Moscow recently hosted, the second edition of Meet Global MICE Congress: BRICS Edition, which brought together over 1,300 representatives of the business tourism industry from BRICS countries — including Russia, Brazil, India, and China — as well as nations from the Global South. This congress marked the largest Russian event catering to an international audience in the MICE sector.

Now in its second edition, the congress saw presence of global MICE leaders, firmly establishing Moscow as a pivotal hub for fostering interaction, building connections, and creating new business opportunities among representatives from 17 BRICS and Global South countries.

The core theme of this year’s business program was "Global Challenges and Trends of the MICE Industry: Towards Sustainable Development through the Prism of Experience and Knowledge of BRICS Countries and the Global South".  Participants explored the major transformations shaping the global MICE market and discussed strategies for ensuring sustainable development within the industry.

With 13 business sessions featuring over 50 Russian and international experts, the congress saw high-profile contributions from figures such as Dmitry Vakhrukov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation; Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee; Amaresh Kumar Tiwari, Immediate Past Vice Chairman of the India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB); Mr. Manuj Ralhan, GM, Novotel Jaipur Exhibition Convention Centre and Masood Ahmadvand, Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of Iran in Moscow. Renowned Russian TV presenter and producer Andrey Malakhov also spoke, offering a universal recipe for successful event planning.

For the first time, the congress combined cultural and business programs, reflecting modern MICE industry trends. The venue featured unique exhibits such as the 'Moscow Tea Time' and 'Made in Moscow' projects, alongside 18 themed lounges from Russian regions and BRICS countries. These lunges included Russia Convention Bureau, Kazan State and also an India Pavilion. India Pavilion included participants such as Mayfair Hotels, Novotel JECCE among others. These lounges showcased regional MICE opportunities and facilitated new business connections. Attendees also enjoyed live performances by musical groups, highlighting the cultural diversity of BRICS nations.

While speaking to MICE Affairs Team, Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee shared his perspective on motivating MICE projects from india to Moscow “ The Moscow City Tourism Committee sees India as a top priority market and consistently hosts events and launches initiatives to attract visitors from the region. Notably, in April 2024, the Committee held the Shaping MICE Future conference in Delhi, an event dedicated to the Indian MICE industry that brought together over 100 industry representatives. The Moscow City Tourism Committee considers active participation in major exhibitions and shows in India (BLTM, SATTE, OTM, MILT Congress, etc.) as a good opportunity to build brand recognition, establish new business connections and receive valuable feedback from the market players. As a result, the Moscow City Tourism Committee launches projects that meet the needs of the target audience.  One of the significant initiatives to help the Indian MICE market discover Moscow as a premier host city for MICE events is the Moscow MICE Ambassadors program. The certification program for Moscow MICE Ambassadors consists of five in-depth modules designed to introduce participants systematically to the city's MICE potential, highlighting its unique cultural beauty, centuries-old history, and rich architectural heritage. Each module comprises a video lecture and downloadable resources for self-study, providing tools for participants' future undertakings. Upon successful completion of all modules and assessments, participants receive the Moscow MICE Ambassador certificate, showcasing their proficiency in the program. The second stream of the Moscow MICE Ambassadors online certification project launched by The Moscow City Tourism Committee was completed on 1st of November. As part of it, more than 200 professionals from India's MICE industry were trained”

Moscow MICE Ambassador Program educates and empowers agents to sell Moscow effectively and efficiently. The agents are first given an online module to qualify and post completion a practical exposure is awarded to them, which enables them to be MICE Experts for Moscow.