THE MICE hub of the Visayas will get its first major convention centre in the SMX Convention Centre Cebu when the new facility opens its doors in 2017.
Revealing the news to this publication at the Asia Premium Travel Mart was Dexter Deyto, vice president and general manager of SMX Convention Specialists, that will start construction on the convention centre this August.
SMX Convention Centre will be part of a development built on a piece of reclaimed land in Cebu city and modelled on Manila’s Mall of Asia to come with a hotel and indoor arena for sports, concert and other events.
The size and capacity of the convention centre in Cebu is still being determined.
Meanwhile, the group’s existing trade halls within SM Department Store in Cebu City will likely be maintained, said Deyto.
He observed that while Cebu is the MICE hub in Visayas, the city does not have a convention centre. The opening of SMX Convention Centre Cebu will therefore help fill up hotel rooms in the city.
The Cebu property is SMX’s fifth, joining its other convention centres in Manila, Bonifacio Global City, Davao and Bacolod.
