THE LOCAL government here has reconstituted the membership of the organizing committee of the Meetings, Incentives Travel, Conventions, and Exhibition (MICE) Convention 2023 to ensure the success of the city’s hosting.
Executive Order (EO) No. 51, Series of 2022, signed by Mayor Sebastian Duterte on Oct. 3, 2022, also aims to provide for the smooth coordination between the host city and the Department of Tourism – Central Office, which explains the need to constitute, organize, and create the Organizing Committee to spearhead the planning, implementation, and monitoring of the MICECON 2023.
EO 51 states that the Tourism Promotions Board and the Department of Tourism awarded Davao City the hosting of the 2020 MICE Convention. But it was rescheduled to March 1-3, 2023, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Davao City Task Force COVID-19 Recovery Cluster earlier identified the MICE Convention as one of the programs to revive the city’s tourism and other value chain economic activities.
“The city’s hosting of the MICECON 2023 will serve as a big boost towards the city’s bid to be one of the preferred MICE destinations of the country, thereby contributing to its objective of further increasing the tourist arrivals in the city,” the new EO also states.
Forming an organizing committee was one of the requirements stipulated by the Department of Tourism in its MICECON BID Specification Document, as it shall oversee the MICECON 2023 planning and implementation.
EO 51 further states, “It is in the best interest of the City of Davao to enlist the support and participation of the private sector in the planning and execution of the conference activities in order to fully maximize the benefits that the city anticipates to enjoy from the hosting opportunity.”
However, the EO reiterates the strict observance and compliance with COVID-19 Protocols and Minimum Public Health Standards, such as the proper wearing of facemasks.
The MICECON Organizing Committee consists of Mayor Duterte as chairperson; Davao Tourism Association (DATA) executive vice president Kennedy V. Kapulong as co-chairperson; and acting city administrator Atty. Francis Mark H. Layog as vice-chair for the local government.
The Secretariat comprises Anna Victoria Q. Magnaye, a partner of Zegen Management Group Co., a professional convention organizer, and Davao City Tourism Operations Office (DCTOO) officer-in-charge Julieta L. Catacutan.
Members of different committees (attendance promotions, Customer Advisory Council Arrangements/Speakers and Speakers’ Arrangement; delegates’ tour, airport reception and transportation, pre-conference activities, accommodations, MICE marketplace, socials/food and beverages, public relations and publicity, ways and means, safety and security, and finance) were also identified.
The organizing committee shall ensure the city’s compliance with all its responsibilities as contained in any agreement validly entered into; provide coordinative support with the Department of Tourism – Central Office to ensure the delivery of all the tasks necessary for the successful staging of MICECON 2023; encourage private sector participation in the staging of all the conference events and sub-activities; find ways and means to support the logistical requirements for the conference that are assigned to the city, and perform such other acts which are necessary to effectively and meaningfully carry out the mandated functions of the committee.
The Secretariat, meanwhile, is responsible for the records filing and shall coordinate with all the partnered agencies, facilitate meetings, and organize all forged partnerships related to the preparations, execution, and post-evaluation of the City’s hosting of the MICECON 2023.
EO 51 also enjoins all City Government of Davao departments and offices to provide necessary technical and administrative support to the Organizing Committee and coordinate accordingly for the efficient implementation of all its policies and directives.
MICECON 2023 funding requirements for the city’s hosting shall be sourced from the budget provided by the City Government of Davao and the Department of Tourism for such purposes. DATA will spearhead the private sponsorships.
