Guide to MICE travel in London

Whether you’re travelling for a meeting, incentive, conference or exhibition/event (conveniently termed MICE), it’s a high-stakes game. If you’re jetting abroad for a meeting, it is a unique chance to shine and possibly land that promotion you’ve been dreaming of. If travelling for a conference or major event, there are usually hundreds, perhaps thousands, of your industry peers at the same event offering an opportunity to develop connections that could pave the way to an exciting new career.

MICE travel is typically well-organised with a structured agenda, including intimate business dinners and side programs to tourist sites, so it’s easy to make the most of the experience by forming genuine bonds with the group and building on these after the trip is over. But you should be aware from the outset that this is not just a junket, it’s about career development.

To get you into the right frame of mind, here are a few things to remember to maximise your MICE time:

Have enough business cards

Running out of business cards is a rookie mistake. Before you pack, have a look at your program to get a sense of how many appointments you’ll attend and the likely numbers at those events. Then double the number of business cards you put in your luggage.

Form real connections

Beyond doling out business cards, have a conversation. We’ve all met the opportunists who play the numbers game, handing out business cards just to collect as many as they can in return. What’s the point if no one remembers the face, skills or experience behind the name?

Make time for others

Don’t just home in on the most important person in the room. They have enough hangers-on and will likely forget your name in an instant. Try talking to the second-tier VIPs or those who simply seem interesting or outgoing. You may get more out of these contacts than you expect — for example, the extrovert may have already met the person you need to know.

It’s not just the people you’re with that make for a valuable MICE experience. The destination is just as important. London, in particular, lends itself to fantastic times for those on MICE travel. Not only does it offer all that you’d expect of a major global city, with top restaurants, bars and attractions likely the venues for your events, it also has hidden gems worth discovering in your private time.

Visit secret spots such as the Charles Dickens Museum, the house where the great English author lived from 1837–39, for a glimpse of Victorian London; the Crypt Gallery, an art exhibition space in the crypt beneath St Pancras Church that still holds the remains of 557 people; or even Hampstead Heath, a beautiful green space to rival better-known Hyde Park.

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