In the wake of the West Asian conflict, we at Travel Daily Media pointed out that the global MICE sector will make a calculated shift from the mega venues of Europe and the Gulf States to convention facilities elsewhere in the world.
Asia, in particular, is more than happy to welcome the world’s biggest business events into its borders, what with spectacular venues located in some of the most interesting nations within the region.
With that said, we list five specific countries in Southeast Asia that are more than ready to play host, along with the specific elements that could make them the MICE industry’s next venue of choice.
Indonesia: Bali and beyond
Earlier this year, we covered the 2026 Asia leg of global travel tech firm HBX’s MarketHub in Bali, one of a growing number of major business events being staged in Indonesia.
Along with MarketHub, the country has already welcomed guests to a number of major events, including the Indonesia MICE Conference and Exhibition (INAMICE) back in March.
This is characteristic of the Indonesian tourism sector’s current thrust to expand the scope of offerings in Bali to include MICE functions and to promote the country’s secondary cities as a way of boosting inbound tourism, particularly from the business travel and events sectors.
But while Bali is emerging as a MICE venue to consider, Jakarta has not relaxed its guard as the country’s primary events epicentre, what with two key venues for mega events: the 220,000sqm Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) in the northern reaches of the city; and the Nusantara International Convention Exhibition (NICE) in Tangerang, a new venue but ten minutes away from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Furthermore, Indonesia is cementing its importance in both the regional and global MICE sectors with the debut of the Indonesia Business Event Mart (IBEM), the country’s first-ever expo for the business events sector, this July.
BE @ Malaysia
Over the past few years, Malaysia has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s primary growth centres for the business events industry.
In December of last year, we pointed this out prior to our coverage of BE @ Penang 2025, citing how the country’s strategic geographic location coupled with a whole roster of venues throughout the country are helping it transform into a MICE powerhouse.
Furthermore, business event-centric functions in secondary cities like Kota Kinabalu and Penang have offered the global sector some serious developmental insights whilst preventing overtourism in major sites like Kuala Lumpur and Melaka.
With development ongoing for new venues throughout the country, Malaysia is certainly fast-tracking its way towards hitting its goal of MICE attendees making up three percent of its annual arrivals totals per annum by the end of the current decade.
The Philippines takes business events to heart
Meanwhile, the Philippines has been working to boost itself as a regional centre for MICE for over four decades since it established the Centre for International Trade Exhibitions and Missions (CITEM) in 1983.
But while CITEM handles the country’s participation in global MICE events, promoting the country as a MICE venue is the remit of the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board (TBB) in cooperation with local government units throughout the country.
Since 2024, the Philippine MICE sector has made We Take Your Business to Heart as its battle-cry, placing due emphasis on the country’s reputation for warm hospitality and a genuine concern for guest welfare in the context of business events.
The Philippine also offers learning modules for both local and foreign event planners under the TPB with lessons ranging from a general overview of the MICE industry to financial management and design in MICE.
Likewise, the country has also begun veering away from major hubs like Manila and Cebu, though the bulk of high-profile events are still staged there, and into secondary cities like Baguio in the north, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and Cagayan de Oro in the south.
In Thailand, government support matters
Originally opened in 1991 when Thailand hosted the 46th annual meeting of the World Bank / International Monetary Fund boards of governors, the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) has since risen to become one of the foremost venues anywhere in the world.
Since its massive refurbishment in 2022, it now offers thrice its original capacity and has the technological capabilities to host events on a truly massive scale.
But more than this super-venue, Thailand as a MICE destination has benefited from the considerable support of its national government in the form of extensive subsidies for the staging of large-scale events, visa assistance whenever necessary for foreign participants and resource personnel, as well as coordination with the relevant local authorities throughout the country.
Furthermore, the concentration of MICE events staged in Thailand is no longer confined to Bangkok, but has surged into resort destinations like Pattaya and Phuket, as well as Muan Thong Thani whose corporate landscape has been transformed by the opening of IMPACT, one of the country’s largest event venues.
Vietnam rising
With the new Long Thanh International Airport on the southern outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City slated to become fully operational this year, Vietnam is all set to welcome even more event delegates, thus boosting its already flourishing MICE sector.
Its primary cities Hanoi in the north and HCMC in the south have both played host to numerous international events over the years, but these have begun to spill into emergent destinations like Da Nang and the rising luxury centre that is Phu Quoc.
At the same time, Vietnam’s primary advantage against its regional neighbours lies in its being cost-effective when it comes to hotels, event venues, transportation and related services.
At the moment, Vietnam still has a long way to go in terms of overall competence, especially where its people’s linguistic skills are concerned, but its keen penchant for technological innovation, functional design, and exceptional hospitality are certainly working in its favour.
