Caroline Boey speaks with the president of the new Incentive, Conference & Event Society (ICESAP) who is on a mission, after 35 years of being in the business, to embrace customers and professionalise the industry
What made you form ICESAP?
Having enjoyed success in the industry and with the companies I set up (The Forum Organization in 1980 and The MINT Organization in 2000, the latter with offices in Australia, Asia and the Middle East) I felt it was important to give back to the industry.
Until ICESAP was formed, there was no Asia-Pacific body to raise the profile of the IC&E (incentive, conference and event) sector of tourism.
It was estimated in 2014 that the IC&E sector was valued at over US$120 billion
across Asia-Pacific’s economies, excluding the Americas. Furthermore, 80 per
cent of this amount came from within Asia-Pacific.
Despite the scale, there has been no IC&E peak body, only national entities representing only incentive, conference or event – but not all three. Being by nature a cross-border industry, there needs to be a consistent approach in key areas such as industry standards, education and accreditation.
This sector has become an increasingly important part of tourism in Asia-Pacific. According to the Global Business Travel Association in 2014, business travel to IC&E related activities exceeded 50 per cent of total business travel that year.
The rise in incentive programmes, corporate meetings, conferences and events is therefore driving increased spend in tourism across the region and adds weight to the need for ICESAP to exist.
How is ICESAP different from other professional bodies?
ICESAP is the only body that represents the three components of incentive, conference and event. It is a customer-centric professional body aimed at lifting standards with an Asia-Pacific approach.
ICESAP is unique among professional bodies in that it has corporate members as its peak member category. Today, they make up approximately 35 per cent of the 350-plus total members.
These members are corporate buyers like Tupperware who might send several thousand people to a destination like Macau. They may also include those who achieved their targets on an incentive programme and conference attendees.
What is ICESAP doing to raise professional standards?
ICESAP has formed a joint-venture partnership with William Angliss Institute, part of William Angliss Australia, to offer education programmes and other forms of professional development.
The education programmes will start in December 2015 with a six-part online introductory course and followed by intermediate courses in 2016. The majority of course content will be delivered online and in late-2017, ICESAP will also offer a degree course in IC&E management.
ICESAP is further committed to growing the IC&E sector by implementing an accreditation scheme for the intermediary agency businesses operating in the sector across Asia-Pacific.
Why is accreditation so important?
The IC&E sector is uniquely different compared to other travel industry sectors. It requires a different set of skills, significant back-office systems and diverse talents in participant management, staging, AV and production, creative concepts, catering, speaker programme development and many other specific skills not found elsewhere in the travel industry.
Growth in Asia-Pacific has exceeded all other regions, driven mainly by economies such as China and India, but also by a shift in corporate marketing dollars away from advertising to below-the-line activities including IC&E projects.
In launching the Intermediary Agency Accreditation Scheme in 2016, ICESAP will further enhance the reputation of our industry and build long-term sustainability. Without it, the agency role is under threat from disintermediation.
To be able to sustain growth, the IC&E sector needs to professionalise its own sector, especially when the IC&E offering has now become part of the marketing mix for many corporations.
The sharing economy with businesses such as Airbnb can be a major disruptor and the customer may bypass the agency. But the professional and upskilled agency will be able to continue to play an important role in coordinating all the different elements of IC&E programmes.
To ensure standards, accredited companies must abide by a code of conduct, demonstrate financial security and participate in a guarantee fund to “de-risk” customers and suppliers. Although accreditation cannot be mandated, the scheme will be made attractive and be a game changer for the industry.
ICESAP turns two in January 2016. Is there anything you are particularly proud of?
JMIC, the Joint Industry Meetings Council, invited ICESAP to be a member in August. Apart from the Asian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus, ICESAP is the first Asia-Pacific body to be a JMIC member.
