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INDONESIA’s Tourism Minister, Widiyanti Putri Wardhana emphasized that the Southeast Asia Business Events Forum (SEABEF) 2026 is a strategic step to strengthen Indonesia’s (RI) position as a center for competitive, innovative, and sustainable business events, or the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) industry in the ASEAN region.
SEABEF serves as a strategic collaboration platform that brings together governments, international associations, industry players, academics, and the media to discuss the direction of business events industry development in Southeast Asia while strengthening regional synergy in facing global industry dynamics.
At the opening of SEABEF 2026 in Jakarta on Wednesday (July 29, 2026), Widiyanti stated that the business events industry plays a strategic role in enhancing destination competitiveness while driving quality economic growth. She stated that event management has now evolved into a catalyst for investment, innovation, knowledge transfer, and the creation of added value for various sectors.
The MICE sector itself is one of the largest segments in the global event management industry. In 2024, this sector will account for approximately 30.75% of industry revenue, with an estimated market value approaching US$1.2 trillion.
“We hope that Indonesia will further strengthen its role as a hub for business events in the ASEAN region while encouraging the growth of quality, sustainable, and high-value-added tourism,” he said.
During the two-day event, SEABEF 2026 will highlight various strategic issues of concern to the industry, ranging from harmonization of events policies in ASEAN, development of competitive and sustainable destinations, industry transformation through technology and artificial intelligence (AI), development of sports and entertainment events, strengthening industry talent, and strategies for winning bids for international events.
For the first time, SEABEF will be held concurrently with the Indonesia Business Event Mart (IBEM) 2026, which will take place from July 28–31, 2026. IBEM is a business platform that brings together domestic and international MICE industry players to expand networks, build partnerships, and create new business opportunities.
Over the four days of the event, IBEM featured 92 exhibitors from the MICE and tourism sectors, connecting them with 220 hosted buyers from 37 countries. The event also featured a series of business matching (B2B) meetings through the Indonesian Pavilion, designed to foster collaboration and increase business transactions.
“The synergy between these two events is expected to expand partnership opportunities, strengthen Indonesia’s business events ecosystem, and enhance strategic collaboration between the government, associations, and the private sector in driving the growth of the national MICE industry,” concluded Tourism Minister. [traveltext.id]
