Blog

By Arjun Mukundd,
Senior Engagement Manager -
Tourism Representations

Seeking out unique spaces

Gone are the days when MICE planners look for traditional hotels and conference rooms. People are looking for more engaging and creative venues. In India, traditional palaces have started being used as MICE spaces. India is also home to a lot of museums, like railway museums or heritage museums, which can be converted into event spaces. Wellness resorts are also trending, where people can find calm, peaceful surroundings for smaller curated MICE events. With the introduction of Jalesh cruises, India now has a new MICE venue, while Kerala’s houseboats are great if you’re crafting a corporate strategy or holding a board meeting.

Personalised experiences

From drink orders to personalised gifts and invitations, people want everything to be bespoke, just like their Spotify and Netflix playlists. Technology has made personalisation easier, focusing not on the overall event but on each participant’s individual experience. Event organisers now need to be specialists in the art of curating.

Incorporating the destination

Delegates have started to prefer local destination experiences that are immersive. Team-building exercises like cooking a meal with locals, learning a local art form or heritage walks are a few examples. Event organisers these days even set up pop-up markets with local handicrafts to promote the local culture. There is a constant search for new ways to market and present venue capabilities.

Conservation of the environment is the need of the hour. Technology and sustainability go hand in hand. MICE planners are now required to accommodate the green factor and hence seek sustainable options to reduce the impact of their event on the environment. Energy conservation, reduction of food and water wastage are points of concern for big events. It is interesting to note that hotels and meeting venues are using advanced technology to monitor waste levels and energy usage. Hotels are also selling ‘green’ meeting packages and giving an analysis of the impact at the end of the event. Return gifts are being seen in the form of seeds or a potted plant. CSR activities have been integrated into the sustainable MICE agenda and often done through team-building exercises.

Enhanced technologies

There was a time when venues only needed to provide AV equipment and projectors. Now, things like live streaming, webcasting, virtual and augmented reality are becoming requirements. MICE organisers are developing mobile apps to ensure smooth registration processes, and to drive interactions and conversations, before, during and after the event. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram strategies are put in place by organisers to create a buzz. A case in point is the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel, which has its own app, R.E.N Meetings, which connects MICE event hosts and hotel staff, to customise service requests and make the organising process seamless. Or the Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, which relies on its Four Seasons Chat to interact between hotel staff and guests.