IMG Show 2019 experts named the main trends of congress and incentive tourism

The go green initiative, personification and digitalization will be the main growth areas of business travel, congress and incentive tourism in the near future. This is the conclusion of the experts of International MICE Geography Show 2019, the fifth international exhibition and forum.

The international exhibition and forum International MICE Geography Show 2019 ended on October 25 in Moscow. The total amount of participants exceeded 1000 persons - they included more than 150 corporate exhibitors who provide services to the industry, and more than 400 corporate buyers. On the first day of the event professional buyers from Russia, Belorussia, Kazakhstan held more than 2000 meetings with MICE service providers from 108 countries and destinations during the B2B workshop in the Ritz-Carlton, Moscow. The discussion at the educational conference in Double Space on the second day of the event was devoted to the future of the meetings industry and special aspects of work with top-ranking guests. Winners of Buying Business Travel Awards Russia & CIS in the MICE category were announced during the closing ceremony in the Grand Ballroom.

“A great amount of useful meetings, acquaintances and talks, a lot of unusual activities”, Ekaterina Tchentsova, head of regional department of economic cooperation of the National Congress Bureau of Russia shared her impressions.

IMG Show 2019 participants stressed that the interest in Russian destinations on the part of professional buyers has increased greatly - according to the results of the poll held during the forum more than a half of respondents consider regions of Russia to be a prospective business travel destination, which is twice as high as in 2018. The main trends of the world MICE industry, according to experts, are sustainability, minimum environmental impact and advanced corporate social responsibility. For example, about 90% of hotels in Norway already have a special environmental program support certificate. Russia lags behind in this respect, experts agree, but the first steps have been made: large hotel chains suggest their guests save water and other resources, and event venues, in particular, practice separate waste collection.

The trends of the industry also include personification and the intention to satisfy any urgent request of the customer, growth of the number of festivals and participation of corporate groups in major carnivals, as well as event digitalization and emergence of city tours with augmented reality.

Astronaut pilot, Hero of Russia Alexander Misurkin congratulated the participants on IMG Show anniversary and held a speech entitled “MICE as a Universe. Team building”. “Today we talked about the team. And the IMG Show team, to the extent I have been able to get to know them, inspires deep respect. Because I feel that it is a team of real professionals devoted to the work they're doing. I sincerely congratulate you on your anniversary. And there is only one thing I can wish you - cosmic success in the future!” Alexander said.

For the first time the International Buying Business Travel Awards Russia & CIS ceremony in the “MICE” category was held as part of the IMG Show. The 12 nominations determined by industry experts included the best city for MICE (St. Petersburg), the best MICE destination of Russia and the near abroad (the Republic of Tatarstan), the best MICE destination of the far abroad (Singapore), as well as the travel office effort to promote a MICE destination (Switzerland Congress and Incentive Bureau).

The IMG Show is an annual event that brings together business travel service providers and corporate buyers. The organizer is the Russian Association of Business Travel (ABT-ACTE Russia). The General Partner is the Convention Bureau of the Republic of Korea. Partners of the event are the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, Jewelry Factory “Bronnitsky Jeweller”, Accor, Azimut Hotels Moscow, Swissotel Krasnye Holmy, MB Prestige, In.Visible Moscow, the Museum of Russian Impressionism, Gefest Capital, Dyaghilev International Cultural Centre, ProaudioService, LOT airline, Green Driver, Impresario, National Congress Bureau.