Taking business events to heart in the Philippines

At the recently concluded Philippine MICE Conference (MICECON) 2024, the country’s largest industry gathering, delegates were treated to some of the host destination’s new features, including Clark Freeport Zone, an emerging MICE destination.

With its international airport, highway access to Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, and extensive event facilities, Clark stands out as a model hub for business events. The region boasts 80 convention and meeting facilities, 3,608 rooms and villas, and 146 dining establishments.

But the highlight of the three-day event, themed M.I.C.E. XD: Xperience Diversified, was the Tourism Promotions Board’s (TPB) new “MICE Philippines: We take your business to heart” initiative, designed to galvanise the sector. This effort, spearheaded by TPB COO Maria Margarita Montemayor-Nograles, aims to “establish the Philippines as a premier MICE destination known for its world-class experiences, top notch facilities and unparalleled hospitality”.

While the Philippines has to contend with greater regional competition amid as fast-growing MICE market, the country also has several advantages going for it. For Arnold Gonzales, acting head of the TPB’s MICE Department, these include the country’s “rich cultural heritage, beautiful beaches, and diverse natural landscapes that offer unique and attractive experiences for MICE participants”. Likewise, compared to other ASEAN destinations, the country offers “generally lower costs for venues, accommodation, products and services.”

Growing MICE facilities, room inventory

TPB’s new initiative comes at a time when stakeholders are bullish on MICE, given its higher average daily spend per person compared to leisure tourism.

When Citadines Bay City Manila introduced full F&B and banquet facilities in 2018, the property enjoyed significant growth fuelled by its MICE business, according to Loven Ramos, director for brand and marketing at The Ascott Limited Philippines, one of the largest hospitality operators in the country.

“We gained great insights on how important and how big the potential for MICE is,” he says. “We also began implementing MICE facilities in new properties such as Citadines Roces Quezon City (opened January 2024) and Citadines Bacolod City (opened June 2024) to unlock the property’s full potential. For older properties, we have also shifted our focus on developing and introducing MICE facilities to them as soon as they are ripe for renovation.”

According to Neil Rumbaoa, vice president of marketing and business development for SM Hotels and Convention Corporation (SMHCC), the improved outlook on MICE is also a key growth driver for the company.

SMHCC’s sprawling portfolio includes SMX, the largest operator of convention centres and trade halls in the country, with three key venues located in Metro Manila. “SMX Convention Center Manila alone offers 17,170sqm of leasable space, accommodating up to 18,000 attendees, seamlessly integrated within the Mall of Asia (MOA) complex with interconnected bridges and walkways,” says Rumbaoa.

The company’s existing 10 properties – across various brands, north to south of the country – offers a combined total of 2,600 rooms.

Heartfelt hospitality and support

While the Philippine MICE industry faces ongoing challenges, particularly in transport and mobility within and between major cities and across the archipelago, it also enjoys multiple advantages.

Competitive pricing, says Rumbaoa, also helps organisers maximise budgets. “Additionally, the Philippine government, through the TPB, supports the industry by offering incentives, marketing assistance, and logistical support to attract international events. These strengths collectively position the Philippines as a top choice for event organisers and participants in the region.”

The TPB’s new MICE slogan also plays to the country’s core strengths: the warm hospitality and local artistry that brand Philippines has long been built on.

In the Philippines, we welcome not just leisure travellers, but also business professionals. We go beyond telling them – we show them and make them feel that in the Philippines, we take their business to heart.

Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles, COO, Tourism Promotions Board

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“Finding niche talent is also relatively easy in the Philippines – from well-trained hospitality teams to fire dancers, bamboo musicians, floral artists, event designers to coffee portrait artists or even recreating an entire festival for an event,” says Ramos. “While planning for an event, I was surprised to discover that we had Filipino performers focusing on Japanese taiko drums, classical Chinese opera and even LED stilt walker. You name it – it’s here!”

Stakeholders like Ascott are big believers in what the country has to offer. “Imagine staging a conference for today, then tomorrow have everyone learn scuba diving or surfing, or perhaps explore one of the world’s longest underground rivers,” adds Ramos, who believes that many historic and world heritage sites across the Philippines make unique settings to stage events.

But to guarantee resounding success for the country’s MICE sector, Rumbaoa says there needs to be “a more coordinated individual and collective effort by the industry to promote the Philippines as a premier MICE destination on the global stage is crucial. This concerted promotion, combined with improved infrastructure, would significantly boost the competitiveness and appeal of the Philippines in the MICE industry.”

Having it high on the TPB’s agenda – with efforts that bring the effort into focus – is a step in the right direction.