Postcard from Bishkek

I suppose that, like most people, the first time I came across the acronym MICE, I thought of rodents – little furry creatures that either make us cringe as they scurry around … or fawn over as cuddly, adorable and humourous characters, (such as Mickey or Jerry).

Working in Tourism, it was only a brief interlude … I soon came to realize that MICE represents one of the fastest growing and most important sectors of the industry: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions … although some people prefer to refer to Events rather than limit themselves to Exhibitions.

These days, the term is sometimes avoided with the preferred alternatives “meetings industry” and “events industry” being used instead – conferences simply being large meetings, albeit with a host of associated activities and events.  Events, of course, is an all embracing term which covers a multitude of activities.

The odd one out, of course, is “Incentives” … Incentive Tourism was a term that was coined to describe something offered to employees as a “reward” for a job well done – perhaps for meeting, or exceeding, targets set.  Unlike the other MICE elements which focus on the “business at hand”, the emphasis here is usually purely on pleasure or entertainment – although some companies also see Incentive tourism as providing training and bonding opportunities – Team Building and the like … say, organizing a Golf Day, a Skiing trip or a day Paintballing.

 

As it happens, with one major drawback, Kyrgyzstan is actually quite well equipped to serve this market.

 

Some years ago, when Kyrgyzstan was undergoing one of its many “navel-contemplation” exercises – trying to develop a “Tourism Strategy” and considering what sort of tourism it wanted and was able to develop, it came up with the following areas of focus:

• Recreational Tourism – based largely on the existing facilities around Lake Issyk Kul
• Adventure Tourism – Mountaineering and Trekking, Horse Riding and Rafting, Cycling and … well, you name it.
• Travels along the Great Silk Road – which encompassed historical and cultural themes
• Business Tourism – offering a venue and facilities for Meetings, Conferences, Exhibitions, Training courses and the like

The first three were basically preserving and extending the what was already being undertaken in the country … the new element being the last: Business Tourism.  As it happens, it was just after the first Global Mountain Summit, held in Bishkek in 2002, which had opened the eyes of some some people to the potential that Kyrgyzstan had to offer when it came to this sort of tourism.

 

I sometimes joke that Bishkek must be a contender for the World’s Meeting Capital … there seems to be and endless round of Meetings, Seminars, Round Tables, Forums, Conferences and even Summits.  To be honest, there’s also a nagging doubt about what these meetings all achieve … but, hey that’s down to the particpants and their commitment to whatever the topic is.  The fact remains that the facilities and experience for organizing meetings at all levels is available in the country.

There are a range of hotels with Conference facilities – meeting rooms, projectors, translation services, secretarial services and the like – indeed, practically all hotels have conference rooms and can provide accommodation, coffee breaks and meals, as well as a variety of other facilities for delegates.  Our hotels, for example have small Meeting Rooms, (for up to 20 people in Naryn and up to 35 in the Silk Road Lodge in Bishkek), in keeping with the style and atmosphere of offering “a home away from home” rather than a big hotel, but some can cater for hundreds of delegates. Many of the resorts on Lake Issyk Kul offer facilities all year round, and Conferences are an important part of their business – just as it is for hotels in holiday resorts around the world.

In addition to the hotels, there are a number of auditoria available in theaters, concert halls, sports arenas and the like.  Even the Presidential residence is available for hire – and I have attended several conferences there.

Kyrgyzstan has hosted many large and important international conferences – recent examples being summits of the CIS and SCO, not to mention the international forum for the protection and preservation of the Snow Leopard – attended by Heads of State and Government as well as considerable numbers of “high level” delegates.

I suppose we might have some difficulty hosting some of the larger conferences … for example, when the recent SCO Summit took place earlier this year, the delegates, observers, and media occupied virtually all the hotel accommodation in the city … but then a resort on Issyk Kul can offers a complete service with all services and participants accommodated on site – without the need for additional transport to the conference center.

 

 

Perhaps the only major drawback is access to Bishkek.  Although we are, theoretically, in the Center of the continent which should help to reduce travel for delegates from all the different parts of Asia … at the moment there a limited number of flight connections to Manas airport, (in the recent summits, some of the larger delegations chartered their own own aircraft in order to travel to and from Bishkek), and even fewer to the other regional airports.   However, this situation is continuously improving with new routes being opened and additional flights added to the schedules – and the relaxed visa regime means that people from a wide range of countries can attend with minimal bureaucratic hassle.

For participants of a small or moderate sized regional conference, meetings or seminars, then there are usually sufficient space available to meet demand.

 

Perhaps the strangest “bedfellow” in the MICE quartet is Incentive Travel.  As I said, this is usually aimed at “recreation”, enjoyment or entertainment rather than for a professional purpose – although some firms do use it as a training or educative tool.

Now, as it happens, Kyrgyzstan has a lot of potential to offer – from simply relaxing at a beach resort to undertaking some adventure – on foot, on horseback, on cycle or a raft … visiting remote and little known locations and getting away from the hustle and bustle and the pressures of of everyday life.

 

When it comes to Exhibitions, to be honest, although there are a number of venues which can offer facilities, most tend to be quite small – we would have trouble hosting an exhibition of the size of the World Travel Market, or the International Travel Bourse, (ITB – The world’s leading Travel Trade Show which regularly occupies some 26 exhibition halls in the Berlin Messe).

Exhibitions in Kyrgyzstan are traditionally geared towards the local market – offering goods and services to the local population or businesses.  That presents a little problem in that the Kyrgyz domestic market is quite small … one of the problems of being a small landlocked country remote from its traditional markets.  Even the Tourism Exhibitions, where local hotels, Resorts and Service Providers hope to showcase their services and invite Press Industry representatives from abroad to “come and see for themselves”, are usually frequented more by locals than their intended audience.

Having said that, being in the center of Asia, with improving transport links, Kyrgyzstan does offer a logical place for such events bringing together people from around the region.

For those who prefer to think of the E in MICE as standing for Events rather than Exhibitions – then there are also possibilities … from well established craft festivals, a twice yearly “Fashion Week”, an intensive Jazz festival … and so on.

Or, for those who want to organize their own “event” why not consider it as an interesting, (if possibly unusual), destination for Wedding and Birthday celebrations … competitions, training courses and concerts.

 

Tags: Celestial_Mountains, Tourism