Strengthening of Collaboration in Rapidly-evolving Asian MICE Industry
From November 5 to 7, the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) held AFECA Convention 2025 at the JIEXPO Convention Centre in Jakarta, Indonesia, alongside an awards ceremony*.
President of AFECA Dato’ Vincent Lim, gave the opening remarks. “I believe that this convention will be a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and business opportunities,” Lim proclaimed. “For AFECA’s 20th anniversary, I hope that everyone participating in the convention will reflect on the achievements of our association, while also holding high expectations for a bright future. We have come a long way since the founding of AFECA, and our growth and accomplishments are evidence of everyone’s hard work. I am greatly looking forward to what the future will bring, not only for AFECA, but for the Asian MICE industry as a whole.”
* Composed of: AFECA Annual General Meeting, Asia 20 & Indonesia Business Events Forum, 10th AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge, The Inaugural AFECA Annual Awards & AFECA Hall of Leaders
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○Business Forum
MICE industry professionals and governmental officials representing the 21 AFECA member countries gathered at the forum. Therein, they actively exchanged opinions regarding the expansion of the business event network in Asia. The forum’s ultimate goal was to work towards a future-oriented industry by establishing a strategic platform that promotes innovation and helps form international partnerships. Rapidly developing Asian countries, while each facing their own economic and geopolitical issues, have many shared challenges as well. Therefore, the discussion further focused on achieving a common understanding surrounding the necessity for strengthening international collaboration by reestablishing initiatives and strategies to deal with these issues.
Panel discussion topics included the role of government in promoting Asia’s business event ecosystem, the goals, significance, and proposals of the associations in main countries, and MICE industry leadership (innovation, collaboration, growth, etc.).
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○Youth Challenge
The 10th AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge displayed the creativity and passion of the talented youth that are shouldering the future of the MICE industry. Students from various countries gave presentations exploring diverse themes.
21 teams from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand participated, and each team chose their own topic of interest. The students poured their hearts into their presentations, which were full of original videos, acting, and elaborate costumes, reflecting the extraordinary time and effort spent preparing.
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○Awards Ceremony
The 20th anniversary of AFECA introduced the first ever awards ceremony. Awards were presented to celebrate outstanding advancements in the MICE industry, as well as the pioneers and leaders who have contributed to this progress (categories: conventions, exhibitions, booth contracts, freight and transport, venue management). The “Hall of Leaders” (hall of fame) was also established.
From Japan, Mr. Nobuo Ogawa (former Japan Exhibition Association President / former Japan Management Association Chairman) was inducted into the AFECA Hall of Leaders, and he received a commemorative crystal trophy.
Professionals who were awarded with this honor were given the title of AFECA leader, and they were recognized as the most respected and influential people in the Asian MICE industry.
