Macao has climbed into the top 50 global destinations for international meetings. The latest edition of the “International Meetings Market Report” says Macao is the 48th ranked city worldwide – and 12nd in Asia – for such events.
The survey is published annually by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), a global community and knowledge hub for the meetings industry. In the latest edition of the ICCA report, based on data for 2019, Macao jumped 23 places, up from 71st position the year before. In the table of Asia-Pacific region cities hosting association meetings, Macao climbed five places from 2018.
There were 54 international meetings held in Macao last year that met ICCA criteria, about 38 percent more than in 2018. About 26 percent of the international events held in Macao last year that met ICCA criteria were about science and technology, mainly in electronics or engineering.
The ICCA was founded in 1963 and has a membership of more than 1,100 companies and organisations. The association’s data incorporates a range of meeting types and categories, including medical meetings, gatherings for the sciences and other academic fields, trade organisations, professional bodies and social groupings.
ICCA data includes meetings that take place on a regular basis and rotate between a minimum of three countries. It excludes company meetings, and omits events with fewer than 50 attendees.
The association’s annual report is seen as an authoritative indicator of the global market for conventions and conferences, and is used as a reference by event organisers tasked with the job of selecting meeting destinations.
The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) says Macao’s improvement in the ICCA rankings is due to the city’s considerable competitive advantages that appeal to event organisers. The bureau sees the increase in science and technology events as furthering the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Innovation and Technology Hub, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Innovation Technology Corridor.