The International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) held its Asia Pacific Educational Seminar (APES) on March 11th at the Taipei International Convention Center.
Mr. Martin Winter, CEO of the Australian Gold Coast Tourism Bureau, pointed out that the development and success of the business events or MICE industry requires strong government support not only in infrastructure, but also in human resources and training.
The Taiwan Government has forged an enviably close cooperation link with the private sector, which has proven to be effective and is a model for other nations.
The Educational Seminar was jointly hosted by the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Taiwan MICE Advancement Program, and ICCA, and it was sponsored by Taipei International Convention Center, which provided the venue and free accommodation at the W Hotel in Taipei.
The Director of Taiwan MICE International Marketing & Promotion Project Mr. Sin Chen spoke first and gave an overview of the relevant government strategies and measures in promoting MICE in Taiwan, which include Taiwan's “MICE Industry Action Plan," approved by the Executive Yuan in 2010, and Taiwan MICE Advancement Program, launched in 2009 by BOFT.
He then went on to discuss successful examples, such as the 10th Asian Association of Urology Conference 2010 and the World Model United Nations Meeting, among others.
Gary Grimmer, the President of Gary Grimmer & Company, who has extensive meeting management experience in Australia, was specially invited to chair all the forums. The forums explored topics like the "Asia’s Meeting Future: Who will Lead, and Who will Follow?”
Mr. Grimmer believes that meetings are closely related to national development, but are definitely not limited to the scope of the tourism industry.
Singapore has always welded its economic development with meetings and exhibitions, and it has successfully attracted many international associations to station their regional offices in Singapore, which leads to more events and allows Singapore to occupy a leading position in the MICE industry worldwide.
Mr. Grimmer said that meetings and exhibitions are also closely related to foreign trade. This confirms that Taiwan’s BOFT is heading the right direction in leading the MICE industry. Because Taiwan is also actively engaged in promotional activities and seeking to win the right to host more international events, its future prospects are sanguine indeed.
To achieve sustained MICE development in the future, Mr. Martin Winter pointed out, that in addition to new facilities and affordable prices, the meeting proceeding arrangements and cost considerations are also important.
Another speaker, Mr Jason Yeh, CEO of the GIS Group and ICCA Asia Pacific Education Officer, said that for a MICE destination to be competitive, high-quality hardware and improving visibility in the international market is also vitally important. Convention cities like Taichung and Kaohsiung are actively developing MICE, but their international exposure is very limited.
The Asia Pacific Quality Organization Chairman Mr. Shan Ruprai said innovative thinking must be adopted in the organization of conferences. If a destination is not customer-oriented or does not think and act in terms of the customer’s perspective, it can lead to disappointing failures.
Mr. Winter said commented that MICE should focus on brand building and that Taiwan has done very well in this area. In addition, Taiwan’s organizers possess not just experience but also vision and foresight, while senior government officials are willing to lend an attentive ear to industry needs.
All these things, plus mutual help and cooperation among industry players, all distinguish Taiwan MICE from the others.
During the segment on “Case Studies in Building Convention Cities”, there was unanimous agreement that successful integration of marketing is key to building sustainable convention cities.
The ICCA Asia Pacific Regional Director Mr. Noor Ahmad Hamid said that to build a successful convention city, besides the efforts of the convention bureaus, the public and private sectors must also be willing to work together and undertake joint marketing. Taiwan has outshone mainland China in this regard.
Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (SUNTEC) Assistant Director Ms. Bibiana Lau also pointed out that although SUNTEC is privately owned, it nevertheless has always worked in close cooperation with government departments.
One of Singapore’s successful marketing tactics is to invite international actors to film in Singapore. The resulting films are then released in their prospective countries, showcasing Singapore local attractions, culture, and customs. This leaves a deep impression on the minds of the general public, and it helps to trigger the desire for MICE events to take place in Singapore.
To attract more international conferences to a place, the host destination, pointed out Mr. Noor Ahmad Hamid, in addition to safety, delectable food, scenic attractions, adequate accommodation which form part and parcel of the requirements of a host destination, there is now also a need to have a full understanding of the needs of the customer, which can only be attained through an in-depth investigation of both the conferences in question and the background of the participants or people involved and this ensures that the professional service best tailors the needs of the customers.
Ms. Bibiana Lau said that ICCA has always placed a premium on environmental protection and on social responsibility, which are crucial to getting proposals approved in the ICCA Annual General Assembly.
Ms. Lau also observed that knowledge of the customer is essential in getting to know and understand customer needs. It is important to exchange information with other industry professionals and to get to know who the key decision-makers are.
Armed with more knowledge of the customers, MICE destinations can provide more satisfying or novel experiences, which in turn would provide an invaluable winning edge against other competitors.
