MICECON 2013 meets and exceeds the expectations of delegates. The MICECON 2013 held last March 6-9,2013 at SMX Lanang, Davao City showed the readiness of the province and Mindanao to host an important event in the tourism and MICE industry.

The development of Davao’s hotels, venues, and its strong safety and security management are keys in making its bid to be one of the country’s MICE hub. Add the strong people skills and innate hospitality of Davaoenos MICECON 2013 will be one of the benchmarks in future MICECON’s.

No less than, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III is the keynote speaker of the conference. It is the first time that the President of the Philippines addressed the delegates of MICECON. This signals how important tourism is as one of the key drivers in our economy.

The president signed the Republic Act 10376 as part of the opening rites. RA 10376 grants tax exemptions to international carriers if their countries do the same for those of the Philippines. This new law is expected to significantly increase the number of planes of international airlines that bring tourists to the Philippines and enable the country’s tourism industry to hit its target of 10 million foreign visitor arrivals by 2016.

One of the favourite speakers that inspired the delegates is Matec Villanueva, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Manila. She wowed the crowd by giving insights that connect to the heart of the audience. One of her famous teaching in the event is “Your Brand Ambition must be directly proportional to your budget”.

Another speaker that energized the crowd is Cheryl Cecchetto, Founder and President, Sequoia Productions, USA. Her storytelling and nuggets of wisdom are like magnets that drew the crowd to her. 

Two of her famous tips are: Use Humour as a Trick and Realize the Power of Dream.

Other speakers also delivered what was expected of them. So much information and take home actionable knowledge were shared by the speakers.

MICECON is the biggest gathering of local and foreign delegates, including top executives and representatives of resorts, hotels, travel and tour companies, airlines, professional congress organizers, the academe, local and national tourism government offices, and many related MICE industry suppliers.

The delegates were treated by sumptuous meal from sponsoring hotels like Waterfront Hotel, Marco Polo Hotel, Royal Mandaya Hotel, Apo Hotel and Inland Rose Hotel.

Besides this, during the MICE Marketplace, there was a noticeable increase of buyers and sellers that participated in the event.

Next year’s MICECON will be held in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.

Two days to go before Davao becomes the hub where tourism industry players all over the country gather.

I am talking about the upcoming MICECON 2013, March 6-9, 2013, SMX Lanang, Davao City – the third year this event will be held. So far, this is one of the most important events in the tourism industry, in particular to the MICE Industry.

Even if MICE is a commonplace word all over Asia Pacific, in the country only few people know and understand what MICE is all about.

For newbies, here are 5 things that you can look forward to in MICECON 2013:

1.    Pre-Conference Activities

Exlinkevents, an accredited Department of Tourism professional congress organizer and Tourism Congress member, will send delegation to the upcoming #miceon 2013.

MICECON 2013 is one of the grandest and important events for the tourism industry in the Philippines. It is a learning event where MICE players gather to discover the latest trends and technologies in the industry.

This year MICECON 2013 will be held this March 6-9,2013 at SMX Lanang, Davao City. The establishment of SMX in Davao gave the city the necessary venue to stage bigger MICE events.

MICECON 2013 highlights the learning session where the following critical areas of MICE will be discussed. The critical success areas are: Tourism and Global Business, Meetings, Association Management, Incentive Travel and Motivation, Leadership and Innovation, Venue Management, Technology, Branding and Crisis Management and Events Planning.

Industry experts from different parts of the world were invited to share their expertise in these learning sessions (I can’t wait to engage the minds of these speakers).

Exlinkevents is a twelve year old MICE company in the Philippines. It has organized and managed numerous exhibitions, conventions, trade missions, seminars, teambuilding and corporate events.

This year Exlinkevents will stage the following events:

Besides this, Exlinkevents will handle association events of National Real Estate Association of the Philippines (NREA) and Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) to name some, and corporate events.

For partnerships to Exlinkevents you may call tel.no. 643-3887.    

It is hard to be an event organizer or to be an event manager. The number of details you have to remember, the many suppliers you have to coordinate, the layers of departments and staff you have to command, and many more are like rocks that you carry on your shoulder while walking in a very slim patch of road on the side of a cliff – one wrong move your dead.

Therefore, event managers and event organizers have to be reminded of the following to survive and thrive in this very fluid and competitive industry.

1.    Dedication

You have to be dedicated to the craft. I saw a lot of talents fell in the wayside of this industry. They got talent but they lack dedication. This spell doom for their career.

Dedication is also called commitment. If you are committed to something there is no way that you will not triumph. All the time, I will go for people that are committed versus talented people. 

Committed people deliver results.

2.    Discipline

If you do not have discipline in this industry then you are dead. Discipline allows you to be consistent. A committed person without discipline is nothing. Discipline allows you to perform the tasks in order. Discipline allows you to have the strength to follow rules. On the other hand, if you are an event manager or event organizer, creating a disciplined staff is critical to success. 

Often times, things become more chaotic because of lack of discipline.I usually visualize the movie “300” - disciplined Spartan warriors were able to hold and defeat, for a period of time, the invading Persians. Their secret is their discipline.

3.    Determination

Determination is the firmness of character. A determined event manager or event organizer is unstoppable. In the midst of the many failures and risks an event or expo has, a determined event manager can overcome all of these.

In fact, risks and failures are breakfast of a determined event manager.

There are a lot of Philippines cases and stories about event manager and event organizer that are determined to win versus a very big challenge. Guess what, the won.

The event manager’s secret? Their determination.

4.    Desire

Every event managers and event organizers have mark of wounds that they display as a badge of honour. In this industry filled with unpredictable events, to fail is part of the job. But to bounce back and get better is the exciting part.

What makes every event manager and event organizer stay in this industry? If this industry is full of difficult situations why stay? Why not get a new career?

The answer lies in the word desire.  Desire is the fire in the belly. It makes you wake-up and embrace the morning, go to work and perform your function.

Event managers and event organizers with strong desire to their work and events industry are people that have found their passion.

Desire is the strongest among the four D’s listed here. One reason is that is the very deep in the emotional realm.

Event Management and Expo Management are not for the weak of hearts. Event Managers and Event Organizer that have these 4D’s will outperform and outlast the competition – guaranteed!

In creating an event it is very critical to go back to the basics. The basics will keep you steady as the event develops and bloom into one of THE EVENTS (if you get my drift).

Here are the three E’s of Event Management. If you keep these in mind definitely you will always create a better if not a great event for your target audience.

1.    Experience

What experience will your event provide to the audience or event visitors? This is important because your event will be judged a success or a failure on this metric alone.

If your event is a conference, your event should provide a stimulating learning experience. If your event is an expo, your event should provide a business ambience to foster trade and business matching. If your event is a brand event, your event must provide a clear message of what the brand is all about.

We can talk about Experience endlessly and we must because this is very important. If you ignore this basic E, then brace yourself to suffer the consequence.

2.    Entertainment

All events must entertain. Yes you hear me loud and clear. Even the conference and convention must have an entertainment value. You have heard about the conference fatigue, this is very true. The mind can only absorb information for thirty minutes after that it flies elsewhere.

In exhibition, trade buyers can only stay as much in the trade floor but if there are entertainments sprinkled around the show floor, the buyers will remain in the show floor. If you have observed, the most visited exhibit booths are those booths that provide entertainment to the trade buyers.

More so, in corporate events, I do not need to elaborate the importance of entertainment in this type of events. I just want to point one thing, if you want to create lasting relationships – ENTERTAIN!

3.    Enterprise

An event is a marketing tool with costs. Therefore, we must always be reminded that the costs must have a return on investment. This is what I mean about enterprise. If all event managers will take this to heart they will be conscious about the costs and adamant that the event objectives must be met at all costs (pun intended).

Event is a great business tool. Even if there is a widespread inclination to go online, hey we are humans, our nature is to socialize face-to-face. We can never run away with this nature.

To end this, let me say go back to the basics of creating an event and do not forget the three E’s because this will guide you on how to shape successfully your events.

For events managers and exhibition organizers reading this piece, it is just a review. One thing that betrays us professional event organizers and managers is our too much familiarity on the basics.

They call that familiarity a blind spot. A blind spot that deprives us of, guess what, checking the basics.

I am excited about a book that was two years in the making. It is a book that will hit all the universities in the country. It is a book that is simple but not simplistic. It is a book that will make events planning easier for the uninitiated. It will also be a book that will act as a review for veteran events manager and events organizer.

The book was born out of a discussion to offer resource materials for people and students who find it difficult to have one in our bookstores that are made by Filipinos.

I know the feeling of looking for a book with local authors in a particular subject matter. I scour heaven and earth during those moments to find one but, alas, my effort is like a journey taken by the early merchants in finding the promise land – it is like a quixotic journey.

So I also know the joy or hubris, if you may allow my indulgence, in finding a book that you are looking for. It is like winning lotto! The feeling is so great that you can hardly breathe because of extreme happiness.

The book I am talking about is for M.I.C.E. organizers and planners – a very select group who took upon their shoulders to slug it out with other countries in this very competitive industry. I remember Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Department of Tourism, saying that “our advantage in MICE is not on the physical structures but the excellent service our people provide”. I strongly agree.

Although I am hoping that our excellent service or people can be combined with excellent physical structures so that we can generate a compelling result in the MICE Industry. I want our country to produce a MICE result that will not only put a dent in the world but will cut a large chunk of the cake of this multibillion industry.

I want to be a proud MICE player (do not be mistaken, I am a proud Filipino MICE Player) with a country that has world class MICE products and services. I know that we will be there. Hopefully, I am still part of this industry when we reach that stature.

Anyways, I am getting ahead of myself. Going back the book, it is not only for upcoming MICE players but also for upcoming event managers, event organizer, exhibition managers, exhibition organizers, conference managers and conference organizers.

This is the book that is just a start of the many local books that will be produced on the MICE and Event Management Industry by PRACTITIONERS (this is the key selling point of this book!).

The book is entitled “ The Events Planning Manual” an apt title, produced by the Philippine Association of Convention and Exhibition Suppliers and Organizers (PACEOS) which I am part and a current board of director.

If you want to have a copy, you may contact me. You will only need to invest P295.00 for this easy to read and actionable book. A real bargain this I promise!