The Booming Relationship of Social Media and MICE Industry

Aside from the ease in communication, social media has undeniably contributed a lot to the wide promotion of services relevant the hotel and accommodation industry.

Over the years, companies from all around the world have benefited a lot from social media not just in advertising their goods but also in coordinating with other companies whom they want to work with for a particular project.

The ease in promotion is also one reason why MICE marketing is such in a boom. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference, Events/Exhibitions) has started to become mainstream ever since companies, organizations and even government departments started to hold events that invite a lot of people in hopes of gathering them in one place.

In response to the growing need of huge space and complete convention facilities, luxury hotels like Solaire have started to make their huge spaces available for big gatherings.

Social media's impact on MICE

Before, host companies or organization settle on areas around the locality to conduct their event. Now, the options have breached geographic boundaries. We now see employees from abroad being sent by their employers to different countries either to attend international talks or enjoy a company-paid tour as an incentive for their hard work.

This will not be possible in the absence of information about a specific destination. With social media, companies find it easier to contact a hotel, or any local accommodation to house their delegates. Videos , images and testimonials from people have also made it easier for companies to weigh which specific place in a prospect location is a better and best-value pick.

Likewise, companies who offer MICE packages use social media as means to study their market and create campaigns or ads that would resonate to their audience on a specific social media platform.

With more features being added to various SM sites, its relationship with MICE services has already become mutual.

Visuals on Social Media

Creating text content like blogs, press releases and newsletters has remained an efficient method in marketing. But with the global usage of social media as well as the growing interests of people on visuals rather than plain text, it's safe to say that marketing MICE packages or events will do better if the campaigns used in promotion is packed with quality images.

The best marketing strategy for MICE are often composed of photos of the following:

• Interior view of the venue
• Actual footage of a past MICE convention
• Collage of package inclusions
• Photos of event participants enjoying their tour

And so much more.

Digital marketers can no longer argue the importance of social media for the visibility of their service to their main clients. Unless one utilizes the available platforms well, it will be difficult to get the message across the right people

Social Media and the MICE Industry Five years from now

The advancements in various SM platforms have undeniably taken a fast leap for the past few years. New features are being added to address the needs of the users. For digital marketers, especially those involved in promoting MICE events, the need to be constantly updated with the innovation is necessary to ensure the optimal usage of the platforms.

Five years from now, we may see a drastic increase in a video-focused promotional strategy on different social media sites. The ability to contact and make reservations may also be done directly from the SM platform of a client's choice. Of course, this decision will ultimately be decided by the companies who run MICE packages. But for leading names who are intent on providing world-class MICE services, appropriate and optimum usage of various SM sites is imperative.

The MICE industry is seen to become an even bigger business in the future. With more companies expanding their international reach and organizations eyeing for overseas exposure, the business will most likely see lots of advancements in terms of customer services and overall package inclusion.