With the hosting of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in January 2010, the oil rich Brunei has now entered the fray as a tourist and MICE destination.

To this end, the country finally got its exhibition and convention center – Bridex – as recently as August 2009.  It was built in time for the Brunei International Defence Exhibition (BRIDEX) 2009, and also hosted ATF 2010.  Bridex has two exhibition halls and a separate building houses its banquet/conference hall, as well as smaller seminar rooms.  Apart from this, two newer hotels, The Empire Hotel & Country Club and the Rizqun, stand out with good convention rooms and facilities.  

Brunei's attractions include its rainforest nature parks, water village (Kampong Ayer) offering a glimpse of quaint Asian charm that existed for centuries; the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque and the opulent royal palace (Istana Nurul Iman), which will leave visitors in awe of their sheer grandeur.  Apart from these, Brunei may not have enough to offer for MICE delegates in terms of tourist sites and scenery, unique F & B experiences and shopping, etc.

Perhaps Brunei, as a MICE destination, is most suitable for smaller corporate groups looking for back-to-nature experience and adventure.  The Ulu Temburong National Park and Tasek Merimbun in Tutong offer excellent natural backdrops for various team-building or 'survival' activities that may include jungle trekking, waterfall trail and canopy walk, etc.  Those who do not have time to travel to these nature parks may also consider scaling the Shahbandar Hills, which is just a short five-minute drive from The Empire Hotel, as a corporate training exercise.

While the Brunei people are friendly and helpful, their inexperience in MICE management shows up when it comes to service.  For example, during some of the formal gala dinners at ATF, service staff did not seem to have been trained to serve the guests by any logical order;  they were seen wandering around with dishes in hand, looking for guests to serve.

However, what may deter MICE organizers from holding events in Brunei would be its strict law against alcoholic consumption in the country.  After all, booze and partying are almost inseparable with MICE.  Although tourists are allowed to bring in limited amount of beer and wine for their private consumption in their own rooms, hotels and restaurants are not allowed to serve alcoholic drinks even in private parties.  Recent attempts to relax the law has been shot down by the government.  Perhaps Brunei may find its own niche market in serving MICE groups from Muslim countries, or from health-conscious groups who just want some natural, clean and non-alcoholic fun for their meetings.