The MICE – Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions – industry forms a substantial component of both the tourism industry as well as of the economic development in destinations and is influencing the businesses at a tremendous pace. It generates millions in revenues worldwide and the demand for its elements is increasing widely. Being an extremely dynamic industry, it tends to shift its gears continuously and presents variable trends. This presents great challenges to the businesses in the MICE industry as it makes them fight in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Hence, it is important to understand what’s inspiring MICE travellers and how to attract them in the future so as to give businesses in the industry a competitive advantage.
MICE industry can attract businesses by keeping a flexible mind and providing services and facilities as per the changing demands.
LOCATION FLEXIBILITY
Earlier event planners based their choice of location on factors such as costs, quality and quantity of available accommodation, access to and overall attractiveness of the location. Nowadays, the choice is influenced by factors such as connectivity, technology and the quality of the experience which is offered by the facilities and the surrounding area. The need has clearly shifted from traditional boardrooms and conference halls to more personalized run-of-the-mill places in terms of venues. Outdoor locations like old mills, caves, boats, farms, beaches are on offer each bringing with it a unique flavour. Likewise, in the indoor spaces, there are emotionally intelligent event spaces such as sensory lounges, recreational rooms and experience zones that help create better experiences. An increasing number of venues are offering flexibility to the organizers to organize their event as per their specific requirements.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
Having lights on in a room 24/7 can get expensive. And it’s not a great use of energy. Smart meeting rooms, on the other hand, not only benefit the users of the meeting room but can dramatically decrease overheads. And help a company do their bit for the environment. Meeting rooms themselves can be set up to detect movement and automatically switch resources on or off based on if anyone is in the room. This not only benefits the users but also saves the company money on its overheads and is an eco-friendlier way of working.
The MICE industry is a competitive business and will be booming in the next few years. As new meetings formats and technology will continue to mature it is important to keep up and assimilate these changes and adapt to the latest trends. Gone are the days when an event/meeting just required a computer and overhead projector. All meeting venues now need to put their best foot forward in terms of technology. High-speed internet connectivity, state of the art audio-visuals and automation are more of a necessity than a luxury. Use of virtual assistants, virtual and augmented reality are now what is considered innovative and unique. Similarly, webcasting, live streaming and video conferencing are emerging as new features so that a corporate can interact with the participants.
CATERING
An event cannot be successful without the good food and catering service. Preparing or planning food for an event should be left to the professionals. Catering is no easy task and shouldn’t be expected to be done by anyone who hasn’t done it before. Caterers with experience in the type of event you’re planning will help your event succeed. The relevance of food and catering has changed significantly as it has become an important tool to impress and amaze the guests. It has been noticed that if you do everything right, but the food is not good, then the guests are likely to leave the event disappointed. On the other hand, if some things go wrong, but the catering is excellent, then visitors would still remember the event favourably. This can be done using innovative and novel ideas to delight the guests.
