The Importance of Advocacy for the MICE Sector

The MICE sector continues to see plenty of growth and success, despite the range of setbacks that the COVID-19 years flung at the travel and events industries. Predicted to grow at a rate of 9.1% over the next five years, we’re seeing developments, innovation and resilience across the events, experiences and insight throughout the industry.

However, the MICE sector is still not recognised in the same way as the wider tourism industry, despite its profitability and the potential that MICE tourism has for bringing more money and exposure to destinations. In particular, almost every official local or national government tourism department lacks a dedicated MICE professional to secure funding for this kind of tourism activity and promote the impact that it can have.

Increased advocacy for the MICE sector and a greater presence of individuals from this industry are critical to its continued success. In this article, we delve deeper into the importance of increasing advocacy for the MICE sector and discuss the potential impact that this could have.

One of the most impactful areas where advocacy for the MICE industry should be taking place is in government. Whether this is in national departments or more local councils for towns and cities, the presence of a professional with experience in MICE tourism would have a very positive impact on the outcomes for the industry as a whole.

The first, and perhaps one of the most significant areas where MICE advocacy can benefit a destination, is from an economic standpoint. What many people don’t know is that MICE tourism can actually bring more money to a local economy than leisure tourism.

Not only do you have accommodation, local attractions and hospitality, but also catering, transport, venue booking, and potential partnerships with local businesses or charities. Regular MICE activity can also create more jobs in the businesses that regularly service these events, which is another positive economic benefit for a destination.

Plenty of MICE events also bring large groups of people to a single destination at a time, which in the off-season in particular can have a really significant impact on businesses in the area. Not only that, but these events often bring businesses and professionals together to collaborate, which can lead to ideas and action for local partnerships and investment ideas.

You can look at existing examples of the impact of major events on destinations, such as the G20 summits where world leaders congregate in a city to discuss global issues but also to experience the destination and its culture. Advocating for the significant economic boost that MICE events can have on a local economy is a key way that professionals can increase the importance with which MICE tourism is treated.

Another reason why MICE professionals are needed in government departments is that MICE tourism can be a great way to improve a destination’s brand image and help drive more interest in visiting. It’s likely that there are already efforts being made to do this from a holiday point of view, but there are just as many, if not more, benefits to marketing a destination as a MICE hub as well.

Hosting MICE events and marketing a place as a hub for these kinds of conferences or meetings can help to position that destination as a centre for business, innovation and thought leadership. Not only will you attract more high-value business travellers who will hopefully return and spread the word about the location and its local markets, but positioning a destination as a hub for commerce and ideas helps to increase investment and financial interest.

Having a travel and tourism department that handles MICE activity isn’t a solution - a specialist advocate and expert is needed to lead activity and provide insight into the industry. MICE is very different from leisure travel and MICE events can be very logistically complex, requiring someone who is familiar with what is involved in planning, promoting and running a range of events. Meetings, conferences and exhibitions also have unique needs when it comes to venues, technology and catering, which again are best handled by a dedicated expert.

If MICE tourism is handled by a general travel team, departments and wider governments run the risk of missing out on opportunities or even creating ineffective policies or allocating resources insufficiently. A dedicated advocate can also seek out chances to host things like major global events or established trade shows, which a general team might not have time to do or may even disregard.

The role of a MICE advocate and specialist within governmental travel and tourism departments would encompass a range of responsibilities. Here are some examples of what this would involve.

One of the most important roles that a MICE advocate would have would be the development of policies and procedures that directly benefit and support the MICE industry in their city or country. At present, there are very few incentives, funding opportunities and benefits for things like events, conferences and exhibitions that not only can make them harder to organise, but also don’t encourage other businesses to get involved. A MICE professional could lead the way in developing policies that change this, making it easier and more impactful to host and organise events.

This element of the role would also involve ensuring that MICE activity is accounted for when it comes to discussions around travel and tourism strategies and budget allocation. Business travel and events can have a significant impact on a destination’s economy and reputation, and a specialist in the department will ensure that MICE gets factored into decisions.

An obvious important responsibility of an advocate for MICE activity is to represent the destination by attending events, being present in relevant meetings and sharing content or speaking about the value of their destination as a place to host events. This will also involve connecting with other MICE advocates or professionals working in this sector internationally to facilitate partnerships, improve visibility and also help to develop a stronger image of the location.

Another part of a MICE advocate’s role would be managing the resources given to or influencing relevant event activity in their destination. Budget gets allocated to leisure travel initiatives every year, and there are plenty of ways that integrating MICE events could help to increase the return on investment.

Managing resources specifically dedicated to MICE activity is another part of an advocate’s role, including sourcing and securing these resources in the first place. This could lead to event subsidies, infrastructure improvements to support business travel, and promotional campaigns specifically targeting the MICE industry.

Once a MICE advocate has firmly established themselves in their department, another of their responsibilities would be identifying and then working with stakeholders like venues, caterers, travel and tourism businesses and accommodation providers. By cementing these relationships and forming connections with relevant partners, they then make it much easier to organise MICE events in the destination that are supported by local organisations. 

Destination marketing is often the responsibility of the tourism board, but a MICE advocate would also be responsible for working with this department in order to promote the location as a prime event destination as well. There’s a reasonable amount of overlap in showcasing cultural offerings and places to stay, but tailored marketing is also required that highlights event venues and also frames the destination as a hub for innovation and economic prosperity.

Hopefully, the presence of a MICE advocate with a location’s council or government will help to boost event activity in the area and establish a valuable strand of income. In this case, the person responsible will also need to factor risk management into their role to help forecast MICE activity and be prepared for disruptions to business.

Anything from natural disasters to political disruptions could impact the reputation and the practicality of hosting events in a destination, which a MICE advocate would need to be ready to handle. Having a risk assessment in place with a plan of action to deal with potential challenges will ensure that MICE activity can adapt and survive a range of different circumstances.

The role of an advocate for the MICE sector is one that we hope will appear in the near future, as it’s clear that there are a huge number of benefits that a professional with these responsibilities could bring to local and governmental organisations. MICE is an industry that continues to flourish, and the sooner that there are experts working to integrate this with other relevant industries, the sooner the innovation and insight produced by the MICE industry can have a positive impact elsewhere.

As it stands, the industry can put this in motion by advocating for itself with existing MICE businesses pushing for greater representation and integration with other sectors. Developing public-private partnerships is a great way to do this, where the public sector makes connections with private companies, like a government department working with event organisers, to help showcase the industry’s status and potential impact.

If you’re a stakeholder in the MICE industry then you should look for opportunities to engage with policymakers and emphasise the need for a MICE specialist and advocate, citing the benefits we’ve shared in this article. Industry events and conferences are a perfect opportunity for this, providing a clear example of the different ways that new policies, additional funding and tailored infrastructure can bring about positive change and growth.

For more valuable insight into the future of the MICE industry and trends that are likely to influence its growth, take a look at the other articles on our blog.

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