MICE Events Post-Pandemic

What is MICE?

MICE is an acronym that stands for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions.

• Meetings happen in various venues including conference rooms or at convention centers. They can be a single or multi-day event. The meeting size can vary depending on the venue from a small group to a larger group of hundreds. The purpose is to bring peers together from a company or specific industry.
• Incentives include many types of business travel awards and can be quite fun. The purpose is to thank people for their hard work, boost employee morale, or increase loyalty. For example, a company may treat their executives to a wonderful bleisure trip. This can include an all-inclusive weekend at a posh resort and a variety of cultural activities.
• Conferences are large-scale meetings and can last for several consecutive days. The scheduled activities for conferences can be a combination of the following: panels with industry experts, presentations on the newest industry trends, keynote speakers, discussion panels, and workshops.

• Exhibitions are also commonly referred to as trade shows. These events usually draw in thousands of attendees from around the globe. The exhibitions are very industry-specific and focus on their target market. Other common activities at exhibitions include networking meet-and-greets, award ceremonies, business pitches, and face-to-face meetings.

MICE Event Tech

The MICE industry has also been an innovator with event technology. At nearly any MICE event, you can see and participate in the latest tech. This includes:

Facial recognition can be used for entry into a MICE event. It eliminates the need for attendees to present identification or purchase event tickets. Registered conference attendees can simply arrive, have their faces scanned, and enter the conference.

Virtual and augmented reality is evolving at MICE events. Technology innovators are discovering many new ways to create engaging events at conferences and trade shows. This technology is especially helpful with product demonstrations, entertainment, and presentations, plus much more.

Web-based access control makes it easy for a venue to accommodate the client’s needs. This includes the ability for the venue and/or client to control elements such as sound speakers, venue lighting, and room temperature all through the Internet.

Virtual event platforms have taken precedence during the global pandemic but will remain part of the MICE industry for the foreseeable future. An increasing number of virtual and hybrid events still occur in the MICE industry, where online event planners and meeting attendees can interact and engage via the World Wide Web.

How Does MICE Benefit the Hospitality Industry?

The MICE industry generates revenue for the hospitality industry. For hotels, the exhibitors and the attendees of MICE events occupy many hotel rooms located close to the conference venue. The high demand for hotel rooms surrounding a MICE event enables hotels to charge premium rates. For example, a study in 2016 discovered that MICE guests pay an average of 17.5% more than hotel leisure guests. These conferences and trade shows usually occur at set intervals, so hotel managers can plan their annual budgets based on these events.

A New Career in the MICE Industry

Event professionals looking to get into the MICE sector have a myriad of opportunities in the field. For instance, larger corporations need event planners to help organize a multi-faceted event. Venues are always in need of event production and event management professionals to make sure everything runs smoothly.

There are numerous ways to break into the MICE industry. There continues to be a high demand for event professionals. One place to look for these opportunities is the many industry specific groups on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook, where open positions are often shared. If you have a specific company in mind, you can check that company’s job board for positions specific to MICE. Another option to break into the industry is to meet with a recruiter directly to see if they have any MICE positions that match your skill set.

The MICE industry is an exciting facet of event planning and event promotion. There are many specific segments in the industry so there is something for nearly everyone in the sector. The industry has many moving parts that can be challenging but ultimately rewarding when everyone works together to create a fun and memorable business event.

Traveler’s Q can be your guide to MICE and other corporate events. We can assist you in all aspects of event travel management. Contact us today so we can manage your business with our corporate travel services.