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Introduction
This report will analyze Venice, Italy as a MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) destination. I have chosen Italy for the reason that it is one of the top five MICE destinations in Europe in terms of the size of the outbound market with over 1.1 million trips. The business market, incentive trips and conference trips each account for about one third of the market. The remainder constitutes the outbound trips to Meetings and Exhibitions. In addition, 39 percent of the Italian business travelers for the most part prolong their prospective trips with leisure activities.
The report is divided into three main parts with the first part covering the description of the destination. Specifically, the report will be centered on analyzing accommodation, venue, support services and the accessibility of the host destination. The second and third segments of the report cover the analysis of the destination based on two events. The first event is a conference, that is, the 15th International Conference on Arts and Cultural Management AIMAC 2019. The second event is an exhibition, specifically, the 17th International Architecture Exhibition. Each event is broadly discussed to cover the critical evaluation of the target market, the contribution of stakeholders and their need in enabling the success (or failure) of the event.
Destination Description
Accommodation
In general Venice has over 1,180 hotels and is one of the cities in Italy with the highest number of chain hotels. It is ranked third in the list, after Rome and Milan, with a total of 63 chain hotel facilities (Francis, n.d.). Some of the top hotels in Venice include the San Clemente Palace by Kempinski, Hotel Antiche Figure, Hotel Canal Grande, Palazo Veneziano, and Rosa Salva Hotel. Additionally, the destination has experienced a considerable increase in the number of non-hotel facilities over the past eight years. Today, the city of Venice has over 35,500 non-hotel facilities underscoring the vital role played by Airbnb business (Francis, n.d.). The city is ranked fourth in the list of cities in Italy with the highest number of Airbnb listings. According to, majority of the Airbnb listings in Venice constitute apartments and homes.
Venue
Venice, which is also called The Floating City, the City of Canals, and Serenissima, is by far one of Italys most spectacular cities. It is the capital city of Italys Veneto region and is located the northeastern part of the country. It is documented as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most visited tourist and cruise destination. Despite being a historical city, Venice offers a striking scene for unique, pioneering modern art.
Venice is loved for its stunning architecture, curling canals, tiny back streets, cobbled courtyards, and paranomic bridges. The city is made up of 116 islands, and has close to 420 bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, of which 72 are private developments (Albert, n.d.). It has around 177 canals with the S-shaped Grand Canal being the largest and divides the city in two. It also carries the bragging rights at the first city in the world to have a public casino in 1638 and is home to the first woman to graduate in the world in 1646.
However, with the raging effects of climate change, the city has been reported to sink at the rate of 1-2 millimeters per year. Besides, it has experienced a decline in population by almost 50 percent over the past half a decade (Francis, n.d.). A number or experts predict that the city could be ghosted by 2030 with only travelers visiting by day. The citys beauty is pricey as its immense charm attracts lots of tourists who regularly outnumber the locals. The high number of tourists means that people have to share the various magnificent sceneries with many other individuals.
Support
Venice has been active in creating a good environment for visitors to enjoy and work. The city has been at the forefront in facilitating remote working by introducing the Venywhere project. Foreigners are required to pay a one-time fee to be assisted with all the complicated encounters they may face when moving to a different country. Some of the services include finding accommodation and how to buy, register and use a local SIM card for communication. The program further provides immersion and integration by means of the citys beautiful surroundings of lagoons, artistic magnificence, ancient landmarks, and involvement with local policies for remote working. Irrespective of a persons visit, Venice is prepared to welcome everybody as a way of boosting their economy.
Accessibility
International travelers can enter Venice through two main ways, air transport and car. Venice-Tessera Airport (ICAO: LIPZ, IATA: VCE), also called the Venice Marco Polo Airport is the main international airport serving the city. Even though it has one passenger terminal, it is the fourth busiest airport in Italy. The airport is located 5 miles (8 kilometers) and 4.3 nautical miles north of Tessera that borders Mestre (Albert, n.d.). Travelers can move into the city using several taxi and bus services available at the airport. There are two main entrance points by car into Venice. The first entry is from Austria or from Switzerland into Italy, one proceeds to Verona then to Padua and Venezia.
Venice is small city where one can easily walk around as much as possible. By walking around, a person gets to discover small corridors and bridges that make Venice sentimental. In order not to get lost in the city, one can get hold of a guidebook with a good map of the city. However, when crossing to a nearby island, a vaporetto boat (public transport on water) is indispensable. The vaporetto is the number 1 transportation means in the city. The boats move on the Grand Canal and taking people to Lido, Burano, Murano, and Torcello.
The vaporetto stops at every station on the Grand Canal and provides a good way for exploring the city. The Grand Canal is the main transport channel running through Venice. It is globally renowned to be the most beautiful boat canal. The journey across the islands takes several minutes, for instance, using the vaporetto to cross from Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco takes close to 45 minutes. There are 20 lines moving in and out of Venice with each trip on a water bus costing ¬ 7.50, the price is inclusive of luggage up to 150cm (Albert, n.d.). The ticket is can be used within a period of 75 minutes during which a traveler can change vaporetto lines.
Individuals seeking to explore the city and its environs can comfortably use the Travel Cards. For instance, the ACTV service permits unlimited travel in Venice apart for a few routes covering the Casino route, Alilaguna and ACTV routes 16, 19, 21. Travelers can also use the Gondola, which costs about EUR 80 during the day for a 40 minutes ride. It sits a maximum of six people and costs EUR 100 in the evening and at night Albert, n.d.).. The public gondola for crossing the grand canal is called a Traghetto. It costs less at about EUR 2.00 each time and travelers can board the Traghetto at different points along the Grand Canal.
Other means of travel involve using the Hop-on Hop-off boat, which offer comfortable seats and spectacular views. Travelers have to part with EUR 9 or approximately EUR 1.80 per minute to use a water taxi. An extra EUR 6 is charged on people who wish to be picked from the hotel plus carrying luggage, the amount is negotiable. A bike ride through Venice costs EUR 39 per person and with the help of a guide, travelers can cycle across the island as they enjoy the unique and lovely scenes.
MICE Events
The 15th International Conference on Arts and Cultural Management AIMAC 2019
Target Market
The 15th AIMAC 2019 was hosted by Ca Foscari University of Venice, Venezia, Italy. The conference, which is held after every two years, lasted for four days from June 23rd to June 26th, 2019. It was inaugurated in 1991 and provides a special meeting for evaluating and defining the contemporary management of arts and culture (AIMAC, 2019). The AIMAC conference held in Venice was the fourth edition and involved a doctoral symposium in its program. In this particular edition, the organizers invited PhD students desiring to submit their research for advanced debate and refinement. The academic organizers were particularly interested in requisitions from doctoral scholars in their first, second or third year of study or students who had not finalized their thesis paper. The application was open to all students from every corner across the globe and spanned a wide assortment of professions and approaches.
The doctoral symposium aimed to cover different sectors of the entertainment, arts, and cultural realm. These include festivals, visual arts, performing arts, heritage, museums, film production and distribution, design, recording, book publishing, broadcasting, audio-visual media and multimedia. The organizers also permitted presentation of proposals on all management approaches to entertainment, arts, and culture. The conference also sought to engage applications covering research on the managerial aspect of creative industries and cultural productions, to the expedition of the artistic and inventive manifestations in the business world.
Furthermore, the AIMAC 2019 Doctoral Symposium program targeted interactive deliberations and expressions from distinguished scholars, along with early and mi-career researchers who are used to supervising novices through their doctoral excursion. The conference had parallel sessions during which each participant was permitted to present his/her work for fifteen minutes and address methodological, epistemological, or academic issues; and engage in a ten minutes deliberation with the scholars.
Stakeholder Contribution
AIMAC is the oldest and biggest association committed to the oversight of arts and culture. It has been at the forefront in recognizing the value of professionalizing affairs that entail expanding the scope of culture and arts. It also pioneered the demonstration of how other sectors could gain from surveying the iconic management laboratory of culture. AIMAC has helped in opening up business models, human resources, marketing, strategy and organization or management in the creative industry. Thats why Venice provided an attractive city for the conference given its distinctive cultural and heritage challenges that contribute to enlightening the special role of AIMAC.
The other major contribution was made by the Management of Arts and Culture Lab (maclab). It is a research center of the Department of Management, Ca Foscari University of Venice. Maclab was founded in 2009 as a meeting place for research and teaching activities spanning management, inventiveness and cultural productions (AIMAC, 2019. Applications range from the exploration of the managerial dimension of cultural productions and creative industries, to the exploration of the artistic and creative expressions in the business world.
Needs of Stakeholders
The stakeholder needs can broadly be described based on their role either as organizers, participants, or venue providers. Maclab was the main organizer of the conference, it sought to strengthen interdisciplinary ties with other research exercises within Italy and abroad. This would be achieved by increasing and strengthening exchange and partnership with public and private establishments. Maclab further sought to ensure that institutions immersed in strategy and social activities contribute to the topics involved in cultural expansion as an economic and social driver of growth.
Maclab was also in charge of organizing, planning, and delivery of the event including choosing the venue, promoting the conference, booking and registration, and preparing the program. The organization played a key role in connecting the regional artistic organizations, businesses, researchers, and policy makers who helped in promoting creativity and culture as an enabler of economic and social growth. Since it is founded in economics and management proficiency, maclab augments its multidisciplinary reach to the diverse understandings and professional attention that rally sentiments of art , culture , and, lately, creativity , by modeling and directing research projects in this variegated gap.
The 17th International Architecture Exhibition
Target Market
The 17th International Architecture Exhibition attracted many participants across the world. In total there were 112 participants spread across 46 countries and 60 nationalities. This edition recorded an increasing interest from countries in the Latin American, African, and Asian regions and a growing female representation. The exhibition also captured the contribution of five top international architects who participated by a presentation titled How will we play together? (Biennale di Venezia, n.d.). The group led by Hashim Sarkis modeled a project devoted to childrens play. Their exhibition was displayed at Forte Marghera and could be accessed by the public.
Additionally, the exhibition covered a series of participations out of competition: Stations + Co-Habitats. It was broadly classified into five scales, three of which were exhibited in the Arsenale and two in the Central Pavilion. The five scales are Among Diverse Beings, As New Households, As Emerging Communities, Across Borders, As One Planet with comparative case studies created by researchers from colleges around the world.
Stakeholder Contribution
The exhibition involved two main stakeholders, participants and organizers. The main participants were architects led by Hashim Sarkis and a Biennale di Venezia was the main organizer. Hashims main goal was to expound on a theme of the exhibition: How will we live together? He proceeds to unpack the question be defining each one term and component:
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How: Hashim states that this aims to present rational strategies and concrete explanations. It is centered on the need to solve problems through architectural reasoning.
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Will: It is a forward-looking statement based on the developers vision and judgment. It is grounded on the strength of the architectural imaginary.
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We: Is first person plural denoting the need to include other people, other specie, and appeal to a more compassionate understanding of architecture.
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Live: The experts not only desire to exist but also thrive, flourish, express life, inhabit, and tap into architectures ingrained positiveness.
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Together: it is the urge for universal values, commons, collectives, and bringing out architecture as a unified form of unanimous expression.
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?: Shows that this is an open question, not a lofty one, seeking to establish many answers, celebrate the prevalence of values in and through architecture.
Indeed, Hashim emphasizes that the participants in the 17th International Architecture Exhibition are working together with other domains and constituencies. They include inventors, engineers, artists, and artisans, but also diplomats, correspondents, social scientists, and ordinary citizens. In effect, the exhibition acknowledges the important role of the architect as both civil convener and steward of the spatial contract. Biennale di Venezia is a cultural organization established in 1895 and has built its reputation over time (Biennale di Venezia, n.d.). It stands at the forefront of research and promotion of new contemporary art trends, and organizes events in all its specific sectors, including architecture, arts, music, cinema, dance, and theatre.
Needs of Stakeholders
The Biennale Architettura 2021 program attracted three main stakeholder groups; the organizers, the exhibitors, and the public. Bowdin et al. (2011) states that the organizer ought to fully concentrate on expanding the outreach of the exhibition in different ways. The president of the organization, Roberto Cicutto, had a vision of developing robust outreach programs and to generate an open conversation among the different arts and with the libraries. In general, the exhibition sought to:
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Link architecture with the other arts
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Connect the rich libraries of La Biennale di Venezia with the present
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Expand the pedagogical importance of the exhibition
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Showcase the Biennale Architettura 2021 to the public
Hashim Sarkis represents the main exhibitor in this event due to his reputation in architecture having served in top positions at MIT and Harvard University. As the head of the Hashim Sarkis Studios (HSS) that was established in 1998, Hashim has been involved in projects across diverse areas, such as residential and institutional buildings, town planning and urban design, and parks. He leverages on his deep knowledge and wide experience in Architecture to advocates for a new spatial contract. He desires that it be inclusive and universal, an expanded contract for communities and species to coexist and bloom in their majority.
The other exhibitors needs were founded on the desire to gain exposure, build brand awareness, explore new markets, develop customer relationships, conduct market research, network and learn from industry peers and thought leaders. The needs of the public included sourcing and purchasing the latest products and services, obtaining knowledge of the best technologies, technical advice from experts and information of new markets for their business development (Rogers, 2013). They also expected to have opportunities to network with potential suppliers, customers and partners.
Conclusion
In summary, Venice offered the perfect destination for the AIMAC 2019 conference and the Biennale di Venezia exhibition. These events seek to promote arts and culture, which are captured well in the historic, artistic, and cultural background of Venice. It further cements the position of Italy as a top country in the world to host MICE events. Even though there are fears of Venice turning into a ghost city in the coming times due to a rising sea level and declining population, it is still recognized globally for its scenery and beauty. The city has a good number of hotels and non-hotel facilities that offer accommodation. The city has the second busiest airport in Italy, from which travelers can access the city using buses or taxis. The destination has wonderful transport links meaning that delegates can move from from venues to their points of accommodation efficiently. Travelers within the city mainly use boats for movements within and to other islands as Venice has many water canals. Other popular modes of transportation include the gondola, Hop-on Hop-off boat, bikes, and walking.
Venice played host to the 15th AIMAC 2019, which was held at the Ca Foscari University of Venice. The conference, which is held after every two years, lasted for four days from June 23rd to June 26th, 2019. It provides a special meeting for evaluating and defining the contemporary management of arts and culture. The AIMAC 2019 conference held in Venice was the fourth edition and involved a doctoral symposium in its program. In this particular edition, the organizers invited PhD students desiring to submit their research for advanced debate and refinement. The city also hosted the 17th International Architecture Exhibition. It was broadly classified into five scales, three of which were exhibited in the Arsenale and two in the Central Pavilion. The five scales are Among Diverse Beings, As New Households, As Emerging Communities, Across Borders, As One Planet with comparative case studies created by researchers from colleges around the world.
Reference
AIMAC. The 15th International Conference on Arts and Cultural Management AIMAC 2019. Web.
Albert, M. (n.d.). Transportation in Venice. Venice information. Web.
Bowdin, G.A.J., Allen, J., Otoole, W., Harris, R., & Mcdonnell, I. (2011). Events management (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Francis, K. (n.d.). MICE tourism in Italy. CBI. Web.
Biennale di Venezia (n.d.). 17th International Architecture Exhibition. Labienale. Web.
Rogers, T. (2013). Conferences and conventions: a global industry. Routledge, Cop.
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