The surest sign to know the high potential a market has for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) business is by the number of shows, events and exhibitions that take place in that market for the industry.
No doubt, the sales missions and roadshows of individual destinations have practically become the weekly lunch and dinner outings for the travel industry in India. But there are also the more industry wide shows that have popped up in the last couple of years that’s true testimony to India being a high potential market for MICE.
While tradeshows are an age-old format even for Indian buyers of travel services and products. corporate MICE platforms have found resonance amongst industry professionals that are increasingly looking for innovative solutions and access to the right representatives to plan their growing MICE mandates.
Here’s a low-down, produced by piranha content & pr, on the four top MICE in India, and which deliver the right environment and solutions to the right buyers, while also offering the right value to its exhibitors.
- Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings (IT&CM) India
Organizers: TTG Events, a business group of TTG Asia Media is based in Singapore, and holds similar shows in Thailand and China
History: 2014 will be the second edition of the show in India, with a gap year of 2013, the first edition took place in 2012
Focus: Inbound and outbound – MICE, luxury travel
Exhibitors: International and Indian hotels and resorts, DMCs, NTOs, CVBs, PCOs, events management companies, trade associations
Attendees: Travel agents, travel management companies, meeting planners, DMCs, PCOs, corporates, international associations, media
Location: Five-star venue in New Delhi, takes place in August each year
Format: Three days – exhibition and appointment format – parallel knowledge forums – networking dinners
Close to 60 exhibitors participated in the inaugural edition of the show. Buyers were invited to register and 140 companies are said to have registered for the event. Buyer participation is based on promotions, invitations and registrations. The exhibitors for the 2014 have not been published on the event website. - MILT Congress – MICE India & Luxury Travel Congress
Organizers: QnA International based in Dubai, with a focus on B2B conferences and summits across industries
History: 2014 was the second edition of the congress, having started in 2013
Focus: Outbound MICE, luxury, weddings and film production
Exhibitors: Hotels & resorts, DMCs, NTOs, CVBs, travel/tour companies
Attendees: Corporates, agencies, travel management companies, wedding planners, film production houses
Location: Five-star venue in Mumbai, takes place in July each year
Format: Two days – conference with back-to-back sessions – two-hour, pre-scheduled meetings slot – networking dinners
Close to 30 partners/sellers participated in the 2014 edition of the event. The proposition to sellers is a 1:1 ratio with pre-qualified buyers. The sessions/discussions are well participated, being the biggest draw for the event. - IBTM India
Organizers: Reed Travel Exhibitions based in United Kingdom, running EIBTM, IBTM America and others across global markets
History: 2014 will be the second edition of the show, which began in 2013
Focus: Inbound and outbound MICE and business travel
Exhibitors: NTOs, CVBs, DMCs, hotels/groups, venues, airlines, event support services
Buyers: One hundred hosted buyers from travel management companies, travel agencies, incentive houses, event management agencies, PCOs corporate and associations
Location: Moving format, with the 2014 edition taking place in Chennai, the inaugural edition took place in Mumbai
Format: Day one – forum; days two and three – business appointments and gala evenings
Close to 70 exhibitors/participants meet with 100 hosted buyers, with a focus on match making interested buyers with their exhibitor of choice. - The Experiential Planner Business Luncheons
Organizers: A part of the Experiential Planner Platform, an initiative of tmf dialogue marketing India, tmf India is the Delhi and Mumbai based offices of tmf Germany, organizing similar shows in Europe as well
History: 2014 was the eighth edition of the business luncheons, which travel to three top cities in India each year
Focus: Outbound corporate MICE, weddings and destination-led events
Exhibitors: CVBs, NTOs, DMCs, venues, hotels, services, cruise lines, international event suppliers
Buyers: MICE, Incentive, Events, Travel, Wedding planners and Corporates from each of the three cities the show visits
Locations: Gurgaon (Delhi NCR), Delhi, Mumbai and a third city, which changes each edition, depending on market development
Format: Four to five days, focused one-on-one meetings through the day, parallel round-table discussions, receptions with company owners
In the 2014 edition of the EP Business Luncheons, 320 buyers/planners were met by 14 partners/destination representatives over five events in four cities across India. The eighth edition of the show visited Gurgaon, Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, focusing on each market specifically.
