Global MICE Collaborative makes a comeback

Leading event associations have re-introduced a key initiative amid a new landscape with “significant opportunity” for “fresh thinking”.

The Global MICE Collaborative (GMC) – launched in 2018 – previously had to pause operations indefinitely due to the pandemic.

It has now made a comeback with a range of educational and training events for meeting professionals. Read more about it below.

Here are the full headlines of this week’s event news updates:

• Leading associations re-launch Global MICE Collaborative
• BSI unveils updated event sustainability standards
• MPI enters three-year partnership to improve event production quality

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Leading associations re-launch Global MICE Collaborative

The IAEE, MPI and SITE have relaunched the Global MICE Collaborative after a lengthy hiatus due to the global pandemic.

GMC will move forward with a keynote on Business & Event Trends at the Meetings Show in Singapore between Wednesday and Thursday.

Additionally, the MICE Fundamentals course will be held in person in Germany on May 13 – right before IMEX Frankfurt – with future event dates to be announced.

The Global MICE Collaborative is relaunching with exciting educational courses for the MICE industry worldwide. Don't miss the keynote on Business & Event Trends at The Meetings Show, Singapore, followed by the MICE Fundamentals course in Germany. Stay tuned for more updates! pic.twitter.com/zs1LYCQz3R

— IAEE Headquarters (@IAEE_HQ) April 9, 2024

The scheme was first launched in 2018 to offer a unified solution for education and training to expedite workforce growth and enhance global business event destinations.

Paul Van Deventer, CEO of MPI, said: “Over the past three years the business events industry has seen significant change in workforce composition.

“Some reports show that upwards of 60% of industry professionals are new and the average age has declined by nearly 10 years.

“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.

“It also provides the perfect primer for the more specialized certification programs that each of our individual associations offer – IAEE’s Certified in Exhibition Management Learning Program, MPI’s Certificate in Meeting Management and SITE’s Certified Incentive Specialist and Certified Incentive Travel Professional.”

Marsha Flanagan, CEO or IAEE, added: “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 events’ 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.”

SITE CEO Annette Gregg said: “As more and more regions, countries and cities around the globe recognize the hard dollar and soft power contribution of MICE, the demand for professionally trained business events executives is increasing.

“That’s why the leading associations in the industry have joined forces to develop the best MICE workforce in established and emerging markets worldwide.

“IAEE, MPI and SITE look forward to expanding the scope of our collaborative and to serving an industry that currently makes a USD $1.6 trillion contribution to global GDP.”

BSI unveils updated event sustainability standards

The British Standards Institution has updated its guide to make events more sustainable.

Latest revisions aim to help organisers reduce environmental impact, improve social responsibility and consider ethical sourcing throughout the supply chain.

BSI introduced the initial framework in 2012 before the London Olympics and Paralympics in a bid to boost integration of sustainability across all event management aspects and supply chains.

For sustainability in events management you need BS ISO 20121:2024. This revised international standard drives you to create a working culture that considers sustainability at every decision point.
Learn more: https://t.co/bcXexUHaIb#BSISO20121 #SustainableEvents #BSIStandards pic.twitter.com/aMxHPHsNWG

— BSI UK (@BSI_UK) April 5, 2024

Anne Hayes, director of sectors at BSI, said: “We are at a decisive moment for the world’s sustainability journey. Partnering across society to respond is crucial.

“The events industry has a significant role to play in a number of key areas across climate change, social impact and supply chain.

“Since its launch more than a decade ago, this guidance has helped embed meaningful change in how events of all shapes and sizes are delivered.

“The latest revisions take into account industry feedback and change to drive greater levels of ambition and embed more advanced measures, in order to accelerate progress towards a fair society and a sustainable world.”

The changes introduced aim to address challenges such as climate change, supply chains as well as human and child rights in the events sector.

Some of the changes to standards include:

• Focus on sustainable supply chain practices.
• Assess climate change impacts in organisational context.
• Extended list of issues identified and evaluated, such as human and child rights and social impacts.
• Include more stakeholders like partners and sponsors for engagement.
• Commit to reporting successes, lessons and potential legacies.

The update also covers hybrid and virtual events, aligning with global sustainability goals like the UN’s and the Paris Agreement.

This ensures the standard remains relevant to today’s event industry demands.

MPI enters three-year partnership to improve event production quality

MPI has signed a new partnership to revamp production quality for its major events.

The organisation teamed up with Foster+Fathom and Grit Productions & Expositions for the next three years to focus on creating innovative experiences for Global Meetings Industry Day, Chapter Leadership Summit, and MPItv.

This collaboration extends to December 2026 and merges the capabilities of the two industry leaders with the aim of enhancing event solutions through top-tier technology and creativity, raising the bar for MPI’s event production.

Drew Holmgreen, MPI chief brand officer, said: “MPI consistently seeks to align itself with partners who up our game, bringing creative and innovative solutions to our stellar portfolio.

“With Grit and Foster+Fathom now serving as long-term partners for CLS, GMID and MPItv, we are excited to explore how each of these individual offerings will continue to grow and meet our community’s needs.”

Grit managing partner Kelly Massey said: “We’ve been privileged to work with MPI on both GMID and CLS for the past several years, producing both events from the Grit Studio, and we look forward to extending that collaboration to the redesign and broadcast of MPItv.”

Foster+Fathom managing partner Steven G. Foster added: “This partnership represents what our industry is all about, passionate, creative meeting and event professionals joining forces to deliver transformative experiences and unlock endless engagement opportunities.”

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