MICE tourism. What is it and what does it “eat” with?

Today, only an uninitiated person believes that ordinary tourism and business tourism are one and the same. In fact, these are two parallel worlds that practically do not intersect. So what is business tourism? Let's figure it out.

So, the business tourism industry (or MICE tourism in short) originated in the West and quickly became one of the most promising sectors of the economy. Today, large foreign companies spend more than one million dollars a year on business travel and incentive trips for their employees and partners, and the cost of this is among the main expenses after staffing, taxes, rent, IT and communications, which also stimulates the rapid growth of the industry. , and the development of MICE tourism by leaps and bounds.
The centers of MICE tourism today are the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, France, Austria and Spain. In the East, China has become the unsurpassed leader, although in recent times the MICE industry began to receive attention in Indonesia, and in Laos, and in Vietnam.

In Russia, the MICE tourism industry has been formed relatively recently and is now developing very rapidly. High standards of service in this area were brought to our country by customers themselves - foreign companies accustomed to quality service at home. It was the English term "Business Travel" that was translated into Russian as "Business Tourism".

Combining all this and linking it into a single whole, it turns out that MICE tourism is an event aimed at developing, motivating and training staff, partners and clients of the company, as well as presenting the company, its values, philosophy and opportunities for internal and external consumers . That is, MICE tourism is associated with people who are forced to travel for work. Thus, one of the most ancient forms of tourism is confirmed and becomes relevant, when a person traveled around the world exclusively for business purposes.

Deciphering the concept of MISE - Tourism

MEETINGS

Seminars on "experience exchange"

Working meetings in work-shop mode

Meetings Business trainings

Business meeting

Technical support for meetings

Venues: Provision of outdoor and indoor playgrounds

Equipment: Equipping the sites with any technical equipment

Coaches: Attracting Qualified Business Coaches I

NCENTIVE

Fascinating excursion routes Quests - adventure tours

Active team games

Master classes

team building

Tours:

Over 200 exciting excursion programs

Programs: Ready programs team games

Scenarios: Development of teambuilding scenarios

CONFERENCE

Conferences and equipment for them

Development, printing and placement of branded products

Professional support and coordination of events by Russian-speaking staff

Help-desk with support from MICE-department personnel

Express Check-in and separate check-in desk

Check in:

Express Check-in and a separate check-in desk Help-desk: Help-desk with support from MICE department staff

Information: Information support

Branding: Printing banners and catalogs from a direct company contractor

EVENTS

Corporate holidays ( New Year, company day, etc.)

Gala Dinners

Theatrical show programs

Theme parties

Sports events

wedding ceremonies

Event agencies:

Attracting professional event agencies

Creative groups: Performance of various music and dance groups

Technical staff: Provision technical staff, lighting and sound engineers, DJs

From the main requests of a business traveler or ... MICE tourist today, we can distinguish:
1. Selection of the optimal time of departure and arrival, as well as convenient flight connections
2. Possibility to change the date and time of departure without penalty, because meetings and negotiations are often delayed or postponed for several days
3. Availability of a reliable Internet connection both in the congress center and in the hotel, as well as the possibility of using the services of the business center right in the hotel room around the clock, because often urgent matters have to be done at night
4. The obligatory proximity of the hotel of residence and the airport to the necessary congress center, because saving time and money on transfers during mass events is a very significant point
5. The ability to visit the gym, hairdresser, dry cleaners or use the full range of business services without leaving the congress center or hotel, because a modern person needs to always be in shape, and the MICE travel regime is often very tough

Another direction of work of travel agents is the organization of visa support.

It's no secret that orders corporate clients often differ in non-standard routes and increased requirements for deadlines. Therefore, here it is simply necessary to know the peculiarities of issuing passports, entry and exit visas, as well as work permits for almost any state in the world. This means that, unlike many travel agencies engaged in beach holidays in only 3-5 countries, Business Travel Agency (MICE-agencies) must be able to organize business trips to any region of the planet at the request of the client.
In a word, in MICE tourism you can find a job for every taste - it all depends on your own interests and abilities. After all, the development of business tourism in Russia is a process that will take more than one day.

In conclusion, briefly about places for MICE tourism. As mentioned above, recently the development of business tourism has been very active in the countries of Southeast Asia.
For example, in Indonesia, in addition to the capital Jakarta, almost any business MICE meeting can be organized in Bali, Sulawesi, and Borneo, combining it with the main tourism destination of the region. In Bali, this is a delightful nature, in Sulawesi - diving, in Borneo - surfing. It is also possible to organize golf matches and any gastronomic parties in almost any Convention center of this state. In general, your guests will not be bored.
Since 2007, China has been hosting large-scale international MICE forums. The largest of them takes place in April in Shanghai, where thousands of business travel representatives from all over the world gather to discuss the problems and prospects of the industry, as well as for seminars and an exhibition of MICE offers under the telling title "The next wave of China's MICE leader". However, apart from April's "IT&CM China", the Chinese are glad to see the sharks of MICE tourism as guests in May ("WTF"), and in June ("ILTM Asia"), and in November ("CITM").

It turns out that MICE tourism in modern society and at the current pace of development of the world economy is necessary as air. This means that only the right investment of funds is possible only with right choice direction and organizer, will bring you a guaranteed and expected MICE-result.

The English abbreviation MICE - business tourism - is widely used in the business industry and denotes four main areas of activity in this area, namely:

Meetings is a turnkey organization of business meetings of any level. Usually MICE tourism in Russia is understood precisely as business meetings, but in fact their organization is only one of the components of business tourism;

Incentive - incentive trips for employees, customers or partners that encourage action, initiative and creativity (usually involving active recreation);

Conference - a set of services for organizing corporate or thematic conferences, training seminars;

Exhibitions - organization and participation in various exhibitions, most often of an international level, in order to find partners, draw attention to goods and services.

The main goals and specifics of MICE tourism

The MICE industry is considered the most promising sector of the global economy. Her annual turnover today is more than a trillion dollars, and by 2020 this figure, according to analysts, should grow to one and a half trillion or more. This is explained by the fact that business tourism pursues goals that most fully meet the challenges of the modern business industry. These are the goals:

• comprehensive, extended and in-depth training of personnel, customers and partners of the company;
• staff motivation for more productive activities and creative burning in work;
• development and expansion of both professional and interpersonal communications;
• PR (internal and external PR) of the company (brand) in order to popularize its philosophy, values, capabilities, and so on.

And now let's dwell on the specifics of MICE, thanks to which this industry is gaining more and more popularity and is gradually becoming a leader in the international market of goods and services, displacing even such giants as pharmacology and medicine. So, what allows MICE to develop so successfully:

• targeting exclusively high-income clients;
• off-season business tourism, which is focused not so much on recreation as on communication activities and the exchange of experience;
• predictability and regularity of any events organized within the framework of MICE.

To better understand MICE tourism, you should get to know its management in more detail, which includes, in particular:

• development of proposals for corporate clients, as well as a plan for the business and cultural program of the upcoming event;
• booking tickets, transfers, hotels, insurance policies;
• ensuring the smooth operation of equipment during meetings, conferences, exhibitions;
• control over the interaction of multiple service providers;
• visa consultations and much more.

I must say that with the development of the MICE industry, on the one hand, it is becoming more complex and demanding for service providers, and on the other hand, it is becoming more flexible and multifaceted, providing business travelers with truly unlimited opportunities for the implementation of any communicative, commercial, educational and entertainment goals.

MICE manager - business travel manager - manager for organizing business meetings, trips and corporate events. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in psychology, geography and social studies (see the choice of profession for interest in school subjects).

MICE manager is an organizer business trips in the tourism industry. MICE units can be either integral part department of business tourism in travel companies, and a separate firm organizing outbound business meetings and corporate events.

MICE abbreviation is formed from capital letters of English words, which are elements of the package of services for corporate clients on business trips:

meeting - meeting

Incentives - event

Corporate (or Conference) - corporate event: conferences, trainings, team building

Events - events.

Features of the profession

In Russia, business tourism as a field of activity was formed recently, at the end of the 90s, and continues to develop rapidly. High standards of the profession are set by foreign companies, in which the service in the field of "business travel" - "business tourism" has been worked out for years.

A MICE manager or meeting and travel manager is usually an experienced travel manager, well versed in several destinations or around the world, whose responsibilities include organizing trips and events for large groups(from 100 to 1000 people). Unlike the organization of a leisure tour, business trips should be organized more carefully and clearly, since the goal of businessmen is to quickly, efficiently and with maximum comfort resolve work issues abroad.

The main requests of a business tourist that a MICE manager must provide:

1. Optimum time of departure and arrival, convenient flight connections without loss of precious time. For example, today a businessman needs to get to an exhibition in Shanghai, tomorrow - to the London office, and the day after tomorrow - to a conference in Chicago. At the same time, he should not waste a single minute of his working time.
2. The ability to change the date or time of departure without penalty in case business meeting dragged out, which happens quite often.
3. High-speed and uninterrupted Internet in the room, the opportunity to use the services of the business center directly at the hotel around the clock.
4. The proximity of hotels with modernly equipped conference rooms to airports in order to save time and money on transfers during mass events.
5. Opportunity to use the laundry, dry cleaning, hairdresser, gym within the hotel to look presentable.
6. Ensure the calculation of the optimal travel budget.

Based on the requirements of the customer, the functionality of the MICE manager is formed:

• prompt development and calculation of proposals for a corporate client;
• development of a business and cultural program plan;
• analysis and negotiations with key partners;
• organization of business and motivational events;
• consultations on visa issues, control over the issuance and receipt of a visa;
• booking hotels, transfers, guides;
• booking and issuing air tickets, insurance policies;
• conducting business correspondence with clients and partners in a foreign language;
• control over the interaction between service providers;
• maintaining primary accounting for each client, monitoring the timely payment of invoices;
• departure and control at the place of organization of transfers, accommodation, operation of equipment for conferences;
• solution of all problem situations of the client on the spot;
• in special cases, participation in the organization of evening programs and banquets.

Sometimes you have to combine in your work the functions of a PR manager, to work with the media.

In companies, MICE managers are divided according to the direction of work: foreign countries, Russia and the CIS countries. When specializing in a certain direction, knowledge of the colloquial national language in this direction is necessary. For overseas managers, knowledge of English is a must, as the business world is English-speaking. Knowledge of others foreign languages gives competitive advantage at work.

Pros and cons of the profession

Pros:

• high demand in the labor market
• high level of wages
• continuous professional and personal growth.

Minuses:

• intense rhythm of work, sometimes in emergency mode
• regular business trips
• simultaneous work with large quantity different people and companies
• possible failures in the coordination of their work
• possible customer dissatisfaction with the results of the work.

Place of work

Travel companies (MICE division)

Specialized business travel agencies

At present, in Russia, a large part of the business tourism market is occupied by large foreign and Russian companies: American Express, Zelenski Corporate Travel Solutions, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, HRG, BCD Travel, ATH-Business Travel Solutions, Nicko Travel Group, Jenico Travel, UniFest Travel, Aero Club Tour, etc. They provide a full range of services: from individual business trips to offsite corporate events for 1500 participants. Some tour operators are also engaged in business tourism: Intourist, Biblio Globus, Capital Tour, Inna Tour, Sodis Travel Company.

AT large companies The activities of the MICE division are divided into several departments: the business travel department, the booking department, the visa center, the corporate events department (conferences, seminars), the congress and exhibition and public events department. In addition, there is a department of individual trips, specializing in exclusive routes. A clear and coordinated work of all departments creates a positive and stable reputation in the market.

Important qualities

Personal qualities:

• innate ability to service
• creativity, innovative thinking
• ability to negotiate
• sociability
• organization skills
• analytical and systems thinking
• active life position
• ability to make quick decisions
• high efficiency
• discipline, punctuality, responsibility

Professional quality:

• knowledge of the partner base in areas
• knowledge of online booking systems: GTA, TRAVCO, Kuoni, etc.
• experience with booking systems of global hotel brokers
• experience in preparing proposals for tenders, including design and presentation, defense of projects
• business correspondence skills
• fluency in English - spoken and written
• experience in working at exhibitions and in the work-shop of different countries
• skills in organizing team building programs, own artistic and entertainment facilities.

With an education in tourism, experience in travel companies and the desire to master this profession, you can become a successful business travel manager.

Certain aspects of the profession are covered in the courses "Tourism Management", "Hospitality Management". There are special courses, within the framework of which prominent specialists with extensive experience conduct master classes on various areas of business tourism.

Currently, MICE managers or travel agents are trained by the Corporate Travel Academy, a kind of corporate business tourism university, created by an initiative group of Russian corporate travel agencies such as ATH, HRG, UniFest Travel, Zelenski Corporate Travel Solutions in conjunction with Professional Association of Corporate Travel Agencies BTAA. The course is accredited and includes training in booking systems, customer service, product catalog (visas, MICE, hotels, air tickets) English language and other aspects of the profession. Business travel is a very dynamic field of activity, so the main training comes from constant monitoring of global trends.

The study program is designed for 6 months, which is equivalent to the first year of study at the University of Bournemouth in the UK for a bachelor's degree in management and hospitality in tourism. The acquired qualification makes it possible to work in any country in the world.

Salary

Salary as of 07/31/2019

Russia 45000—80000 ₽

Moscow 40000—100000 ₽

Career stages and prospects

In the field of MICE management, an experienced worker from mass tourism can make a career. Due to the fact that the industry is developing rapidly, a career in this area can also be made quickly: in 3-4 years from a simple specialist to a top manager. It's not bad launch pad and a great school for aspiring businessmen. Here you can make new connections and acquaintances among major Russian and foreign companies all sectors of the economy: industrial facilities and reputable banks.

The average cost of a corporate tour consists of many components. For example, a tour for a group of 200 people to one of the cities of the Krasnodar Territory, including flights, accommodation, meals, business and entertainment program, is approximately 4-5 million rubles. 15% of this amount is the cost of air tickets, 20% - programs and 65% - accommodation with meals. In Moscow, such a program will cost 6.5 million rubles.

What are incentive tours? These are incentive trips that are rewarded the best employees, such as, for example, a trip to the World Cup or Oktoberfest in Germany, orienteering with elements of team building in an exotic country or participating in a regatta.

What is team building? In recent years, team building has gained immense popularity, which is a whole scenario event, including competitions, educational and entertainment programs, and theatrical elements. The type of team building depends on the area where the clients go. In the Krasnodar Territory, companies will be offered marine entertainment, sailing on yachts and ships. In the Altai Territory, games are organized in nature, in the forest, often including sports competitions. In cities, a “quest” is popular, that is, participants must go on a journey, guided by the map, to find some item that will help them win.

Our company has great experience in the MICE tourism organization. Below are examples of the programs carried out. You can order a similar program or request new program according to your wishes!

Market and corporate world are constantly developing, and they come to Russia before famous concepts and formats, including M.I.C.E. "What is it?" - a completely logical question that is asked by our potential clients upon seeing the new abbreviation.

M.I.C.E. is a concept that unites all formats of business offsite events:

• Meetings - these are business meetings, meetings, various meetings in which both managers and employees of one company and representatives of different organizations take part;
• Incentives - events that serve as a means of stimulating and encouraging employees, customers and partners;
• Conferences - industry or corporate conferences, forums, congresses and other similar events;
• Exhibitions - events that are organized to present the brand, products, new developments to a wide audience. These are all kinds of exhibitions, and press tours, and festivals.

These formats are rarely found in their pure form. Most often, within the framework of outbound tourism, several diverse events and goals are combined.

Corporate events MICE are prestigious. They benefit the company and its employees, give the opportunity to find new partners, not limited to one region or country, to present products and brands on the international market.

Business tourism: the essence and features of the organization

First, some numbers. Corporate tourism covers about 140 countries: all the states of the first world and Asia, a number of Arab and even African countries. Every year, business representatives from all over the world make 610 million trips and flights, and the turnover of the entire industry is 430 billion dollars. This is not the limit: the workload of sites for the organization of business tourism is growing by approximately 6.5% per year.

What distinguishes MICE from ordinary business trips is its fascination: business issues that require personal presence are complemented by entertainment events, excursions, buffets. Such trips combine elements of a business trip and vacation at the expense of the company.

Organization of MICE events solves a number of problems. These include meetings with partners and unobtrusive brand promotion, and participation in image events, whether it be exhibitions or conferences, and excellent encouragement for individual employees and the entire team. The solution of work issues within the framework of business tourism can be combined with training, development, and motivation of specialists working in your company.

MICE is business tourism that will bring much more benefit to the brand, business, team than a traditional business trip. You can verify this for yourself.

Organization of corporate tourism from MICE company

"BIG JACK" has no boundaries and does not limit its customers. We work throughout Moscow, the Moscow region, Russia. We also work abroad. Thailand and Turkey, Croatia and Greece - it makes no sense to list the countries in which we are ready to organize an event. Our geography is not limited to Europe: you can go anywhere in the world. It's just a matter of timing and budget.

The BIG JACK company will make sure that all events during your trip are held at the highest level. We will help you choose a location if it does not matter for the decision business matter, we will develop a program, calculate the cost of the trip. Our employees have extensive experience in organizing trips: issuing visas and, if necessary, passports, booking airline tickets and hotel rooms, we will take care of the transfer and meals.

We organize the most unusual MICE events to solve business issues and team building. An original and memorable trip that will bring results awaits you.