The precinct operated at full activation for this event, positioning Western Sydney as am alternative to the Sydney CBD for large-scale corporate and government events
The Western Sydney Convention Centre (WSCC) and Panthers Precinct have successfully hosted the 2025 Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Annual Conference.
The three-day event attracted 1,000 delegates, including NSW premier Chris Minns and representatives from the state’s 128 councils. The summit activated 4,000m2 of event space across the entire precinct, utilising the Evan Theatre for plenary sessions and the WSCC for workshops and formal dining.
The precinct operated at full activation for this event
Over A$1 million was also generated for local accommodation, retail, and tourism.
Outside the conference programme, delegates explored the wider Panthers Precinct, enjoying meals at Marcel Bar & Bistro at the adjoining Pullman Sydney Penrith. They also explored the venue’s diverse offerings, from bars to dining and entertainment experiences, that reinforce the precinct’s appeal as both a business and leisure destination.
Penrith Mayor Todd Carney highlighted the city’s rapid growth, citing the upcoming Western Sydney International Airport and Metro rail line as catalysts for the region’s transformation into a primary business hub.
Siyam World Maldives has appointed Alee Siyam as director of operations and promoted Giselle Encinareal to executive assistant manager.
Siyam, who joined Sun Siyam Resorts in 2016, was previously executive assistant manager. He was part of Siyam World’s pre-opening team and has held several operational roles at the resort. As director of operations, he is responsible for overseeing the resort’s day-to-day operations and service delivery.
From left: Alee Siyam and Giselle Encinareal
Encinareal most recently served as director of talent and culture at Siyam World, a role she has held since rejoining Sun Siyam Resorts in 2022. With more than 20 years of experience across luxury resorts in the Maldives, she now oversees back-of-house functions including talent and culture, learning and development, and quality assurance.
The efforts focused on empathy and community support to wrap up a milestone year for the firm
To mark its 20th anniversary, Singapore-headquartered events agency MICE Matters has translated its core corporate value of “Kinder in Action” into a series of year-end charitable initiatives in Vietnam and Singapore.
During a recent staff retreat in Danang, Vietnam, the entire team of 23 participated in a CSR programme titled Delicious for a Cause. The team spent a half-day preparing, cooking, and distributing 100 food packs to the Quang Nam Social Support Center, which provides housing and care for vulnerable groups, including the elderly, the disabled, and orphans. In addition to the meal service, team members made personal cash donations to help residents purchase daily essential items.
The efforts focused on empathy and community support to wrap up a milestone year for the firm
The spirit of giving continued back in Singapore at the company’s year-end “Hats Off” Christmas party. Joined by partner-suppliers, the team raised a total of S$9,268 (US$7,182) for its 2025 appointed charity, Make-A-Wish Singapore. A highlight of the fundraising was a live auction of two 15th-century European sail ship models, which contributed S$1,000 to the evening’s total.
The celebration featured a performance by Christmas carollers from the Church of St Mary of the Angels, further heightening the festive atmosphere.
“We are indeed proud of the team’s action and that we can make a difference in this manner while having fun,” said Michele Seet, director and co-founder of MICE Matters.
Co-founder and director Melvyn Nonis, added: “The Christmas party was the perfect event to wrap up what has been a great year for us.”
The landmark event aims to revolutionise injury care for rural and remote communities
Brisbane has been selected to host the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS 2028).
The conference, held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC), will focus on surgical innovation, telehealth, and remote patient management. With Australia’s vast geography and ageing population driving demand for orthopaedic care, the event aims to bridge the gap between metropolitan hospitals and the outback, reducing recovery times and travel costs for regional patients.
The landmark event aims to revolutionise injury care for rural and remote communities
The conference is projected to inject approximately A$1.8 million (US$1.2 million) into the local economy and generate over 1,600 visitor nights.
The four-day programme will feature live surgery showcases and explore surgical innovations relevant to athlete recovery ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The successful bid was led by Michael Schuetz, director of the Jamieson Trauma Institute and incoming CAOS president, with support from Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), and Brisbane Economic Development Agency. Schuetz noted that the event will build on Australia’s legacy of remote healthcare, famously pioneered by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Schuetz said: “Our goal is to extend orthopaedic technology beyond the operating theatre, enabling remote monitoring and improving equity in healthcare access.”
In the 2024/25 financial year alone, TEQ-supported bids have secured six major conferences for Brisbane, delivering an estimated A$16.3 million in economic value.
TCEB hosts a group interview with the press to announce remedial measures for Thailand’s flood-affected areas in the south; photo by TCEB
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has activated emergency remedial measures to salvage the southern business events economy following disaster-level flooding in Hat Yai district in late November.
As Hat Yai is the commercial hub of Songkhla – an economic centre of the south, and also one of Thailand’s 10 designated MICE Cities since 2020 – the inundation has stalled the region’s high season.
TCEB hosts a group interview with the press to announce remedial measures for Thailand’s flood-affected areas in the south; photo by TCEB
During the height of the floods from November 21 to 27, local and international media reported thousands of foreign leisure and corporate visitors stranded in Hat Yai, with TCEB coordinating the evacuation of 15 Malaysian business events travellers attached to organised programmes.
At the end of November, TCEB activated emergency assistance measures, opening an internal donation account to support affected communities. TCEB’s Southern Office task force also conducted on-site business events industry impact assessments.
The bureau’s initial survey shows the deluge in late November forced the cancellation of one major domestic event with 1,200 participants and the postponement of three others involving 11,400 delegates.
“TCEB estimates the initial economic damage to the local meetings sector at between 120 and 150 million baht (US$3.8 to US$4.1 million),” noted TCEB president Supawan Teerarat.
“The figures reflect lost revenue across hotels, restaurants, transportation and related services, as well as disruptions to the MICE calendar and market confidence among national and international organisers,” she added.
With major roads in Hat Yai now reopened, TCEB has coordinated with convention centres, hotels, and venues to begin inspection and restoration of electrical systems, air-conditioning, and technical infrastructure.
Major venues including the 60th Anniversary of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the Throne International Convention Center, and The Signature Convention Center, did not sustain structural damage and are ready to operate once safety systems are fully verified.
Simultaneously, 15 flood-affected MICE hotels comprising 10,000m² of meeting space are undergoing rapid restoration.
Supawan told TTGmice the immediate priority is retaining confirmed business on the books for the fiscal year.
“Our strategy is to sustain momentum by urging organisers to postpone rather than cancel, ensuring the region’s economic engine keeps turning,” Supawan said.
Under the upcoming Southern MICE Ready campaign, to be deployed this month, TCEB is rolling out three core strategies titled “Ease Up, Empower, and Enhance”, to stimulate event activity and strengthen the regional business events ecosystem across 10 flood-affected provinces: Surat Thani, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Postponed events are being encouraged to reschedule between November 2025 and September 2026. They will be supported by dedicated funding packages tailored for the southern region with easier application processes and reduced criteria for support.
Under the Ease Up strategy, TCEB aims to accelerate the resumption of business events activities by offering more flexible support conditions and operational facilitation for organisers hosting events during this phase.
To stimulate immediate demand, TCEB will also promote the decentralisation of business events from Bangkok and introduction of new events to the southern regions, organising familiarisation trips for target clients to stimulate local economies under the Empower strategy. In parallel, the bureau will also deploy proactive communication to restore market confidence in the readiness of southern destinations.
Meanwhile, the Enhance strategy will fund capacity building to ensure service quality and venue standards remain competitive despite the disruption.
Supawan noted: “As Songkhla is a designated MICE City, TCEB is committed to restoring its role as one of the major MICE hubs of the south through industry revitalisation, local business empowerment, and the development of a strong MICE ecosystem across Songkhla and other high-potential southern provinces.”
Conference Partners Asia’s Dee Dee Quah (moderator); and Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group’s Beatrice Leong
Event design and planning should be inclusive and cater to people with special needs in order to attract delegate participation and ensure that no segment of the audience is unintentionally excluded.
Autism advocate, gender-disability activist as well as founder of Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group (AIDA), Beatrice Leong, said many individuals with both visible and non-visible disabilities routinely avoid events because the environments are inaccessible or overwhelming.
Conference Partners Asia’s Dee Dee Quah (moderator); and Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group’s Beatrice Leong
“When we build events and ask people to come, have you ever thought about who’s not coming? Many stay away not because they don’t want to, but because the space is not designed for them,” she said.
Leong was speaking at BE@Penang organised by Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau early this month, on the Accessibility: It is good business session.
With South-east Asia rapidly becoming an ageing region, she noted that more people will experience mobility, sensory, or cognitive limitations as they grow older.
“Inclusivity is not only a moral obligation but a growing market segment that event organisers cannot afford to ignore,” Leong stressed.
She urged organisers to adopt universal design principles, such as barrier-free layouts, quiet or low-stimulus areas, multiple formats for information delivery, streamlined registration and queuing systems, and accessible technologies including captioning, assistive listening tools and screen-reader-compatible platforms.
“These measures create environments where all delegates can participate fully and comfortably, regardless of age, ability or neurodiversity,” she explained.
She warned that overlooking accessibility carries reputational and commercial risks.
Delegates today are highly aware of whether an event feels safe, welcoming and inclusive, and negative experiences are quickly amplified online.
Citing AIDA’s analysis of public complaints found across social media in 2024, Leong said 60 per cent involved accessibility barriers which is a clear indication of unmet needs that translate into lost attendance and revenue.
Leong also called on venues and organisers to collaborate with disability communities from the planning stage, stressing that co-creation leads to more meaningful accessibility solutions that reflect real user needs and ultimately enhance the overall event experience for all attendees.
Richard Suter giving his opening speech at the Beyond Business: A MICE Showcase event
Dusit Princess Melaka, managed by Dusit International, unveiled its newly-refreshed meeting facilities at the Beyond Business: A MICE Showcase event for Malaysian business media and corporate partners earlier this month.
The property’s event level on the seventh floor features upgraded amenities, including improved acoustics, modern LCD screens, and enhanced pre-function spaces, complementing one of Melaka’s largest ballrooms, which spans 774m2 and accommodates up to 1,000 guests, alongside a flexible collection of smaller meeting rooms.
Richard Suter giving his opening speech at the Beyond Business: A MICE Showcase event
The showcase also introduced the hotel’s newly appointed general manager, Richard Suter.
“Planners are increasingly looking beyond major cities for venues that offer value, cultural depth, and easy access. With our refreshed event spaces and experienced team, Dusit Princess Melaka is ready to support this shift and help position the city more firmly on the regional MICE map ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026,” said Suter.
The event also highlighted Dusit International’s broader business events strategy in South-east Asia, including the upcoming ASAI Gamuda Cove in Malaysia and the recently-reopened flagship Dusit Thani Bangkok, which supports multi-destination planning.
Attendees were also introduced to Dusit Gold, Dusit’s loyalty programme for frequent and business travellers, which offers early check-in, late check-out, preferential rates, dining savings, and a Status Match feature for members of other hotel loyalty programmes.
Under president Supawan Teerarat’s leadership, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is anchoring its future roadmap in the Colour Economy, a strategic framework that maps economic potential across colour-coded pillars such as Silver for wellness and Green for sustainability.
During the From Creative Economy to Future MICE Setting session at the PATA Destination Marketing Forum (PDMF) 2025 in Chiang Rai, industry leaders discussed how to tap the overlap between a city’s business events capabilities and its Orange Economy – the creative and cultural sectors – through collaboration with the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
Speakers on the From Creative Economy to Future MICE Setting panel at the PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2025; photo by PATA HQ
Peeradorn Kaewlai, project advisor for the model, emphasised that the UCCN Co-Creative City Model is to help such cities move beyond holding the designation, and to amplify their creative capital within the business events and festival economy.
“The Co-Creative City Model is designed for UCCN network cities as a tool to assess their existing creative assets and plan how to activate them more effectively. It helps cities understand where value can be created across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the creative value chain, so they can better support local creative entrepreneurs and strengthen their destination appeal,” he said.
The model also supports UCCN cities in fulfilling the network’s expectations, particularly around the commitments they must uphold.
“UNESCO requires every UCCN city to demonstrate how it contributes to the network locally, nationally and internationally.
“By mapping their events and assets against the creative value chain, cities can pinpoint what kinds of programs or large-scale festivals are still missing, and what needs to be developed to create meaningful impact through a MICE and festival lens,” Peeradorn noted.
Working with business events data from cities including Chiang Mai and Phetchaburi, TCEB developed a canvas that overlays festivals, congresses, and other related activities onto their creative ecosystems.
“We input MICE events and festivals into the canvas, and look at the target audience, type of activities, and where they sit within the creative industries,” explained Peeradorn.
Through this exercise, the team was able to assess whether the city is upstream, midstream and downstream of the creative value chain.
In the case of Chiang Rai, which was designated as a UCCN City of Design in 2023, the analysis revealed opportunities to strengthen the upstream segment, in areas such as knowledge creation, professional development, and industry-level exchange.
“This is the model TCEB aims to use in collaboration with every UCCN city, ensuring they can fully leverage their creative assets and strategically address value-chain gaps,” Peeradorn summarised.
Running alongside the creative agenda is the sustainability focus of the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), which oversees the overlap between Thailand’s designated sustainable tourism areas – several of which overlap with TCEB’s MICE Cities and UCCN cities.
For example, Chiang Rai and Songkhla (City of Gastronomy, 2025) currently sit at the intersection of all three categories, while Pattaya already qualifies for the first two categories and is applying for UCCN recognition as a City of Film.
DASTA’s director-general Siripakorn Cheawsamoot noted that this alignment is critical to future-ready destinations.
He proposed that the “M” in MICE should evolve toward “L factors”: Low carbon, Longevity and Livability, stating that achieving UCCN status is only the beginning.
He cautioned that long-term management, cross-sector collaboration, and community alignment will determine whether cities can sustain the standards expected of them.
Daejeon holds a unique advantage as South Korea’s science and technology hub, making it an ideal location for events in related industries
Located in the heart of South Korea, Daejeon is a vibrant city that has established itself as a strong contender for MICE.
The city has held more than 5,500 events at the Daejeon Convention Center and ranks 36th in Asia-Pacific according to ICCA 2024 rankings. It is also the country’s science and technology hub, giving it a unique edge for scientific congresses and events.
With strong infrastructure, efficient transport links and a deep scientific identity, Daejeon is increasingly positioning itself as one of Korea’s most exciting events destinations.
The ideal stage for knowledge-driven events
Widely recognised as the science and technology hub of Korea, Daejeon’s reputation has been earned through decades of government-driven innovation.
It is home to Daedeok Innopolis, Korea’s largest and most established science cluster, housing more than 30 national research institutes and around 2,400 high-tech companies. These include leading national laboratories and organisations driving advances in sectors such as advanced technology, engineering, aerospace, biomedicine and clean hydrogen.
This concentration of knowledge and innovation gives Daejeon a unique advantage — a natural home for events such as scientific congresses, technical symposia, academic summits and industry-led innovation forums in sectors such as advanced technology, biomedicine, engineering, aerospace, hydrogen and more.
Facilities for business and leisure
Daejeon offers event planners a well-developed MICE ecosystem supported by modern facilities and logistical efficiency.
Central to this is the Daejeon Science Convention Complex, a walkable precinct of conference venues, hotels, shopping belts, cultural attractions and riverside leisure options. Sitting at its core is the city’s flagship venue, the Daejeon Convention Center, a two-building complex capable of welcoming up to 15,000 people.
DCC I, spanning 30,453m2, has a large exhibition hall that can be separated into four halls and hold up to 110 exhibition booths, while DCC II, spanning 49,766m2 can accommodate 520 exhibition booths. Both complexes also hold various meeting rooms.
Both buildings connect seamlessly and sit close to entertainment, dining and hotel options, ensuring that delegates can transition easily between conference and business meetings and post-work downtime.
A city of connectivity
One of Daejeon’s greatest advantages is how easy it is to reach from major cities in South Korea.
Domestic and international delegates can arrive via Seoul, Gimpo or Gimhae International Airports and travel to Daejeon by public transport. It can be reached within two hours by the KTX high speed train or two-and-a-half hours by airport limousine bus.
If travelling from Seoul city, it takes about 50 minutes and 1.5 hours from Busan, both by KTX, making it extremely convenient to plan multi-city programmes.
Within Daejeon itself, planners have access to around 4,500 hotel rooms, from five-star to business properties, many within a 10-minute walk or a short drive from the Daejeon Convention Center — ensuring comfort and efficiency for delegates.
One-stop support
Support is readily available from the Daejeon Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), which offers one-stop support services that include bid assistance, venue identification, accommodation coordination, promotion, and logistical facilitation. Daejeon CVB has also developed a handy Meeting Planners’ Guide with details about the city, venues and rooms.
Whether it is a major conference or trade show, Daejeon is able to accommodate events and meetings of all types.
Representing the scientific community and looking for your next event destination? Daejeon might just be the city for you. Visit Daejeon CVB for more information.
Salter Brothers Hospitality (SBH) has appointed Chris Curran as chief operating officer. In this role, Curran will oversee operational strategy and performance across the company’s hotel, restaurant and bar portfolio, working closely with senior leadership and operational teams.
Curran joins SBH from NRMA Parks and Resorts, where he held senior responsibilities in hospitality operations. His career spans more than two decades in the sector, including leadership positions with IHG and Pro‑Invest Group.
At SBH, Curran will focus on strengthening operational systems and supporting the company’s next phase of growth.
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
Behind the imposing, Brutalist concrete that defines Zurich’s Oerlikon district lies a surprising secret. While its exterior honours the neighbourhood’s industrial roots, stepping inside Mama Shelter reveals a vibrant, neon-soaked world that is a far cry from its rigid shell
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
At SBH, Curran will focus on strengthening operational systems and supporting the company’s next phase of growth.
