Northstar

MAR-APR 2018 49 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS • MCMAG-ASIA.COM AT THE SHOW 6,000 attendees 150 exhibitors 200 speakers 10,000 sqm New addition to Japan's PACIFICO Yokohama PACIFICO Yokohama, one of the largest MICE complexes in Japan, will be expanding capacity with the addition of a new adjacent Minato Mirai MICE development, which is expected to open in spring 2020. T he MICE complex sits along the waterfront area of the Minato Mirai 21 district in Yokohama, and will welcome the new facility, Yokohama Minato Mirai International Convention Center. It will add 5,000-capacity - one of Japan's largest - when it opens. It will comprise an underground floor and six floors above ground, which will house a 7,600sqm pillar-less multipurpose hall and 42 large, medium-size, and small conference rooms across 6,185sqm. The development will also have parking space for 200 vehicles. Adjacent to the facility, Resorttrust, Inc. plans to open The Kahala Hotel and Resort Yokohama. Opened in 1991, PACIFICO Yokohama is one of the world's largest convention complexes and is located about 30 minutes from Tokyo and Tokyo International Airport. The Yokohama Minato Mirai International Convention Center. HOT NUMBERS M&E 2018 APAC TRENDS +5% cost per attendee per day Top 3 cities: Singapore, Sydney, Bangkok +3.5% cost of hotels +2.8% cost of air fares SOURCE: CWT BOOKING DATA, CVENT DATA AND SMITH TRAVEL RESEARCH MEETINGS SPEND • -1.0% meetings budgets across Asia Pacific • Conferences and trade shows posted the highest average cost per attendee at US$585 • Training posted the lowest average cost per attendee at US$346 SOURCE: 2018 GLOBAL MEETINGS AND EVENTS FORECAST BY AMERICAN EXPRESS MEETINGS & EVENTS ASIA PACIFIC TOP 5 CITIES FOR MEETINGS IN APAC Singapore - 151 meetings Seoul - 137 meetings Bangkok - 121 meetings Beijing - 113 meetings Hong Kong - 99 meetings SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS AND CONVENTION ASSOCIATION 2016 NEW VENUE at EduMonday on May 14. A new half-day conference, She Means Business will launch at the show, exploring the challenges affecting women in the MICE industry. Other sessions include PCMA's Business School and Association Day for association professionals, which will feature three different streams. ATM Dubai marks 25th year Celebrating its 25th year, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) returns this year with the theme of 'Responsible Tourism'. ATM 2018 will be held at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25. Last year's show attracted over 39,000 people and hosted 2,661 exhibiting companies with business deals signings of more than US$2.5 billion over four days. Recent reforms in Saudi Arabia and widespread investment in the Kingdom's burgeoning tourism industry are expected to be key drivers of growth in the hospitality market, which will see a 13.5% compound annual growth rate that is higher than the established markets of the UAE (10.1%) and Oman (11.8%). Seamless Asia explores a 'cashless future' edition from May 3-4 at Singapore's Suntec Convention Centre, Seamless Asia 2018 will focus on the convergence of e-commerce, retail and payments. Delegates can look forward to plenary sessions on topics like a cashless future by experts from DBS Set to return with a second Bank and Amazon and the future of commerce from leading retailers such as alibaba.com, Grab and Shopee and more.

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