News
GLOBAL SNAPSHOT
EUROPE
Frankfurt Airport confirms 2026 opening date for Terminal 3 Frankfurt Airport will open its new Terminal 3 on 22 April 2026, after 10 years of construction. The first departure is scheduled for 23 April. The total cost of the project is currently put at € 4bn. Fraport is installing 21 security check lanes. Food and shopping areas are being completed, and the baggage handling system is undergoing testing. Around 8,000 volunteers will be involved in a 21-day test operation running until 16 April 2026. They will test check-in, security controls and the new Sky Line train connection. Frankfurt is Germany’ s busiest airport.
ASIA
BE @ Penang creating a new MICE wave The 9th edition of BE @ Penang, themed‘ BE at Penang: BE THE WAVE’, will take place 11-12 December 2025. Organiser, the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau( PCEB) says:“ In essence, we are not riding the wave – we are creating it.” The keynote address will be delivered by Hiroshi Tamura, the father of the modern Nissan GT-R and Nissan Z, who will explore visionary leadership in his session and the power of a single individual’ s passion to transform an entire industry.
AUSTRALASIA
ICC Sydney delivers a year of growth, innovation and impact International Convention Centre Sydney( ICC Sydney)‘ s Annual Performance Review for FY 2025 has showcased a year of growth for the venue. Key FY 2025 results for the ICC Sydney include: l 546 core events, including 136 entertainment events, 17 international events, 88 national events, 61 exhibitions and 244 single day local events l 1.5m attendees, up from 1.2m in FY 2024 l 3m hotel room nights, up from 1.2m in FY 2024 l A $ 746m in economic contribution through delegate spend up from $ A718m in FY 2024.
AUSTRALASIA
Academic collaboration brings in three new conferences to Wellington, NZ Strong university partnership has helped secure new conferences in marine biology, music, and network engineering in 2026-27 for Wellington, New Zealand. CVB Business Events Wellington, supported by Tourism New Zealand, has brought in the business thanks to a strategy to engage and leverage partnerships with tertiary institutes. Business Events Wellington manager, Irette Ferreira, said:“ Our close partnership with Victoria University of Wellington has been the catalyst to getting these important conferences to the city.”
6 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 139