3 major MICE facilities soon to rise in Cebu

Construction of the SM Seaside Arena as of February 2025. | By Glendale Rosal

MANILA – Three major meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) and event spaces — the SMX Convention Center Cebu, SM Seaside Arena, and Mactan Expo Center — are set to rise in Cebu by 2026.

The SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) is looking to open its two projects by the first and fourth quarter next year, promising a modern space, with capacity enough to accommodate massive international events.

SMHCC Senior Vice President for Operations Walid Wafik said the firm targets serving huge events, mostly captured by neighboring MICE giants such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

“Our aim now is to increase our percentage of international events,” he said at the 2025 Cebu Tourism Forum, organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on Thursday.

“We already have a secure share of local events, local associations and the usage of the current square meters that we have, but we are missing this international segment to come into the Philippines,” he added.

Wafik said the SMX Convention Center Cebu is scheduled to open by end of October 2026 and will provide at least 22,000 square meters of leasable space.

It is adjacent to a three-star hotel and the 16,000-seat SM Seaside Arena which will also open by February or March next year to accommodate international concerts and other major sporting and special events.

“We’re investing in an additional two hotels just to bring out and showcase the potential of Cebu. Cebu, with this rich culture, cuisine and the coastline will definitely have a lot to offer where we can also create memorable meetings and memorable experiences,” he said.

Megaworld’s PHP1.5 billion Mactan Expo Center, meanwhile, is slated for completion by the end of 2025.

The two-level standalone convention center will offer nearly a hectare of MICE space that can host up to 2,600 people.

“If you see the availability of the venues, we are only getting size-appropriate MICE businesses — those that our hotels are capable of hosting,” said Megaworld Hotels & Resorts Managing Director Cleofe Albiso.

“With the opening of SM Seaside Arena, SMX Convention Center, and the Mactan Expo Center, these will really beef up our capability of hosting MICE,” she added.

READ: Mactan Expo Center eyed for 2026 ASEAN tourism confab hosting

In the same forum, various stakeholders highlighted the growth potential of the Philippines, specifically Cebu’s MICE scene.

“We are aware that the Philippines has potential to grow because of the market size and the population— the venue capacity is always a challenge, and I believe with the new exhibition center (opening) up, maybe in the next few years, this will definitely grow,” said Dato Vincent Lim, honorary president of the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations.

To date, Lim said major players like Malaysia and Thailand alone are already home to convention centers spanning 40,000 to 140,000 square meters in size.

Global travel and tourism expert Liz Ortiguera said Cebu is still one of the top Asia-Pacific Secondary City MICE destinations, only trailing behind Phuket and Pattaya, Thailand; Bali, Indonesia; Danang, Vietnam; Penang, Malaysia; and Siem Reap in Cambodia.

She said the country would do well to tap into its key strengths by bringing forward the Philippine culture and hospitality acumen.

“Western is secondary, leverage your musicality. And then lastly, make sure that logistics are great,” she said.

Branding-wise, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said Cebu can readily market itself as a “multidimensional” MICE destination that offers a diverse tourism portfolio that goes beyond the usual sun and beach.

“We have heritage, culture, biodiversity, nature and adventure, wellness, gastronomy, you name it, Cebu has it,” she said.

“Offering such a diversified tourism portfolio, we believe that it can distinguish itself as a very exciting MICE destination in that you can make your deals and do your work in paradise and at the same time leave with a desire to come back again and again,” she added.

On the part of the government, Frasco said the Marcos administration is looking at MICE beyond a mere niche but as a “strategic pillar for tourism growth.”

“Under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we are transforming tourism into a true pillar of inclusive and sustainable economic growth. And Cebu stands at the center of that effort. Cebu is a gateway, not only to the Visayas, but to the world,” she said.

The DOT, through the Tourism Promotions Board, currently funds the MICEPLUS Program that offers financial and promotional assistance to organizers. (PNA)