Four Good Reasons to Attend a Conference

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” -Brian Herbert


Over the years, the modern world has vastly upgraded and revamped the way people learn. The Internet itself has made it possible for countless individuals all over the world to access various articles created with a specific subject and theme in mind. Cooking enthusiasts who would once have to pick up a recipe book in order to create a particular dish would now only have to look for a video with a step-by-step guiding visuals as to how to create said dish. People with a penchant for sharpening their skills can either attend a webinar or even list to a podcast. Nowadays, it seems like modern technology has perpetually dispensed with the need for actual face-to-face learning sessions. So, with all these recent advancements in learning at our disposal, why should one even bother to inconvenience themselves of getting out of the house and spending some time in an in-person conference or workshop? Well, contemporary means of acquiring information might have rendered physical conferences and workshops obsolete, but you would be surprised as to how much you are truly missing out by refusing these events. Workshops, seminars, MICE events, and conferences provide you with opportunities you cannot find elsewhere—from unique learning experiences, job offers and career building opportunities to expanding your business circle.

If you are still unconvinced, below are excellent reasons why you should consider attending conferences:

1.) Meet Experts and Influencers Face to Face

Watching countless of videos of esteemed experts and your business idols have nothing on meeting them and interacting with them in person. While not every conference would grant you this opportunity, your chances are significantly improved when you are attending one or sharing the same space—you will never know if the workshop or conference you are in has a “surprise guest” in attendance. Meeting someone who has made a great impact you or even someone who has influenced you is something not all of us can experience, and conferences are certainly one way of doing so. You might be unaware, but meeting these people might present the opportunity of finding your next mentor.

2.) Networking Opportunities

While different social media platforms may offer you various avenues for networking (both local and foreign), there is no substitution for interacting with potential business partners, clients or customers in real life. Additionally, it adds a personal touch and depth to the whole networking experience which the people you are dealing with would truly appreciate.

3.) Learning in a New Space

Though learning can virtually happen anywhere, absorption of what you learn happens more often in fresh new places where you have not established a routine yet. This is because your brain is associating what you learn to the memory of the new place thereby creating better absorption for what you learn. Additionally, it breaks you out of your comfort zone. So, if you are always learning new stuff from behind a computer screen and sitting on a desk, then change it up a bit. New environment would stimulate fresh and new ideas after all.

4.) Basking in the energy of like-minded individuals

There is quite like nothing as being in the same room with individuals who share your passion. The enthusiasm and energy are both so palpable that you cannot help but feel a rush of excitement. These are the very same people who you might make potential business partners, customers or clients and be around them talking about your shared interest and passion would only buoy your spirits and enthusiasm for learning. Lastly, you would never know, but you might just have a chance at making new friends at this event.

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Four Questions to Ask When Selecting A Conference Venue

A lot of work goes into planning for a conference. You need to plan for a specific theme, look for available vendors and a particular date to hold your conference. More importantly, choosing the appropriate venue is paramount to the success of your conference event. However, it can be easy to get caught up in the minor details and complicated logistics when you are busy scouting for the ideal conference location that meets all of your criteria. When this occurs, you might overlook something that could be pivotal to your conference's success. This is all the truer if you are a novice in planning a conference for your company or are simply not too familiar with how venue sourcing works. Whichever it may be, selecting and booking a conference venue requires a concrete plan in place.

Prior to making arrangements, prepare a list of requirements that would guarantee that you would ask the important questions whenever you visit a venue. This will enable you to make comparisons easily and more effectively. Whether you are looking for an ideal MICE hotel or simply an appropriate conference venue, here are some of the questions you should take note of:

1.) Would the venue be available on your selected dates?

Ideally, the planning preparation of an event would take you somewhere from six months to a year. This is to ensure that all the aspects and elements you would require for your conference would all be available on the same date—most especially your venue. When it comes to selecting a date, remember that the date you have initially chosen would possibly not be available for an event which is why it would be foolish not to have backup dates in mind. Choose a variety of dates falling on different months of the year and ask if the venue is available. Additionally, find out whether the venue can provide you with AV equipment, rooms and everything else you would need during your event and on the same date.

2.) What's the venue's accessibility like? Is it within the proximity of highways, the airport or the public transit?

A venue's accessibility is an integral factor in deciding whether you should book a particular place or not. Consider who your attendees will be and how they will be arriving at your conference venue. If they are from out of town and would most likely need to fly-in and fly-out, having the venue near to the airport would be favorable to them. Additionally, if most of your attendees would be arriving from the airport, ask if the venue can provide a shuttle service. Lastly, scout the parking area and see if there is ample parking space for everyone who would be attending.

3.) Is the venue big enough for your event?

Prior to booking a venue, it is important to ascertain how many attendees you would wish to attend your event and look for a site suitable for the number of participants you will be having. Make sure there is enough legroom and that your attendees would not be cramped in a tight space with you trying to make the most out of a small room. Seats should be comfortable enough for all sessions—especially for events that would last for a whole day. Consequently, there should be sufficient space for attendees to relax in between sessions.

4.) Would you be able to afford the venue?

Ideally, you should have a rough draft of what your budget when you are still drawing up the plans for your conference event. If you plan on charging attendees for your event to defray some of the costs, then take your door or charging fee into account. In any case, your chosen venue should fall within your budget.

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Four Reasons Why M.I.C.E Should be Supported by The Government

What is MICE? 

To the unaware and uninformed, MICE is an acronym for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Generally planned well in advance, it is a type of tourism wherein large groups are brought together and are geared towards a specific purpose. Once a location has been slated for this particular event, a gathering with a striking semblance to a convention takes place. Apart from this, the MICE industry is essentially what you would call a service industry. It encompasses finance, travel, trade and transportation and is characterized by three highs: high growth potential, highly beneficial innovation as well as high added values. As a result, it offers large outputs, large industry associations as well as large opportunities for employment with the respective advantages being the efficient utilization of human resources, assets, and technological know-how.

With a myriad of benefits attached to it, support from the government should not only be expected but perfunctory. Apart from the obvious growth in revenue a MICE convention would result to, it brings industry counterparts together as well as assist in the synergy ideas and bringing in additional clients. Additionally, it would serve as a cost effective means of advertising and would guarantee a boost in tourism which is why many countries would vie to promote themselves as a hot MICE destination. For this reason, MICE hotels in various countries have mushroomed seeing as economic growth and the opportunity to obtain a major piece of the industry offered in these conventions are just two of the benefits. Apart from the major boost in tourism and economic potential, here are some of the many reasons why MICE should be bolstered by the government:


1.)  MICE is a platform for Transfer of Knowledge and Technology


Undoubtedly, a chance to host the International Convention or Exhibition is a coveted chance most countries are vying for. This is because they would be incredibly fortunate to benefit in terms of economic value but the knowledge and technology transfer that the foreign participants, international speakers, and exhibitors would bring in with them is incredibly expansive. The country's local audience would have a lot to learn and can integrate all they have learned to their respective industries whether that may be in the medical or business field. As a result, professional and industrial growth can be expected which would gradually build up to economic growth.

2.) MICE would usher in tourists

Apart from the foreign participants and international guests one can expect in a MICE convention, the host country can also expect a horde of tourists to arrive in their country. A MICE convention is not only a convention by ordinary means, it gathers not only foreign speakers and international guests but experts of a particular field and industry as well which can potentially interest foreign investors and tourists. And who knows? Maybe one of those foreign investors may decide to invest in the host country as well.

3.) MICE benefits multiple industry suppliers

MICE creates a snowball effect to the economy and the industry directly related to it. An international exhibition or conference would involve not only hotels but airplanes, travel, tour operators, corporate giveaways, freight forwarders, production houses, exhibition venues, catering and so on. An event this big would certainly need all of those and because of that, the industry involved would not compete but rather collaborate in various different projects.  In a MICE event, a lot of partners would need to pitch in in order to make the event a success, a single entity cannot accomplish it alone.

4.) MICE gives a positive image to the host country

Whenever a country has the privilege of hosting a MICE event, it will without a doubt put its best foot forward in making sure that not only will their foreign guests feel welcome, but have an excellent experience as well. If a MICE event is staged well, foreign visitors and international participants will relay their experiences through word of mouth to their countrymen and if they have a positive experience, this will entice more tourists to visit the host country. This would all redound to the host country as, after all, a country with an excellent international image would attract foreign investors and a lot of opportunities.

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5 Qualities of a Globally Competitive Hotel, Resort and Casino this 2017 and Beyond

“Guests of the future - and in some cases, today’s guests - will require increasingly personal, connected experience.” - www.amadeus.com

The hotel industry revolves around the idea of providing the best alternative accommodation for guests in the absence of a personally-owned property. To be the best, companies must maintain a high level of hospitality and competent customer support to make their visitors at home.

However, digitalization and competition as a whole has started to change the shape of the mainstream arena. Now, it’s no longer enough to provide a fine room with its basic amenities intact. Guests are looking for a better experience that will both address their comfort as well as needs for entertainment.

In the effort to identify the specific things that make modern-day hotel, resort and casino globally competitive, experts and researches found the following common qualities:

Deep knowledge on the geographical, financial and generation differences of the customers

There are existing market groups that the industry caters to, and dealing with them has become easier with the help of technological advancements. However, there is currently a significant increase in newer market groups coming from the rising economy. This added diversity becomes a real challenge for hotels considering their differences in wants and needs.

For international industries such as luxury hotels, the need to have profound knowledge on this matter is essential for providing high-quality service to various guest profiles.

Collaborative and customer-centered approach to service

Crowd-sourcing is nothing new. Ever since the internet provided the convenience of communicating with lots of people around the world, companies found the benefit of using this method to conduct surveys and consult the public of their opinion as regards to different accommodation services hotels offer.

By collaborating with actual and potential customers, hotel resort and casino managers will have a better way of assessing the efficiency and relevance of their services to the needs of the public.

Immersive, flexible and multi-dimensional use of innovation

Local and non-local tourists are now looking for means to make their hotel reservations easier. It’s imperative to the fast-paced, unstoppable innovation. For the globally competitive ones, the need to explore the boundaries between the digital and real world, the usage of 3-D projection and the like has now become a priority.

It’s a world driven by technological advancement. Lagging behind one’s competitors can be detrimental to ones overall marketing strategy.

Competent and prepared leaders and managerial staff

There is no substitute to efficient business management manned by real people. No matter how groundbreaking those new technology can be, the heart of the hotel industry lies on the ability to relate and serve the guests - something which can only be done with the supervision of actual people.

For a company to seriously ace the competition, skilled individuals from the higher ranking positions up to their members need to be efficient in their respective roles.

Top-grade security measures and facilities

The leading hotel, resort and casino industries also have the best security measures. And it just keeps on getting better. One of the major determing factors that make guests feel satisfied with the service is the amount of security they feel while on their stay.

With the increase percentage of people showing interest in travelling, it’s only appropriate for companies to provide the best security detail to ensure the safety of their guests.

The luxury hotel, resort and casino industry is here to stay. But for current companies such as those hotel & casino in Manila to stay on top of the global league, understanding the need to continually make the service convenient for guests is a must.