MICE Trends for 2016 [INFOGRAPHIC]

When it comes to travel marketing the travel industry in general, we often think of leisure first and foremost. Yet business travel is a key component and major driver in the hospitality sphere, in particular when it comes to MICE – Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions.

Understanding expectations, what’s new and how to attract most effectively travelers that fall under that category can contribute to a sustainable competitive advantage for destinations and active travel brands in this realm.

MICE Trends for 2016

From a technological standpoint, there are at least four trends to follow in the MICE markets in coming years:

QR Codes: This technology has been around since the mid-1990s in Japan and never broke through in North America for various reasons, but it remains pertinent specially when it allows for delegates to quickly download vcards or checking in at a booth or special event.
Event Apps: Mobile is omnipresent, so we might as well get conference attendees to interact through exclusive apps where networking, content agenda and bonus materials can be shared prior to, during and after an event. Much simpler than trying to access the event website or carry around the brochures and conference agendas…
Video Conferencing: With more and more events providing free and high quality wifi, it becomes more accessible to have remote participants partaking into an event. Not to mention recent mobile apps such as Periscope, Meerkat or even Facebook Live which can provide live streaming opportunities, giving more exposure in specific cases where an event can be broadcasted to a wider audience through participants’ networks.
360 Content Recording: As mentioned above, live content recording can take place, yet the trend is also to add to the experience through virtual reality, for example.

Wondering if food and beverage expectations are the same, or what corporate gifts are the most sought-after? The folks at The Europe came up with this infographic that summarizes well some of the key trends we can expect from this market in 2016 and beyond.