LESSON 2:

WHAT IS MICE?
M EETINGS, I NCENTIVES, C ONVENTIONS,
AND E XHIBITIONS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After this lesson, the learner is expected to:
1. Define MICE;
2. Differentiate the type of events (represented by
each letter in MICE);
3. Explain the need for and application of each
type; and
4. Assess a MICE venue.
DEFINITIONS AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF MEETINGS,
INCENTIVES, CONVENTIONS,
AND EXHIBITIONS (MICE)
MEETING
A general term that refers to the
gathering of people to discuss a set
agenda or do a particular activity. It can
be called on an ad hoc basis (if needed)
or following a set pattern such as an
annual meeting. Meetings do not include
exhibits.
CONGRESS
 The regular gathering of people who belong to religious,
cultural, professional, or other associative groups.
 Often staged to shed light on a particular subject,
question, or issue.
 This focus on question-resolving means makes the term
“congress” more popular than corporations (Ladkin and
Spiller 2000)
 It is usually established in advance and can be annual
 Often lasts several days.
CONVENTION
Refers to a large national or
international meeting.
Usually held to commemorate an event
or milestone for the host organization;
thus, it is usually held with regular
intervals and each staging is given a
theme.
 CONVENTION
Have more innovative programs
planned to encourage participants to
network and interact (Aaron 2011)
Sometimes include an exhibition
related to its theme.
CONFERENCE
 A scholarly gathering to exchange views and
consequently, to convey a message, open a debate
or give publicity to some opinions on specific issues,
such as climate change.
 Most conferences are for “study” purposes and is
aiming to establish a position papers as a result of the
exchange of views.
 Compared to congress, conference is on a smaller
scale.
CONFERENCE
 Requires no tradition, continuity or periodically
and is generally held for a short duration of
time.
 Ex. University’s faculty conference where
members of the faculty present the finding of
their research.
INCENTIVE
Incentive is a tool to encourage
employees to increase sales or provide
solutions.
INCENTIVE TRAVEL therefore means using
travel as a reward for accomplishments such as
reaching a sales quota, winning a competition,
and the like.
EXHIBITION
An exhibition showcases new products,
services, information, or promotional materials
mounted for the purpose of public, relations, sales
and marketing.
It is an activity designed for targeted supplies
of products, goods, and/or services to demonstrate
and promote to a certain market. (Ladkin and
Spiller 2000)
TWO TYPES OF EXHIBITION
1. Consumer Show – a showcase of products that are
offered to the public, mostly for the purpose of direct
sales or promotion to end users.
2. Trade show – for commerce at a bigger scale. It brings
together industry players targeting similar markets. It
is intended to provide a venue for sales, leads,
contacts with influences and suppliers, networking,
gathering competitor intelligence, and building an
image to the costumer.
 TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO
EXHIBITIONS:
1. Exhibition Manager – the head organizer and
promoter of an exhibition. He leads the exhibition
organizers team and is responsible for managing the
exhibit finance, sales of exhibit space, and operations.
2. Exhibitor – the company or businessperson who rents
the booth space from the exhibition manager to
showcase the exhibitors products and for other
purposes.
 3. Booth Contractor – subdivides a huge empty exhibit
space to smaller spaces which the exhibitors are
going to rent; the contractor also provides temporary
facilities to exhibitors, such as the shell or walling for
the booth, carpet, table, chairs, signage, lighting, and
power source – for a fee.
4. Raw Exhibition Space – a “raw space” or floor with
rough markings just to indicate the boundaries and size
of your rented space in the exhibition hall.

TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO EXHIBITIONS:

 5. Shell Exhibition Space – an exhibition space with a
white enclosure called “shell”. The shell gives booths a
uniform look and somehow, makes the ambiance
common in all trade shows. The signboard on the top of
the most visible side/s of the booth is called the Fascia
board that indicates the name of the exhibitor or the
purpose of a service desk.
6. Exhibitor Manual – a book of instructions and
information for exhibitors regarding the exhibit venue and
services offered by the official booth contractor.

TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO EXHIBITIONS:

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING A
MICE VENUE ( COST, CONVENIENCE, CHARM)
1. Cost – a common factor in decision-making, not only for
event venues. The venue to be selected must be within
the budget of the organizer. It’s payment terms must also
match the schedule and the cash flow of the event.
2. Convenience – encompasses the availability on the target
date, accessibility, proximity to other support services
suitability of space to the type of event, and its safety
features. It is an important factor to consider when
selecting the event venue.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING A
MICE VENUE ( COST, CONVENIENCE, CHARM)
3. Charm – the appeal of a venue or is
commonly known as the “X” Factor. It is the
thing that attendees will keep talking about
after the event is over.
THANK YOU!