Last year, it was all about revenge tourism. Families and friends were finally able to travel, albeit domestically, and enjoy a holiday together. This year, it is about restarting and boosting economic and tourism activities throughout the country through MICE or Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions.
There is one hotel in the heart of Metro Manila that declared itself to be ready for MICE last year and that is Marriott Hotel Manila.
In July 2022, Marriott opened and formally inaugurated its exhibition center called MGBX. This came seven years after it launched the Marriott Grand Ballroom (MGB). MGBX is a 4,400 square meter convention space located at the Level B1 of MGB. The “X” in its name stands for exhibition which also connotes “collaboration” and “partnership” where individuals, groups and industries can grow and unite.
“Since the launch of the Marriott Grand Ballroom in 2015 and prior to the start of the pandemic period, the growth in the scale and volume of MICE events in Metro Manila, was a great success story,” noted Bruce Winton, Multi-property Vice President – The Philippines of Marriot International.
“We simply identified a growing need with an under-utilized space and made the decision to convert it into exhibit space to complement our abundant, luxury meeting spaces,” Winton said, adding that Newport World Resorts (NWP) has always been geared towards building the concept of a one-stop, nonstop tourism destination.
Strategic location
SINCE Marriott is strategically located across NAIA Terminal 3, Winton said their source markets for MGB and MGBX “are primarily domestic corporate, association, government and social events nicely complemented by international corporate and MICE events mostly from ASEAN countries and some broader regional markets in Asia Pacific.”
“We have experienced some world class, large scale, international events and the hosting of the 2022 WTTC Global Summit not only brought positive attention to the Philippines as a destination but also highlighted our continued capability to execute at the highest level despite the set-backs of the pandemic period,” Winton noted.
“We are confident that as the sector rebounds that Manila, in particular, will capitalize on growing its share in the region as we continue to offer more and more top class facilities and improved transportation and tourism infrastructure,” he added.
While the country has not yet fully recovered from the pandemic, Winton said that social and milestone events are back in full swing and corporate meetings are also starting to recover at a faster pace.
Periodic get-togethers
WITH more companies shifting more permanent to hybrid or work-from-home set ups, the impact of periodic, quarterly or annual get-togethers may just become more important.
“We certainly hope so as the industry is such an important part of our economy. It makes such a huge impact on people’s lives, to the lives of our associates, our business partners, our communities and we are doing all we can to encourage the return of meetings and events,” Winton said.
Not too many people know that companies that decide to host events in Marriott are rewarded through Marriott Bonvoy, the largest and most looked up travel program in the industry.
“Not only can you have your fantastic milestone events but also get rewarded for doing them as well. This cuts across Marriott’s 30 brands in 140 countries and a growing members’ database of about 160 million,” Winton said.