Assessment and Selection Criteria for MICE Destinations and Convention Centers in Thailand

Abstract

The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry is growing rapidly and has generated a substantial income and economic impact on a national level. Many cities therefore aim to become an international convention destination or MICE destination. The objective of this research is to study the factors in the assessment and selection criteria of MICE destinations in Thailand. The methodology involves document analysis as qualitative research. The study found that many different sets of selection and assessment criteria for MICE destinations and convention centers have been established by a number of national and international organizations. It is the intention of this paper to propose a synthesized set of criteria that would be applicable to the Thai context and which could be applied from the scale of the city to the scale of the convention center. The study also revealed that certain key factors can be found within all assessment criteria reviewed for MICE destinations: accessibility, MICE venue, context, and accommodation. Nevertheless, when considering the construction of a convention center, it must be accompanied by other physical developments of the city, such as MICE tourism-related infrastructure and facilities, as well as support from both the public and private sectors.