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MICE Insights

MICE blog for event planners, suppliers, and strategists: news, industry knowledge, and inspiration for successful events.

Procurement team discussing negotiated hotel rates and savings potential in a ratefinding meeting.

Ratefinding in MICE Procurement: Why Negotiated Rates Alone Don't Mean Savings

Lisseth Cardenas Oct 15, 2026, 3:41:49 PM

Only 6% of travel managers review their negotiated hotel rates monthly. When rates are audited, 17% show discrepancies between the contract and the..

Cover image for the article 'MICE Procurement, Part 2: The Enterprise Perspective', by Vinzenz von Brühl, CEO MICE Portal

MICE Procurement Part 2: The Enterprise Perspective

Vinzenz von Brühl Sep 15, 2026, 9:30:41 AM

Why MICE is so much more difficult for procurement than any other indirect product category.

A smiling conference sales representative is on the phone with a corporate client while working on a laptop and processing an event request from a MICE booking portal

7 Levers: How Conference Hotels Win More Event RFPs via MICE Platforms

Laura Wagner Sep 14, 2026, 3:11:55 PM

Companies are shifting their event sourcing into structured procurement and venue sourcing systems. For conference hotels, this is not a threat but..

A smiling woman sits at a table on the terrace of a hotel or restaurant with her laptop; in the background, a blue sky and the sea—a symbolic image of blended travel, in which business travelers combine work and leisure, for example, as part of a bleisure or workation stay following a MICE event or a business trip.

Blended Travel: When a Business Trip Turns into a Two-Day Getaway

Laura Wagner Aug 4, 2026, 12:31:51 PM

Friday afternoon, Barcelona. A participant in a three-day trade conference closes her laptop but doesn't check out. Instead of heading to the..

Guest article cover image on a dark blue background featuring a circular portrait of Jan von Schaper, Head of Business Development at DEKRA Congresshotel Wart in the Black Forest, with the headline “Guest Article” and “In Conversation with Jan von Schaper.” Below is a smaller portrait of Laura Wagner from MICE Portal, who conducted the interview.

Known for inspecting cars, DEKRA brought the same meticulous standards to a conference hotel in Wart.

Laura Wagner Jul 27, 2026, 11:38:06 AM

How a training center for test engineers became one of Germany’s most sustainable conference hotels.

Vinzenz von Brühl, CEO of MICE Portal, presenting at the MICE Executive Circle 2026.

5 Questions for Vinzenz von Brühl: E-Invoice 2027 & Procure to Pay in MICE Procurement

Lisseth Cardenas Jul 16, 2026, 5:18:50 PM

The e-invoicing mandate is coming, and for MICE procurement it means much more than just a new file format. Vinzenz von Brühl, CEO of MICE Portal,..

Header image for the blog article: E-Invoice 2027 – What MICE Procurement Teams and Travel Managers Need to Know Now.

E-Invoice 2027: What MICE Procurement Teams and Travel Managers Need to Know Now

Lisseth Cardenas Jul 14, 2026, 4:19:19 PM

PDF workflows, manual posting, lack of transparency: invoicing in MICE procurement is often the last analogue step in an otherwise digitized process...

Two colleagues in business attire high-five each other with beaming smiles in a modern, bright office; in the background, additional desks and workstations are visible—a symbolic image of the moment of triumph following successful budget negotiations in event management. The gesture symbolizes efficient teamwork, mutual appreciation, and the positive results that strategic MICE management enables despite budget pressures and rising costs: consolidated requests, negotiated terms, and greater impact with the same or a smaller budget.

How to Deliver Better Events in 2026 Despite Budget Constraints

Laura Wagner Jul 14, 2026, 11:42:08 AM

Why rising costs despite stable event budgets are becoming the new normal, and what strategic MICE management has to do with it.

Participants in the MICE Executive Circle 2026 (MEC 2026) networking outdoors at Chateauform on Lake Starnberg in Feldafing, the first Chateauform seminar center in southern Germany. Event managers, buyers, and suppliers from the MICE industry gather in small groups to exchange ideas outdoors, with the conference venue’s gardens visible in the background. MEC 2026 is MICE Portal’s annual industry gathering focused on strategic MICE management and digital event procurement.

MEC 2026: Why the Two Best Days of the MICE Year Took Place at Lake Starnberg

Laura Wagner Jul 13, 2026, 1:54:12 PM

There are ideas that are born in boardrooms, and there are ideas that come to life while your own four children are running around at preschool and..