business events sector.
Japan Convention Bureau
Mariko Tatsumi, executive director
As the Expo 2025 in Osaka is happening next year, we expect this major international event to attract many visitors from Asia-Pacific.
We are also receiving increasing inquiries on incentive travels to Japan from corporate planners and travel agencies based in South-east Asia.
The number of visitors to Japan has already exceeded the numbers in pre-Covid period, but the destinations visited remain in the major cities. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) is devising ways to attract organisers to the regional cities.
In the ICCA Rankings Report for 2023, 15 Japanese cities are among the top 100. That proves many of the regional cities have the capability to host international meetings and events, and we will continue to promote them on the global stage.
Sustainability is also one of the key areas that we will focus on. To this end, JNTO has produced an electronic publication, Sustainable Japan: Pioneering Destinations with Global Appeal, to highlight the sustainability efforts in the business events sector and Japan’s major cities. This publication can be found on JCB’s official website and LinkedIn page, and we share the information with overseas planners and travel agencies.
In 2024, several successful B2B meetings were organised in Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. We plan to organise more of such events in region in the future.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
Dane Cheng, CEO
We were optimistic about 2024 and continue to feel so about 2025.
At the same time, interest rates are coming down, which will have a positive impact on the economy and confidence to spend.
The purpose of travel has changed and there is a stronger quest for experiences among people. This leads to changes in how conferences and exhibitions are delivered. People no longer want to sit and listen to speakers. They want interaction, opportunities to learn and expand their network during their event attendance, but also enjoy some entertainment and shop for limited edition merchandise.
To engage these travellers who prioritise experiences, our destination videos show off more than the usual side of Hong Kong. Such content appeals to the younger generation, who are also an important target for business events, because they are now in the workforce or will soon enter the workforce.
Looking ahead, Hong Kong has to keep innovating – just as we have been in 2024 through our festivals and events. In 1Q2025, we will launch a new and major thematic brand campaign to tell the Hong Kong story.
We are also working towards building up air capacity to Hong Kong. Trans-Pacific flights are still tight in supply, so airfares are quite high. We hope to see more seat capacity, as well as new services this year.
