Last month the World MICE Awards 2022 returned for it’s third consecutive year. The World MICE Awards is the sister event to World Travel Awards which is currently celebrating it’s 29^th anniversary. The Ritz-Carlton, Amman Jordan hosted the glitzy gala where hundreds of industry professionals turned out.

Dubai came out top after the Middle-East scooped multiple wins in the World category. Qatar followed close behind after lots of investment ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

We are going to delve into the destination winners across some of the continent categories and present to you winners from within those destinations.  As always, our business travel experts are on hand to help for any enquiries related to any MICE itineraries or the destinations and winners mentioned below.

World & Middle East’s Best MICE Destination Award: Dubai (UAE)

Dubai is a destination that we help clients travel to for business hundreds if not thousands of times a year. It is one of the most unique cities in the world, with ocean views, ultramodern architecture and artificial islands. Industry peers have reported that business travel makes up 29% of Dubai’s total bookings so far this year.

The Grand Hyatt Dubai is the winner of the World and Middle East’s Best MICE Hotel. With over 11,500 square metres of meeting space, equipped with the latest tech, Grand Hyatt Dubai is one of the largest luxury conference centres in the Middle East.

Winner of World and Middle East’s Best Convention Centre is the Dubai World Trade Centre. It is the epicentre for business and events in the city. Last year, the Dubai World Trade Centre welcomed 1.5 million visitors from 135 countries. At the same time, 21,000 companies were also exhibiting at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

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Africa’s Best MICE Destination Award: Nairobi (Kenya)

Nairobi trumping even South African destinations at the World MICE Awards came as no surprise to us at Your Travel Corporate. Nairobi is consistently one of the most booked African destinations here with our business travel experts. The city has a growing financial hub and bustling tech scene, often dubbed as ‘Africa’s Silicone Valley’.

Hilton Nairobi is the winner of Kenya’s Best MICE Hotel. Six meeting rooms make up the 1,123 square metres of event space, with the largest room set up being 480 square metres. All event space is naturally lit and benefits from touch-screen technology.

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Asia’s Best MICE Destination Award: Ho Chi Ming City (Vietnam)

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) is the largest city in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government’s ambition is to shape the city into a financial centre by 2045 and also as a smart city by 2025, with science and technology as pillars of the economy. Kick-starting that vision is the development of a second airport just east of Ho Chi Minh City which will help bring up to an extra million travellers to the city when completed in 2024.

Winner of Vietnam’s Best Convention Centre is Ho Chi Minh city’s GEM Centre. It is the largest multi-functional space in the city. Benefits include mobile theatre chair systems, modern sound and light equipment and also flexible space with ceiling hanging and the ability to bring large exhibitions including cars into the halls.

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Europe’s Best MICE Destination Award: Madrid (Spain)

Madrid is the business capital of Spain, a perfect hub for monitoring Iberian, European and North African markets. It is also the preferred location within Europe for business with Latin America. In addition to this Madrid is also considered at the forefront of scientific research and technological innovation within both Spain and Europe. There is no doubt that Madrid is a dynamic and prosperous economy with a lot to offer!

Spain’s Best MICE Hotel goes to Four Seasons Hotel Madrid. Two ballrooms, four function rooms and an open-air courtyard have the capability of hosting up to 600 guests. With elegant, light and airy settings and the promise that anything can be arranged and catered for, For Seasons Hotel Madrid is definitely a worthy winner.

The IFEMA Madrid takes home the prize of Spain’s Best MICE Convention Centre at the World MICE Awards. 13 halls, 85 meeting rooms, 2 convention centres and outdoor space make up the 240,000 metres squared of event space at Recinto Ferial. The North Convention Centre has an auditorium for 1,100 guests with an additional 18 rooms. The South Convention Centre offers another auditorium with capacity for 600. Lastly, 45 small rooms for meetings can be found in the mezzanine and there is not one, but two catwalks!