Bringing thousands of delegates to the same destination is already a logistical challenge. Keeping them engaged after a full day of meetings requires far more than a banquet menu or a list of attractions to explore independently.
Event organisers need programmes that work for large groups, provide space for guests to connect and create shared experiences that participants will remember long after they return home.
That is why assessing a destination’s MICE capabilities is no longer simply a matter of asking, “Where will the meetings take place?” An equally important question is, “Where can delegates go afterwards?”
Conference centres and hotels ensure that the business side of an event runs smoothly. The hours beyond the meeting room, meanwhile, give delegates an opportunity to experience the destination itself while generating additional business for local restaurants, entertainment venues and service providers.
Southern Phu Quoc comes alive at night with a mix of dining, entertainment and live performances, extending the MICE itinerary well beyond conference hours.
According to the Night Time Economy Report 2026, night-time economic activities generate an estimated US$3-4 trillion in value worldwide each year. For the MICE sector, the importance of these hours is particularly easy to understand: delegates spend much of the daytime following a business agenda, while the evening is when a destination has the chance to create an experience of its own.
In Phu Quoc, the island’s southern area is increasingly well placed to turn those evening hours into one of the most anticipated parts of an event programme.
If the schedule includes a free afternoon, groups can take the overwater cable car to Sun World Hon Thom, spend time at Aquatopia or Exotica Village, or simply unwind by the sea. These options can be incorporated into incentive programmes and team activities, or offered to delegates looking to explore more of the destination after a conference.
When guests return to Sunset Town, the experience shifts from recreation to socialising, dining and entertainment.
Sun Bavaria GastroPub, located on the waterfront and recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest seaside beer restaurant, offers the scale needed for group dinners, networking functions and appreciation events. From the restaurant area, guests can dine while watching Symphony of the Sea, a performance that brings jet skis, flyboards, music, lighting and fireworks to the waters in front of Kiss Bridge.
Sun Bavaria GastroPub, recognised as the world’s largest seaside beer restaurant, offers a large-scale venue for MICE groups.
The evening can then continue with Kiss of the Sea, staged at an open-air theatre over the water featuring the world’s largest water projection screen and a large-capacity audience area. The multimedia production combines water, fire, lighting effects and fireworks.
For individual travellers, these shows are simply entertainment options after dinner. For MICE groups, however, they offer something more: a shared moment that hundreds, or even thousands, of delegates can experience together rather than ending the working day and dispersing back to their hotel rooms in smaller groups.
This is where the night-time economy can contribute directly to the value of a MICE programme.
Once meetings are over, delegates have more reasons to go out, dine, take part in entertainment and explore the destination. A compelling itinerary may also encourage them to extend their stay with colleagues or family members.
Turning that opportunity into actual spending or additional overnight stays, however, depends on how well the programme is designed around group size, travel time and the objectives of each event.
Symphony of the Sea combines jet skis, flyboards, music, lighting and fireworks over the water, adding another highlight to the evening itinerary for MICE visitors in Phu Quoc.
Phu Quoc’s advantage, therefore, does not rest on a single show or a large restaurant. More significant is the ability to connect conferences, accommodation, recreation, dining and entertainment as part of one continuous journey.
During the day, delegates attend meetings and events. In the evening, they can continue experiencing the rhythm and atmosphere of the island through a programme substantial enough to keep the group engaged.
In the competition for MICE business, infrastructure may be what places Phu Quoc on an organiser’s shortlist. But if an event is to become a trip that guests continue talking about afterwards, what happens beyond conference hours needs to be considered from the outset.
By answering that question well, Phu Quoc has a greater opportunity not only to attract large groups, but also to retain more of the economic value generated by each visit.
