PCMA “Convening APAC & The Meetings Show”: Simon’s Show Highlights
AI everywhere, Asia’s next wave, and a market in motion
With the Singapore double header of PCMA Convening APAC and The Meetings Show APAC wrapped, Simon is back in Auckland with a notebook full of ideas, fresh conversations, and a clearer read on where the market is heading.
Two shows. Four days. A lot of time spent in confernce rooms and trade show floors, with event planners, hoteliers, destinations, and suppliers all trying to answer the same question:
What will make events matter over the next few years?
A few themes kept surfacing…
The AI conversation has shifted
At Convening APAC, held at Marina Bay Sands under the theme Leading Minds; Leading Change, AI threaded through almost every conversation. But interestingly, the focus has already moved beyond prompts and productivity.
The real discussion now is around judgment.
What happens when AI takes over more of the operational layer? How do teams protect instinct, creativity, and human decision-making? And where does experience still matter most?
Simon’s biggest takeaway was that agencies need to get onboard as these will be the players that thrive in this next phase of Ai development. They will not be the ones replacing people with AI but createing systems that work alongside there workforce and clients. These onboarders will be the ones using it to create more space for strategic thinking, stronger storytelling, to be able to give them TIME for better human connection.
AI is now effectively all-knowing, access to information is no longer the advantage it once was. Traditional markers of qualification will start to blur as infomration is readily available to anyone and everyone.
What matters more is how that information is interpreted, challenged, and applied. That shift puts real pressure on how agencies define who they are as “service delivers” and not on who knows the most.
It reinforces something we’ve always known but not always articulated clearly. Service is not built on information alone. It is built on judgment, understanding, and the ability to read what isn’t being said.
AI can still generate ideas very quickly, but cannot read a room, understand emotional nuance, or create the kind of atmosphere people remember long after an event finishes as its not there in the room seeing what works and what does not.
At The Meetings Show APAC, the more interesting side of AI showed up on the exhibition floor. Less operational focused. More experiential.
There were activations turning attendee photos into AI-generated artwork, personalised scent profiling experiences picked form answers to question, recording conversations to guide content.
A reminder to all attandees that technology still works best in events when it enhances human experience, rather than replacing it.
Asia’s incentive landscape is changing
If Convening APAC was about ideas, The Meetings Show APAC was where you could feel the momentum of the market.
And some of the destinations getting the strongest attention are not necessarily the ones planners were leaning into a few years ago.
A few stood out.
Banyan Tree AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Set among the sandstone cliffs of Ashar Valley, Banyan Tree AlUla feels unlike anywhere else currently operating in the incentive space.
Private pool villas. Desert landscapes that genuinely stop people in their tracks. Wellness experiences built into ancient cave systems. A level of stillness that is increasingly hard to find.
For premium incentive groups wanting something beyond the expected four walls hotel, this feels like a destination and accomodation with huge potential.
Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, Singapore
Singapore continues to evolve well beyond the traditional city stopover.
Mandai Rainforest Resort brings luxury accommodation directly into the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, creating a rare combination of nature immersion and city accessibility.
The treehouse style accommodation and conservation focus offer something increasingly valuable in the incentive market. Experiences that feel purposeful, grounded, and genuinely different from the standard luxury formula.
Jeju Island, Korea
Jeju quietly emerged as one of the most talked about destinations on the floor.
The Korean government is continuing to invest heavily into group travel and MICE growth, with new incentive support schemes already confirmed for 2026. Combined with improved domestic air access and growing international interest, the destination feels like it is entering a very strong growth phase.
For planners looking ahead for interesting Incentive locations, rather stopping in Seoul , Jeju feels like one to watch closely.
The market is softening and smart planners are paying attention
One of the quieter conversations happening throughout the week centred around long-haul global inbound travel into Asia.
With softer European demand across parts of the region, a number of premium hotels and resorts are starting to feel availability pressure seek laternate avenues of growrth~~.~~ Particularly in destinations like Bali, Thailand, Maylasia.
The result that si promoosing for NZ and Aus is a market that is becoming more flexible again.
Properties that felt untouchable two years ago are now open to conversation around rates, added value, and creative programme design.
For corporate groups planning into 2026 and early 2027, that creates opportunity.
Not necessarily to spend less overall, especially with travel costs still playing a role, but to access experiences, venues and properties that may have previously sat outside budget or availability windows.
And that is where relationships and market insight matter most.
Because great event design is never just tick boxing your logistics needs. It is about understanding timing, movement, leverage, and where the market is heading before everyone else catches up.
The throughline
The industry is changing quickly. Technology is accelerating. Expectations are rising. Destinations are repositioning themselves almost in real time.
But the agencies creating the most value are still the ones bringing clear thinking, strong relationships, creativity, and human understanding into the process.
That part has not changed. And it probably matters more now than ever.
If you are starting to think about your next conference, incentive, or Concentive programme for 2026 and beyond, we would love to talk.
All you need.