HRRAC spearheads convention for MICE

CEBU, Philippines - Sustaining Cebu’s edge as the preferred MICE (Meetings, Incentive, Conventions and Exhibitions) destination, the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association (HRRAC) is spearheading a convention that will attract at least 300 delegates.

Themed as “Share.youConnect, weChange!,” HRRAC led by Marco Polo Plaza Hotel Cebu general manager Hans Hauri, is working closely with the Business Development Unit of the Tourism Promotion Board and the Department of Tourism.

HRRAC announced that official venues for major activities on the upcoming event include; Cebu International Convention Center, Imperial Palace, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Radisson Blue and Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa.

Milagros Espina, the event’s spoke-person said that the MICE has a well balanced four-day conference program, where in delegates from foreign and local buyers and suppliers exchange mutual interests and information on products and destinations or the “MICE Smart” category.

 “To make it different from other conventions, MICE offers all themed dinner and lunch meals, incentivized forums, to include souvenirs, collaterals and added cultural entertainment as well as the chance to be in Cebu’s leading resorts and hotels,” Espina said.

She added that renowned local, national speakers will tackle topics on long-term MICE programs, meeting technologies in troubled times, the Zebra marketing principle, incentive travel and meetings De Luxe, TBA on Association Management, turning blueprints into “Greenprints”, stepping forward without footprints, new medial marketing, and social content strategy, among others.

To be held on August 10 to 13, the event aims at developing further the MICE market, as it considered as an emerging market for tourism sector.

In an earlier interview with Hauri, he said that aside from other programs to push Cebu to other markets, HRRAC is also aiming at attracting greater number of visitors to Cebu, not just plain leisure, vacation, but also for big conventions, and the huge MICE market.

He said the emerging convention locations such as Cam Sur, Subic, Clark, Baguio, among others has given the local and international MICE market alternative to consider new convention destination, other than Cebu, Manila and Davao.

These developments, has threatened the attractiveness of Cebu, thus affecting the level of occupancy rate especially for City hotels, Hauri said. (FREEMAN)