How Hotels Can Boost MICE Industry Sales

For hotels, securing MICE industry sales just got easier, thanks to new shared-values data. 

Let’s face it: meeting/event planners have a tough job. And if you’re in the hotel industry trying to attract them, you’re in for some stiff competition. But what if you could peer into their minds, understand what makes them tick, and tailor your offerings to align with what truly matters to them? Clearly you’d have a major advantage. So that’s exactly what I’ve set out to share with you in this article.

I’ve spent years using our proprietary Valuegraphics Database—built on nearly a million surveys in 152 languages across 180 countries—to help businesses understand the core human values that drive specific groups. When it comes to meeting/event planners (let’s call them planners), three values stand out: Personal Growth, Financial Security, and Personal Responsibility. These are three of the shared values that drive their decisions, influence their behavior, and ultimately determine whether they’ll choose you or your competitor. (If you want to know the other values they share and how to use them, reach out, and I’d be happy to show you the rest of the data).

Let’s break down how you can use these three Power Values to supercharge your marketing, sales, and event offerings.

Why Values, Not Demographics?

Here’s the thing: people’s values are the key to everything. Values shape our decisions, actions, and even our emotions. Demographics, on the other hand, don’t tell you much. Sure, you might know that your target audience is 45-year-old women with a certain income, but that won’t tell you what drives them to choose one hotel over another.

Values, however, are the blueprint to motivation. And planners are no exception. The data shows they’re especially driven by the three Power Values of Personal Growth, Financial Security, and Personal Responsibility, so that’s what we are focusing on. Let’s explore what each of these values means and how you can use them to win more MICE business.

Personal Growth: Harnessing the Drive for Development

Planners are constantly striving to grow, both personally and professionally. They’re the kind of people who set long-term goals, listen to podcasts on productivity, and maybe even track their steps on their smartwatch. They don’t just want to succeed; they want to be better at what they do tomorrow than they were yesterday.

So, how can you help them grow—and, by doing so, grow your business? Here are some ideas:

Educational Workshops: Offer workshops that give planners new skills or knowledge. Cover topics like the latest event-planning technologies or sustainability practices in the MICE sector. By helping them develop personally and professionally, you’re showing that your venue isn’t just a space—it’s a partner in their long-term growth.

Long-Term Partnership Programs: Especially for larger hotel chains, structure your partnerships around continuous personal and professional development. Create tiered partnerships where both sides benefit from ongoing collaboration, and as the relationship grows, so do the perks.

Goal-Oriented Loyalty Programs: Why not design a loyalty program that helps planners achieve their long-term goals? Offer personal development benefits—access to executive coaching, wellness retreats, or even exclusive industry insights as a reward for repeat business. By linking loyalty to personal growth, you’re tapping into a value that resonates deeply with them.

Financial Security: Offering Confidence, Not Just a Quote

No one knows the importance of a well-planned budget better than a planner. Financial security is one of the driving forces behind their decisions, not only for work but in their personal lives too. So, when you’re pitching your hotel for their next event, keep in mind that they’re not just looking at your ballroom or catering menu—they’re mentally calculating every penny.

How can you align with this core value?

Clear, Transparent Pricing: It may sound basic, but clear pricing structures are a must. Review your marketing materials and make sure your pricing is easy to find and even easier to understand. Consider providing optional add-ons instead of all-inclusive packages, giving planners more flexibility to tailor their events—and their budgets.

Flexible Payment Plans: If your hotel can afford it, consider offering creative payment options. You could allow planners to pay in installments or offer early-payment discounts. This allows them to manage their budgets over time, which aligns with their long-term financial goals. Yes, there are risks involved, but balanced against the potential for more business, it’s a risk worth exploring.

Risk Mitigation Policies: No one likes surprises—especially when it comes to budgets. Offering flexible refund policies or the ability to reschedule at no extra cost can give planners peace of mind, knowing they won’t be penalized for unforeseen circumstances. These kinds of policies were widespread during the pandemic, and keeping them in place shows planners you’re committed to their financial stability.

Personal Responsibility: Promoting Reliability and Stability

Meeting planners are often the go-to people in their organizations. They’re the ones who make things happen, who ensure that every detail, every deadline, and every dollar is accounted for. Personal Responsibility is their north star—they thrive on being reliable, and they expect the same from their partners.

To attract planners driven by this value, you’ll need to focus on delivering consistently and making sure they know they can count on you.

Consistency in Service Delivery: Planners appreciate partners who can be trusted to get things right every time. Whether it’s how rooms are set up or how staff members are trained, consistency is key. Let planners know they can trust you to be as detail-oriented as they are, and you’ll win them over.

Guarantees of Success: This might be a bold move, but if you’re confident in your team’s ability to deliver, why not offer a guarantee? Detail the promises you’re making—about timing, services, and setup—and then back them up with real consequences if you don’t meet them. It’s a show of faith that planners will appreciate, and it will set you apart from competitors.

Recognition of Their Reliability: Meeting planners value being recognized for their hard work and reliability. Acknowledge their punctual payments or timely communication. Say “thank you” when they hit key milestones in the planning process. It’s a small gesture, but it aligns you with their core value of responsibility—and that alignment goes a long way.

How to Apply This to Your Sales and Marketing Strategy

By now, you’ve probably started thinking about how these values-driven insights can help you tweak your approach. But here’s the thing: don’t just quietly implement a few of these ideas. Shout them from the rooftops!

Highlight your value-driven strategies on your website, brochures, and social media channels. If you’re offering Personal Growth workshops, create an entire content series around the benefits of these sessions. If you’ve revamped your pricing transparency, turn your planning kits into interactive online tools that showcase just how easy it is to budget with your hotel.

Here are a few more practical tips for applying these insights to your marketing:

Feature Your Values-Driven Initiatives: Make sure your website, social media, and brochures spotlight your values-driven strategies. Let meeting planners know that your venue is aligned with what matters to them.

Create Content Around These Values: If you’ve launched educational workshops, write blog posts or create videos highlighting the takeaways from those sessions. Use social media to showcase how you’re helping planners achieve their long-term goals or stay within their budgets.

The Big Takeaway

The hotel sales landscape for MICE events is crowded, but there’s a surefire way to stand out: speak to what truly matters to planners. By understanding the core human values of Personal Growth, Financial Security, and Personal Responsibility, you can craft sales and marketing strategies that resonate much deeper than simple demographics ever could.

In a world where demographic data often leads us astray, values offer a far more accurate—and human—way to connect. So, the next time you’re vying for a MICE business, forget about planner demographic profiling and focus on what drives their decisions: their values. Because if you can align with their values, you’re not just making a sale—you’re building a relationship that will last.

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