This past year, industries across the board were affected by travel restrictions. The Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry was one of those industries. While individuals traveled at their own risk for leisure, corporate travel took a different path as businesses and event organizers chose not to leave others’ health and safety to chance. Pivoting to virtual events and work from home arrangements became the norm.
While both segments of the travel industry will continue to look slightly different, MICE is hopeful and looking for ways to adapt. Experts even predict that MICE will still grow from a $1,546.85M to $2,398.31M industry by the end of 2025.
But what does bringing the MICE industry back together look like and how will it be done?
McKinsey noted in a September 2020 report that “fundamentally, people need to interact with others. For business travel, that means being present with clients, colleagues, and the rest of the business world.”
We couldn’t agree more. So we’ve put together a picture of what that looks like and some resources to help those in the thick of the MICE industry.
Short Haul Trips & Event Series
Many events will take place closer to home this year due to changing travel restrictions and financial recovery. Organizers will opt for multiple smaller events rather than large annual conferences, which will support social distancing and allow for the nature, format and size of the event to be more easily regulated.
Hybrid Events
While nothing can fully replace face-to-face interactions, virtual events will inevitably be a dominant constant moving forward in combination with in-person experiences. Participants will opt to attend in-person at a limited capacity while the event is simultaneously live-streamed or recorded. This hybrid method will help manage safety and health concerns and allow businesses to reach more people globally than ever before.
As such, hotels and conference centers, such as those available through PJS partner Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, will need to plan to configure their spaces to this new format. Viceroy’s meeting spaces can easily be converted into hybrid-meetings studios, offering in-person event space equipped with the necessary technology to broadcast meetings all over the world.
Direct To Destination Travel
Bypassing air travel through multiple cities and crowded terminals will be the norm. Private chartered flying has become more approachable and accessible, now seen for its safety and cost-efficiency by an entirely new audience. At PJS, we have increased our access to airliners such as the Boeing 737, which is large enough to accommodate non-stop travel for groups of any size. These airliners can be VIP or coach-configured to suit individual group needs.
Outdoor Events & Conferences
Gone are the days of being held up in a stuffy exhibition hall for three days straight. Previously held indoor events will move outside, which will require large outdoor spaces such as private islands or full buyouts of open-air resorts. Rent-A-Resort’s privatized hotels, resorts or even cruise ships can limit the number of people who can visit simultaneously and are available to rent out exclusively for a company event or incentive gathering.
Private Large Group Experiences
Demand for group planning for entirely private experiences at ultra-exclusive destinations will increase. This includes planning the whole event from transportation down to resort stay and back, a daunting experience no matter how many events you’ve facilitated in the past. Resort groups like the Auberge Resorts Collection were designed to support you from start to finish and help you plan the most creative event you’ve ever had. Whether it be dedicated meetings, incentive trips or conferences, Auberge’s professional conference services team have the expertise to compile every aspect of your event in some of the most exotic locations in the world. Just pick your dates and leave the rest to Auberge.
