Integrated quality management for mice destinations

Quality is one of the key factors and determinants for destination competitiveness
and is considered a decisive competitive instrument vital for the success
of a destination. Destinations that are successful in meetings, incentives, conferences
and events/exhibitions (MICE) industry understand the synergies of
leisure tourism and business events, as well as their strong differences, especially
having in mind how to market the product. MICE differs from leisure tourism
in several aspects – motive and purpose of visit, decision making process,
travel funding, period of traveling, supply stakeholders and requires a distinct
strategy for attracting meetings. Destination quality must be considered as one
of the priority performance parameters in the long-term vision and tourism
policy at the national level. Quality in the meetings industry can be achieved
through commitment of all stakeholders and joint activities directed towards
“customer satisfaction”. A convention bureau is a type of a destination management
organization focused on managing meetings industry stakeholders in
order to increase the volume of meetings at a destination. An important task
of the convention bureau is to implement certain integrated quality management
steps in order to have the standardized offer of the entire destination
in the eyes of international clients. These steps include the activities such as
developing partnership agreements with industry stakeholders, standardizing
level of services and increasing the awareness of convention bureau activities
to the public. This convention bureau enables it to raise the chance for the
international client to choose a destination for some future event. Methodology
is based on the case study analysis of the Serbia Convention Bureau that
is implementing certain IQM steps in its operational and strategic activities.