The term MICE tourism (from the English initials: Meeting, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) encompasses all aspects necessary for corporate tourism and business gatherings. It can provide a number of benefits for a destination as it involves a large number of clients and services, with repercussions for such areas as retail, restaurants and catering, alternative leisure activities etc. MICE tourism can take many forms: as well as conferences, conventions and other awareness events, it can also include trade fairs (regional, national, international, professional and/or recreational), as well as incentive trips, product presentations and exhibitions, etc.
Last November Barcelona hosted the latest edition of the IBTM World event, which focused on many of the expected trends for the coming years. We would highlight the following:
• The rural and professional worlds will come closer thanks to new technology and business trends.
Many tourism based establishments in rural areas now have spaces and resources available for hosting various events, ranging from larger gatherings (both professional and family) to work outings and Team Building activities.
• Bleisure and the search for more rural destinations and unconventional locations.
The term Bleisure refers to a mixture of business and leisure – work trips with time set aside for other activities and enjoying and discovering the destination. One can find meeting rooms and spaces for people to gather everywhere, but over the coming years the search will focus on more distinctive and bucolic surroundings, rural tourism and places less busy than city centres, with an emphasis on ecological aspects and interaction with local communities. Destinations that offer more than the capacity of a room and the facilities necessary to stage a meeting. The participants at an event are now looking for authentic experiences, to enjoy activities beyond traditional tourist circuits, to meet local experts and become actively involved with the inhabitants of the place.
• Petit comité and open-air events.
COVID-19 has transformed the sector. The tendency now is to reduce the number of invitees wherever possible. Spaces have adapted in order to cater for smaller events, and those with the same number of participants are divided into separate sessions, or conducted via live streaming applications etc. These solutions can sometimes be beneficial for both the participants and the corresponding locations and destinations.
