MICE would be best suited to their location and why.

The country that I choose is Bogota Colombia. Of the MICE acronym, I choose to hold conventions and Exhibitions in Bogota

Conventions

Bogota is a prime destination for conventions with a string of convention centers specially established for its constant stream of arriving visitors. Well-known convention centers include the Centro Ferial de Convenciones Corferias, Centro de Convenciones y Eventos Cafam, and the Centro de Convenciones Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada (Bogota, my city!).

The site “Bogota: convention Bureau” reports that Bogota 2015 will have a new international convention Centre, and this will be a good opportunity to enrich its MICE Market. They will also they have new international airport which benefits the business travelers making air travel easier for us to arrive there and to attend conventions there.

Bogota too is a place that will attract visitors since it is a sensual and scenic place that offers gourmet cooking, music, dancing, cultural attractions, and a vibrant nightlife. The city was placed 54th in the 2010 Global Cities Index, (foreignpolicy.com.) and is listed as global city of the Beta+ kind by the GaWC (lboro.ac.uk), The Beta+ is one of the highest rankings indicating the importance of Bogota as one of the central world cities and profitable to other countries in terms of trade and commerce.

Its hotels, many of them clustered in the area, have aggressively promoted themselves for tourists (including corporate visitors) and offer a mix of culture and arts. The area too has a huge infusion of hostels all of which are helpful for visitors who intend longer stays. For those who intend stop-overs, Bogota conveniently has hotels sited near its El Dorado International Airport in the Ciudad Salitre district. Supplementary to all of this, and servicing the growing number of tourists has been the internationally-renowned premier hotel chains that have arrived in the city — such as Marriott, Hilton, Radisson, the Sheraton Hotels and resorts, and NH Hoteles, – since the 2000s (Bogota: convention Bureau.). Visitors to these conventions may be concerned with Bogota’s notorious crime reputation but crime has noticeably declined due to strenuous efforts to eliminate it. In the mid-1990s, Bogota was considered one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world (Comunidad Segura. (14/02/2007)). As recent as 2007 however it experienced only 1,401 murders per 100,000 inhabitants (ibid). This has largely been a result of the government’s innovative and integrative “Comunidad Segura” policy.

Exhibitions

Bogota is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city. This means it showcases a diverse audience some of whom will potentially be interested in the exhibitions.

Bogota too is a corporate city which supplies greater possibility that our exhibitions and conventions will be attended. Bogota is the largest city in Colombia, and among the 30 largest cities of the world. Adding to its possibility of interest in our exhibitions is the fact that the people seem to be culturally minded: Bogota is renowned for its many universities and libraries — it is, in fact, known as the “The Athens of South America” (Rincon, pdf). In 2007, the city was nominated as World Book Capital by UNESCO (Bogota: I love the city! Culture of Bogota), and that same year it was called Cultural Capital of Ibero-America by the UCCI (Union of Capital Cities in Ibero-America) — the only country to receive that ttile twice (it also received it in 1991) (ibid.)

Its racial and ethnic population includes people of Mestizo origin (mixed Amerindian and European descent). They also have a large sampling of Europeans (mainly Spanish) as well as a large Middle-Eastern population (mainly Lebanese and Syrians). Some African-Americans have also chosen Bologna as a place to settle.

Aside from its local population, we can also expect tourists to attend the exhibitions since tourism has become popular there largely due to the government’s intensive efforts to attract it by improving safety and infrastructure and by launching aggressive publicity campaigns. In 2007, the Instituto Distrital de Turismo (District Institute of Tourism) was also established and has succeeded in making Bogota a sustainable tourist attraction.

Which marketing tools will you use to market the destination and why.”

We will use social media to market the destination. This is because social media is one of the most popular and accessed tools today seen by all on a global scale. Of the social media tools used, we will set up a blog and website and possibly use Facebook and Twitter too.

We will also promote our projects via television (the city has several local and multiple satellite stations) and major radio networks and advertise them in flyers and in newspapers (including in Bogota’s free paper, and) and relevant journals aside from pasting flyers in cafes, certain stores, public billboards, and in streets.

Being that we intend to host conventions and implement exhibitions, we will have a stall set up in the hotels and museum where we will be conducting our events. People manning these stalls will hand out certain incentives to attract visitors.

Each of these marketing promotions will be preceded by intensive mixed research (likely mainly surveys, observations, netnographic research, interviews, and focus groups) that will investigate target audiences and best way to promote marketing. We will also speak to local corporate and government bodies as well as explore relevant laws that we need to be aware of, and analyze similar events in the past to explore their characteristics of success and failure. We will use these when structuring our events.

The fact that Bogota is a center of telecommunications as well as of printing and publishing (Bogota, my city!) also serves to help our ends.

Question 2: “Make a clear and detailed evaluation of your destination in terms of economic, politic, social and technological factors.”

Economics

The growth of Bogota’s GDP rate fluctuates. Between 2003 — 2006, for instance, its GDP grew by 10.3% annually, but then declined during the recession. This makes sense, since much of its GDP hinges on tourism. The site “Bogota, my city! Economics in Bogota” reports that Bogota’s “GDP of U.S.$86 billion, almost a quarter of Colombia’s total, approximately 10,000 USD per capita] is the fifth highest among cities in South America.” Bogota is the site of Colombia’s main stock exchange and is a major import / export center. It is also the pivot of Colombian business and contains some of its most famous companies such as GM Colmotores, Compania Colombiana Automotriz, and Ecopetrol ((Bogota, my city!). Bogota too is renowned for its many banks (in fact, Bogota functions as the headquarters of key commercial banks). Bogota also receives a large measure of its profits from its imports with the city being one of the main industrial centers in Latin America and famous for its imports. Its geographical logistics help it; exportations to other countries and other parts of Colombia are fast and efficient from its spot.

Consumer goods are the main production of Bogota and this is followed by service and capital goods. The city largely exports agricultural products followed by chemicals and textiles.

Despite all this richness, however, Bogota has also seen a corresponding rise in unemployment.

Politics

Bogota is the capital of the Republic of Colombia, and houses the most important buildings which include the national legislature, the Supreme Court of Justice, the center of executive administration and the residence of the President of Colombia. The District Council and Principal Mayor are responsible for city administration.

The city is divided into 20 regions: Usaquen, Chapinero, Santa Fe, San Cristobal, Usme, Tunjuelito, Bosa, Kennedy, Fontibon, Engativa, Suba, Barrios Unidos, Teusaquillo, Los Martires, Antonio Narino, Puente Aranda, La Candelaria, Rafael Uribe, Ciudad Bolivar, Sumapaz. Each of these is governed by a 7-member democratic board elevated by popular vote. Local mayors are nominated by the administrative board and put into their position by the Principal Mayor (Bogota my city! Politics in Bogota)

Social

The 2005 census showed that Bologna had 6,778,691 inhabitants in its metropolis (Visit Colombia) with approximately 4,310 inhabitants living per square km. Their gender demographics are almost balanced.

Bologna has two problems: violence and poverty; the one a subset of the other. Only 32.6% of its people live in poverty (subsisting on approximately $2 a day according to the 2005 census. Poverty and violence have also been two factors that have caused Bolognas to flee rural places and settle in the city. A large number of displaced people are therefore found in the cities of Bologna leading to creation of what has been called ‘Misery Belts’.

As described before, Bologna’s population is comprised of Europeans, African-Americans, and people from the Middle East as well as their own distinct people of Mestizo origin.

Bogota too has (as of 2009) 58 museums, 62 art galleries, 33 library networks, 45 stage theatres, 75 sports and attraction parks, and over 150 national monuments (I love Bogota! Culture in Bogota). Bogota is famed for its art and culture. It is known as the “The Athens of South America” (Rincon, pdf). In 2007, the city was nominated as World Book Capital by UNESCO (Bogota: I love the city! Culture of Bogota), and that same year it was called Cultural Capital of Ibero-America by the UCCI (Union of Capital Cities in Ibero-America) — the only country to receive that title twice (it also received it in 1991) (ibid.)

Bogota has a vibrant nightlife and a huge selection of restaurants, bars, clubs and cultural activities. Bogota’s cuisine, music, and dancing are renowned.

Technology

The 2005 census shows that 99.5% of households have electricity, 98.7% have water service, whilst 87.9% have telephone service.

Bogota seems to be a technologically-savvy city. It is the center of telecommunications as well as of printing and publishing (Bogota, my city!) and has more than 300 local and satellite TV stations, as well as multiple radio channels.

It has its technology fairs as well as at least one museum devoted to technology — which shows the focus that he city gives to technology.

Bogota too imports much technology, and houses many of its central firms that specialize in technology, these include companies such as GM Colmotores, Compania Colombiana Automotriz, and Ecopetrol ((Bogota, my city!).

Each of its hotels and resorts are equipped with the latest technology, and technological innovation companies include Zemoga, a digital innovation agency, and RWD Technologies de Colombia. Its universities offer well-attended courses in technology and engineering too.

Colombia in general has ambitious plans including disseminating high-speed Internet throughout the country, giving grants and low-interest loans to tech entrepreneurs, and promoting 4G cell availability. Bogota, in specific, has plans for becoming the next Silicon Valley in the coming 5 years. In the meantime, however, Bogota has 10 million residents with only one in four who have a smartphone and many who have no internet. The reality, says Damon Bron (Nov 16, 2012) is very different than its ideals.

Reference

Bogota, my city! Economics in Bogota

http://bogotathecity8b.blogspot.com/2009/11/economics-in-bogota.html

Bogota my city! Politics in Bogota http://bogotathecity8b.blogspot.com/2009/11/politics-in-bogota.html

Bogota: convention Bureau.

http://www.bogotacvb.com/en/discover-bogota

Comunidad Segura. (14/02/2007)”Bogota’s lesson in crime fighting.” http://www.comunidadesegura.org/?q=en/node/32000

Damon Bron (Nov 16, 2012) Tech Trek: Bogota, Colombia http://www.techhive.com/article/2014014/tech-trek-bogota-columbia.html

Foreignpolicy.com. “The Global Cities Index 2010.”

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/node/373401

Henderson, James D.; Delpar, Helen; Brungardt, Maurice Philip; Richard N. Weldon (2000). A reference guide to Latin American history. M.E. Sharpe.

I love Bogota! Culture in Bogota

http://bogotathecity8b.blogspot.com/2009/11/culture-in-bogota.html lboro.ac.uk GaWC. “The World According to GaWC 2008”.. http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2008t.html

Rincon, C. (ND) Bogota, Athens of S. America

http://www.javeriana.edu.co/pensar/Prof-Dr.-Rinc%F3n.pdf

Visit Colombia.

http://www.ecotet.com/visitcolombia/economy.htm