Inside Asian Gaming

APR 2019 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 41 W hile much of the talk around Japanese IRs has up to this point focused primarily on problem gambling concerns, one aspect that is starting to gain traction is the opportunity IRs present to grow the country’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. MICE facilities are located throughout the world and the average annual growth rate of the MICE industry (2017-2023) has been estimated at 7.5%. The market, at US$752 billion in 2016, is predicted to grow to US$1.25 trillion by 2023. The construction of large event halls has continued apace each year and the number of halls with a floor space of 100,000 square meters or more now stands at 72 globally (as of March 2019). Unfortunately, no site in Japan is included on this list with the largest being Tokyo Big Sight at 95,000 square meters (although an additional 20,000 square meters will become available with the opening of the South Exhibition Hall in July this year). The government has therefore decided a MICE facility is a requirement for the development of a Japanese IR. Moreover, the scale standard is strategic. Regulations call for a massive international hall with a capacity of 6,000 people or more. Currently, the largest in Japan are the Tokyo International Forum and Pacifico Yokohama, each with capacity for 5,000 people. Further, a very large scale exhibition hall must be 120,000 square meters or greater, beating Tokyo’s Big Sight by a large margin. The MICE facilities at Japan’s IRs will need to be on a massive scale – far bigger than anything the country has seen before. Naturally, it will be expected to compete globally, heralding a new era for MICE in the country. The number of halls with a floor space of 100,000 square meters or more now stands at 72 globally. Unfortunately, no site in Japan is included on this list.