Megaworld makes splashbin MICE business venture

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January 22, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Property giant Megaworld Corp. is looking to make a big splash in its entry into the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector with the opening of its first stand-alone convention center in Cebu and tapping an industry veteran to lead the company’s MICE business.

Megaworld’s P1.5 billion Mactan Expo is located inside its 30- hectare The Mactan Newtown township in Lapu-Lapu City.

Designed to set a new benchmark for world-class conventions and events in the Philippines, Mactan Expo will serve as one of the venues for the upcoming ASEAN Summit hosted by the Philippines, beginning with the ASEAN Travel Exchange, one of the major events under the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026, scheduled from Jan. 28 to 30.

Megaworld’s MICE venture marks the company’s strategic push to diversify its portfolio of developments across its townships nationwide.

To strengthen its entry into the industry, Megaworld has tapped veteran MICE executive Louella Caridad to lead the company’s MICE business, which will oversee the development, management and operations of its convention and exhibition facilities in key growth areas across the country.

Megaworld said Caridad brings over 20 years of professional experience in retail and real estate operations, energy solutions and property management.

Before joining the company, she was the chief operating officer of World Trade Center Metro Manila, the Philippines’ first world-class exhibition center.

Megaworld said its MICE business will closely collaborate with Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, enabling the company to provide a fully integrated events offering that brings together convention venues, accommodations and food and beverage services within its townships.

As the country’s largest hotel developer and operator, Megaworld currently has 14 operational hotel properties and approximately 6,500 room keys nationwide.

The company intends to expand its MICE business to other townships in key tourism areas over the next five to 10 years.

“One of Megaworld’s opening salvos in nation-building was the expansion of our hotels, and now we are entering the MICE business with the main goal of providing essential developments and world-class convention facilities,” Megaworld president and CEO Lourdes Gutierrez-Alfonso said.

“After Cebu, we will explore other key growth areas to expand this business as we aim to attract more international conventions and events, just like the ASEAN Summit, which will become a landmark hosting for Megaworld’s first-ever convention center,” she said.