During a press conference at 2018 IMEX America in Las Vegas, three leading associations in the meetings, trade show and incentive travel industries announced they have joined forces to develop a workforce in emerging markets outside of the U.S. and Canada.

The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI) have joined forces to launch the Global MICE Collaborative that will provide professional resources on exhibitions, meeting and event planning and incentive travel to foster the development of the MICE professions, and MICE professionals, in emerging markets.

David DuBois, IAEE’s president and CEO, told the press and others gathered at the announcement, “This is a very exciting day for us to be up here to tell you about this collaborative.”

The Global MICE Collaborative will focus on MICE workforce development and destination awareness through competency-building, live events, research, consulting and access to a vibrant community of experienced professionals.

• Through professional competencies, the Global MICE Collaborative will deliver unparalleled comprehensive education and certification to develop the workforce and advance the professionalism of the industry.

• Through live events, the Global MICE Collaborative will bring MICE professionals together in experiences that inspire, energize and provide ongoing professional development and business exchanges.

• Through peer-to-peer engagement the Global MICE Collaborative will be the world’s go-to community for MICE professionals, delivering relationship value at every stage of their careers.

• Through destination consulting, the Global MICE Collaborative will provide consultation, market research and trade education that will enable tourism and destination marketing organizations, venue operators, event organizers and destinations to reach the highest level of success.

• Through research and advocacy, the Global MICE Collaborative will bring awareness of the value of the MICE industry and propel the industry forward by delivering data-driven trend reporting and pan-industry initiatives.

"Incentive Travel – the ‘I’ in MICE - is the fastest growing segment of the MICE industry and SITE is the only global association focused exclusively on Incentive Travel,” said SITE CEO Didier Scaillet, CIS, CITP. 

He added, “We are thrilled to join together with IAEE and MPI to provide MICE professionals in emerging destinations the resources and competencies they need to grow their MICE business."

Many cities and regions are investing in infrastructure to increase their appeal as a MICE destination.

However, they often lack the know-how and human capital to deliver meetings, incentives, events and exhibitions to international standards.

By engaging with the Global MICE Collaborative, officials from the associations involved said “destinations will benefit through increased awareness and heightened professionalism that will ultimately attract more MICE business.”

The collaborative will launch first in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

To learn more about the Global MICE Collaborative go to www.micecollaborative.com