PREDSEDOVANJE EU 2008 EU Presidency 2008 PREDSTAVITEV ...

Marketing in the Meetings Industry
MICE Marketing:
How to go about it?
'Would you like to be
known as a host of
international meetings,
proudly welcoming
participants from all over
the world to one of the
wonderful Slovenian
meeting venues?' I am
certain that the answer
to this question is clear to
the majority of potential
organisers. Nevertheless,
the question is whether
providers of Slovenian
meeting venues know
how to contact the right
people, at the right time
and in the right way.
Meetings or MICE activities
(Meetings - meetings, Incentives –
incentive travel, Corporates –
business gatherings, Exhibitions –
exhibitions, fairs) cover the
organisation of communications.
Rapid economic development,
the expansion of international
integration, the development of
science and globalisation are key
factors that have actively triggered
a need for rapid information
exchange and a reinforcement
of international relations between
nations and individual business
bodies. The motives and reasons
for meetings vary. They can be
directed towards expansion
of knowledge, the exchange of
experience, the arrangement of
rights and obligations, the shaping
of legislation, the broadening of
political programmes or even
entertainment (Peterlič, 2003).
MICE activities are thus an extraordinarily complex and varied line of
tourism. Due to their rapid growth, profitability and wider economic
effects, they are considered quite attractive. The results are reflected in a
visible and ongoing increase in the scope of offers for meeting capacities
and services in Slovenia, which steps up competition on the one hand and,
on the other, increases the need for co-operation and a joint approach on
the international market.
As an interesting starting point for thought on the possibilities of
marketing MICE activities we could use the results of a study carried
out by CIM magazine in 2004 within the scope of the IMEX meetings
exchange. Among other things, the results show that the majority
(68.46% of 1000 surveyed) of organisers prefer to co-operate with their
chosen partners – namely with validated and verified hotels and with
several agencies, or PCOs. The discovery that 61.54% of the organisers
surveyed will pay a higher price for services following the rule that
“I'd rather choose a location (hotel, meeting venue) that I know and
trust” is also quite interesting. It is not surprising that 78.48% of the
organisers confirmed that, in addition to costs, it is trust and loyalty
that prove to be of key importance (Zidanski, 2005, p. 38).
Three target groups of meeting organisers
Marketing communications with potential congress organisers must
therefore be handled by segment, especially following the principles of
direct marketing, which is based on relationships and personal sales.
The basis of each marketing approach firstly consists of the careful
planning of the target segments, which differ in numerous specific
characteristics, making it necessary to treat them individually and
utilise various approaches. In the MICE industry, we can aid our
endeavours by thematically ranking meeting events, and so we can
Domina Grand Media Hotel
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