The international congress reaffirmed Moscow’s status as a global center of expertise in business tourism, bringing together professionals from 37 BRICS and Global South countries. Attendance almost doubled compared to last year, reaching 2,500 industry specialists. A diverse program covered the success of leading MICE destinations, the effectiveness of business events, the future of neurotechnologies and the experience economy in the industry, while also enabling a record number of business meetings.
Participants from 37 Countries
Moscow hosted the Meet Global MICE Congress (MGMC), an international business tourism forum, which took place on December 17–18. The event gathered more than 2,500 representatives of the MICE industry, government authorities, professional associations, corporate clients and business event organizers from various countries. This is almost twice as many as last year, and six times more than at the inaugural congress.
Participants arrived in Moscow from 37 foreign countries and Russian regions — twice as many as a year earlier. The high status of attendees — around 70% were senior executives and key decision-makers — enabled immediate discussions and agreements on partnerships during the event.
Commenting on Moscow’s potential as an international MICE destination and the importance of Meet Global MICE Congress for the Global South, Aziz Mirdjalilov, Head of the Marketing Department at the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee, highlighted Moscow’s strong combination of business and culture:
“Moscow is a unique historic city. Visiting it for business tourism, you receive a tremendous bonus: museums, theatres, people, gastronomy. It is not only an economic capital, but also a powerful attraction point where business trips organically blend with cultural experiences. Russia has clearly become a hub for the Global South — and the participation of 37 countries in this congress is proof of that. MGMC is a crucial platform for building connections between DMCs and companies, as well as for promoting MICE destinations.”
Uzbekistan was represented among exhibitors by Sanat Travel Experts DMC, Inter MICE Asia, and Silk Road Samarkand. Participants also included:
Tushar Kaisharwani, Board Member of the India Convention Promotion Bureau; Marcus Lee, CEO of China Travel Online; Rukaiya Kassim, Head of Conferences & Conventions, Visit Qatar; Hose Andreas Runkat, Chair of the Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association; Projeni Pater, Chair of the Association of African Exhibition Organisers; Dharmendra Jain, Founder of Kenya’s Actnable AI; Mint Leong, President of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association; and Dusan Borovchanin, former CEO of EXPO 2027 Serbia. Delegations were also present from the tourism authorities of Egypt, Jordan, the Maldives, Nepal, Tanzania, and Uzbekistan.
Guests held more than 8,000 business meetings within the exhibition zone, aimed at building new contacts, finding clients and shaping future cooperation plans.
Two Intensive Days
The program featured 15 business sessions across the following tracks: Conferences & Exhibitions, Destinations & Associations, Global Trends & Analytics, Meetings & Incentives, Business, and Technology. Plenary discussions, panel debates, case sessions, keynote speeches, presentations and training events addressed the main theme of MGMC-2025:
“Unity through Open Diversity: New Opportunities for Global Growth.”
Speakers discussed the impact of personalization, gamification, hybrid formats, the experience economy, artificial intelligence and neurotechnologies on the MICE industry. They also focused on the multiplier effect of mega-events, the profile of the modern client and service provider, the role of national identity in the global exhibition industry, commercial success strategies for business destinations, and outbound corporate events across Asian regions.
Business Exhibition Platform
MGMC-2025 featured more than 130 exhibitors from BRICS and Global South countries, including MICE operators, associations, convention bureaus, transport companies and hotels seeking to enter growing markets and strengthen brand awareness. Alongside Russian exhibitors, a significant share came from the Middle East (30%) and Southeast Asia (23%).
Dedicated stands were showcased under the “Made in Moscow” and “Moscow Tea Ceremony” projects.
Key participants of the Hosted Buyers program included representatives from the Middle East (over 27%), India (25%) and China (15%). In total, 200 delegates arrived to explore opportunities for hosting events, conduct B2B negotiations and discover Moscow as both a business and cultural entertainment destination.
The first Meet Global MICE Congress took place in Moscow in autumn 2023, becoming the largest international business tourism event in Russia. In December last year, the forum was held under the BRICS Edition format, uniting more than 1,300 business tourism representatives from BRICS and Global South countries. Moscow became a platform for business dialogue with 17 countries. The main theme — “Global Challenges and Trends in the MICE Industry: Moving Toward Sustainable Development Through the Experience and Knowledge of BRICS Countries” — was explored through 13 business sessions.
The Moscow City Tourism Committee continues to build a strong international brand for the Russian capital as a leading tourist destination. Moscow most frequently welcomes guests from China, India, CIS countries and the Middle East. To strengthen international cooperation, the city organizes business missions, presents its tourism potential at major industry exhibitions, and develops projects and events targeted at international audiences.
