This study is aimed to evaluate the potential of MICE tourism as a new business trend in Shanghai, China. The area is chosen because it is an essential issue at present.
Objectives:
1. An understanding of neighboring countries and national cities current MICE industry situation and these cities’ conditions
2. To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses through comprised analysis and be different from Hong Kong
3. To measure China MICE tourism development conditions, focus on Shanghai and analyse China MICE tourism marketing strategies
4. To critically analysis the necessary to setup a MICE tourism government sector and how to build up the relative knowledge, talent pool and other incentive measurements.
1. Method and Range:
This study will do the qualitative and quantitative research analysis. Qualitative research will collect aggregate analysis and discuss relevant information, documents, and case studies. Quantitative research will collect the questionnaires which interview relevant associations, associations, industry, the Shanghai city government agencies, other experts and scholars or related persons.
2. Nominal Definition:
2.1 Definition of Conference:
According to Convention Industry Council (CIC), conference is “Amount of a certain number of people gathered in one place, coordination or implementation of an activity” The British Tourist Authority (BTA) is defined the meeting as open-air venues are not all of the parties, the centre of the activities of these meetings is to share and flow of information, and the meeting must be at least six hours of indoor meetings, and at least eight people participating. Synthesize various Chinese government departments’ opinions, The meeting as a group of people at a specific time and place to gather to study or carry out a specific activity are commonly known, is the general term for a variety of meetings. (reference: China Convention and Exhibition Society (CCES) http://www.cces.org.cn/, Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/, China National Development and Reform Commission (http://www.sdpc.gov.cn/)
Moreover, the concept of conference includes: “assembly”, “meeting”, “summit", “symposium”, “special report”, “workshops”, “training”, “speeches” and “Fair”.
2.2 Definition of MICE:
IAPCO (the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers) publishes a book called "Meetings Industry Terminology" which functions as a dictionary for the meetings industry. These are the definitions as put out by IAPCO:
Meeting - general term indicating the coming together of a number of people in one place, to confer or carry out a particular activity. Frequency: can be on an ad hoc basis or according to a set pattern, as for instance annual general meetings, commitee meetings, etc.
Incentive - meeting event as part of a programme which is offered to its participants to reward a previous performance.
Conference - participatory meeting designed for discussion, fact-finding, problem solving and consultation. As compared with a congress, a conference is normally smaller in scale and more select in character - features which tend to facilitate the exchange of information. The term "conference" carries no special connotation as to frequency. Though not inherently limited in time, conferences are usually of limited duration with specific objectives.
Exhibition - Events at which products and services are displayed.
Recently, there has been an industry driven initiative to not use the "MICE Market" label and instead say "The Meetings Industry" which encompasses all the above.
(http://www.mice-contact.com/definition-of-mice.html)
