BACOLOD City will host the Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibitions Conference (Micecon) in August this year.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said Sunday, April 22, that actor Cesar Montano, head of Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), informed him that after their evaluation between Bacolod and Clark, Bacolod was chosen to host the Micecon 2018.
“In the tourism world, this is a specialized program that is prestigious and very lucrative. This is something that is very prestigious ad our hosting will mean that we are also now in the league of big players in tourism,” he said.
TPB is tasked to formulate and implement an integrated domestic and international promotions and marketing program for Philippine tourism. The TPB is responsible for marketing and promoting the Philippines domestically and internationally as a major global tourism destination.
Mice also refers to business events that entail a large convergence.
“This will give us that experience and we are supposed to learn a lot from this. Mice is a program in tourism where we will say that making something out of nothing because we do not have a Boracay, Mt. Mayon or whatever,” Leonardia said.
He said one of the prime movers of tourism in Bacolod is the SMX Convention Center.
Leonardia noted the tentative opening of Micecon will fall on August 8, which is the 10th anniversary of the Bacolod Government Center.
Councilor Em Ang, chairperson of the City Council committee on tourism, said Micecon is the biggest gathering of the country's influential professionals and practitioners involved in Mice.
She said at least 600 participants from the Mice industry are expected to attend such as the airlines, hotels, resorts, convention centers, event organizers and exhibit organizers.
Ang said the event is also expected to help boost and promote tourism in Bacolod and Negros as Micecon showcases Bacolod and nearby areas travel destinations including the province local products.