Macao hosted 1,524 meetings, incentive events, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) across 2024, according to the latest figures from the Statistics and Census Service. The figure represents a year-on-year increase of 31.4 percent.
Despite the increase, the number of MICE participants and attendees fell by 17.1 percent year-on-year, to 1,332,000. DSEC said the total was “dragged down by a decrease in the number of exhibition attendees” in particular.
MICE-driven receipts, excluding gambling, were estimated at approximately 5.48 billion patacas (US$684 million) in 2024, down 8.2 percent from 2023.
Meetings dominated Macao’s MICE offerings last year, with 1,423 meetings and conferences held – an increase of 32.2 percent compared with 2023. Their participants saw an 8.2 percent increase, totalling 185,000.
[See more: Macao wins its second MICE Award in a month]
Exhibitions, meanwhile, totalled 61, three fewer than the year prior. The number of exhibition attendees dropped by 20.5 percent to 1,133,000. The exhibitions attracted 7,093 exhibitors and 52,651 professional visitors – respective year-on-year decreases of 1.5 percent and 12.1 percent. Just over half of each were non-locals.
The number of incentives held in the city doubled to 40, and their participants rose by 22.5 percent in number to 13,000.
Analysed by subject, the majority of the events fell under the theme of commerce and management (42 percent of the total). Events about information technology, and medicine and health, accounted for 10.8 percent and 10.1 percent of the total, respectively.
Regarding the type of event, association meetings, corporate meetings and government meetings constituted 38.5 percent, 38.3 percent and 14.7 percent of the total number of MICE events in 2024 respectively, while exhibitions made up 4 percent.
