How is the MICE market developing in France, particularly compared with its European neighbours?
Mark Watkins - No crystal ball can tell us today how the market will develop, but a minimum of constant demand will be maintained: companies need to get together. We have no visibility on the level of demand, which has been like a rollercoaster since 2008. The other European markets are in the same situation. Companies sometimes plan a major event six months in advance, as opposed to two years a decade ago. On the other hand, working weekends are specific to France and have had an impact on MICE: there are no longer any seminars at weekends. An executive will take work home with him, but will no longer go away for a seminar at the weekend.
Halfway through 2014, are you still able to identify certain trends and refine your projections?
MR W. - The situation seems to be stagnating compared with 2013. This is neither a catastrophe nor a resurrection, but rather a 'stand-by'. We'll have a clearer picture at the end of the year, based on figures.
To what extent do you think the new behaviours adopted as a result of the crisis are irreversible?
MR W. - A bad habit is developing of entrusting the negotiation of seminars and conventions to the company's purchasing department. A buyer buys a budget. A service provider makes a major contribution to the success or failure of a service, so it's in nobody's interest to drag budgets down too far, because the service provider will inevitably make up for it in one way or another, to the detriment of the quality of the service. Last year we saw an increase in requests for quotes from an average of three service providers.
The latest Coach Omnium barometer highlighted the importance of image, with companies seeking to avoid the 'bling bling' factor...
MR W. - Crisis or no crisis, we still invite participants to mid-range or top-of-the-range hotels, but we avoid sending employees to sites that are too luxurious, too pretentious or to palaces. In fact, many five-star service providers do not include their star rating in their quotations. When a company implements a redundancy scheme, it's not for the unions to discover that management seminars have been held in a palace in the sun...
What is the impact of virtual meetings on the MICE market?
MR W. - We have been "reassured" that, although virtual meetings are on the increase with the new possibilities offered by new technologies, they are still limited to short sessions of less than two hours, and do not replace study days. Setting them up is just as tedious for the organiser as it would be for a physical meeting, because you have to find a room and a technician who are available, invite the participants and tell them what's on the agenda... The only difference is that you don't have to travel.
Where do we stand in terms of Travel Managers "taking power" over MICE, and integrating it into travel policy?
MR W. - Travel managers do indeed wish to take on these issues, but this is still a very small minority compared to the market as a whole, which is mainly made up of small companies that do not have this kind of structure, and which rely on secretaries and executive assistants. Travel policy mainly concerns individual travel, but it is estimated that six out of ten companies have introduced rules for seminars, defining the type of service provider to be preferred, a maximum budget per type of event, per day and per person, and a maximum distance. In the same way as for business travel, rules also define the class of travel according to the length of the journey.
