CHAPTER 4

MICE PLANNING
 SPONSOR OF MICE

Sponsor of mice can be:

1. Associations
2. Corporations
3. Trade Unions
4. Independent companies who sponsors
and operate trade shows
5.Religious Groups
6. Theater and Arts Groups
7. Social Organizations
These organizations have varied reasons for
sponsoring MICE. In the case of corporations ,
meetings may be designed to disseminate
information, train people or plan for the future.
Associations may sponsor meetings and
exhibitions for purpose of networking, educating
members, solving problems and generating
revenue.
Sponsor of MICE are responsible for
determining whether or not there is a valid
need for the meeting. After justifying the
need for holding the meeting, the sponsor
must decide how to plan the meeting.
Planning is often assigned to individuals who
have little knowledge on how to plan,
organize, and execute meetings.
Thus, it is not surprising that meetings are
poorly organized, and the participants
become disappointed. To avoid this problem,
many sponsoring organizations hire
individuals who have formal training in MICE
management.
In the case of exhibitions, sponsors either take
the role of the exhibition manager or find
someone to fill the position. Exhibition
managers can be employees of an association or
a show management company or they can be
private entrepreneurs who perform task such as
the conceptualization and development of trade
shows.
 THE PROCESS OF MICE PLANNING

There are several steps to be followed in the process

of MICE planning.
These are the following:
1. Establishing
2. Targeting Population
3. Designing Program
4 Creating a Budget
5. Selecting Site
6. Negotiating contracts
7. Formulating Committees
8. Establishing a Marketing and Promotion Plan
9. Hiring Sub-Contractors
10. Designing Food and Beverage Functions
The process continues on site during the
actual event. Activities include move-in/
move-out, implementing the plan,
coordinating the various participations in the
event, and managing the overall meeting.
Post-event activities include evaluation,
feedback, and planning for the future
 GOALS AND OBJECTIVE

The Goal and the Objectives of MICE should

be established by the sponsor. One of the
first responsibilities of a MICE planner is to
meet with the sponsor of the event in order
to know the reasons for holding the
meeting.
The MICE planner should understand
whether the sponsor of the meeting or
convention is interested in providing an
educational experience for the attendees,
entertaining the attendees and their
families, boosting the morale of the
attendees, solving a specific problem, or a
combination of these objectives. MICE
objectives should be specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic, and timed (SMART).
 TARGETING THE POPULATION

After determining the goals and objectives,

those involved in the planning stage of the
meeting, convention, and exhibition must
determine who should attend.
In the case of exhibitions, the development
of the exhibitor list, as well as the target
audience, must be considered. The
sponsoring organization must attract
exhibitors to their exhibitions. To do this, the
sponsor should convince exhibitors that the
show will provide an excellent marketing
opportunity for them.
The sponsoring organization should provide the
exhibitor with a prospectus outlining the
proposed audience, thus, allowing the exhibitor
to determine whether or not the attendees are
their targeted audience. Targeting the
population is very important to both meetings
and exhibitions.
 DESIGNING THE PROGRAM

The program design is the structuring, balancing,

and pacing of the program by combining major
topics and sub-topics, passive and active
sessions, and serious and fun presentations to
provide professional and personal growth and
networking opportunities for participants.
The program design should include the
theme and the agenda of the meeting,
convention, and exhibition. In designing the
theme for the meeting, convention, and
exhibition, planners should ensures that the
theme should take into consideration for
needs of the audience, the objectives of the
event, and should provide continuity.
For example, the theme for the Annual Convention
of Tourism Educators of Schools, Colleges and
Universities held at the Traders Hotel was “
Innovating Tourism Education: Creating a Research
Culture.” Included in the agenda were several
resources speakers who spoke on the value of
research in tourism education, different research
methodologies, as well as trends in tourism research.
 HOSPITALITY PROGRAMS/SPOUSAL
PROGRAMS

At present, conference attendees no longer use the

conference as an excuse to take a mini-vacation with
their families.The programs for guests of conference
participants are called hospitality programs or spousal
programs.These programs are designed to entertain the
guests of the conference attendees.These programs
usually have an extensive itinerary that keeps the
participants busy.
Hospitality programs increase attendance at
conferences.They also increase revenue for
the host property because guests of attendees
eat in the restaurant, shop in the stores, and
use other services offered by the host
facility. For this reason, many host properties
include in their bids hospitality programs
designed to entertain conference attendees
and their guests.
At present, the wants and desires of hospitality program
participants are different from those of past participants.The
addition of children as hospitality program participants must be
considered when planning hospitality programs.

In addition, to the meeting planner and the association

executives, the host property should take an active role in the
planning of a hospitality program.
 DESIGN OF HOSPITALITY PROGRAMS

The history of a group must be reviewed

carefully before planning a hospitality
program.The program evaluations from
previous years should be analyzed to
determine the likes and dislikes of the group.
After the historical review, the meeting planner and the host
property should survey the participants to determine the likes
and dislikes of the group.
The survey will include the following
areas: 1.Hobbies
2. Sports they enjoy
3. Ages of the participants
4. Gender of the participants
A list of the local sites and attractions as well as the services
provided by the hotel should also be included.After reviewing
the sites, attractions, and the host property services, the
participants should be surveyed to find out whether or not they
are interested in any of the suggested activities.After
compiling this information, the meeting planner and the host
property can start planning a hospitality program.
In designing the program, meeting planners may
use the services of destination management
companies who know the location of local sites
and attractions as well as their unique qualities.
They are also familiar with all the local contacts
and are able to work as liaison for the group in
developing the hospitality program.
Tour companies may also provide services for the meeting planner,
such as transportation, planned tours, theme parties, airport
greetings, and staffing for the hospitality room.The host property
can provide service by helping meeting planners contact local
businesses that service conventions, meetings, and exhibitions.

The design of the program will vary from group to group.The

program will vary from year to year. Some components that do not
vary are the hospitality suite, planned social activities, food and
beverage activities, and free time.
The hospitality suite provides a space for the participants to
meet new friends, reacquaint themselves with new friends,
meet for tours, ask questions, or just to relax.The hospitality
room should be located near the meeting rooms to provide easy
access to the attendees.The hospitality suites are staffed by a
host property employee, a volunteer from the community, or a
member of the association’s local chapter.The attendant should
know the group’s itinerary in order to provide important
information about the local community to the program
participants.
Planned social activities for hospitality programs include the
following:
1. Tours
2. Plays
3. Concerts
4. Sporting events
5. Tournaments
6. Guest speakers
7. Shopping trips
8.Demonstrations
9.Cooking lesson
10. Craft activities
11. Movies
These activities are chosen based on the interest of the group as well
as the budget for the hospitality program. Programs are financed in
various ways. Some groups pay for the program out of registration
fees. Others get corporate sponsorship.Another way is to have the
participants pay the cost. Social activities can also be financed by
combining some of the above options.
Food and beverage take several forms in a
hospitality program. Some groups have a
continental breakfast, afternoon tea, evening
cocktails, and late-night snacks all served in
the hospitality suite. Others may just provide
soda and coffee.The degree service depends
on the funding of the program.
Although a hospitality program should be structured, there
should be free time built into the program.The free time
enables the participants to sightsee, relax, or visit friends. In
addition, it enables the attendees to fully enjoy their free time
by having information already provided with regards to major
attractions, prices for the activities, and transportation options
to and from activities.
Children’s programs are another area that hospitality programs
should consider. Children’s programs are designed to entertain the
young guests of program participants.These programs can be
elaborate such as providing whole day activities in the form of day
camps or they can be simple such as a trip to the zoo. Programs can
be designed to include both parents and children or they can be
designed to entertain children while their parents attend their social
functions.The inclusion of children’s programs is becoming
popular with several groups. Individual or group babysitting is
usually provided through the hospitality program. If the hospitality
program does not provide babysitting services, many host
properties offer babysitting services for a free.
Once the program is developed, the itinerary must be marketed
properly to ensure adequate participation.This usually requires at
least two mailings of the itinerary and several brochures
describing the events to the program participants.The host
property should make sure that a full-color brochure of their
property and a detailed description of all their amenities are
included in the first mailing.
Marketing of the hospitality program must continue on-site as
soon as the guest arrive.This can be done through posters in
the lobby, brochures, and itineraries being placed in the
registration packet and fliers strategically placed in the host
property. If the host property has a television information
system that shows the conference agenda, the itinerary of the
hospitality program should be included in the daily calendar.
 SITE SELECTION

• The site selection process is a significant activity of the

•

sponsoring organization.The site is very important for the

success of the event. Convenience and cost are very
important in site selection (Conlin p. 15).
• The planner must first determine the aims of the meeting,
convention, and exhibition.A meeting plan of format is
formulated based on the aims.Thus, a group prospectus is
made to help the MICE planner to know the physical
requirements for the meeting, convention, and exhibition.
• The MICE planner should bring a checklist during the site
•

selection.The checklist includes the following areas: sleeping

rooms, meeting and exhibition space, transportation (airport and
ground), food and beverage, recreation (on- site and local
attractions), and services.

• The MICE planner should determine the following when he or she

reviews the sleeping rooms.These are the number of available
rooms, types of rooms, quality of furnishings, security of the
rooms and corridors, accessibility for handicapped persons, quality
of lighting for reading, and adequacy of work surfaces.
• The following should be determined in reviewing the
meeting rooms These are the number, shape, and size of
rooms, quality of furnishings, lighting, accessibility of
audiovisual equipment, and suitability for exhibits.The
following should be determined during the inspection of
accessibility: limitations placed on move-in and move-out
activities, utilities, policies regarding storage, and
exclusivity of sub-contractors.
 ROOM SET UP AND LAYOUT

• In order to meet the requirements of clients, it is important that

the venue has the necessary amount of space and the proper type
of space to service the conferences or meetings.The capacity of
meeting room space is affected by a number of factors such as
the number of attendees, the physical configuration of the room,
as well as the audiovisual requirements needed.
• Theater or auditorium setup – it is the most functional seating
arrangement especially when the meeting involves a large group
of participants. It involves placing chairs in rows, either straight
or in a semicircle. Chairs should be placed 4 to 6 inches
apart, with approximately 2 ½ feet from the back of one chair to
the front of the chair behind it.This setup is suitable for lecture-
type meetings.The main advantage is it can accommodate large
groups of participants.The disadvantages are it is difficult for
note-taking and there is poor visibility from the back of the room.
• 2.Schoolroom or classroom setup – it is conductive to
participants taking notes, reading materials, or working on
projects. It is suitable for small lectures and workshops where
note-taking is required. Its advantages are it uses a large
amount of space per person, and it is good for note-taking. Its
disadvantage is it has poor visibility from the back of the
room.
• 3. Hollow square, U-shape, and the herringbone layout
setups are suitable for board meetings, management
meetings, and small group discussions.The main advantage
is they encourage discussions and interaction among
participants.The disadvantages are they use a large amount
of space per person, and the use of audiovisuals may be
difficult.
• 4. Banquet or round table layout – this layout is suitable for
banquets, seminars, and round table discussions.The
advantages are it can be used when meetings break up into
smaller discussion groups without participants having to
exchange rooms, and it can accommodate food and beverage
service comfortably.The disadvantages are it uses a large
amount of space per person, and the use of audiovisuals may
be difficult
 HIRING SUB-CONTRACTORS-
TECHNICAL TRANSPORTATION

• Hiring sub-contractors for technical

transportation MICE (Meetings, Incentives,
Conferences, and Exhibitions) involves
finding and engaging specialized
companies or individuals to handle various
aspects of transportation related to these
events.
• First, the planner should determine how to transport the
participants to the host city where the meeting is to be held.
Second, the planner should determine how to transport them
from one place to another within the host city.The planner
must also determine how to transfer the exhibit materials,
office supplies, and registration materials to the exhibit site.
• A ground services operator may be contacted if the program
design requires transporting attendees from one facility to
another during the conference.A ground services operator is a
company or person in a destination city that provides local
transportation and other travel needs.They transport attendees
to special events that are held far from the host city.
• The MICE planner should give special care to attendees with
special needs such as the older attendees, those traveling with
small children, and the handicapped attendees.
• The MICE planner should also consider the service attitude
of individuals who will be interacting with the attendees.
• During the site selection process, the MICE planner should
examine the ability of the host city and property to provide
services and facilities for leisure time activities.According to
J. Conlin, golf, free time, tennis, and tours are the four main
leisure activities which are important for the success of
MICE.
 NEGOTIATIONS

• After the site selection, the negotiation of price and services will
start. Negotiations are held between the representative of the host
property and the sponsoring organization.
• Examples of negotiable areas are sleeping rooms, function space,
safety, security, accessibility, food and beverage, renovation and
construction, contingencies, restrictions, and cancellations.
• A contract is written and signed after the negotiations have
concluded.A contract is a legal document that explains the
responsibilities of the concerned parties.
 FORMULATING COMMITTEES

• The formulation of committees is essential in sponsoring a

meeting, convention, or exhibition. Each committee must
have its own aims. If a professional association is the
sponsor of the conference, the association is authorized by
its constitution to form a committee that will plan,
organize, and operate the conference. Each committee
should have a chairman.
 MARKETING AND PROMOTION

The following should be determined in order to ensure a

successful conference:
1. Know the number of break-even attendance
2. Establis a marketing plan
h a timetable
3. Establis
h
4. Carry out the program
5.Appraise the program
• The first step in the marketing procedure is to know the
break-even attendance.The break-even attendance is the
minimum number of attendees who have paid for the
conference.This is done to avoid losing money.The minimum
number of attendees must generate enough revenue to pay for
the expenses.To determine this number, the sponsors must
know their budget.
• A marketing plan must be established after determining the
break-even figures.A marketing plan is a written record of the
marketing activities of an organization with regard to a
particular meeting, convention, and exhibition.
• It consists of the aims of the marketing and promotion of
the conference, target market, and the marketing strategies
to be used.
• A timetable must be made after the marketing plan has been
developed.According to P.C.Watson, all significant
information with regard to registration, transportation,
housing, seminars, etc. should be sent six to eight weeks
before the meeting, convention, and exhibition.
 FOOD AND BEVERAGE
• Food and Beverage Functions refers to the meals and drinks
provided during a meeting, convention, or exhibition.These
functions should match the overall design and budget of the
event.The sponsor is responsible for determining how many
food and beverage functions are necessary, what types of meals
and drinks will be served, and what kind of cuisine will be
available.Additionally, they must estimate the number of
attendees and establish a system for keeping track of expenses
and other related records.This ensures that the event runs
smoothly and that attendees are adequately provided for:
• The sponsor is responsible for the following;
1.Ascertain the number of food and beverage functions needed for
the conference:This means that the sponsor of the event should
determine the number of meals or food functions that are required
for the conference. For example, if it's a one-day event, they might
decide to provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks. If it's a three-day
event, they might provide all three meals and snacks for each day.
2.Ascertain the kind of food and beverage functions needed for the
conference:This means that the sponsor should decide what kind of
meals or food functions should be provided. For example, they might
decide to provide a buffet-style breakfast, a sit-down lunch, and a
cocktail reception for dinner.
3. Guide on the cuisine:This means that the sponsor should provide
guidance on the type of cuisine that should be provided. For
example, if the conference attendees are from a specific region with
dietary restrictions, the sponsor should ensure that the food is
suitable for them.

4. Determine the number of attendees:This means that the sponsor

should estimate the number of attendees who will be attending the
conference.This information is important for determining the
quantity of food and drinks required.
• 5. Establish a system for record-keeping:This means that
the sponsor should set up a system for keeping track of all
food and beverage related expenses.This will help to
ensure that the budget is not exceeded, and all expenses can
be accounted for. It also helps in making future decisions
for similar events.
• The sponsor must keep in mind the overall budget when he or
she decides on the number of food and beverages functions that
will be included in a meeting, convention and exhibition.
• After deciding on the number of food and beverage function, the
kind of function should be determined.There are several ways of
providing food and drink to the participants.These are:
• 1. Breakfast:A meal served in the morning, typically before the
event starts.
• 2. Lunch:A mid-day meal that is often provided during the event.
• 3. Dinner:A meal served in the evening, often served after
the event.
• 4. Refreshment breaks: Short breaks during the event when
attendees can grab a snack or drink.
• 5. Reception:A social gathering where light refreshments
and drinks are served.
• 6. Hospitality suites:A private room where food and drinks
are provided for a specific group of attendees.
• 7.Theme parties:A party with food and drinks that is designed
around a specific theme. 8. Late-night suppers:A meal provided
in the late evening after the event is over.
• 9. Recreational activities:Activities that include food and
drinks, such as a picnic, barbecue, or wine tasting.

• These different ways of providing food and drinks can be used

to accommodate the needs and preferences of attendees and
create a more enjoyable and engaging experience.
 ON-SITE MANAGEMENT
• On-site management refers to the practice of managing and
overseeing a physical location or property in person.This can
include managing a business location, a residential property, a
construction site, or any other type of property that requires
hands-on management.
• The planner should arrive a few days before the event to
meet with the host staff, suppliers, personnel, and other key
individuals, thus pre-convention meeting allows parties to
understand their need during the event.
 EVALUATION

• Evaluation a meeting has to be evaluated in order to ascertain

whether the goals that were established during the
conceptualization phase were realized.
• There are several ways of evaluating meetings. Smaller
meetings can be evaluated through
• Informational methods. Comment cards and informal
conversations with the planner can be used to obtain general
feedbacks.
• Formal methods such as questionnaires or surveys are other
ways of evaluating the meeting or convention.
• The passage explains the importance of evaluating meetings
after they have taken place in order to determine whether the
goals established during the planning phase were met. There
are several methods of evaluation, including informal
methods such as comment cards and conversations with the
planner, and more formal methods such as questionnaires or
surveys. It is important for questionnaires to be designed in a
way that is easy to understand and complete in order to
increase the return rate.The passage emphasizes that thorough
evaluation can turn poor programs into good ones and good
programs into excellent ones. Overall, evaluating meetings is
crucial for ensuring their success and improving future
events.