MICE Definition

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MICE is used to refer to a particular type of tourism in which large groups planned usually well in advance are brought together for some particular purpose. MICE tourism is a specialised area with its own trade shows and practices.

IAPCO (the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers) publishes a book called "Meetings Industry Terminology" which functions as a dictionary for the meetings industry.

These are the definitions as put out by IAPCO:

Meeting

General term indicating the coming together of a number of people in one place, to confer or carry out a particular activity. Frequency: can be on an ad hoc basis or according to a set pattern, as for instance annual general meetings, committee meetings, etc.

Incentive

Meeting event as part of a program which is offered to its participants to reward a previous performance.

Conference

Participatory meeting designed for discussion, fact-finding, problem solving and consultation. As compared with a congress, a conference is normally smaller in scale and more select in character - features which tend to facilitate the exchange of information. The term "conference" carries no special connotation as to frequency. Though not inherently limited in time, conferences are usually of limited duration with specific objectives.

Exhibition

Events at which products and services are displayed.

The "E" sometimes referring to Events and the "C" sometimes referring to Conventions.