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The mentality and demands of the MICE (Meetings-Incentive-Conference-Events) businesses are very different from the tourist business. Generally it is possible to operate as a Destination Management Company with staff which is also handling regular “tourist groups” or “ticketing”
An excellent “tourist” staff, conditioned by the standardisation and routines, can not be a good “MICE staff” at the same time. You can convert your most talented staff to incentives (provided someone can train them); but it is not advisable to try running Business events with tourism-trained staff.
Incentive and meeting proposals are time consuming and require concentration, research, creativity, patience, and determination. Such proposals take on a life of their own during the different phases of the project, and months if not years of work before conclusion. If you really believe that it is time to get involved in the MICE market, the next challenge is to create a separate department with the right staff. If you do not have them, hire them. Sometimes it can be far more economic than training new staff.
If you decide to train your staff make sure they attend several professional seminars organised by Site, or MPI, ICCA, IAPCO etc. The Site educational seminars will give them an excellent opportunity to acquire knowledge about the world of incentives, and MPI or IAPCO seminars will cover the conference and meeting business. The staff must not only be educated with the latest technology and market techniques, but also take part in the decisions and be motivated. You cannot serve the motivation business with de-motivated staff. Motivation can be achieved only if the staff is part of the decision-making process and shares the responsibilities, goals and benefits of the company.
Usually Destination Management Companies are of small to medium size, composed of management and staff with very strong personalities, which is exactly what makes them unique. Team work between management and staff is imperative for achieving the company objectives and being successful. The staff must feel valued by the management and vice versa; their efforts must be recognised and compensated in various appropriate ways. Investing in qualified staff is of un-estimable value for the DMC.
Whether you decide to concentrate exclusively in MICE business, or run two separate departments of “Tourism” and “DMC”, let everybody know that you have a specialised DMC unit and give it a unique identity.
In the next issue: Define your company’s policy and profile
© Tasso Pappas CITE
Tasso Pappas is President of the Site Greek Chapter and served as President of Site Intl. in 2000. This article is an extract from his book "To be or not to be a DMC" which he wrote in 1996 as his thesis for the certification CITE (Certified Incentive Travel Executive).
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
