Bleisure: A Quantitative Study on Destination as a Factor in Attending MICE Events

Abstract

With the growing number of MICE events being conducted and the increasing competition for attendees, it is crucial to understand the shifting needs and wants of these MICE attendees. It is also significant to consider the growing trends and their effects on the travel decision of these business event attendees. One of these trends is ‘bleisure”. Bleisure is the act of mixing business travel with leisure or vacation time. With the rise of bleisure, this research aimed to study if a destination is a significant consideration for attendance to a MICE event. Moreover, this research answered the question of what are the other factors that would most affect the attendee’s decision to come to the event. The study employed the quantitative research method and conducted an online survey with business people who have attended MICE events as respondents. The 67 respondents were from the Shang Properties, BDO, Pru Life UK, Cathay Pacific, Yusen Logistics, Philippine Nurses Association, Globe Telecom, and the Philippine Dental Association among others. The positions of the respondents range from CEOs to presidents, vice-presidents, directors, associates, and association members. The study revealed that 95% of the respondents agree that a destination affects their desire to attend an event. Results also showed that 100% of the respondents would search the internet about the features of the host destination and the possible activities while 85% of them would extend their stay for leisure activities. The results also showed that the primary factor that affects an attendee’s decision to come to an event is the Speaker, followed by the destination, the cost/budget, and their schedule. The data collected from this study suggests that a destination is a significant factor in attending MICE or business events but it is only secondary to the Speakers of the event. Perhaps if given a longer time frame and additional resources, the researchers can conduct another survey when there are actual conferences, conventions or expos ongoing so that the acquired data covers a larger scale and the survey reaches the targeted respondents from actual MICE events which would make the results more relevant. We also recommend that further research be conducted to ascertain what are the factors that make a destination attractive to the MICE market. Based on this current study, we recommend to MICE organizers to plan events that would align with the desires of bleisure travellers and to the factors that influence their decision-making to come to an event. It is highly recommended that event organizers also arrange tours in the host destination as an added incentive to attend the event for them to gain more attendees and to stay competitive in the market.