MICE Conference Proposal: London Venue, Budget, and Marketing Plan

This report presents a detailed proposal for a conference organized for the World Association of Travel Agencies, focusing on corporate social responsibility. The report outlines the selection of London as the destination and the Hilton Hotel as the venue, justified by budget considerations and luxury standards. It includes recommendations for venue costs, catering, accommodation, IT/AV support, and additional activities, alongside a proposed budget. A marketing plan, tentative event schedule, and internal and external factor analyses are provided. The report also suggests recommendations for the contemporary aims of the conference and reviews relevant literature on the challenges faced by the MICE sector. The report also includes details about the event name, date and time, event venues, event details and purpose of the event and promotion of the event.

MEETING, INCENTIVES,
CONFERENCE &
EXHIBITION
ASSESSMENT QUESTION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
INDICATIVE CONTENT...............................................................................................................1
Destination and venue ideal to host the conference.....................................................................1
Recommendations Including Costing..........................................................................................2
Proposed Budget..........................................................................................................................3
Marketing Plan.............................................................................................................................5
Tentative schedule for the conference events..............................................................................6
Internal and external analysis of the conference..........................................................................6
Recommendations for the contemporary aims of the conference................................................8
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Conference refers to the meeting of people for the purpose of discussion on some specific
topics. It is done to gain knowledge or to find out the solutions of the issues related to the topics
(Kar and Kar, 2018).
There is a freelance professional conference organizer who is going to organize a
conference for the World Association of Travel Agencies for the purpose of letting know more
about the corporate social responsibility of all travel agencies.
Present report will highlight the proposal document of the conference in which ideal of
venue & destination, costing aspects of various elements, proposed budget for the hosting of the
conference, marketing plan, tentative schedule for the event and analysis of internal and external
factors of the conference. It will also recommend the fulfilment of contemporary aims of the
conference. It will also review the literature on the issues of contemporary issues which is being
face by the MICE sector.
INDICATIVE CONTENT
Destination and venue ideal to host the conference
Conference organiser who is a freelance professional conference organiser is organizing a
conference for the World Association of Travel Agencies in Hotel Hilton at London. The
destination and venue is considered to be most important key aspect for the hosting of
conference which need to be considered. London as Destination and Hilton Hotel as venue are
decided on the basis of budget and type of event organized by the conference organiser.
London and Hilton Hotel is considered to be ideal for the hosting conference because
there are various reasons which are as follows -
Hilton hotel is perfect venue for the guests who are government representatives, key
stakeholders and leading famous figures who loves to live in luxury. Hilton hotel's luxury
standards are good. Also, there are enough rooms for the guests to stay in the hotel. Also, from
the airports to hotel, the transportation facilities are good. Also, the distance between hotel and
airport is short which helps guests to face any difficulties to reach the venue. For the local guests,
the parking area is enough for them to park their vehicles. The budget for the food, transportation
and events are under the determined budget, because the determination of the venue should be
under the budget so that event can be organizing without spending extra money. Also, the space
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of conference hall is enough big to organized the event and also it is perfect for the 250 guests as
well (Vakil and et.al, 2016).
London is considered to be perfect destination for the organizing the event for the World
Association of Travel Agencies. The facilities which is needed for the visiting the London are
available for 24*7. Also, London has its own diversity, creativity and reinvention which make
guests excited about coming to London. Also, from the heritage and technology point of view,
London is considered to be the best city for the organizing event for the tourism and travel
agencies. Also, London is considered to be centre for the international business and provides
opportunities to build the network and connections with the various business which is benefits
for the company.
Recommendations Including Costing
VENUE
For the event organiser, it is considered to be most costly and important factor.
Conference organiser must be take care of the cost of the venue which include room rental,
security expenses, parking cost, insurance coverage and entertainment expenses. The organiser
should focus on the facilities of the venue because the guests are public figures and love luxuries.
Thus, organizer should focus on the venue size and venue facilities (Gunawan and et.al., 2016).
CATERING
For the catering, organizer should considered the cost of meals, beverages, bartender's
salary and food tax etc. Organizer can ask and try to know about the background of the guests
and ask them through various social media platforms about their food preferences and
accordingly arrange the food for the guests. This will make guests happy.
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS TRANSPORT
Organizer doesn't include the accommodation, trnaport and flights costing in their budget.
They can take extra additional money i.e. £150 from each 250 delegate and provide them
luxuries facilities regarding accommodation and transportation. They also can book their flights
so that guests don't have to face any kind of problems regarding flights.
IT/AV SUPPORT
In this aspect, organizer should take care of the following elements' costs such as
microphones, screens & projectors, internet access, wireless equipments for the guests and other
specialized equipments etc. The screen size should be depend upon the size of the conference
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hall so that guests can sit comfortable and they can easily see towards screens for the purpose of
attending the event. The wireless equipment should be user-friendly and operate smoothly
without any restrictions (Linne and et.al., 2018).
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES SUPPORTING LEISURE PROGRAMS
In this section of event, the cost related to the indoor games, inviting musicians or dj for
the event, speakers, contract riders and various local travel agencies for the travelling of the
guests in London etc. are considered. For the entertainment of guests, organizer can contract with
hotels to provides various entertainment and gaming facilities in the hotel at discounts. This will
attract customers and strengthen the relationship of organizer and hotel which is beneficial for
both the parties.
Proposed Budget
Budget is necessary for the event organizer. According to the budget, they make plans
and provide facilities for the event. Also, with the help of budget, event organizer allot the
money at the right aspects of the event without wasting their money and making any kinds of the
mistakes (Madden, 2016).
A proposed budget prepared by the Freelance professional conference organizer for the
world association of travel agencies' conference.
A PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE CONFERENCES
TRANSACTIONS EXPENSES
VENUE COSTS
Hall rent £4,500.00
Hall equipment rent £2,000.00
Parking rent £3,500.00
Subtotal (A) £10,000.00
RENTAL NEEDS COSTS
Carpeting £2,200.00
Props £2,300.00
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Chair and Tables £3,500.00
Subtotal (B) £8,000.00
CATERING COST
Beverages £4,000.00
Meals £9,000.00
Gratuities £2,000.00
Subtotal (C) £15,000.00
AUDIO-VISUAL, ENTERTAINMENT
AND DECORATION COST
Microphones £6,500.00
Screens and projectors £2,500.00
Equipment and internet access £4,000.00
Subtotal (D) £13,000.00
STAFFING COST
Bartender £3,500.00
Chefs £3,500.00
Cleaning Staffs £1,500.00
Subtotal (E) £8,500.00
MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES
Insurance Coverage £1,500.00
Printing and Specialties Expenses £1,000.00
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Other Expenses £2,500.00
Subtotal (F) £5,000.00
ANOTHER EVENT COST
Decorations £1,000.00
Security related expenses £2,000.00
Subtotal (G) £3,000.00
TOTAL COST (A+B+CV+D+E+F+G) £62,500.00
ADDITIONAL BUDGET FOR THE TRANSPORTATION AND ACCOMMODATION
TRANSACTIONS EXPENSES
Transportation Costs £7,500.00
Accommodation Costs £30,000.00
Total Costs (150*250) £37,500.00
Additional budget is an optional budget for the organizer as it is provided on the basis of
choice of the guests. On the requests of guests, transportation and accommodation facilities are
provided to them at above mention cost.
Marketing Plan
Let guest to know about the venue, destination and event, Conference organizer need to
prepare a marketing plan which are as follows -
EVENT NAME : 2019 WORLD TRAVEL AGENCIES GLOBAL CONFERENCE
EVENT DATE AND TIME : 20th May to 22nd May 2019, 12:30 am to 4:30 pm
EVENT VENUES : Conference Hall of Hilton Hotel, London
EVENT DETAILS : This conference is held for the world association of travel agencies in
which 250 guests are coming to attend the conference. These guests are
international audience consists of government representatives,
stakeholders and public figures who promote tourism and travel agencies.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT AND PURPOSE OF THE EVENT
The event is held on 20th may 2019 and end on 22nd may 2019 in operating at Hilton
Hotel by Conference organiser who is a freelance professional conference organiser. The guests
of events are high profile public figures and government representatives (Xiangfeng and et.al.,
2017).
The event is held for various reasons. These reasons are as follows -
 To highlight the CRM challenges face by all the travel agencies in whole world.
 To promote the travel and tourism industry's CRM strategies at global level.
BUDGET OF THE EVENT
TRANSACTIONS EXPENSES
Venue Cost £10,000.00
Rental Needs Costs £8,000.00
Catering Cost £15,000.00
Audio-Visual, Entertainment And Decoration
Cost
£13,000.00
Staffing Cost £8,500.00
Miscellaneous Expenses £5,000.00
Another Event Cost £3,000.00
TOTAL COST £62,500.00
PROMOTION OF THE EVENT
Promotion of the event can be done through various marketing strategies. These
marketing strategies are as follows -
E-mail marketing
E-mail marketing is the marketing in which event organizer and host of the event will
send email regarding travel agencies conferences to the target guests.
Message marketing
In Messaging marketing, event organizer and host will send message to the target guests
regarding the conference.
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Mobile call marketing
In this marketing event organizer and host will call their assistant and tell them about the
conferences which is held for the world travel agencies (Vladar, 2017).
Digital marketing
In this marketing, event organizer and host will promote about the event on various
digital platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with hashtag, tags and
advertising etc.
Tentative schedule for the conference events
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF CONFERENCE
DATE TIMING ACTIVITY
From 5th May to 10th May 9 am to 8 pm Registration Open
20th May 2019 12:30 am to 4:30 pm Networking Event
21st May 2019 12:30 am to 4:30 pm Conference on CRM and
Leisure Activity
22nd May 2019 7 pm to 11 pm Formal Dinner along with
Entertainment Activity
Internal and external analysis of the conference
There are various factors which can impact the conference on the host destination. These
factors are as follows -
INTERNAL FACTORS
Internal factors are those factors which can be controlled by the event organizer.
Improper control or lack of attention on these factors can badly impact the event. Impact of
these factors can be reduce. These factors are as follows -
Due to non availability of hotel room, delegates might has to face issues regarding
accommodation facilities which can spoil their mood excitement. This can also impact the event
because delegates may reach late the event which spoil the whole schedule of the event.
Due to lack of resources, event can't organize proper and the overall costs of the event
can be exceed from the expected budget which lead company to face loss and loss of customers
base and satisfaction (Murphy, 2018).
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Suddenly electricity goes off and generators of the hotel is not working. This also
negatively impact the conference. Guests' time, patients and satisfaction will be wastes. Also,
organizers' money, efforts and resources will be waste. Overall the event will be spoil.
If in hotel, the required of staffs are not available. This will impact the operations of the
events and the events become useful less for the guests as they were not comfortable and are not
happy with the self-services systems as the guests are high profile people.
Not proper arrangement of the parking can also impact the guests' comfortability and they
can be getting irritate by improper parking management which lead them not to focus on the
event properly.
EXTERNAL FACTORS
External factors are those factors which cannot be controlled by the event organizer.
Impact of these factors can not be reduces. These factors are as follows -
Due to whether change in the London can impact the conference. For example – if
conference are held in an open area and suddenly there is raining, this would impact the whole
event as well as the guests too. Also, due to change in whether impact the transportation and
timing of flights which lead guests to reach at the conference venue late (Minard and et.al.,
2016).
Due to some legal issues face by Hotel can also impact the event. For example – Suppose
Hilton hotel is facing some kind of legal issues regarding employees. At the time of event
planning with hotel, Manager of the hotel didn't tell about this to the organizer and later at the
time of event or just before time, organizer get to know about the legal issues face by hotel will
impact the event as no organizer would want to face any kinds of issues in which there is no
mistake of organizer.
Organizer is planning the event for the purpose of 250 delegates. In case the delegates
may not come on the event or refuse to attend the event. This will lead event to go into wastage
as well as money, efforts and planning of the organizer and host of the event go into waste.
Recommendations for the contemporary aims of the conference
The contemporary aims of the conference are to tell delegates about the Corporate Social
Responsibilities (CRM) of travel agencies, their CRM strategies, CRM challenges and how to
overcome with the CRM challenges (Deng and Huang, 2017).
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For the fulfilment of the contemporary aims of the conference, it has been recommended
that some points should be taken into consideration. These points are as follows -
Conference organizer can invite the popular CRM researchers and speakers so that they
can come into conference and tell the delegates about the CRM, its strategies, challenges and
points to overcome with these challenges by the travel agencies. Also, organizer should invite the
big businessmen and entrepreneurs who are working in the Travel industry and has the great
experiences so that they can tell about the industry and its importance and contributions towards
global economy.
Organizer should also provide the delegates the opportunities to interact with the
speakers, businessmen and entrepreneurs regarding CRM and Travel industry in the Conference
so that delegates can understand these 2 aspects and become satisfied with the knowledge gained
in the conference. If delegates are happy and satisfy with the conference, this will fulfil the aim
of the organizer's event to conduct conference.
The speaker, businessmen and entrepreneurs can tell about the various CRM strategies
and activities such as Waste management and its strategies, usage of various sources of energy
such as Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Geothermal Energy, Hydrogen Energy, Tidal Energy, Wave
Energy, Biomass Energy & Hydroelectric Energy etc. and usage of electric vehicles etc. This
will reduce the usage of resources and emission of the carbon dioxide. This will reduce the
pollution level and clean the environment.
Organizer can also take care of the accommodation, transportation, entertainment, food
and comfortability of the delegates so that they can put their 100% in order to satisfy them with
their efforts being put into the conference. Because an event or conference only can be
considered as a successful when the guests are satisfied and happy with the event (Kar and Kar,
2018).
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Meaning of MICE sector-
According to Whitfield, (2014) MICE sector organize meeting, conference and another
events and managed via large group of many people's. Meeting, incentives, conference and
exhibitions is kind of tourism in which large teams basically planned well in advance, is brought
together. In other words MICE in term of travel is the signifier for incentives, exhibitions,
meetings and conference. MICE sector refers to specialized place of group tourism dedicated to
booking, planning, facilitating seminars and conferences and other large events, which is the best
source for money making in this sector. MICE sector will grow more and more because many
people demands for meetings such as business meetings, workers meeting and another. This
sector is one of the main driving source within tourism industry as whole. Events such as
conference, wedding, ceremony etc. demands is rising that makes MICE sector future looks
bright. However, as business grow, challenges get arise.
As discussed by Fleischmann, (2015) most element of MICE is well perhaps, understood
with exception of incentives. Incentives tourism is basically undertaken as kind of workers
reward by organization or firms for targets exceeded or met. Other sort of MICE sector,
incentives tourism is more likely conducted strictly for entertainment, more than education or
professional purposes. MICE sector organize events usually focus on topic or them and are intent
at professional, trade companies, school and another special interest group for example, theme
parks and medical facilities. In MICE sector there are many contemporary issues get arise, due to
many reason's behind it, that affect entire business structure and organization under working this
industry.
Contemporary issues within MICE sector-
Problem statement 1: Difficulties for retaining the share in progressively competitive
market is one of the biggest challenge or contemporary issue within MICE sector that make
impact on their business and another functions. This competitiveness poses problem on each
sector of MICE business. Within MICE industry many new hotels and organizations get develop,
new entrants in this sector makes difficulties for another company to retain their share. As
discussed by Sandy (2015) new entries always give tough competitions to existing organizations,
as they have the best and fresh plans or strategies to grab the attention customers. New
companies wants to increase their share more and more rather than anyone, they try hard to
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