Case study
How did IPIM assist you in planning and executing the event?“ Any questions we had were answered, often before we even asked. Whether it’ s ensuring that the audiovisual was the best in class, whether it was working with the local tourism authority to make sure that we had great experiences for our guests. And then there is the really strong link with the government, so when it comes to visas and access, we got full support.” committed to coming back for a third because the experience has been so good. Everything works; everything is simple, and the welcome that we have really makes us feel at home.”
How does Macao differ other destinations you have worked with?“ We’ ve always had really great experiences wherever we’ ve gone. The FIA has always been very welcomed by our hosts, but here in Macao we have a really strong working relationship with the Galaxy International Convention Center. Their ability to put on and host these types of events is world-class. But equally working with all the local authorities – getting introductions from IPIM( Macao’ s Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute – Ed) and help in navigating that space, whether it’ s suppliers or just finding out the best places to take our delegates for evening entertainment, has been absolutely fantastic.”
What of any challenges you faced in hosting the event?“ The sheer scale is quite incredible. We have an event team that manages everything on behalf of the FIA. But when you’ re talking about 400 delegatesfrom 149 countries, the logistical challenges of bringing people in from pretty much every part of the
world, it needs to work seamlessly, and we need great support to enable that to happen. We get that support from the convention centre, and equally our partners, including the government of Macao.”
Did the delegates arrive and depart smoothly?“ It might be helpful if I talk about my own experience. I flew from the UK on a direct flight to Hong Kong where it was very straightforward – probably the fastest experience at any airport in the world. We were immediately greeted by our cars and transported across quite a phenomenal bridge that connects Hong Kong and Macao. We had already been pre-checked in at the hotel. It was a really easy experience for all of us.”
Did you have a chance to explore Macao? What attracted you most?“ We did get the opportunity to network and socialise. We had some informal cocktails, a gala dinner. Some time was spent in the old town of Macao.
“ In Macao it is not just about coming to a convention centre, running your meetings, and being in a bit of a bubble. It’ s about exploring the cultural richness and creating memories. What’ s different in Macao is the holistic experience. You could really see that our members are excited to come here.
“ We want our guests and our members to arrive expecting a really great conference, but we want them to leave having experienced an amazing destination.
“ Macao as a destination is world-class for us. We’ ve got our heritage of motor sport with seven decades with the Macao Grand Prix. Equally, the modern facilities, the friendly and dynamic welcome is something that we cherish, the reason why we keep coming back.”
What was the highlight of the event?“ The conference was about thought leadership, about bringing captains of industry into our environment. It was also an opportunity to learn so that we can have a better future for our organisations and the FIA. It was also really great opportunity just to bring people into one place. When you do that, the creativity comes. When the connections happen, as a collective, we’ re far more successful.” EW www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 5 2026 45