Dear Reader,

India holds enormous potential for the MICE industry. Although, India’s MICE industry is still very much in its growth stage, we are witnessing the development of new destinations within the country. Tier II cities are also developing very quickly, taking away pieces of the MICE business from metro cities such as Mumbai and Delhi. New hotels opening with MICE facilities are also supporting this growth. India is also showing an increase in outbound business. New long-haul destinations like Brazil, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and the US are attracting a lot of interest. Europe and the Middle East are welcoming MICE groups from India. Earlier, Canada was synonymous only with Toronto and Vancouver. People now want to go to Alberta and Alaska as well. Brazil, mainly São Paulo, has begun to attract MICE movement from India. It has state-of-the-art convention facilities, modern hotels, cuisine to suit Indian taste buds and a lot of exciting activities for incentive movements and to complement a tough day of business meetings and seminars. Historical destinations hold a new fascination for MICE groups. Jerusalem, which used to cater to high profile presidential meets has now opened its doors to MICE. Athens is another such city with cultural attractions, natural beauty and modern amenities that go hand in hand to make it a perfect MICE destination. We recognise that group movements are a challenging business. To support the organisers we bring to you our conversation with industry experts on hassle-free group check-ins. We also spoke to many national tourism offices to gather what their governments are doing to attract MICE to their countries. And, make your life easy while you travel - with must-carry apps for your trendy smartphones. Stay with it! Read all this and more in this edition of MICEtalk.