WHAT if the biggest barrier to a country’s MICE success is not a lack of resources, but a lack of alignment between government and industry?
This question stayed with me after a panel discussion on ‘Goyang Destination Week’ (GDW) 2026 in Goyang, South Korea, where I represented the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) as its founding president. Guided by the theme, ‘Linking Government and Industry Support for MICE Success,’ the session examined how government and industry can work together to make meetings, incentive travel, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) more successful.
Joining me on the panel were Peter Lee, executive director of the Goyang Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), and GainingEdge’s Gary Grimmer and Thomas Reiser. During the session, moderated by Gary, I was asked how we could build a stronger and more strategic working relationship between government and the MICE industry.
My answer was one word: ‘Align.’
It is more than a convenient acronym. It is a practical framework for rethinking how government and industry can work together to create lasting economic and social value:
A: Agree on a national MICE agenda. Government and industry must first agree on what MICE success looks like. Is it simply the number of events hosted and visitors welcomed? Or should success also include investments attracted, businesses supported, jobs created, knowledge exchanged, and communities that benefit? A shared agenda gives everyone a common destination and a clearer basis for measuring progress.
L: Link MICE to broader government priorities. MICE should not be treated solely as a tourism concern. Its value extends to trade, investment, infrastructure, education, innovation, employment, sustainability, and regional development. When MICE is connected to these wider priorities, it becomes easier to build cross-government support and demonstrate why business events deserve strategic attention.
I: Institutionalize public-private dialogue. Partnerships cannot depend solely on personal relationships or occasional meetings. Government and industry need regular platforms for consultation, collaboration, and problem-solving, not just when a major event is being bid for or a crisis demands urgent action. Consistent dialogue builds trust, encourages continuity, and allows both sides to anticipate challenges rather than merely react to them.
G: Generate and share better data. Good intentions are not enough; decisions need evidence. Government needs credible data on MICE’s economic contribution and broader impact, while industry needs reliable information to make a compelling case for investment and policy support. Better data helps both sides set priorities, justify resources, and evaluate results.
N: Navigate from support to strategic partnership. Government should not be seen merely as a source of funding, permits, and approvals. Neither should industry be viewed simply as a beneficiary of public assistance. Each brings distinct resources, expertise, networks, and capabilities to the table. The opportunity is to move beyond transactions toward a relationship built on shared goals, mutual accountability, and measurable outcomes.
These five principles point to a larger lesson: the future of MICE will not be built by government alone, nor by industry alone. It will be built when both sit on the same side of the table, defining problems together, designing solutions together, and measuring results together.
This, for me, is what a mature MICE ecosystem should look like. And it is how we move beyond hosting successful events toward creating a meaningful legacy for people, businesses, and regions.
When government and industry ‘Align,’ MICE becomes more than an event business. It becomes an instrument of national and regional development.
Octavio Peralta is founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the ‘association of associations.’ The PCAAE will hold its 14th Annual Associations Summit (AS14) on November 24, 2026 at the Asian Institute of Management. The views he expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror. E-mail bobby@pcaae.org