Driven by the Indonesian government’s strategic development of the 42-hectare Sanur Special Economic Zone, the 3,750m2 Bali Beach Convention Center is actively pursuing medical-related conventions and association meetings.
“The main target of the zone is focused on getting Indonesians to stay in Indonesia for medical services they usually go to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand or South Korea for,” Ed Brea, general manager of The Meru Sanur and Bali Beach Hotel, which includes management of the Bali Beach Convention Center, told TTGmice.
A natural evolution of that is enticing medical conferences and associations to hold their business events in Bali.
“I was at IMEX Frankfurt 2025 to promote medical conferencing. We have four medical conferences booked this year, and have received interest from other European companies that want to come for their incentives, association meetings, and research purposes. For example, I have an Italian incentive group that is interested to do a buyout of the property next year,” Brea shared.
A reasonably-sized group that can “plug and play into any one of our spaces” is 400 to 500, according to Brea. But given that Bali Beach Convention Center can hold up to 4,000 theatre-style or 2,000 banquet-style, he works with other hotels in the area to host overflows.
The Meru Sanur and Bali Beach Hotel offers 184 and 273 rooms respectively, alongside a spa, two swimming pools, and four F&B venues (another two will open by end-2025). Aside from hotel facilities, the Sanur Special Economic Zone is also home to the 250-bed Bali International Hospital, which Brea noted is “the first time that foreign doctors have been allowed to practice in Indonesia”.
There are also plans to build another four-star, 450-room business hotel. Twelve clinics – offering different types of treatments from stem cells to aesthetics – are also slated to open by end-2026.
Since its opening in May 2024, Bali Beach Convention Center has hosted around 250 business events across a range of sectors.
Brea added: “We have also created events, such as Beautyverse, a beauty and wellness event; and Eco Tourism Week, a B2B exhibition of sustainable solutions tailored for the hospitality sector. We are also organising a food-related event, where we are bringing about 12 Michelin chefs to Bali. (Even though some of these created events are leisure-focused), it is about supporting tourism here, and building awareness of our convention facilities.”
When asked if he has seen a reduction in government meetings, Brea shared that although such events have been cut back by about “50 per cent”, there has been some reengagement lately, with several enquiries “trickling in”.
Currently, Bali Beach Convention Center’s top market are corporate events out of Jakarta, with Australia a close second. In fact, one of the medical conferences on this year’s events calendar is from Australia.
“At the end of last year, we started looking towards Singapore in particular to augment our government business and domestic events. We are also looking towards attracting corporate events from Taiwan, China, and South Korea,” said Brea.
Overall, Brea remains optimistic and confident in the venue’s ability to attract more business events moving forward.
“These days, people look for something more than just a venue. Bali has always attracted people because of its cultural and spiritual side, while continuing to be a value-for-money destination for business events. So for us as a venue, we need to continue building our network with PCOs and DMCs outside of the country.”
