The opening ceremony for the four-day 2026 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair (GMBPF) took place yesterday at The Venetian Macao, witnessing the signing of 49 cooperation projects on-site, according to a statement by the organisers.
Covering big health, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), sports, catering, and kitchen equipment, these agreements demonstrate the platform’s pragmatic and efficient role in business matching, the statement underlined.
Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) President Che Weng Keong noted in a speech during the opening ceremony that, in the first quarter of this year, Macau hosted 425 MICE events. These events drove a 29.4 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue across related sectors, including hotels, restaurants, and retail businesses, he said.
Macau has continued to foster the in-depth integration of MICE events and investment promotion, repeatedly receiving international accolades such as “Best Conventions Destination (Asia)”, “Best BT-MICE City”*, and “Best International MICE Destination”, Che said. He added that these achievements demonstrate the steadily growing international recognition and clout of the local MICE industry.
Che noted that as this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, the fair has invited Pakistani enterprises to Macau for the first time to promote their premium Halal** food products. This aims to meet the diverse needs of Muslim visitors from across the region and around the world, while further expanding the event’s international network of partners.
Under the theme “New Opportunities in the Silver Economy, A New Chapter in Healthy Living”, this year’s fair has attracted more than 450 domestic and overseas enterprises. It features six distinctive zones showcasing premium and specialty products from Guangdong, Macau, and “Belt and Road” (B&R) markets, Che said. He added that a raft of forums, business-matching sessions, workshops, and competitions will be held across the zones to help enterprises explore opportunities arising from the “first-store economy” and jointly expand international market cooperation.
At the same time, this year’s fair adopts a “Multi-venue Event” model, with the Macau-Hengqin Forum on the Integration of Cross-boundary Elderly Care Services being held concurrently in Hengqin, alongside an experience zone for healthcare products and elderly care services, Che said.
Taswan, head of Indonesian firm PT Dami Sariwana, told reporters yesterday that his herbal medicine enterprise has participated in the fair twice. During the event, he signed a cooperation agreement with a local company.
Taswan noted that his company is exporting its natural health products to Africa and numerous other regions. Boasting nearly 40 years of industry experience, he plans to introduce Indonesian health products to Macau and the Chinese mainland.
* BT-MICE refers to Business Travel, Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions. – Gemini
** Halal (“permissible” in Arabic) describes food and drink that are acceptable for Muslims to consume.
Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) President Che Weng Keong addresses yesterday’s opening ceremony for the four-day “2026 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair (GMBPF)” at The Venetian Macao Cotai Expo. – Photos: Ida Cheong
Taswan, head of Indonesian firm PT Dami Sariwana, speaks to reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony for the four-day “2026 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair (GMBPF)” at The Venetian Macao Cotai Expo yesterday.
