The city will use the hosting of the Philippine Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) Conference 2020 as its way of promoting itself as a destination, officials said.
Even before the announcement that the city won the bid to host the event, in her State of the City Address on October 14, Mayor Sara Duterte said the city has become among the key destinations in the country.
“As today’s top-of-mind destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions in the country, this week, Davao City will submit its bid to host in the MICE Conference 2020,” the mayor said in announcing the bid to host the event.
She added that the goal of the city is to “promote further Davao City as the premiere MICE destination in the country and I encourage the private sector to fully support this initiative.”
On Wednesday evening, City Tourism Operations Officer Regina Rosa Tecson announced in her Facebook post that the city was successful in bidding for the event.
“The Davao City Tourism Operations Office (DCTOO) is very much elated with Tourism Promotions Board (TPB’s) declaring Davao City as the host for MICECon 2020,” she said.
According to Tecson, the hosting of the city will provide an avenue for it to showcase of what can it offer as part of its aim to become a major MICE destination in the country and even internationally.
“As we are positioning ourselves as the MICE Capital of the Philipines and BIMP EAGA, this gives us a chance to renew ties with old economic & tourism stakeholders as well as make new connections,” she said.
“It also gives us a chance to showcase our city as a diverse, all inclusive, multicultural City with peace loving & disciplined people,” Tecson said.
The MICECon, according to its website, is the biggest gathering of Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) professionals. It is a highly anticipated educational event for travel and tourism and MICE practitioners because of its range of topics, quality speakers and themed events.
