Davao all set for MICE Conference

DAVAO CITY March 5 (PIA)- Davao City is all set for MICE Con 2013 which will be held this March 6-9 at the SMX Convention Center in SM Lanang, one of the newest shopping and convention complex in the city.

The conference which focuses on the MICE (Meetings Incentives Conventions and Exhibitions) will be the biggest convention which the city will host after the 2006 Asean Tourism Forum.

Lisette Marquez,spokesperson of Duaw Dabaw one of the city's partners in the hosting of the event said that around 500 participants are expected  to attend the conference. These include delegations from 12 countries and 30 cities and provinces across the country.

The delegates will include 100 tourism buyers who will tour the different sites around the City and the nearby localities including the Island Garden City of Samal. Among the foreign buyers include Australian, American, Thai and New Zealanders.

Marquez during an interview at Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao held last Monday (March 4) said that she is confident that the event will run smoothly considering the preparations made by the local government and its partners.

The event is a culmination of extensive preparations spearheaded by the City Government under City Mayor Sara Duterte which created the Davao City Host Organizing Committee composed of local government representatives and private sector partners.  The committee is responsible in covering all areas related to the City's hosting of the conference.

The highlights of the conference are talks touching different topics involving MICE.  Among these include: Imagining the Future of Travel, The Future of Meetings in Asia Pacific, What MICE planners Want, Preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015, Leaders’ Forecast and Rise of Asian Brands.

The theme of this year's MICE Conference “iMICE2013. iGNITE. iNNOVATE. iNSPIRE. iNFUSE,” will also feature other activities such as  MICE Marketplace, an industry showcase of various products and services and MICE Mart a business-to-business event for local sellers and international buyers. (PIA/RG Alama)