When a project takes shape, the value of a professional network becomes tangible. You need a venue that can accommodate the concept, a team that understands your standards and a local partner who can open the right doors. This is an essential part of my work in experiential marketing: building the relationships that will help bring an idea to life.
It is one reason I attend forums such as M&I. I had taken part in two editions in Dubai before joining LUXE Venice in 2026 as a hosted buyer. After several years away from this type of gathering, I wanted to refresh my knowledge and broaden my network for VIP experiences. Venice will have its own article. Here, I want to explore the professional value of these formats and how to make that value tangible.
M&I: a setting for meeting relevant partners
Since 2004, M&I has organised gatherings for professionals working in meetings, incentives, conferences and events — MICE. Its model combines pre-arranged one-to-one meetings, destination discovery and shared experiences. Its stated purpose is to help buyers and suppliers develop relevant business relationships. About M&I.
Different projects call for different partners. General formats connect buyers with hotels, venues, destinations and DMCs — destination management companies that coordinate services locally. LUXE focuses on high-end incentives and VIP group experiences. The formats currently advertised by M&I include 40 scheduled meetings for Flagship and 30 for LUXE. These figures describe the current offering; they are not a record of my personal Venice schedule.
Hosted buyer: an invitation with a professional commitment
A hosted buyer is a professional purchaser selected for their responsibilities and sourcing needs. M&I’s programme includes accommodation, meals and a contribution towards travel, with conditions varying by event. In return, participants commit to the programme, including scheduled meetings and core networking activities. The buyer FAQ explains the arrangements.
Hosting makes attendance more accessible. It also calls for serious preparation. Suppliers invest time and budget in these conversations; both sides should be able to understand quickly whether there is a relevant opportunity to work together.
The time savings begin before the first meeting
A major advantage is being able to research participants and express meeting preferences before travelling. I can focus on destinations, service levels and expertise that fit my needs. This gives my agenda a purpose and reduces time spent on introductions unrelated to my projects.
Short meetings help qualify an initial possibility. What kind of group can this partner accommodate? How much can they personalise? What do they understand about my audience and constraints? Meals and activities then provide time to continue the most promising conversations. You get to know the person and how they listen and respond. That is often where trust starts to develop.
The pace requires real availability. There is little room to keep up with office work between meetings. I treat the trip as a dedicated period of work that needs a place in the team’s schedule.
My approach: always bring a brief
I prepare a brief for a live project or a future project defined well enough to support a useful conversation. If it is hypothetical, I say so. I set out the context, audience, intended experience, possible destinations, format, constraints and a budget range when one is known.
This document helps us move quickly into substantive questions. It shows my preparation and the precision I expect from partners. For a VIP experience, for example, I want to understand the welcome, transfers, confidentiality, contingency arrangements and individual requests. The care given to these details directly shapes the way a brand is experienced.
In a corporate role, make the value visible
As an independent professional or agency owner, the decision may be more direct: you choose how much time and money to invest in business development. The investment still needs to make economic sense. In a corporate environment, there is also a need to explain that decision to a manager, leadership team or procurement colleagues.
I understand that expectation. A few days in an attractive hotel tell people little about the work involved. The conversation becomes more useful when it covers the needs to address, the planned meetings and the deliverables expected afterwards. Even with hosted buyer support, attendance has a cost: working time, remaining expenses and the arrangements needed to keep ongoing projects moving.
I would structure the case for attending in three stages:
- Before the event: connect attendance to identified projects, define the expertise needed, check the relevance of participants and calculate the full cost of the trip.
- On return: present a qualified partner shortlist, the opportunities for each project, limitations identified and next actions. Contacts become useful when the team has this context.
- At 30 and 90 days: track continued conversations, briefs sent, proposals received and partners actually selected. Record savings or time gained when they can be substantiated.
These checkpoints are a suggested follow-up method, not results I attribute to M&I. They distinguish introductions, opportunities and collaborations that have actually progressed. I would be careful about claiming a financial return before there is evidence to calculate it.
Example wording for an internal request: ‘The purpose of attending is to identify partners for forthcoming projects, refresh our understanding of the market and build a shortlist the team can use. The post-event report will set out qualified contacts, their relevance to our needs, the cost of attendance and the follow-up actions.’
MarTech carries the work beyond the meeting
Matchmaking platforms help build an agenda. The work then needs a place in our own tools. A structured CRM record or shared database can hold the contact, destination, capabilities, considerations, relevant project and next action. Sensitive information remains subject to company rules.
This is a practical use of MarTech: turning a conversation into usable information, then into action. The network also becomes a resource for the team, with enough history for someone else to pick up the project.
M&I, Break the Ice and Heavent: choose for the brief
M&I is an example I know from attending. Other formats are worth exploring too, without assuming they all offer the same experience.
Break the Ice Forum advertises 80–120 participants and 25 scheduled ten-minute meetings, alongside shared meals and activities. It offers a different scale of gathering, to assess against the markets and partners you need. Explore its hosted buyer programme.
Heavent Meetings in Cannes offers pre-arranged fifteen-minute appointments and a hosted buyer programme. It should be distinguished from Heavent Paris, a professional exhibition covering event solutions, creativity and innovation. The choice depends on whether you need partners in specific markets, destination discovery or production solutions.
Dates to explore for 2027
The following dates were listed in the official calendars on 10 November 2026. Buyer markets and admission criteria differ by edition. Check the linked programmes for eligibility and any changes.
M&I — selected 2027 events
| Format / destination | 2027 dates |
|---|---|
| Flagship — Marrakech | 7–10 February |
| Expo — Abu Dhabi | 5–7 April |
| LUXE — Ibiza | 26–29 April |
| Flagship — Šibenik | 16–19 June |
| Private — Sicily | 13–16 October |
Explore the full M&I 2027 calendar and buyer profiles for each edition →
Break the Ice Forum — announced 2027 dates
| Destination | 2027 dates |
|---|---|
| The Hague | 28–30 January |
| Marbella | 18–20 March |
| Munich | 29 April–1 May |
| Venice | 17–19 June |
| Helsinki | 26–28 August |
| Berlin | 7–9 October |
| Cascais | 4–6 November |
| Porto | 16–18 December |
Explore Break the Ice Forum editions and buyer markets →
Heavent Meetings Cannes lists its 2027 edition for 2–4 March. Official programme and information →
Build the network before the next project
The value of these meetings becomes clear when an idea turns into a brief, then an experience to deliver. Knowing whom to speak to, understanding their capabilities and having an established connection makes that work easier. That is what I look for in a forum such as M&I: partners I can build with, and knowledge that will improve my next projects.
Hugo Parker — Traveler Marketer
Disclosure: I attended LUXE Venice 2026 at M&I’s invitation through its hosted buyer programme. Personal observations in this article are distinct from programme information supplied by organisers. Sources and calendars checked on 10 November 2026.
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