SINGAPORE, 23 June 2025: The Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB) and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Singapore have signed a three-year Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to accelerate the growth of business events and create new gateways for economic collaboration between Singapore and Japan.
This partnership reinforces Singapore’s position as the World’s Best MICE City while strengthening trade relations between the two countries.
From left to right): Katsunori Nakazawa, JETRO; Junji Kurokawa, JETRO; Poh Chi Chuan, SECB; and Liew Li Lin, Embassy of Singapore (Tokyo).
Globally, the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry is projected to continue growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2024 to 2032 (1).
The Asia-Pacific MICE tourism sector is expected to lead this expansion, driven by robust regional economies, rising business travel, and improved infrastructure.
Capitalising on this trend, Singapore continues to build a strong pipeline of MICE events across advanced manufacturing, financial services, green economy, life sciences and technology. Singapore’s key attributes of innovation, trust and safety, combined with JETRO’s
deep connections to Japanese industry leaders creates powerful synergies and unlocks new opportunities for business growth across the Asia-Pacific region.
The signing ceremony of the MoC took place last week at ‘The Dream Sphere’, Singapore’s Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
The pavilion tells the story of how Singapore transformed its hopes and dreams into realities, presented through a diverse lineup of innovative experiences and immersive storytelling that celebrates the flavours, creativity, people and cultural essence of Singapore, providing an ideal backdrop for deepening bilateral business relations.
Under this MoC, both organisations will work to bridge Japan’s growing and diverse economy with Singapore’s strengths as a premier destination for business events, enabling MICE events and delegates that convene in Singapore to expand their international outreach and foster meaningful collaborations.
The agreement also paves the way for both parties to elevate MICE standards through knowledge sharing, particularly in pivotal areas such as sustainability, productivity and digital innovation. In addition, both organisations will leverage their respective marketing channels to profile high-growth and emerging industries common to both Japan and Singapore.
Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau Executive Director Poh Chi Chuan said: “As a Global-Asia node for business, Singapore is home to a vibrant business community and a gateway to Asia Pacific, with unrivalled access to new markets. This first-of-its-kind collaboration with JETRO marks a major milestone in leveraging partnerships to accelerate MICE growth. We look forward to strengthening the MICE ecosystems in both Singapore and Japan and the opportunities this will bring.”
This timely partnership, amid global economic uncertainties, will further strengthen business cooperation and resilience and expand market opportunities in both countries.
JETRO Managing Director Junji Kurokawa said: “We aim to build an even stronger win-win relationship between our two countries. Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Singapore, and JETRO Singapore will celebrate its 70th anniversary. We look forward to this collaboration with SECB and hope that Japanese companies will leverage Singapore’s global events and platforms to explore new markets and expand their businesses. JETRO Singapore participates in the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH), one of Asia’s largest innovation-related events held in Singapore in October.”
(1) Source: IMR, MICE Tourism Market: Global Industry Growth & Trend Analysis (accessed 3 Mar 2025)
