The International MICE Industry Association, which set out exactly 10 years ago with the motto “Together We Are Strong, Stand Up for Your Industry” led by a group of visionary industry representatives, has today become one of the strongest and most well-known non-governmental organisations in the MICE sector with nearly six hundred members, and celebrated its anniversary with great enthusiasm.
The 10th anniversary launch event of the International MICE Industry Association was held on the evening of Tuesday, 20 January, hosted by Address Istanbul, which stands out with its modern meeting and event spaces designed for the business world.
Since its establishment, the International MICE Industry Association has gone beyond being merely an association; through training programmes, social responsibility projects, networking events, familiarisation trips, info programmes, as well as sectoral and official visits, it has made significant contributions to the development of the MICE ecosystem.
Especially during the most challenging periods for both our country and the sector, the association did not hesitate to take responsibility; positioning itself as a strong, sector-integrated structure that defends the rights and interests of the industry when necessary in Ankara and during official engagements. By turning the founding philosophy of “stand up for your industry” into a firm stance, the association today takes justified pride in being one of the most influential civil structures in the sector.
The Voice and Power of the Sector: International MICE Industry Association
Delivering the opening speech of the evening, International MICE Industry Association President Işıl Özmen used the following remarks:
“I greet everyone with love and respect. First of all, I would like to thank Address Istanbul for their support and contributions in hosting this meaningful evening. With its approach to hosting organisations of different scales, the hotel continues to contribute to the MICE sector and, on this special evening, further strengthened its mission of being a meeting point for sectoral collaborations.
Today, we are not only celebrating an anniversary; at the same time, we are witnessing an important achievement for our sector. This structure, which came to life with the steps taken by our visionary founders ten years ago, has today become the voice and the power of the sector with nearly six hundred members.
The past ten years have witnessed intense efforts filled with training programmes, social responsibility projects, networking events and sectoral engagements. Our association has succeeded in being a structure that does not hesitate to take responsibility during the most difficult periods of our sector and that stands shoulder to shoulder with the industry under all circumstances.
I would also like to share that we have welcomed, with great satisfaction and very justified pride, the election of our dear President Hüseyin Kurt—one of the founders of our association, our former Chairman of the Board, who has made very significant contributions to bringing our association to where it is today and who currently serves as Chairman of our Advisory Board—to the Board of Directors of the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency as a representative of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies. As before, we once again state here that we will always stand by our dear President in the future as well; we congratulate him and wish that his term of office will be beneficial for our sector.
On this occasion, I extend my gratitude to all our founding members who have not spared their vision, effort and support, to all our members who have contributed to our association to date, and to all our companions on this journey.”
We Will Continue on Our Path with the Same Vision and Determination
Speaking at the organisation, one of the association’s founders, former Chairman of the Board and current Chairman of the Advisory Board, Hüseyin Kurt, shared the following thoughts:
“Today, we are not merely celebrating an anniversary. Today, we are celebrating ten years of effort and solidarity of a great structure that is the voice of our sector, draws its strength from its members, has been growing steadily for ten years, and has always stood by its members and its sector. I sincerely thank all my companions who have contributed to the formation of this structure and to bringing it to where it is today.”
The International MICE Industry Association aims to continue contributing to the development of the sector with the same vision and determination in the coming period, and to remain the common voice of the MICE industry, and I believe that it will achieve this.
