The MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) business is becoming an increasingly important driver of revenue growth for local hotels. At the heart of the MICE experience is catering as hotels turn to experienced chefs, personalized services and high-quality food to satisfy the taste buds of business guests.

According to staff from four Shanghai hotels located near exhibition and conference centers, each hosted around 100 MICE events during the last six months.

“Ninety-five percent of our MICE events involve inquiries for additional food and beverage services, including buffets, gala dinners and simple coffee breaks,” says Tony Tan, director of sales and marketing at Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel, Shanghai. The hotel is within walking distance of the Shanghai New International Expo Center.

Tan says the hotel’s well-trained staff can provide efficient and large-scale dining services required by MICE guests, who usually dine in large groups according to strict time schedules.

Conference organizers also prefer hotels which can focus on details, Tan adds. When designing menus and arranging banquets, the food preferences of guests are carefully considered, he says. This includes paying special attention to the religious and dietary restrictions of guests.

“Menus are usually pre-arranged, allowing the hotel to fully prepare and deliver the perfect dining experience,” says Wendy Mitchinson, director of business development at Hilton Shanghai.

The hotel’s commitment to hygiene and food safety also matters. Recently, Hilton Shanghai became one of the first recipients of a new outdoor catering service license issued by the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration.

Some hoteliers also observed that as the MICE industry continues to grow, the demands and tastes of guests are also changing.

“The size of each MICE catering event is getting smaller, but average spending is higher. Clients seem more focused on quality delivery instead of cost savings,” says Tan from Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel, Shanghai.

Meanwhile, Mitchinson sees trends emerging from Chinese clientele, with Chinese meeting planners becoming more professional and showing a strong preference for flexible services.

To add greater value, some hotels are paying more attention to not only food quality and service but also ambience and exclusivity, according to George Fang, assistant director of events management at Kerry Hotel Pudong Shanghai.

Shanghai Daily highlights four local hotels that are gaining attention for their MICE dining services.

Consistent and tailor-made

Staff at the Hilton Shanghai pride themselves of providing consistently high-quality service. The hotel has been an official catering service supplier for the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour Masters for more than a decade. It also recently provided catering services for the Volvo Golf Open Championship.

The hotel offers a wide choice of functional event spaces. Small gatherings can be held on the hotel’s 40th floor, where guests can enjoy the Shanghai skyline. Ballrooms are available for larger events.

“Food is a key element in any event. There is a one-time opportunity to ensure that each and every guest is ... satisfied with both the quality and presentation,” says Wendy Mitchinson.

Pre-planned menus and thorough communication with guests prior to events also help the hotel customize their services. For example, the hotel recently organized a health-themed coffee break for guests in the pharmaceutical industry.

Menu with a theme

Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel, Shanghai emphasizes international cuisine and a deep sense of cultural awareness when it comes to its event planning.

The hotel’s catering team is led by executive chef Tobias Pfister, who previously worked at the seven-star Buri Al Arab in Dubai. One of Pfister’s specialties is using ingredients to bring out the theme of particular events. For instance, the chef created a menu in April for the Infiniti Design Night, an event which centered around the concept of “aesthetics of contrast.” To bring this concept into focus, the chef designed a menu based on three separate contrasting themes: industry and nature, Western and Eastern, power and romance. In this first grouping, one dish included cider poached oysters with apple and parsley foam on silver leaf. The oysters, served in their shells, represented nature while the parsley foam was presented in contrast as a product of mechanical processing.

All about location

The InterContinental Shanghai Expo is conveniently located near the Expo Center and the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center. It also receives a hefty amount of event business — usually celebrations and after-parties — from nearby Mercedes-Benz Arena concerts.

The hotel boasts a variety of on-site meeting and conference facilities as well as a team of international chefs, ensuring that MICE guests have their personalized needs satisfied.

Many clients request buffets featuring international cuisine and live cooking demonstrations with tandoori ovens, freshly-made noodles and sushi, and teppanyaki. A terrace supports a grilling station and can also serve as a barbecue location for smaller MICE groups.

A garden space surrounded by high trees is also perfect for nature-themed events. On rainy days, a glassed-in venue is available, where guests can overlook a scene of Shanghai villas built in the 1930s.

The hotel has already hosted several big events this year, including functions for Porsche and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

International delights

A team of chefs from Thailand, India, France and Malaysia ensure that dining at the Kerry Hotel Pudong is both diverse and authentic.

The hotel is known for providing guests with creative and personalized catering services. For instance, the hotel recently held an event for the German Chamber of Commerce centered around the theme of Old Shanghai. The hotel’s ballroom was decked out with 1930s-era decorations, complete with Shanghai rickshaws.

Along with a range of traditional Chinese cuisine, the hotel’s catering team serves up a Chinese Delight coffee break that includes deep-fried shrimp wontons, xiaolongbao (steamed dumpling filled with pork), congyoubing (spring onion pan cake) and shengjianbao (local style pan-fried dumpling).

It is also a recommended venue for team building activities such as tai chi exercises and cooking classes.