More than two years after Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) first denounced the use of the term ‘MICE’ in favour of ‘the meetings industry’, in line with international standards, professionals on both the buyer and supplier side of the industry in the Middle East continue to use the term.
I have lost count of the number of business cards handed to me by ‘MICE managers’ or ‘MICE directors’, and the number of times I have heard industry professionals – even experienced meetings veterans – use the term in social and professionals scenarios.
The fact is, as RTE’s Paul Kennedy steadfastly points out, the United Nations, the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO) and the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) have all accepted ‘the meetings industry’ as the official term for the market in which we exist.
When I brought this up with one industry professional recently, the person in question told me that they continued to use the term MICE because that is “what the region knows”, but this is not the attitude required to take the meetings industry to the next level.
Education and professional development is crucial for event planners based in corporates throughout the region, as well as individuals who work for event management companies, convention bureaus and other event service providers. Sticking to what we know does not get us anywhere.
If the industry in the Middle East is moving towards the high levels of professionalism of other more mature markets like Europe and the US, then it needs to embrace certain aspects of that professionalism, and a unified approach is a good start.
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