The Global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions Sector: A New Era

The global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector has never stood still. Yet, in the past five years, change has accelerated beyond recognition. What began as a pandemic necessity—hybrid and phygital event formats—has now evolved into a permanent structural shift in how corporates, associations, and incentive planners approach engagement.

By Vartik Sethi

Technology, sustainability, inclusivity, and ROI are being recalibrated in real time, and India is playing a central role in shaping the new playbook. To understand how this transformation is unfolding, we gathered perspectives from Pooja Virmani Manohar, Founder, Dareeya; Surinder Kumar, Director, Hero Tours and Travels; and Anupama Khanna, Associate Partner, Y Not Travel. Their insights highlight how diverse markets, from Oman and Bahrain to India and the Far East, are navigating this transition.

Reimagining the Event Canvas

Traditionally, MICE revolved around location and logistics. Delegates gathered in a set venue, and the value was derived from who was in the room. Today, as Pooja noted, the axis has shifted, “Corporates no longer choose between physical or virtual, they blend the two for reach, flexibility, and impact. MICE is no longer just about logistics; it is about experience design across parallel worlds.”

In Oman, CEO summits are now staged against dramatic natural backdrops like wadis, with remote participants joining via immersive VR. In Bahrain, holographic networking and live-streamed entertainment are integrated into physical conferences, ensuring that their impact is not confined to the ballroom. This is not just an evolution in format—it is a redefinition of what togetherness means.

Anupama Khanna echoed this shift: “Hybrid has changed the very definition of togetherness. Someone across the world can be part of a wedding or incentive trip virtually, while those present physically enjoy enhanced digital engagement.” The emotional takeaway is clear: hybrid is no longer about compromise but about expansion.

Technology as an Amplifier, not a Distraction

One misconception that plagued early hybrid events was technology overload—the sense that gadgets and platforms overshadowed human connection. But the sector has matured.

As Anupama reminded us, often, simplicity drives engagement. Live polls, Q&A tools, AI-powered event apps, and virtual walkthroughs for destination planning are becoming mainstream. These may not sound futuristic, but they bridge gaps and democratise participation.

Pooja highlighted, “The key is not tech for tech’s sake, but tech as a cultural amplifier.” Her examples underline this evolution:

• AR/VR exhibitions in Bahrain, allowing remote attendees to ‘walk’ through product launches.
• Plug-and-play broadcast studios at venues like the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, ensuring seamless virtual participation.

Surinder offered a more pragmatic view from the inbound tourism side. For him, social platforms have become the primary driver of both hybrid engagement and physical conversions. During COVID-19 restrictions, his team used digital platforms to keep Buddhist pilgrimage circuits alive virtually, a stark reminder that for specific sectors, basic connectivity tools remain the most effective.

Is Hybrid Here to Stay?

Across the board, our respondents agreed: hybrid is not transitional. It is now part of the DNA of events. The divergence lies in how permanent formats will look.

Surinder, while acknowledging the hybrid’s permanence, stressed that the physical experience will remain irreplaceable for inbound cultural tourism. For Pooja, the next evolution is ‘experience hybrids,’ where physical and digital merge in more fluid and imaginative ways. For Anupama, hybrid is already a standard expectation that offers flexibility and inclusivity.

For corporates, it functions as both a risk hedge against pandemics, geopolitics, and travel budgets and a reach multiplier, amplifying influence across geographies. That combination makes it too valuable to be seen as temporary.

Driving Sustainability and Inclusivity

The MICE industry has often been criticised for its carbon footprint, particularly due to long-haul delegate flights and large-scale production. Hybrid offers a corrective. By reducing unnecessary travel and creating opportunities for localised events with global digital reach, the sector is taking meaningful steps toward sustainability.

Anupama emphasised that hybrid models enable a larger, more frequent audience to engage online, reducing environmental impact. Pooja highlighted the gains in inclusivity in Oman and Bahrain, noting that younger voices, women leaders, and differently-abled people who may not have been able to travel are now part of the conversation. Hybrid is, in her words, “Not just a format; it is an equaliser.”

Globally, access and inclusivity remain key challenges in the events ecosystem. Hybrid formats provide a scalable solution to bridge geographic and socio-economic divides.

The AI Horizon

When asked about the single most significant innovation shaping the next five years, all three respondents converged on one word: AI.

Surinder predicted AI would change the entire course of the MICE industry, though he warned of potential disruptions to margins. Pooja envisioned AI-driven hyper-personalisation, where event apps curate delegate journeys, match participants, and tailor cultural layers to individual profiles. Anupama struck a more humanistic note: while AI and immersive tech will be powerful, the real innovation will be how these tools are used to make people feel more connected. The future of MICE will always be human at its core.

This balance is crucial. AI can elevate MICE into an era of precision and efficiency, but its true value lies in enabling more human connection, not replacing it.

Where Industry Fits

For the industry, the implications are significant. As a source market, corporates are increasingly demanding hybrid flexibility in incentive travel and global conferences. Destinations are investing heavily in convention infrastructure that integrates digital capabilities. But the sector must remain mindful of accessibility. The insights from Surinder highlight the ground reality: not all clients or operators can afford elaborate digital overlays. The way forward lies in layered adoption. Large-scale events in metros will embrace phygital sophistication, while smaller incentive trips and cultural tours may adopt hybrid selectively. What unites both ends of the spectrum is the need for thoughtful design, where technology amplifies rather than overwhelms.

ROI in the Age of Multi-Layered Impact

The shift to hybrid has complicated and enriched how ROI is defined. Returns are no longer just about attendance or leads—they now reflect engagement, digital reach, and long-term brand impact. These deeper factors drive stronger trust, wider visibility, and lasting loyalty, ultimately delivering higher returns.

Pooja explained that clients in Oman and Bahrain now seek global reach, viewership hours, and data-driven participant behaviour alongside on-ground impact. Similarly, Anupama added that ROI today extends far beyond the event itself: “With hybrid events we also measure digital reach, engagement time, global participation, and how the event’s story continues online after it ends.”

This represents a cultural shift in corporate event planning: events are no longer one-off gatherings, but continuous narratives that span multiple platforms. Surinder cautioned, however, that margins are thinner in hybrid formats, especially for smaller operators. The additional cost of digital layers does not always translate into equivalent returns in markets like inbound Buddhist tourism, reminding us that scalability remains uneven across sectors.

A Playbook in Motion

The MICE sector is, in many ways, rewriting itself on the fly. Hybrid and phygital formats are no longer stopgap measures but strategic tools. They are reshaping ROI, redefining inclusivity, and driving sustainability, while AI looms as the next transformative force.

Amidst all the disruption, one constant remains: the irreplaceable value of human connection. Technology may change the canvas, but the core of MICE—creating shared experiences that inspire, connect, and transform—is more relevant than ever. Even as technology takes centre stage, it is the smiles, handshakes, and shared moments that people remember. The future of MICE may be digital, but its soul will always be human.