AccorHotels to impart MICE training

AccorHotels will work closely with the Incentive Conference & Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP) to improve training standards, support education and advance best practices on the society’s agency accreditation and distance learning programme.

HAZEL JAIN

Apart from highlighting its various brands and hotels at its annual ‘AccorHotels Showcase’ that was held in Mumbai and New Delhi, the hotel group also announced its partnership with the Incentive Conference & Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP). The aim is to professionalize the MICE industry in Asia Pacific region. This year, ‘AccorHotels Showcase’ saw 30 delegates from 95 countries like the Middle East and Asia Pacific countries as far as Europe representing more than 4,100 hotels meet members of the Indian trade. This was the first time it was done as a showcase. Prior to this, it was like a sales mission and smaller in size.

Kerry Healy, Vice President Sales, Asia Pacific, AccorHotels, says, “Meetings and Events segments has always been important to AccorHotels as we acquired the Fairmont and Swissotel brands. We are now 767 hotels and we will definitely close the year at 800. A third of this development is sitting in our luxury and upscale brands which is an important part of the Meetings and Events segments. Not to discount the third of the network sitting in that mid-scale which is also a convenient plus point from the value proposition for Meetings and Events. The partnership was a perfect alignment for us. India ranks in the top three in the Meetings market that we anticipate getting more Events business but more particularly the Incentives market and probably the association market moving forward,” she adds. ICESAP is a single body for the Incentive Travel, Conference and Business Event sector and its members are individuals and organisations made up of customers, intermediary agencies and the suppliers of products and services to the Incentive Conference & Event (IC&E) industry in Asia Pacific.

As the principle partner on ICESAP’s Agency Accreditation and Distance Learning programme, AccorHotels will work closely with the society to improve training standards, support education and advance best practices throughout the sector. AccorHotels will work with ICESAP to build industrywide professional standards across the APAC region. The accreditation scheme is developed in APAC for the APAC region.

Vishal Dhale, Regional Vice President – South Asia, Incentive, Conference & Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP) who is also Regional VP, Birla Sunlife Insurance, is spearheading ICESAP operations in India since December 2016. He says, “We have just gotten our advisory panel in place with three members from Mumbai and expanding to other towns where we are looking at members from Bengaluru, Pune, Dubai and then Sri Lanka. The first thing that we are driving is the agency accreditation piece along with learning and development piece. The industry is growing fast and if there is a structure to it, it will benefit everyone.”

“The partnership was a perfect alignment for us. India ranks in the top three in the Meetings market that we anticipate getting more Events business but more particularly the Incentives market and probably the association market moving forward”

• Kerry Healy, Vice President Sales, Asia Pacific AccorHotels