ILOILO City – This city’s booming convention industry has outgrown the Iloilo Convention Center (ICON), prompting the city government to actively court private investors to build a much larger convention facility capable of hosting major national and international gatherings after the recent Philippine Councilors League (PCL) National Convention exposed the limitations of the city’s biggest events venue.
The July 29 to 31 PCL National Convention drew more than 5,000 delegates from across the country, delivering a significant economic windfall to hotels, restaurants, transport operators, shopping centers, and tourism-related businesses.
But the event also highlighted the need for a larger single convention venue after participants raised concerns that ICON, located at the Iloilo Business Park in the booming Mandurriao district, could not comfortably accommodate all attendees.
Lea Lara, head of the Iloilo City Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) Office, said the city has reached a point where expanding convention infrastructure has become essential to sustain the rapid growth of its MICE industry.
“That’s the biggest single venue we have for conventions — the Iloilo Convention Center,” Lara said.
She explained that the facility can accommodate only around 3,500 to 4,000 participants, depending on the event configuration.
“The capacity really depends on the setup. If you maximize the space differently, the number of participants that can be accommodated also changes,” she said.
Lara said the city’s growing reputation as one of the country’s premier MICE destinations continues to attract national organizations, professional associations, government agencies, and private groups looking to hold conventions and conferences in Iloilo.
“We really feel the love that they want to come here in Iloilo City,” Lara said.
She disclosed that investors have already begun exploring opportunities in the city’s hospitality and convention sector.
“A lot of businesses are already talking about possible investments,” she said. “There is also an upcoming hotel along the Diversion Road that will have a function room capable of accommodating around 2,000 participants, and it is targeting completion by the end of the year.”
Despite these developments, Lara stressed that Iloilo still requires a significantly larger convention facility to host high-profile events under one roof.
“We want more investors to come in and propose facilities that can host even bigger events,” she said.
But she added: “I don’t want to speculate because these are still business decisions, but hearing the demand from event organizers and seeing the number of inquiries that Iloilo continues to receive, I hope investments and decision-making can be fast-tracked.”
Lara said a larger venue would strengthen Iloilo City’s bid to attract prestigious national and international conventions that currently require capacities beyond existing facilities.
She clarified, however, that while ICON has limitations as a single venue, Iloilo City remains capable of accommodating large numbers of visitors through its extensive network of hotels and event spaces.
“Assuming all the event facilities and function rooms in Iloilo City are being used simultaneously, we can accommodate around 25,000 participants,” Lara said.
“That is not for one single convention but for multiple events happening at the same time. Amo na kadamo nga participants ang kaya ma-accommodate sang Iloilo City.”
According to Lara, Iloilo’s strength lies not only in its convention center but also in its wide range of hotels, meeting facilities, and function venues that allow multiple conferences and corporate events to be held simultaneously.
She emphasized that as more organizations choose Iloilo as their convention destination, continuous investments in world-class convention infrastructure will be vital to sustaining the city’s momentum, expanding economic opportunities, and securing its position as one of the Philippines’ leading MICE destinations./PN
