Mice Stakeholders Must Act in Unison

INDIA TODAY offers approximately 5 lakh sq.m. of MICE space with all the convention and exhibition centres combined in the country, which is much less compared with what other MICE destinations have to offer across the globe.

MICE tourism is highly dynamic, for both international and domestic visitors in this segment have specific sets of requirements depending on the nature of events. To ensure that these guests are provided with the highest level of satisfaction, a proactive understanding of their needs and a certain skill set is required.

Not just the venue, but also the city and destination must be MICE friendly. Additionally, guests rely highly on technology to conduct their events at a level that matches their expectations. It is important therefore to streamline communications and logistics and to remain in sync with the latest developments in MICE telecommunications.

The good news is that the MICE segment in India is growing at 8 per cent year on year and that the country and all MICE venues and destinations are now inclined to host more and more such large-scale events, thanks to the introduction of world-class MICE facilities across states and key cities.

Another factor working in favour of India is that it is fast becoming a destination of choice for business travellers from across the world. MICE tourism is a niche business that has started contributing to the Indian tourism segment and that is leading to a manifold rise in the number of inbound MICE tourists. The developing start-up ecosystem is significantly boosting innovative MICE projects in India, and both the Centre and the state governments are investing in MICE infrastructure.

The government is also focusing on increased global connectivity expanding all the way to Tier-II and Tier-III cities, improving civic amenities, introducing faster and newer modes of

transport, and making continued additions to room inventory across categories -- all adding up to the smooth growth of MICE tourism in India.

With proper coordination and cohesiveness among all stakeholders, from convention centre builders to hoteliers, to event planners right down to event decorators, we will all have to pitch in collectively to achieve this target.

India is identifying and adding cities where MICE can become a top draw to boost inbound tourism. These cities have (or are developing) a good infrastructure for hosting conferences. What needs to be done is improve the connectivity, up-skill manpower, empower local-level organisations and grow the ecosystem. In the 2018 ICCA rankings, India is ranked 28th with 158 International meetings out of 12,950; in Asia Pacific, India is ranked seventh. India already accounts for 1.2 per cent of MICE events, so it is only a matter of time before we will be able to achieve the target of 2.5 per cent.

The MICE segment in India has shown great potential. India's economic growth is driving impressive growth in the events space in the country. According to a recent FICCI report, tourism in India is expected to grow at a much faster rate than in past years. It has a price-competitive offering in addition to more than 30 international airports, multiple cruise ports, and one of the largest rail and road networks. We are also expanding MICE spaces and building more and better infrastructure to cater to this segment.

The government also has been promoting and investing in multiple schemes and initiatives that directly and positively impact the hospitality and tourism industry, thereby enabling the MICE segment as well. Improved connectivity, investments in infrastructure, and the development of larger and better MICE facilities are all already underway. Adding to all this, e-visas and other such initiatives are also boosting MICE tourism in India. Three issues need urgent attention now, and these are ease of securing licences, clarity on taxes, and further investments in marketing and communications. The emerging MICE cities include Chennai, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Pune, Udaipur, Vadodara and Vijayawada.

At Accor India, we take our MICE business seriously because it contributes 22-25 per cent of our total revenue. The Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre, which opened in 2006 in Hyderabad, is a unique preposition with the only purpose-built convention centre in India, popularly known as the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), inter-connected with a five-star hotel.

In terms of its architecture, functionality and size, HICC was built much ahead of its time. A 1,50,000 sq. ft. meeting point with the largest pillar-free hall in South Asia that can comfortably seat more than 6,500 guests at once, with 37 flexible breakaway rooms, and lawns and gardens, HICC can host any large global conference.

MICE accounts for 65 per cent of HICC'S total business. In terms of size, medical conferences contribute the larger share of this business, followed by academic and scientific meetings, and corporate events. HICC caters to more than 1,300 events per year and has the capacity to host 10,000 delegates and meals at a single event. It is because of HICC that Hyderabad today is also known as the ‘Convention Capital of India’.

Accor caters to all kinds of MICE activities across budgets. Most of our hotels are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities -- from quality sound systems and drop down ceiling lights, to plug and play from laptops and tablets onto high-resolution ceiling projectors. Our hotels also offer multiple venue options -- from pillar-less halls and pre-function areas, to meeting rooms and open lawns. Our events and food and beverage teams are extremely well-trained and experienced enough to execute events within all kinds of budgets at various scales. And our five successful MICE properties have been Fairmont Jaipur, Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre, Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach and Novotel Hyderabad Airport.

We had recently launched a Novotel MICE campaign across India as part of the Novotel20 initiative to promote the 20 Novotel hotels in India. The focus was to reach out to all our corporate clients as well as meeting and event partners to promote our Novotel brand. Our busy 2019 calendar is indicative of our efforts paying off. Some of the noteworthy recent events held in our hotels have included:

Fairmont Jaipur - MTV India Music Summit for three years in a row; partners meets hosted by Cipla and PwC; and HDFC Bank's top management meet.

Pullman New Delhi Aerocity - Castrol India global meet (1,110 rooms and banqueting for around 500 guests); India CSR Summit (1,000 guests); Samsung S10 launch; and Geo Smart India 2019. Upcoming: APIC 2020 (Asian petrochemical industry conference); Global Psychiatry Conference; CanTech International (the grand tour).

Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre - India Joy (India's largest digital entertainment festival); World Design Summit; and Harvard Model UN Summit. Upcoming: Criticare.

Novotel Hyderabad Airport - Multiple pharma conferences.

Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach - International Fleet Review; IATO Convention; CII Partnership Summit; and events by SAARC and India Today. Upcoming: National Handloom Summit and TECH 2019.

The good news about this snapshot is that big conferences are coming our way. India is very much in the reckoning in the international MICE market.