INTRODUCTION TO MICE INDUSTRY

Events Management

By Weru J N

Introduction To Mice Industry

y Throughout history, events have been an

important feature of peoples lives. The first Olympic games were held in Ancient Greece in 777 BC and countless religious events and festivals have been held throughout the ages. y One can only speculate what procedures, problems and techniques event organizers of the time might have faced and used.
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Contd
y The event sector of the tourism industry is

young, dynamic, and growing and maturing at a rapid rate. The benefits event management and event tourism are increasingly being realized in many developing countries. y Events are becoming established as an integral and major part of tourism development and marketing strategies.
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Contd
y Event tourism can be defined as systematic

development, planning, marketing and holding of events as tourist attractions. y The goals of event tourism are; y To create a favorable image of the destination y To expand the domestic touristic season y To spread tourist demand more evenly through an area y To attract foreign and domestic visitors
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The Business Environment Of Mice Events

y Economic Impacts y Environmental Impacts y Technological Impacts

Events Management

By Weru J N

Economic Impacts
y Business

and professional people travel throughout the year to attend meetings, conferences and exhibitions. The economic impact of these events is a major significance for the tourism and hospitality industry. y For example, most conference participants meet, eat and sleep under one roof-the venue.

Events Management

By Weru J N

Contd
y However, the direct economic impact does not Stop with the venue or suppliers such as local restaurants, cultural and sporting activities, sightseeing venues/tours, tourist attractions, local shops and transport facilities which either provide service or sell products to convention delegates.

Events Management

By Weru J N

Contd
y The direct and indirect effects of the delegate

expenditure is felt throughout the economy of the community, with flow-on expenditure to other firms such as food and beverage suppliers, printers, stationers and so on, from whom the delegate may items. y This can create an increased level of business and as a result provide additional employment.
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Environmental Impacts
y The

trend internationally is to use environmentally friendly practices with the events industry. y Programs have been put into place to manage the effect on the environment, including waste recycling, reducing the consumption of water, electricity and heat, water recycling and rationalization of air-conditioning and lighting.
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Contd
y Traditionally the conventions and meeting

industry ha s been a large consumer of paper and paper products in the form of printed conference materials, non-reusable convention and exhibition materials, disposable cups and plates, and so on. y Concerted efforts are being taken globally to adopt environmentally-responsible polices.
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Technological Impacts
y The industry has gladly accepted and embraced new technology, and the impact has been felt not only in the area of the equipment used to present conference data and information, but also in the provision of different styles of conferences through the use of video conferencing facilities. y The days of the conference diary and traditional filing and paper trail systems have been replaced by industry specific and relevant on-line systems.
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Stakeholders in the MICE Industry

y The organization of a convention or meeting

incorporates a number of factors. y For example, the convention or meeting might occur at a specific place called a facility or venue, and it might involve the provision of food and beverage services, require specialized technical support and include an exhibition of products.
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Contd
y It might also require residential and non-

residential accommodation, transportation and delegate entertainment and partners program. y To achieve a successful MICE event, therefore, a number of specialists or suppliers who represent these areas will be called on to manage and coordinate their services.

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By Weru J N

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The stakeholders include;

y Hotels y PCOs and convention managers y Transport companies y Exhibition service contractors designers y Destination management companies y Food services y Associations y Exhibitors y Audiovisual services y Facilities y Convention and visitor bureaus
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Government Organizations
y They play an important role in the promotion

of the industry, assisting in the provision of the necessary infrastructure, transport, visa and custom services and research as statistical data. y The government may also be actively involve in the industry through their ownership of venues and facilities

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Industry Associations
y They are often formed with the mandate to

enhance the professionalism of the industry, to act as a means of communicating business interest, and to create an awareness of the industry and market its services to business and other organizations. y Most importantly they have a role to lobby government on key issues that may affect the operation of the industry.
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Conventions and visitor bureaus

y In order for a city or area to actively encourage

both MICE and visitors, there needs to be a coordinated approach by all sections of the tourism business community. y A CVB acts as a cooperative, representing all the various sectors of the convention and visitor industry promoting the city or area to a broad range of companies, associations or visitor groups.
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Contd
y A CVB is an example of a destination

management organization. However, in many instances, the key activity and often the exclusive focus of the bureau is marketing and sales. y The CVB acts as an intermediary between potential visitors and local business and such it represents all organizations within the location who have vested interest increasing conference and meeting business.
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Venues
y Venues that wish to develop a share of the

MICE industry need to provide purpose built facilities that offer multiple usage, are flexible in their design and have suitable lighting and break out space. y Hotels and venues can be divided into three main categories; residential venues, nonresidential venues and special venues.
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Residential Venues
y They provide accommodation plus a wide

range of convention and meeting facilities. y They include; city centre, airport, resort and motels. y Others are; suburban hotels, residential conference and universities, and cruise ships.

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Non-Residential Venues
y They provide only convention and meeting

facilities. y They include dedicated or purpose-built convention and exhibition halls, theatres, arenas and stadiums. y They are designed to hold large numbers of people under one roof for a combined convention and exhibition.
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Contd
y They usually provide a large number of rooms

designed for plenary sessions, halls with appropriate infrastructure to hold exhibitions and trade shows, plus a wide range of meeting rooms, break out areas, banqueting facilities, a business centre, offices, and administration space.

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Special Venues
y These may include attractions such as historical

buildings, museums, zoos, landmarks and icons and sporting venues.

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Transport Operators
y They are involved in supplying a MICE event

can include air, sea, coach, car hire and taxi companies. y Airlines play an important role in the transportation process as they handle both international and domestic delegates.

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Service Support Companies

y These include audiovisual companies, printers,

florists, entertainment companies, interpreters, and producers of conference satchels and name badges. y They provide an integral part of the impression that is provided to the convention and meeting delegate.

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Exhibition Contractors
y They include a range of businesses whose

services include exhibition stand design and construction, plant and equipment hire and the provision of light, power security, artwork and so on. y They work with the convention, meeting or exhibition organizer to supply the needs of the show.
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Professional Conference Organizers

y To be successful, a convention or meeting

requires careful planning. A PCO is an individual or organization who organizes and provides convention and meeting planning services to a client for a fee. y They manage all the details, activities and interactions of a convention or meeting, from the initial idea through to the actual event and post-event evaluation.
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Contd
y They convert the decisions into actions, keep

the project on schedule, report to the committee, coordinate the various suppliers and offer consultative expertise. y They are also referred to as professional conference managers, meeting managers or meeting planners.

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By Weru J N

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Definition of Event
y No one clear, all-embracing definition of

events. y According to Getz(1991:122), events are temporary occurrences, either planned or unplanned, with a finite length of time. y Events are either cultural, sporting, political or business events
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Cultural Events
y They are class of events which have historical

themes or which celebrate some dimension of a communitys or cultural groups heritage. y Cultural or heritage events can be viewed as tools for interpreting community life by bringing people into direct contact with historical facts, objects or ways of life, thereby increasing knowledge and appreciation of traditions.
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Sporting Events
y Most types of sport today are organized and

competitive, although some games are still played purely for recreation.

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Arts Events
y Are

universal, and display considerable diversity in the forms and types of art featured. y Art events include; performing events such as music, dance and drama and visual events such as painting, sculpture and handcraft.

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Business or Trade events

y They include; y Exhibitions(expositions).these are designed to bring together suppliers of products, equipment and services in an environment where they can demonstrate their products or services. y Trade shows are exhibitions run exclusively for a particular trade or industry and provide forums for exchange of information between companies and their potential clients-unlike exhibitions, trade shows are only open to members of the particular trade or industry and attendance is by invitation.
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Meetings and Conventions

y A meeting is defined as a get together of a

group of people with similar interests to accomplish some predetermined goal or purposes. y They include conferences, conventions, seminars, workshops and symposia.

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Contd
y When meeting are focused on education the

terms seminar or workshops are used. y Conference describes a group of people small enough to facilitate interaction meeting for the purpose of conferring and discussion. y Conventions are large assembles of people from associations, political parties or religious groups.
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Contd
y Symposium or forum is a meeting at which

speakers or delegates present papers. y Incentive meetings and travel are meeting used as rewards for productivity achieved, or as motivational tools for employees to improve performance or encourage executives to reach certain goal.

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