This document discusses planning requirements for MICE events. It identifies stakeholders like client companies, conference organizers, and suppliers who all require information for planning. Conference organizers must identify tasks, timeframes, and responsibilities to coordinate stakeholders and ensure objectives are met. The document also discusses types of plans like strategic, operational, and project plans. It describes the project life cycle of MICE events which involves bidding, planning, managing the event, and post-event evaluation. Effective planning is necessary to coordinate all involved parties and deliver a successful MICE event.

1. Chapter 6
Planning for
MICE Events
E-mail: tpavit@hotmail.com
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2. Objectives
1. Identify and define the planning requirements of the
stakeholders of a convention or meeting
2. Identify the stages and factors that need to be
considered in the planning of a convention or meeting
3. Review project planning techniques and explore their
application in planning, organising and scheduling a
convention or meeting
4. Explore the components of the convention or meeting
plan
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3. Outline
1. The Planning Requirements of the Stakeholders
2. What is Planning and Why Plan?
3. Three types / levels of plans
4. Characteristics of project planning
5. The project life cycle
6. Planning the event
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4. Introduction
• This chapter outlines and discusses the concept of
planning and the planning requirements for the
successful management and operation of a
convention and meeting.
• It reviews the planning needs and identifies the use
of project planning techniques as appropriate to
ensure the satisfactory delivery of the event.
• Pre event planning is examined together with a
discussion of factors to be considered in the
planning of the conference program, the printed
materials and the conference registration process.
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5. Planning
• Planning is the process by which the manager or
organizer looks towards the event to discover what
various courses of action are available to arrange it,
and which course of action would be the best.
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6. Planning for MICE event
• So what are the ingredients for a successful
convention or meeting?
• Obviously, they would include the identification of an
appropriate venue and accommodation facilities,
clarification of the catering requirements and the design
and distribution of delegates invitations, along with other,
smaller administrative and technical items.
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7. Planning for MICE event
• However, in order to ensure
ultimate and complete
customer satisfaction, the
total event needs to be
planned and coordinated in
the most effective and
efficient manner within the
given time frame.
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8. The Planning Requirements
of the Stakeholders
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9. The Planning Requirements of the Stakeholders
• To ensure a successful convention or meeting a
number of different stakeholders are involved:
1. Client Company
2. Conference organizer
3. Various service suppliers (e.g. Venue & A/V)
• They all require the same type of information for
the planning of a MICE event, but will focus on
different aspects. For example:
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10. The Planning Requirements of the Stakeholders
1.1 The Client company
• makes the decision to hold
a convention or meeting
• Set the objectives for the
event w/ PCO
• Identifies the potential
participants
• Set the dates and
establishes the budget.
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11. The Planning Requirements of the Stakeholders
1.2 The Conference Organizers
• Establishes the objectives of the event with the client
company.
• CFM which key personnel from the client organization
will be involved in the event.
• Identify the site and venue.
• Lead and Coordinate all the various facets of the event
• Establishing the program.
• Establishing Pre and Post- Conference tours.
• Brief and work with other suppliers such as florists, A/V,
Transport company.
• Manage the budget for the client company.
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12. The Planning Requirements of the Stakeholders
1.3 Venue
• Liaises with the conference organizer
• Identifies the number of delegates
• Agrees the date for receipt of final
numbers
• Establishes the requirements for
accommodation and facilities, including
meeting rooms, Food and beverage
services
• Required timing of the program for
staffing the event
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13. The Planning Requirements of the Stakeholders
1.4 Suppliers
• Obtain a brief of the event
from the conference
organizer
• Establish the requirement
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14. The Planning Requirements of the Stakeholders
• Planning and the use of planning techniques are
essential if the conference organizers is to ensure
the satisfactory coordination of all the stakeholders
and suppliers and:
1. identify the tasks to be undertaken
2. establish the appropriate time frames
3. source who is to undertake each task, by when
task,
and to what standard
4. coordinate all activities
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15. What is Planning
and Why Plan?
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16. What is planning & why planning?
What is Planning?
• Planning involves deciding what needs to be done,
by whom and by when.
• It is “the systematic arrangement of tasks to
accomplish an objective”
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17. What is planning & why planning?
Why Planning?
1. Planning provides direction enabling to identify
direction;
where we are going and how to get there.
2. Planning draws attention to the stages on the ways
(how far we have accomplished objectives), identifies
and clarifies sidetracks that may be necessary
3. A plan helps to set and establish priorities that can
assist in the scheduling of activities.
4. The plan becomes a benchmark against which the
actual progress towards the final objective can be
compared.
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18. What is planning & why planning?
• It takes a great deal of time,
care and patience to plan,
manage and organize a MICE
event - even the smallest
event cannot be conjured up
overnight
• Some events might be
annually organized, for
instance, however when one
year finishes the planning for
next year’s event begins
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19. Types of Plans
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20. Three types or levels of plans
1. Strategic plan
• identifies the importance of planning and goal setting as
tools for determining where a company wants to go and
how it wants to get there
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21. Three types or levels of plans
2. Operational plan
plan
• focuses on planning & maintaining the work flows that
make up the operational system of a business.
• It would verify how the financial resources, human
resources, materials and so on are to be monitored to
ensure the most effective completion of the tasks.
• A map of how to get there
• A mechanism for setting standards
• Clarification of what is to be done and how it is to be done
• Identification of the work areas and the priorities of the org
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22. Three types or levels of plans
3. Project or functional plan
• involves a sequence of choices or decisions that either
commit or utilize resources over a period of time.
• To achieve successful in undertaking a project, it is
important to prepare a plan.
• It has a clearly defined objective stated in terms of
scope, schedule and cost
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23. Three types or levels of plans
3. Project or functional plan (Cont.)
• Generally involves PCOs, AV suppliers, venues,
accommodations, airlines, state tourism offices, etc. as
to ensure that each project or functional plan would be
successful
• In particular, event that are managed by conference
organizers fall into the definition of a PROJECT
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24. 3. Three types / levels of plans
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25. project
The project life cycle
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26. The project life cycle
1. Putting together the bid or proposal
for the convention or meeting
2. Winning the bid
3. Pre-event planning and organization
4. Managing and organizing the actual
convention or meeting
5. Post-event evaluation and review
planning
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27. The project life cycle
• All projects or functions to be organized by PCOs or event
planners, they all have these four stages:
Stage 1: project conception or feasibility study
the need for a project is identified
Stage 2: project planning or design
a possible solution is developed
Stage 3: project implementation or execution
the project is carried out
Stage 4: project termination and evaluation
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28. Planning the events
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29. Planning the events
1. Pre-event planning
2. Planning the program
3. The convention or meeting blueprint
4. Planning the printed materials
5. Planning the registration process
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30. 1. Pre-event planning
• The MICE project team needs to review whether the event
design is both Viable and Feasible.
• In proposal and bid document, PCO will have identified the:
• Type
• Purpose and Objectives
• Theme
• Number of Day requirements
• Potential delegates & Travel Requirement
• Estimate overall budget
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31. 1. Pre-event planning
1.1 Task identification
There are several issues need to be considers for
example;
1. inspection and selection of the site and venue
2. food & beverage; quality, service, menu, price, style,
etc.
3. transportation; venue accessibility
4. entertainment and pizzazz to support the theme
5. budget, legal aspects, other special requirements
6. marketing & promotion
7. miscellaneous; e.g. AV equipment, speakers, etc.
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32. 1. Pre-event planning
1.2 Organization of tasks
how these tasks in previous slice would be organized;
1. plan what to be done and how those tasks should be
done properly
2. schedule tasks to be done orderly, prioritize them
according to their critical requirements
3. allocate and control resource as already scheduled
4. control progress and costs
5. communicate - clear and precise information should
be communicated to appropriate people
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33. 1. Pre-event planning
• Popular techniques for preparing network diagrams
is GANTT charts.
• A Gantt chart is simply a bar chart that plots the
time required for each task. Focus on
• Planning
• Scheduling
• Allocating and Controlling resources
• Controlling progress and costs
• Communicating
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34. 1. Pre-event planning
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35. 2. Planning the program
2.1 Program design
How to balance the participants’ objectives and MICE
event’s overall objectives
• time for each session/activity, and an opening ceremony
• the style of MICE event, e.g. a convention of 300-400
people cannot take 15 minute for refreshments
• times for participants to overlook exhibitions, build
connection and do social activities
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36. 2. Planning the program
2.2 Pace and timing of the program consider:
1. delegate profile, the need for participants to move
out
2. travel distance to venue and style of the event
3. accompanying persons
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37. 2. Planning the program
2.3 Components of the program
1. Formal sessions
Plenary session, breakout session, opening session
2. The provision of food and beverage
(breakfast, lunch, dinner, refreshment,
reception party, ending party, etc.)
3. Exhibitions and tradeshows
4. Free time and social activity
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38. 3. The meeting blueprint
• BLUE PRINT is a development
and extension of the “Road
Map” mentioned earlier.
• Each conference organizer will
have a different format for
this document, but the
following information generally
is included:
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39. 3. The meeting blueprint
Information guiding or describing the event:
1. contents page
2. information on destination, venue, etc.
3. a detailed list of contacts at the venue
4. information on the event, e.g. meeting rooms,
registration information & procedures, etc.
5. a delegate registration list and room allocations
6. daily ‘running sheet’ or day-to-day plan of each
session or activity
7. closing information and checklist
8. evaluation information
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40. 4. Planning the printed materials
• A variety of printed materials that need to be planned
and organized prior to the actual event;
• Delegate registration • Lists of diagram of the
forms exhibitor stand
• Conference brochures • Information on sponsor
• Programs • Ticket and vouchers
• Participant name tags • Special invitation letter
• Delegate lists • Signage and so on
• Conference proceeding
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41. 5. Planning the registration process
• Conference organizers need to reflect on the
processing of potential queues from perspective of
the customer, that is the delegates. Points they
should consider include:
• Is it reasonable to expect delegates to wait
• Is the priority process for serving delegates fair?
• Do delegates feel in control of what is happening while they
are waiting?
• Is a conductive physical environment provided in which
delegates can wait?
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42. 5. Planning the registration process
• Delegate registration system can be structured as the
following:
1. Single channel and single stage
2. Single channel and multiple stage
3. Multiple channel and multiple stage
4. Parallel single channel with single or multiple stage;
this group, delegates could be divided alphabetically by
their last name, or their country/region of origin (e.g.
A-E, F-I, ... T-Z)
• Large events, registration might be organized one day to
few days or a week before the actual event starts
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43. Single channel with single stage
Registration
Desk
F F F F
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44. Single channel with multiple stages
Registration
Desk I
Registration
Desk II
Registration F F F F
Desk III
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45. Multiple channels with multiple stages
Registration Registration
Desk BI Desk AI
F F F F
Registration Registration
Desk BII Desk AII
F F F ก ก ก
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46. Parallel single channel with multiple stages
Registration
Desk I
F F F F
Registration
Desk II
F F F F
Registration
Desk III
F F F ก ก ก ก
/
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47. The Strategic event planning process
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48. The Strategic event planning process (cont.)
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49. Summary
• Efficient and effective planning is extremely important for the
success of convention or meeting.
• The role of planning and, in particular, project planning, is critical
in the planning, organization and scheduling of a MICE event.
• The key to success of planning of an event is the preparation of a
project plan that covers the various stages of the event life cycle.
• Conference organizers planning MICE event must remember the
leading time required to undertake certain activities, be methodical.
Check and recheck target, and review the plan constantly to ensure
that it is on schedule.
• They must also prepare a contingency plan case something goes
wrong – disasters do happen.
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