The Meet Global MICE Congress

The Meet Global MICE Congress (MGMC), the largest international event in the business tourism sector, has started in Moscow. Held for the third time in 2025, this year the event welcomes guests from 35 BRICS nations and countries of the Global South to share expertise and build new partnerships in the field of MICE tourism. The congress is attended by over 2,500 participants and features over 130 exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge solutions and services in the MICE industry. In addition, the event features 200 Hosted Buyers, providing a unique opportunity for direct engagement with key decision-makers. The first day of the forum, December 17, began with the plenary session “Unity Through Open Diversity: New Opportunities for the MICE Industry”— the central theme of MGMC 2025. The session also highlighted Moscow’s progress in developing MICE infrastructure. The city welcomes business travellers every year: in 2024, one in five visitors from Russia’s regions and one in eight international visitors came for business purposes, while the overall number of business trips increased by 1.4 million. Guests can choose from 2,200 hotels, plan cultural itineraries in just a few clicks via the RUSSPASS digital service, and enjoy gastronomic experiences, supported by nearly 23,000 venues. Most importantly, Moscow offers modern, unconventional locations for events. Options for business events include Skolkovo Technopark, the Lomonosov Cluster, Zaryadye Park, the Ostankino TV Tower, the State Historical Museum, and the Khudozhestvenny Cinema. Speakers and participants in these and other panel discussions and case-study sessions included representatives of the tourism boards of Jordan and Nepal, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of the Republic of Maldives, the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as companies from Argentina, India, Qatar, Kazakhstan, the UAE, Serbia, Singapore, Uzbekistan and South Africa. One of the highlights was a keynote by the star speaker Dharmendra Jain, Founder and CEO of Actnable AI, an Insight250 2024–2025 award recipient with 20 years of market research experience across India and Africa. He spoke about how AI can act as a co-organiser of MICE events, tailoring content and anticipating trends. The second day, December 18, promises to be no less dynamic. The programme features discussions on the experience economy, the effectiveness of business events from the client–supplier perspective, and the specifics of working with VIP clients, featuring professionals from Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Mauritius, Thailand and Türkiye. Another major highlight will be the plenary discussion “The Future of MICE: Unlocking New Pathways to Growth,” featuring Sabbas Joseph, Founder of Wizcraft Group, among the key speakers. During the session, the participants will share his perspective on how global economic and geopolitical shifts are reshaping business tourism, why traditional MICE flows are being reconfigured, and how the industry is adapting to these changes. Closed-door training sessions are also planned for Russia’s MICE community, combining theory with hands-on practice in artificial intelligence and B2B sales. In addition, a truly unique speaker will take the stage — a robot that will use AI to contribute to the discussion and ask participants questions in their own languages. The Moscow City Tourism Committee is fostering a transparent, effective dialogue with the travel and tourism sector while actively promoting business tourism. With the Committee’s support, business event organisers can meet representatives of unconventional city venues and get practical answers to any questions about staging an event in a park, a historic estate or a planetarium. Registration for site inspections and other useful programmes is available via the RUSSPASS. Business portal. It provides a one-stop interface for cooperation between the city and Moscow’s tourism industry, as well as an online workspace with convenient tools for everyday work.