MANILA, Philippines — Megaworld Corp. is hoping to capitalize on the recovering business climate in the country, including the resurgent MICE or Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions sector.
Megaworld is building a P1.5-billion two-level standalone convention center inside its 30-hectare The Mactan Newtown township in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
Megaworld chief strategy officer Kevin Tan said the convention center is envisioned to be an iconic landmark.
“We hope to build another iconic landmark not just for Mactan, but also for the entire province of Cebu. This convention center will be a unique standalone structure that will help boost the province’s booming MICE industry,” Tan said.
Set to rise just across the newly opened Belmont Hotel Mactan along Newtown Boulevard, Mactan Expo Center will offer almost a hectare of MICE space.
Megaworld will commence construction of the Mactan Expo Center this year, and is expected for completion by 2025.
The ground level will feature a convention hall that can accommodate up to 2,500 people for theatre-type set-up, and 1,600 people for banquet-style set-up.
The main convention can be divided into three smaller halls that can accommodate around 700 to 900 persons per hall for theatre-style, and 500 to 600 persons per hall for banquet-style layout.
At the mezzanine level, the expo center will have two meeting rooms for smaller and intimate events. Each meeting room can accommodate up to 100 persons for banquet-style layout and around 150 persons for theatre-style layout. Both meeting rooms may be combined into a single venue.
Currently, the township where the Mactan Expo Center will be built, already has two hotel properties being operated and managed by Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, the country’s largest developer of 100 percent Filipino homegrown hotel brands. These include the 547-room Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown and the 550-room Belmont Hotel Mactan.
“Our hotel properties within The Mactan Newtown will be ready to handle the accommodation requirements of the Mactan Expo Center. And one thing everyone should look forward to at the Mactan Expo Center is the fact that it will just be a few steps away from the beach,” said Cleofe Albiso, managing director at Megaworld Hotels & Resorts.