Speaking at a recent conference in Saudi Arabia, Stephen Carter, CEO of Informa PLC, claims he broke a fundamental rule of his profession. The U.K.-based company Informa creates live events and exhibitions, and it functions best in the background. Speaking at the International MICE Summit earlier this month in Riyadh, Carter stated, “As someone told me many years ago, and I’m breaking that advice, our job is never to go on stage in front of your clients.” “We all have a responsibility to make our partners famous.” Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions, or MICE for short, is a segment of the tourism industry that specializes in planning sizable corporate events such as conferences and trade exhibits. The business then advertises the economic boost that countries receive from the thousands of participants who attend these conferences and the related travel expenses. It convened in Saudi Arabia in December to talk about the industry’s contribution to the world economy and the country’s events.
Human rights concerns casting shadows
Business executives emphasized how the burgeoning industry offered special chances for investment and job creation on Tuesday, the last day of the International MICE Summit. Several agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed during the three-day event, which also covered sector-related topics. The Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority hosted IMS24, which was attended by six Saudi ministers. Eight Memorandums of Understanding were signed, and there were 20 speaking engagements and 19 workshops. Companies including RX Global, Messe Munich, and Clarion also announced the opening of new offices in Saudi Arabia at IMS24 in anticipation of 12 new events that will begin in 2025. The Kingdom has become a trailblazing destination for the MICE business thanks to the holding of multiple exhibitions and conferences in recent years, according to Faisal Al-Rajhi, CEO of Almatar Travel Group.
Ethical dilemmas for global organizers
The pandemic severely damaged the travel industry worldwide, and it is not anticipated to fully recover until this year. Spending on business travel is expected to reach about $1.5 trillion this year, up 11% from the previous year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time. According to Suzanne Neufang, CEO of the industry advocacy group Global Business Travel Association, who released the 2024 forecast in July, “the future of business travel looks promising with projected spending expected to continue to increase through 2028.” Carter stated that this has changed, in part because of Informa’s evolving business strategy, which now derives 50% of its income from alliances with countries, trade associations, and other organizations. Among these collaborations is Tahaluf, which, in collaboration with the Events Investment Fund and the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming, seeks to increase the number of international events held in Saudi Arabia. Over the past few years, the joint venture has started a number of initiatives in the fields of technology, HR, healthcare, and transportation. The largest tech show in the Middle East, LEAP 2024, was one of the biggest; the next exhibition is scheduled for February.
Cultural misalignment with global audiences
For decades until the early 2000s, the events industry was particularly profitable, especially for the portion of the MICE industry that catered to sales representatives from technology companies, pharmaceutical companies, and other businesses that, after surpassing their yearly sales goals, would take their top performers on trips to places like Orlando and Las Vegas. However, Attias claimed that during the Obama administration, the so-called incentives industry experienced a sharp slowdown as the government imposed new regulations on the healthcare sector, forcing pharmaceutical companies to increase their research expenditures. MICE has evolved during the last 20 years, according to Senthil Gopinath, CEO of the International Congress and Convention Associate, a nonprofit trade association. “Now it is all about experiential, creating impact, and bringing social and economic development to local societies,” as opposed to the previous emphasis on merely setting up meetings.
Lack of inclusivity in event participation
The movie theater sector is one area of the Saudi economy where this interaction between events and policy is evident. As part of the Vision 2030 reforms, the government lifted a 35-year ban on movie theaters in 2018. Trade exhibitions such as the Saudi Film Confex, which made its debut in 2023, have since emerged to support the emerging sector. In October, Oscar-winner Will Smith gave a speech at the most recent film event in Riyadh. The MICE sector is a “soft power,” contributing to the country’s endeavors to increase tourism while simultaneously advancing its identity, according to Mashary Al Khayyat, general supervisor of the Saudi Film Confex.