Jakarta, Indonesia, 28 July 2026 – Indonesia today marked a significant milestone in the advancement of its business events industry with the opening of the first Indonesia Business Event Mart (IBEM), held alongside the Southeast Asia Business Events Forum (SEABEF) at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC). Bringing together industry leaders, destinations, venues, suppliers, buyers, and policymakers from across Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific region, the co-located events underscore Indonesia’s growing ambition to become a leading meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) destination in Southeast Asia.
As Indonesia’s first dedicated business events marketplace, IBEM has been created to provide a focused platform where domestic and international business events stakeholders can establish new partnerships, exchange market insights, and unlock fresh business opportunities. By combining a trade exhibition with a regional knowledge-sharing forum, the event aims to accelerate collaboration across the business events ecosystem while showcasing Indonesia’s diverse destinations, world-class venues, and expanding capabilities to the global market.
The inaugural edition features more than 200 exhibitors from 100 exhibiting companies and organisations, representing a broad cross-section of the business events industry. Approximately 70 per cent of exhibitors are from Indonesia, highlighting the country’s rich and diverse business events offerings, while the remaining 30 per cent comprise international exhibitors from across the Asia-Pacific region. Together, they present a comprehensive showcase of convention bureaux, destination management companies, hotels and resorts, convention and exhibition centres, airlines, cruise operators, event technology providers, and professional event services.
Complementing the exhibition is a carefully curated hosted buyer programme welcomes more than 200 buyers. Through a series of pre-scheduled business appointments and networking opportunities, buyers will engage directly with exhibitors to explore new destinations, evaluate products and services, and establish long-term business partnerships. The programme is designed to facilitate high-quality business matching and deliver measurable outcomes for both buyers and exhibitors, reinforcing IBEM’s role as a strategic marketplace for the regional MICE community
Adding further value to the exhibition are a series of Brand Showcases, where exhibitors present the latest developments, destination updates, and innovative products to attending buyers and industry professionals. This year’s showcase features leading organisations including Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, Macao SAR, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), Hotel Mulia Senayan – Jakarta & Mulia Resort Nusa Dua – Bali, Business Events Sarawak, and InJourney Destination Management, offering delegates exclusive insights into new experiences, event solutions, and destination capabilities that are shaping the future of business events across the region.
Knowledge sharing takes centre stage through the co-located Southeast Asia Business Events Forum (SEABEF), which convenes distinguished industry leaders, policymakers, destination representatives, and business events professionals to discuss emerging trends, sustainability, innovation, digital transformation, talent development, and the future direction of Southeast Asia’s business events sector. The forum complements the trade exhibition by providing practical insights and thought leadership that support the
continued growth and competitiveness of the regional industry.
Beyond the business appointments and educational programme, IBEM offers buyers and visitors a welcoming environment to build relationships and continue conversations throughout the event. All hosted buyers are invited to enjoy complimentary refreshments at the Oddity Coffee Lounge which provides a relaxed setting for informal networking between scheduled meetings. Visitors can also look forward to a series of lucky draw activities held throughout the exhibition, with participating exhibitors offering a variety of vouchers for buyers. The initiative adds an engaging element to the event while encouraging delegates to explore the exhibition floor and connect with participating exhibitors.
The launch of IBEM represents a significant step in Indonesia’s long-term strategy to strengthen its position within the global business events landscape. By bringing together buyers, suppliers, destinations, and industry experts under one roof, the event creates a platform that not only generates immediate business opportunities, but also fosters collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange that will contribute to the sustainable development of Indonesia’s MICE industry. Over the next four days, delegates can expect a dynamic programme comprising business appointments, destination presentations, educational sessions, networking functions, and exhibition activities, all designed to strengthen regional partnerships and showcase the breadth of opportunities available within Indonesia and across the Asia-Pacific business events market.
As the inaugural edition opens its doors, IBEM and SEABEF signal the beginning of a new chapter for Indonesia’s business events industry—one that positions the country not only as a premier destination for meetings and events, but also as a catalyst for regional collaboration, business growth, and industry excellence.
