ICCA is pleased to announce the winners of the Asia-Pacific Business Events Youth Challenge 2026, held in Macao. Congratulations to the winning team and all participants who brought their ideas, creativity and expertise to this year’s competition. A special thank you to Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition & Tourism Sectors for co-hosting the finalists and making this year’s Challenge possible!
🏆 Challenge A (Student) – Team Backbone – Thiriidev Kumar A/L Murlidaran, Haithm Abdulghani Hussein Al-Bakri (Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation), Malaysia
🏆 Challenge B (Young Professional) – Team The Movers – Ashmita Singh (MCI Group – India), Kendall Li (MCI Group – China)
Thank you to our judges for sharing their time and expertise:
- Melissa Brown, CEO, Australian Business Events Association Ltd
- Peter Lee, Executive Director, Goyang Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Carrie Kwik, Executive Director, Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau
- Jason Tan, Chief Executive Officer, Business Events Sarawak
- Sonya Stewart, Chief Operating Officer, Business Events Sydney
- Rene Chang, General Manager, K&A International Co., Ltd
- Zitu Huang, Director, Hengqin Convention & Exhibition Association
- Joey Pather, Senior Vice President, Galaxy Entertainment Group
Congratulations as well to the finalist teams:
Challenge A
- Team Ember Collective – Gan Yu Min, Lia Yung Zi (Sunway University), Malaysia
- Team Re:Align – Lee Minkyu, Joo Youngjun (Handong Global University), South Korea
Challenge B
- Team Canberra – Divyajot Kaur Birdi (National Convention Centre Canberra), Binisha Sapkota (Canberra Convention Bureau), Australia
- Team GO! Young – Seohyeon Kim, Sumin Song (Goyang International Expo Foundation), South Korea
The competition supported students and young professionals under the age of 30 in the business events industry, giving participants an opportunity to take centre stage and present their innovative ideas. The challenge tested their ability to respond to the requirements and criteria set out in a client’s bid document or brief. Finalists were hosted by the event’s host city for their final presentations, while the winning team earned an invitation to attend the ICCA Congress.
