MICEcafe Journey

  Business events can look successful on paper long before they actually occur. The venue is booked, the invitations are out, the speakers are confirmed, and the schedule is set. But despite all the planning, many business events don’t deliver on their original intent. The reason is often simple: the problems start before the event itself. A good business event is more than just filling a room with people. Whether it is a conference, product launch, corporate event, networking event or employee engagement program, every decision made at the planning stage can have an impact on the final result. Here are some reasons why most business events fail before they even start. There Is No Obvious Purpose One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is to plan an event without knowing why they are having it. The real purpose of the event gets lost while the immediate focus can shift to selecting a venue, finding speakers or planning activities. Every business event must have a defined purpos...

  For a long time the board room has been where important business discussions take place. It is where strategy is formulated, decisions are made, partnerships are tried and ideas are challenged. Traditionally, these conversations would take place around a long table, within four walls, with presentations, notebooks and coffee cups all around. But it's different for business. Board rooms are not only in corporate offices anymore. Critical conversations can happen overlooking mountains, next to the ocean, in a heritage property or on a corporate retreat organised for the purpose. The boardroom was going nowhere. It just got a look at. Business Beyond 4 Walls There's always a place for the traditional office setting. But many organisations are beginning to see that changing the environment can change the quality of conversations. When groups leave their regular work spaces, they can disconnect from the everyday and listen more intently to the current discussions. Standard promp...

  Rarely is a corporate trip only one person going from point A to point B. A business trip can include executives, employees, clients, speakers, event teams and other stakeholders, all travelling for the same reason, but with very different requirements.  When every traveller has a different schedule, it can be difficult to arrange a trip quickly. Tailor-made travel can give you flexibility and convenience, but too much variation can lead to confusion, inefficiency and unnecessary stress. Why Different Itineraries Different itineraries for practical reasons. Travellers can leave from different cities, have different schedules, travel in different classes or prolong their trips for personal reasons. Senior executives may need premium flights and flexible transfers but other employees may travel by company travel policies and budgets. And there are personal tastes. One traveller may want an early morning flight, one may want to arrive the nite before a meeting and the third m...

  More than just taking staff somewhere nice, incentive travel has always been about more. When done properly, an incentive trip is a well thought out event that rewards success, builds relationships, increases motivation and provides employees with an unforgettable experience.  But it’s more difficult to create that experience. Today's businesses have to balance budgets, employee expectations, destination trends, sustainability, travel logistics, company goals and personal preferences, all while ensuring the end result is fun and not overly corporate. This is where the planning of incentive travel is beginning to transition with the help of artificial intelligence . The relevance of whether artificial intelligence can help with travel planning is now a moot point. It already does. The more intriguing question is whether artificial intelligence can truly help to design the perfect incentive vacation.  MICE professionals have the potential to benefit greatly from AI as ...

  Convention centers have traditionally been used for conferences, exhibitions and corporate meetings. Today they are becoming powerhouses of economic activity in tourism, hospitality, transport, retail, technology and business services. Modern convention centers can be a major growth engine for cities and regions, attracting visitors, creating jobs and stimulating investment. Past the Location A modern convention center is not just a venue to host events. “It brings together businesses, professionals, investors and visitors, creating an ecosystem of commercial activity. The economic impact of an event is often far wider than just the venue itself, with benefits spreading to hotels, restaurants, transport providers and local businesses. Driving Business Tourism Conferences, exhibitions, conventions and corporate events bring many visitors from home and abroad. Business travellers tend to spend money on accommodation, eating and drinking, transport, shopping and entertainment and ar...

  Business events are an ever bigger part of the global economic and tourism scene. Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions are no longer seen as just a way of attracting business travellers to a destination for a few days. They generate demand for hotels, airlines, restaurants, transportation, entertainment, venues and local services, and opportunities for networking, investment, knowledge transfer and international trade. Hence countries are pouring in investments to become a preferred destination for the global MICE industry . It's no longer a contest of just having a large convention center or luxury hotels. Destinations are developing connectivity, infrastructure, technology, sustainability, hospitality and experiences that can help make international business events easier and more valuable for organisers and delegates. Many countries have become strong players in the sector. United Arab Emirates: Creating a World Business Events Hub Dubai and Abu Dhabi are leadin...

  Dubai and Singapore are one of the most popular destinations for MICE . The two cities are natural choices for corporate events, with strong international connectivity , world class hotels, modern convention centres and established business infrastructure. But the MICE landscape is changing and event planners are looking beyond these traditional favourites. It does not mean the importance of Dubai and Singapore is fading. Instead companies are looking at a wider range of locations offering better value, new experiences and more flexibility. As hospitality infrastructure and connectivity continue to grow, emerging markets are offering planners more choice than ever before. The Search for A New Something. Planners are also looking elsewhere for a big reason: the desire for new experiences. Regular business travellers may have been to established MICE destinations many times. There may not be the same buzz in running another conference or incentive programme in the same city. New ...

  There is no question that the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry is evolving. MICE has always been the forte of large metropolitan cities, with their international airports, large convention centres, premium hotels and established business ecosystems. But the needs of events are changing and the focus is shifting increasingly to secondary cities . Companies and event organisers want value, unique experiences and greater flexibility from non-traditional business capitals. Regional connectivity, hospitality infrastructure and event facilities are helping smaller cities to attract more professional events. Organisations are also looking for destinations that will provide more for their participants than conference rooms and cookie-cutter business itineraries. Why Big City Event Planners Are Relocating Big metro destinations remain important for the MICE industry, especially for international conventions and very large exhibitions. However, they can o...

  Executive off-sites are making a big comeback on the business calendar. Having been used to virtual meetings, hybrid working and online discussions at just the right time, leadership teams are now rediscovering the benefits of stepping outside their normal work environment. An executive offsite is not just an off-site meeting. It provides senior executives time away from the daily distractions of the business to discuss strategy, solve tough problems, build relationships and make decisions. That time together is becoming more important as businesses navigate changing markets, new technologies and changing workforce expectations. Why Executive Offsites Are Back In Vogue Today’s leadership teams work quite differently. It’s now possible to have executives spread out over many offices, cities or countries. Hybrid and remote working have made organisations more flexible, but senior leaders no longer communicate as casually as they once did. Updates and communications often are good i...

  Business travel has always been a vital part of the corporate world. Employees travel for many reasons, from client meetings and industry conferences to training programmes, exhibitions and incentive trips. But as companies become more budget-conscious, productive and sustainable, decisions about who gets to travel are becoming more strategic. In fact, these days it’s probably not about whether the employee wants to or needs to go to an event when it comes to the decision to approve a business trip. Organisations consider the purpose of the trip, the employee’s role, expected business outcomes, cost and whether the same objective can be achieved without travel. Visit Type The first question companies typically ask is simple: Why does this guy need to travel? Different types of travel deliver different business value. An employee may have to be physically present for a meeting with a key client, negotiations for a large contract or a site visit for a project. By contrast, a vid...