Li Xiaoyan Comments On MICE In Xiamen

Li Xiaoyan is the director of Xiamen C&D International Travel Service MICE Department.

What advantages does your company have with regards to MICE?
The company has been engaged in MICE operations since 2001 and set up C&D International Travel Service MICE Co., Ltd., which was the first MICE company in Xiamen. After that it set up the Saixin Culture Media Company which together with the MICE division provides integrated services in conferences, exhibitions, and event planning. The company has undertaken several conferences held in Xiamen with 1,000 to 3,000 participants.

What resource advantages does Xiamen have as a MICE destination?
There are four major advantages for Xiamen in developing a MICE industry. The first is the environment. A famous scenic port city in China, Xiamen has a very pleasant climate with sunshine, beaches, hot springs, golf, and other tourism resources, as well as the special Minnan culture, attracting many multinational corporations to hold MICE activities in Xiamen. Second is the level of service. Being one of the first cities to develop MICE in China, Xiamen now has upscale exhibition centers and conference centers, as well as star-rated hotels and resorts. Supporting services such as meeting planning, travel, recreation and shopping are still being enhanced. Xiamen is also the one of the first cities to encourage and reward international conferences and large-scale conferences held in the city. Third are the facilities. Many star-rated hotels, especially high-end international brand hotels, have opened in recent years, and many conference centers have also been put into use like the second and third phases of International Conference and Exhibition Center and the International Conference Center. These have enabled Xiamen to receive large-scale MICE events. Fourth is transportation: Xiamen Airport is the fifth busiest airport in China, following Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. And the Xiamen International Cruise Terminal is already operational.

What geographic advantages and culture can Xiamen provide as creative ideas for MICE activities?
First, combine Mount Wuyishan, Fujian Tulou, and the island view. Second, conduct marine activities like sailing or luxury yacht trips. Third, participate in Minnan cultural activities like tea art, stone carving, puppet shows and meditation.

What are your requirements If an event or meeting is to be held in a hotel?
When choosing a hotel venue, I will investigate the overall environment, the brand, the service level, the staff's knowledge of meeting procedures, and the standards of meeting venues and ballrooms.

Please list all the hotels you have used in Xiamen.
Wyndham Xiamen, Seaview Resort Xiamen, Xiamen Yeohwa Hotel, Xiamen International Seaside Hotel, Sheraton Xiamen Hotel, Pan Pacific Xiamen Hotel, Crowne Plaza Paragon Xiamen, Le Meridien Xiamen, Xianglu Grand Hotel, Xiamen, Xiamen Fliport Software Park Hotel, and Millennium Harbourview Hotel Xiamen, are all partners of our company.

Which hotel's meeting products and services have impressed you the most? And why?
Each hotel has its own advantages. For example, the Wyndham Xiamen has a large capacity, boasting 588 luxury guestrooms, a grand ballroom to accommodate 1,000 people, and a perfect location. The hotel's professional MICE sales and service team has undertaken several upscale or international conferences, making the hotel "the best meeting venue in Xiamen hotel sector". Xiamen Fliport Software Park Hotel has a 1,000-square-meter ballroom, dozens of meeting rooms, and enough guestrooms to accommodate all the meeting participants, and this is a significant advantage for large-scale conferences since conference organizers prefer to choose hotels providing a one-stop service in MICE and supporting facilities.

Please share with our readers the details of a creative event that your team has organized.
Our team has participated in the Fouth World Choir Games in 2006 in Xiamen and we were the only local travel agency. The 14-day event was the longest, highest, and largest event in China at the time, with about 20,000 contestants of which 8,000 were from over 80 foreign countries and regions. The team worked for more than one year to produce a detailed plan. It selected more than 800 volunteers and trained them for four months; and has borrowed three school dormitories as the games village with each holding about 1,000 contestants. Inside the village, postal services, telecommunications, medical care, laundry, and banking were all available for the convenience of the contestants. The team has also made more than 400 car trips between hotels and the Games' venue, with no mistakes at all.

What do you think of Xiamen's MICE market this year?
MICE has been developing well in Xiamen this year. This mainly due the to recovery of the economy, investment in the MICE environment and policy support from the municipal government, and the work of tourism professionals. I am quite optimistic about the future development of MICE in Xiamen. Xiamen has a great potential to develop MICE with the MICE resources growing mature.