MEETINGS, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) are now allowed to be held in areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) status, but only at 50-percent seating capacity of the event venue.
Said guidelines are contained in Administrative Order 2020-003, signed on Tuesday by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat. The guidelines also allow MICE events in other community quarantine areas, but only via online platforms.
“MICE tourism plays a critical role in our recovery with its innate characteristic to boost local economy, generate employment and directly benefit tourism entrepreneurs. With these guidelines in place, our stakeholders will be assured that their health and well-being are protected, as we maintain our position as an established MICE destination,” said the DOT chief in a news statement.
The new guidelines also prohibit persons below 21 and over 60 years old from participating in any MICE events, even under MGCQ, in compliance with rules of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
For its part, SMX Convention Center (SMXCC), one of the leading convention facilities in the country, expressed its support to the DOT’s new MICE guidelines. “We are one with DOT in implementing the health and safety guidelines for events in the new normal,” said Agnes Pacis, vice president and general manager of SMXCC in a brief exchange with the BusinessMirror.
“Although it might take a while before all types of event gatherings resume, SMX Convention Center remains positive for the rest of the year. The preventive measures being undertaken can be initially overwhelming to some if not many, but it is the best way to show our guests that SMX Convention Center will always place its guests and employees’ safety and security as a top priority.”
Asked how many events SMXCC-Manila is still hosting for the rest of the year, Pacis said, “We are looking forward to a few major events in the last quarter of the year. The MICE industry is in anticipation of the green light from the relevant authorities and the appropriate lifting of quarantine status to hold these events. A significant decline can be seen from social gatherings, but most major business events are still hopeful that they can push through before the year ends.”
ITB Asia goes virtual
In this regard, all MICE eyes will be looking to ITB Asia this October, as it goes virtual.
In a news statement, show organizer Messe Berlin (Singapore) announced that the annual travel trade show, including MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia, will instead be held on a virtual platform due to the uncertainty over continued global travel restrictions and safe distancing measures.
The virtual event will be hosted on a newly developed platform, also known as the ITB Community, which will be launched on August 12. It would be recalled that the ITB Berlin, one of the largest travel trade shows in Europe annually attended by Philippine tour operators, carriers, and travel agencies, was canceled in March on Covid-19 worries.
Katrina Leung, managing director, Messe Berlin (Singapore) said,“We undertake a huge responsibility as Asia’s leading travel trade show to adapt and serve the travel trade community in recovery. Taking into consideration the need for businesses to connect, it is imperative for us to unite the community to enable business meetings to take place for a seamless knowledge exchange. ITB Community will be the latest permanent addition to a wide variety of offerings we have for our customers to tap into for their business success.”
ITB Asia will be held from October 21 to 23.
Health and safety rules
Meanwhile, Romulo Puyat likewise signed Memorandum Circular 2020-006, or the Health and Safety Guidelines Governing the Operations of MICE organizers and venues, or facilities under the “new normal.”
Under this memo, MICE organizers are required to formulate an emergency preparedness plan to prevent the spread of infection at their event. Also, the venue operator is required to designate an isolation room, or area for persons who feel unwell while at the event, before they are referred to medical personnel, based on the prescribed protocols of the Department of Health.
Other guidelines include seating arrangements for different venue setups such as a 1 meter-distance between seats for conference and breakout rooms, and a two person-maximum for each 6-foot table.
The layout in exhibits should have wider aisles than usual, preferably more than 3 meters. No adjacent booths shall be directly facing each other.
Only pre-packed individual meals and drinks will be allowed as standard food service and packaging at the MICE event.
“Similarly, we would like to reiterate that MICE organizers also need to comply with the applicable issuances of the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, and other sector-related agencies for compliance with the minimum public health standards,” Romulo Puyat stressed.
The full texts of the two MICE guidelines are available on the DOT Facebook page.
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