The Meetings Show Asia Pacific 2026 (TMS APAC) concluded its third edition on a high note, reinforcing Asia Pacific’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic and resilient markets for the MICE industry.
Held from 14–15 April 2026 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore, the show demonstrated strong growth, with deeper regional participation and a significant uplift in business outcomes, underscoring the industry’s continued momentum amid a challenging global landscape.
The organiser stated that TMS APAC brought together 1,913 meetings and travel professionals, with over 600 buyers from more than 80 countries, marking a 10% increase from 2025. A key value driver of the event was its curated Buyer Programme, which facilitated high-quality connections and tangible business opportunities.
Korea Tourism Organization
Insook Lee, Executive Director, Korea MICE Bureau, Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), shared: “It is our first time attending TMS APAC. A total of 21 organisations form our pavilion to promote Korea to global buyers. We found the event very meaningful as a platform to showcase Asia as a hub for MICE events and meetings.”
Korea’s most popular incentive destinations among Asian incentive groups – namely Seoul, Gyeonggi and Busan – were all represented. The other top destination, Jeju Island, also exhibited at a separate booth.
Lee was also reported to have said that Korea’s global cultural appeal is one of its strongest competitive advantages, and KTO actively leverages this to create high-value incentive experiences. Whether K-pop dance workshops, traditional clothing or hanbok experiences, or Korean cooking classes, there are numerous ways in which activities can deepen delegates’ connection to the destination, Lee said.
K-beauty and other globally recognised brands also give Korea an edge when courting incentive groups.
Attendees at TMS APAC 2026 also experienced K-culture firsthand at the Korea pavilion including skin analysis using specialised tools and tasting of Makgeolli, a cloudy sparkling rice wine.
Spanish Tourism Board
Irene Valencia is the market analyst for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand for the Spanish Tourism Board, based in Singapore. She is such a bubbly person and a true travel ambassador for Spain. She said that Spain is targeting three main events to attract visitors. The first is the world-famous church Sagrada Familia’s 100th anniversary where many events are organised to celebrate this milestone this year.
Next is wine tourism related to Garnacha which is possibly Spain’s greatest red grape variety. Key production hubs and associated “Garnacha towns” in regions are renowned for old-vine Garnacha, offering wine tourism, vineyards and historical monasteries.
The third major event is the Holy Year of Santiago occurs when July 25th, the feast of St. James, falls on a Sunday. It is a special Jubilee year for Catholic pilgrims to visit Spain to celebrate the festivities surrounding this event which will take place in 2027.
Irene said, “There were over 420,000 tourists from Southeast Asia who visited Spain last year, and we intend to grow these numbers, especially MICE delegates and tour groups. I am here at TMS to meet with travel agents and to promote B2B events. We are also targeting the Australia and New Zealand markets and developing halal tourism, such as a guide for Muslim travellers, since Spain has 800 years of Muslim heritage.”
Due to over-tourism, Spain would like to attract visitors to visit secondary destinations such as Malaga, Valencia and Bilbao, she added.
Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai
Srikant Singh, Senior Sales Manager at Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre, which opened in March 2022, said he was here to promote the venue to associations and societies and to encourage them to hold their events in Mumbai. Srikant said that the convention centre has a floor space of over one million square metres. It can cater up to 18,000 delegates and is able to prepare meals for all these attendees.
A recent large-scale event was the World Congress of Accountants, which was attended by some 7,000 delegates. There are also hotels nearby, such as Sofitel, Trident and Grand Hyatt, to house delegates. “Our convention centre has a 80% average booking rate and we are still looking to grow this number. At an event like TMS, we can reach out to potential clients and seek new business opportunities,” he added.
Manchester City Football Club & Hyatt Hotels Stratford and Manchester
Lindsay Tudhope, Senior Venue Sales Planning Executive, representing City Events (Manchester City Football Club) said that The Medlock, a new 401-room Radisson Blu hotel at the Etihad Campus in Manchester, is set to open in September 2026 and it will be the largest hotel in Manchester.
To capitalise on the high demand for large corporate and MICE facilities in Manchester, the hotel will have access to meeting and events space available at the Etihad Stadium, home to the famous Manchester City Football Club. Lindsay said that this is a big draw for event delegates who are also football fans.
Emma Brown who was representing Hyatt Hotels Stratford and Manchester, told me that she was targeting her main potential clients from pharmaceutical companies at TMS as well as sports teams who were planning sports events in the UK.
Hard Rock Hotels
Sarun Tublimsri, cluster assistant director of event sales, attended TMS to meet potential buyers who wished to hold events at any Hard Rock Hotel worldwide. He said, “This is our first time participating at TMS and we are here to generate sales and meet with meeting planners and travel agents. The event is very well-organised as we get to view the list of buyers who are attending the show and appointments can be scheduled in advance. We are happy with the response that we have received from potential buyers”.
TMS APAC will return on 21-22 April 2027 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore.
