MICE is acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. It is a niche of group tourism dedicated to business events and activities. In few decades the MICE has drastically increased in the Asian market. Meetings involve board meetings, management meetings, shareholder meetings, training seminars, meetings with partners, suppliers and clients. Incentive tourism are usually undertaken as a type of leisure travels for employee rewarding by the company or institutions and also motivating sales ,dealers, distributors, production workers, and in some cases, customers. Conferences are again of business, educational or political interest where people with same interest and objective come together to conduct discussion which could be of regional, national or international level. Exhibitions are organized for the companies to display and promote their new products and information where the people who are interested are sharing information with such as potential buyers or customers.
Incentive leads the demand for outbound MICE
India is expected to establish itself as the third largest travel and tourism economy by 2028 in terms of direct and total GDP, a 2018 economic impact reports by World Travel & Tourism Council ( WTTC).
India is estimated to generate 6.5 Million outbound luxury and MICE tourists annually by 2020, reinforcing the country’s influence as a key source market for MICE and luxury travel, according to figures that were published ahead of the 5th Annual MICE India and Luxury Travel Congress (MILT).
India ranked as the fastest growing outbound business travel market of any country in the world, with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) reporting spending in this segment increased 5.4% over the year. Not only is the market growing in volume and value but, following the introduction of more direct flights to key cities across the world, Indian travellers now venture further than ever before.
Planning a MICE Event
- Basic Criteria that every consultant needs to take in consideration
- Is it a culturally and visually exciting destination that will inspire delegates?
- Location- Are there ample locations to cater for a variety of event requirements?
- Transportation – Is it easy to travel & What are the modes of Transport?
- Accommodation- Are there a good selection of hotels to cater for different tastes and budgets?
Trends taking over MICE Tourism
- Security:All events should be held under greater security measures and inspections. The first and important point before finalizing the destination or city for the event or conference is security. The Location of the accommodation, transportation, connectivity should be inspected.
- Experience:Experience plays a very important role in MICE Tourism, Nowadays business travellers are more experienced when they travel abroad than they were several years ago. From accommodation to transportations, meals everything should meet expectations of the delegates. The MICE organisers should have experience to handle MICE and for that needs to do lots of research, planning etc.
- Technology: Technological progress plays a vital role in the MICE business. Meetings and events have been transformed by the latest technology. Today, wireless connectivity is imperative. LCD Projectors, video conferencing and fast notebooks are the standard. However, it is not only about state-of-the-art high-tech technology, but versatile technology which is easy to use. Furthermore, trained staff is needed that is familiar with the equipment. Hotels need to constantly review their high-tech equipment and make small changes or upgrades every now and then. It is more efficient to regularly make small adjustments instead of making massive upgrades every couple of years.