MICE Terms

A/V Contractor: Supplier of technical staff and audiovisual equipment (e.g. projectors, screens, sound systems, video, and staging).

A/V Request Form: Form given to speakers during the planning stages of an event to allow them to request the audiovisual equipment they will need for their presentations.

A/V Technician: An audiovisual professional who is responsible on-site for lighting, sound, video, staging or other similar elements of an event function.

Access Panel: Removable panel or section of exhibit to permit access to lamps, projectors, mechanisms, etc.

Accessorial Charges: Generally refers to air-freight shipments. Airfreight forwarders can provide many services generally not available from common carriers. In most cases, these charges are not included in the per-pound rate of the carriers. Services include, but are not limited to, inside pickups & deliveries, special pickups & deliveries (specific time of day), waiting time, etc.

ACME: Association for Convention Marketing Executives. ACME is an association that provides a cooperative liaison between convention center and bureau marketing executives who share mutual interests in advancing and benefiting the convention industry — and their own destination.

Active Language: The language being used by the speaker.

ADME: Association of Destination Management Executives

Advance Registration: Booking before an event takes places. Allows attendees to register for an event before it actually takes place. Done through mail, phone, internet or fax. It is as same as PRE-REGISTRATION.

Advisory Board: group that offers advice or counsel to event organizer, event management, or other organization on strategic options such as conference content, exhibitor matters, contracting policies or other issues.

Airfreight Forwarder: An airfreight company that transports freight via scheduled airlines. Forwarders do not operate their own planes.

Aisle: Area between a booth/stand for audience traffic movement. 2) Space between sets of tables, chairs or a booth/stand to allow passage of attendees.

Association: An organized group of individuals and/or companies who band together to accomplish a common purpose, usually to provide for the needs of its members. Usually nonprofit.

Association Booth/Stand: An exhibit booth/stand at which an association provides information about its purpose and services to members and prospective members.

ASTA: American Society of Travel Agents.

Bid Manual/Specifications: Written document issued by an organization which contains requirements and conditions for future events, and solicits proposals for needed services from venues and other service providers. Often also includes primary selection and decision procedures. Same as REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP).

Athletic Meeting: An event that involves sports or athletic equipment. Athletes, guests or attendees may be in competition or demonstration.

Auditorium Set-Up: Seating arrangement where chairs are arranged in rows facing head table, stage or speaker. Variations are semicircular and V-shaped.

Backwall Booth/Stand: An exhibit that is back to back with another exhibit or against a building wall. See PERIMETER BOOTH/STAND.

Banquet Event Order BEO. A form most often used by hotels to provide details to personnel concerned with a specific food and beverage function or event room set-up.

Bare Booth/Stand: Booth/stand with no services or facilities, meaning that these all have to be hired at an additional cost.

Bid: A Proposal submitted by a destination, a convention & visitors bureau or PCO to an event organizer that includes defined dates and room blocks.

Bid Document: The proposal, usually prepared in response to a request for proposals or sales lead, submitted by a destination or a facility, inviting an organization to hold its event n their venue.

Booth/Stand Contractor: Company which constructs or assembles exhibit booths/stands under contract with the organizing committee.

Booth/Stand Number: Number assigned by the event’s management to designate each exhibitor’s space.

Break-Even Point: The point at which revenues are equal to expenses.

Break-Out Rooms: Small function rooms set up for a group within an event as opposed to a plenary or general session.

Break-Out Sessions: Small group sessions, panels, workshops or presentations, offered concurrently within the event, formed to focus on specific subjects. The event is apart from the general session, but within the event format, formed to focus on specific subjects. These sessions can be arranged by basic, intermediate or advanced; or divided by interest areas or industry segment.

Capacity Control: Restriction on the number of seats available at a particular fare.

Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM): Certification program offered by Meeting Professionals International; global certification in meeting management that focuses on strategic thinking and actions for senior level meeting professional.

Certified Exhibition Manager(CEM): An exhibition management professional, as officially designated by the International Association of Exhibition Management.

Certified Incentive Travel Executive(CITE): A designation offered by the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE).

Certified Meeting Professional(CMP): Certification program offered by the Convention Industry Council. This designation certifies competency in 27 areas of meeting management through application and examination

Complete Meeting Package(CMP): An all-inclusive plan offered by conference centers includes lodging, all food and beverage, support services, including audio visual equipment, room rental, etc

Certified Special Events Professional(CSEP): Accredited designation offered by the International Special Event Society. This designation is earned for professional achievement in event management

Citywide Event: An event that requires the use of a convention center or event complex, as well as multiple hotels in the host city.

Conference: Participatory meeting designed for discussion, fact-finding, problem solving and consultation. 2) An event used by any organization to meet and exchange views, convey a message, open a debate or give publicity to some area of opinion on a specific issue. No tradition, continuity or periodicity is required to convene a conference. Although not generally limited in time, conferences are usually of short duration with specific objectives. Conferences are generally on a smaller scale than congresses

Conference Handbook: A manual which provides information about a conference. Contents would include descriptions of programs, information on participants, agendas, schedules of events, speaker notes, and logistical information.

Conference Officer/Organizer: Title generally conferred upon the chief administrator of the entire event.

Conference Pack/Kit: Generally a comprehensive collection of conference documentation and/or event materials within a bag, binder, envelope or folder. Also called information kit

Conference Service Coordinator: Primary contact person assigned to an event in a convention center.

Congress: The regular coming together of large groups of individuals, generally to discuss a particular subject. A congress will often last several days and have several simultaneous sessions. The length of time between congresses is usually established in advance of the implementation stage, and can be either pluri-annual or annual. Most international or world congresses are of the former type while national congresses are more frequently held annually. 2) Meeting of an association of delegates or representatives from constituent organizations.

Convention: An event where the primary activity of the attendees is to attend educational sessions, participate in meetings/discussions, socialize, or attend other organized events. There is a secondary exhibit component. Compare With MEETING, EXHIBITION, TRADE SHOW, CONSUMER SHOW.

Convention Center: Facility that combines an exhibition space with a substantial number of smaller event spaces. The purpose of these buildings is to host trade shows, public shows, conventions, large food functions and other functions related to the convention industry. They may be purpose built or converted and municipally or privately owned.

Convention Services Manager (CSM): Professional at a hotel, convention center or convention bureau who is responsible for event operations management on all levels.

Corporate Exhibit: An institutional exhibit telling the story of the company without intentionally marketing the product or service.

Corporate Meeting: Gathering of employees or representatives of a commercial organization. Usually, attendance is required and travel, room and most meal expenses are paid for by the organization.

Corporate Planner: Meeting planner who works for a corporation.

Corporate Rate: Special rate for sleeping rooms or other goods and services that is made available to business travelers. These rates may vary by corporation, depending on the negotiated agreement

Corporate Show: An exhibition produced by a corporation where exhibits are limited to products and services of that corporation or its marketing partners; no competitors participate. See EXHIBITION. Compare With TRADE SHOW.

Corporate Travel: The market segment comprised of groups or individuals that work for a given company and are traveling for business reasons at the company’s expense.

CSEP: Certified Special Event Professional; an earned designation from the International Special Events Society (ISES).

Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB): Convention and visitor bureaus are not-for-profit organizations charged with representing a specific destination and helping the long-term development of communities through a travel and tourism strategy. Convention and visitor bureaus are usually membership organizations bringing together businesses that rely on tourism and events for revenue. For visitors, CVBs are like a key to the city. As an unbiased resource, CVBs can serve as a broker or an official point of contact for convention and event planners, tour operators and visitors. They assist planners with event preparation and encourage business travelers and visitors alike to visit local historic, cultural and recreational sites.