Amex released its annual MICE forecast at IMEX in Las Vegas yesterday. The research suggests MICE business will decline in Asia Pacific over the next two years.

In disappointing news for Australian and New Zealand MICE business, Amex’s research has found that a -1/2% decrease is expected in the industry, following two years of growth.

The number of meetings is expected to decrease, the number of attendees will go down, the overall spend will be reduced by 3.6% and the regional demand for meeting will, curiously, increase by 4%.

The most sought after destinations for conferencing will be:

• North America: Orlando, Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, San Diego

• Europe: London, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Brussels

• Asia Pacific: Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Macau, Bangkok and Chiang Mai

• Central and South America: Brazil/Rio de Janeiro, Riviera Maya/Cancun, Cusco/Macchu Pichu/Lima, Cartagena de Indias, San Jose/Costa Rica

Global meeting planning trends include:

• Increasing engagement through social media and mobile apps

• Budgets controls continue local and regional meeting trend

• Meeting approvals become more challenging

• Incorporating group fares into a strategic meeting program to optimise costs

• Non-traditional properties will become increasingly popular