--- title: "Growing Hotel Revenue with MICE Programs" description: "How to attract and serve group clients effectively through MICE" published: 2022-06-24T08:50:00+00:00 author: "ONDA 편집팀" category: "Insights" image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65d61b6d14fed3dabbe41276_Frame_68.jpg" canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=hotel-maecul-sangseungeul-wihan-bangan-mice-peurogeuraem locale: en --- # Growing Hotel Revenue with MICE Programs ### What an 18-Year MICE Veteran Sees in Hospitality #### 04. Growing Hotel Revenue with MICE Programs ##### Writer: Shin Seong-chul, CEO, Moment Studio ##### Editor: Lee Chae-eun, ONDA Manager In previous pieces, we covered the broader travel industry — all of which ties back to hotel branding. In an era where SNS drives consumer marketing, branding is practically everything when it comes to attracting guests. But pulling in walk-in travelers through branding is just the baseline. To seriously jump revenue, you need another lever. The most powerful one? **MICE**. _What is MICE, and why should you care?_ ### **Revenue Upside + Branding Effect** ![Elements of MICE](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407ea7c89e05bfa02e3b0_62f327e257ccf69433df709b_1.MICE.png) MICE stands for **Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition** — a service industry category focused on business tourism. Unlike leisure travel, MICE clients are organizations. That means event planners handle nearly everything: itineraries, logistics, group coordination. If your property has the right spaces and programs for seamless execution, you have a major advantage. ### **Why chase MICE?** **Simple: group clients use multiple revenue centers.** Say a 20-person company books a 2-night, 3-day retreat at a Jeju hotel. With 16 men and 4 women, they need 10 rooms × 2 nights = **20 room-nights**. Day one includes a seminar (conference room rental). Dinner is ₩35,000/head black pork BBQ. Days two and three are breakfast-only. Even in this small example, you're generating F&B and banquet revenue on top of rooms — way more than 20 individual leisure guests would spend. Now scale that to 30, 50, 100 attendees. And imagine it's midweek, when occupancy is soft. The math gets compelling fast. ![Sample agency client quote](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407ea7c89e05bfa02e39c_62f3285f78c8ba1bf854dae3_2._E1_84_80_E1_85_A7_E1_86_AB_E1_84_8C_E1_85_A5_E1_86_A8_E1_84_89_E1_85_A5.png) **MICE also builds your brand.** Why mention branding in a revenue section? Because, as always, it comes down to guest experience. MICE planners usually work within fixed budgets. They want to deliver something motivating and memorable — but most venues offer the same boilerplate setup. _If you proactively propose custom programming instead of just executing their agenda, you create differentiation. That's branding._ ### **3 Tips for Winning MICE Business** How do you actually win at MICE? Three lessons from the field: > **1. Your most important customer is the event planner** "Wait — aren't the 50 attendees more important?" Not quite. **The planner is the one most likely to return.** If they had a smooth experience, they'll rebook your property for the next event with similar requirements. If things went poorly? You've lost a repeat client — and word spreads fast in planner networks (both the good and the bad). ![Conference image](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407e97c89e05bfa02e33a_62f326bd57ccf622dade0f4e_1._E1_84_8F_E1_85_A5_E1_86_AB_E1_84_91_E1_85_A5_E1_84_85_E1_85_A5_E1_86_AB_E1_84_89_E1_85_B3_E1_84_8B_E1_85_B5_E1_84_86_E1_85_B5_E1_84_8C_E1_85_B5.jpeg) Satisfaction isn't just about nice facilities. I've seen gorgeous properties lose repeat business because service didn't cooperate. When a planner asks for help and hears "We've never done it that way" or "That's not possible here," they mentally cross you off the list. _To succeed at MICE, you need flexibility and a genuine willingness to make logistics work for the planner._ > **2. Build programs for groups** Head out to Gyeonggi-do and you'll find plenty of properties with small sports fields or futsal courts. That's better than nothing, but usually the "program" is just… playing futsal. What if you layered in actual programming? A few years ago I ran an 80-person event at a Yangpyeong property. The owner had a soccer referee license *and* recreation instructor certification — so he refereed games and emceed activities himself. He even had equipment on hand. We avoided hiring external facilitators (which cost more than you'd think: fees, assistants, gear rental). The experience was seamless and cost-effective. ![Meeting scene](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407ea7c89e05bfa02e3a4_62f3294b86b4330e30487e46_3._E1_84_86_E1_85_B5_E1_84_90_E1_85_B5_E1_86_BC_E1_84_86_E1_85_A9_E1_84_89_E1_85_B3_E1_86_B8.png) Offering group-specific programming is branding. I'm not saying you need to get a referee license — but consider stocking recreation kits, creating simple rulebooks, or partnering with local activity providers to bundle experiences. _Make it easy for non-pros to run great programs. That's your edge._ > **3. Sell to agencies** **The most important move: actively sell to MICE agencies.** Event planners work at agencies. Yet most hoteliers focus marketing energy on leisure travelers, while agency sales get overlooked. But remember tip #1: **the planner is your key client**. They live at agencies. So build a weekday-focused MICE pitch deck and hit the road. ![Conference example](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407ea7c89e05bfa02e3a0_62f329b3e81d4d089c550b3a_4._E1_84_8F_E1_85_A5_E1_86_AB_E1_84_91_E1_85_A5_E1_84_85_E1_85_A5_E1_86_AB_E1_84_89_E1_85_B3_E1_84_8B_E1_85_A8_E1_84_89_E1_85_B5.jpeg) Also: pick a lane. You can't perfectly serve corporate groups *and* leisure guests at the same time. If you go heavy on MICE, leisure travelers will complain about noise and crowds. If you prioritize leisure, corporate clients will feel constrained. _A smart rule of thumb: MICE on weekdays, leisure on weekends. Clear segmentation prevents friction._ ### **People Business = No Final Answer** These three tips aren't universal law. The point is this: hospitality isn't coding. It's not solving equations. It's people serving people. The answer lives in understanding human needs — and you have to keep searching for it. _What's your answer?_ ![Profile image](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407e9b0b3ef69313a30cd_62f214daed0402c01f12bb3b_profile_EC_8B_A0_EC_84_B1_EC_B2_A0.png) ##### 📖 Series Index [01. How Do You Define Your Property?](https://corp.onda.me/insight-content/hotel-travel-industry-01) [02. How COVID-19 Shifted Travel Trends](https://corp.onda.me/insight-content/hotel-travel-industry-02) [03. The Endemic Era: Emotional Value Over Price](https://corp.onda.me/insight-content/hotel-travel-industry-03) **04. Growing Hotel Revenue with MICE Programs**