IAEE, MPI and SITE relaunch Global MICE Collaborative

A new pan-industry partnership is relaunching this month, with three association powerhouses teaming up to deliver two inspiring educational offerings designed for new MICE industry talent.

The Global MICE Collaborative (GMC) is a joint initiative of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE), Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE).

With an overarching aim to advance the global MICE industry, the GMC provides a convenient single solution for education and training to accelerate workforce development and destination capabilities within the business events industry worldwide.

First launched in 2018, the GMC delivered educational content in Shenzhen (China) and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) before the global pandemic imposed a mandatory pause in its activities.

The GMC is relaunching with a keynote on Business & Event Trends for MICE Professionals at The Meetings Show Asia Pacific, which will be held from 17-18 April 2024 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

This will be followed by MICE Fundamentals: Conference, Exhibition & Incentive Events, a one-day course available in-person in Germany on Monday, 13 May 2024, the day before IMEX Frankfurt commences; This course will also be available at future industry events, which will be announced in later communications.

Commenting on the relaunch, IAEE President and CEO Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed., CEM, said: “The Global MICE Collaborative brings three of the industry’s best-known associations — IAEE, MPI and SITE — together to provide the global community of business event professionals with a ‘best of’ collaboration, initially focused on education. MPI brings networking, thought leadership and education for meetings; SITE for incentives; and IAEE for conventions and exhibitions. We bring indispensable connections to our combined communities of over 110,000 MICE professionals located all over the world.”

Paul Van Deventer, President and CEO of MPI, added that the business events industry has seen significant change in workforce composition, with new hires making up over 60% of industry professionals.

“This brings forth a significant opportunity for new, fresh thinking, yet also demonstrates the need for skill development; Our MICE Fundamentals course provides the perfect pan-industry immersion for those new individuals entering this amazing industry.” He said.

SITE CEO Annette Gregg, CMM, MBA, concluded: “As more regions, countries and cities around the globe recognise the hard dollar and soft power contribution of MICE, the demand for professionally trained business events executives is increasing. IAEE, MPI and SITE look forward to expanding the scope of the Collaborative and to serving an industry that currently makes a US$1.6 trillion contribution to global GDP.”