The Fifth MEF: records, an AI battle, and black caviar — how the main forum of the MICE industry unfolded

The MICE Excellence Forum, one of the most significant and large-scale industry events for business and corporate event organizers, was held for the fifth time in Moscow at the Hyatt Regency Petrovsky Park.

On the main day of the forum, which traditionally ran in a sold-out format, 1,039 guests participated, and more than 200 companies from 15 countries and over 20 regions of Russia were represented as exhibitors. About 40% of exhibitors and participants were attending the forum for the first time, giving guests a wealth of new contacts and ideas for their future events.

«As the organizers of the forum, we have an ambitious goal of developing the industry for future generations — however lofty that may sound. We want the profession of event organizer to be more attractive and respected, less stressful, and, ultimately, truly profitable. That’s why we host the forum and our other projects,» explained Tatyana Konakova, co-founder and COO of the MICE Excellence Forum.

The forum’s program was prepared in close collaboration with an expert council consisting of corporate clients and leading event and MICE agencies. This approach helped create a business program that was truly relevant and aligned with today’s industry demands.

This year’s forum concept was built around the fundamental elements of the MICE industry:

• professional expertise (earth);
• effective communication (air);
• creativity, inspiration, passion for one’s craft (fire);
• lifelong learning, flexibility, adaptability (water).

Each aspect was reflected in the business program, which was divided into five parallel tracks.

At the fifth anniversary forum, another — the fifth — element was added to the traditional pillars of the industry: artificial intelligence, which is fundamentally changing established processes and creating new opportunities for growth.

«AI has already become firmly integrated into our lives, indispensable as an assistant both at work and at home. But when implementing AI-based solutions in business processes, it is important to evaluate not just the fact of implementation but the effectiveness of the entire workflow and its key metrics,» noted Daria Salamatova, Director of the Congress Center at the World Trade Center.

The theme of artificial intelligence was reflected not only in the forum’s visual style but also in a real challenge to the industry — a battle in which two teams had two hours to develop a concept for a corporate New Year event based on a brief from Expobank. One team actively used generative neural networks, while the other relied solely on its creative potential and human intelligence. The final victory — and the client’s preference — went to the AI-powered team, although the jury and audience were divided in their assessments. Thus, the final point has not yet been placed, and the competition (in which the golden mean will likely prevail) will continue.

«MICE Excellence Forum reminded me of a drone show: many bright lights that suddenly form a meaningful picture. The forum stopped being just a celebration — it became an organized celebration, where emotions were complemented by meaning. Maybe it’s because of artificial intelligence — we talked about it so much that it quietly walked onto the stage and organized everything,» shared Oleg Kryuchkov, forum partner and Managing Partner of EventPlatform.

At the forum, great importance is traditionally placed not only on content but also on networking opportunities and the evening program. Guests were able to socialize in an informal setting and win numerous prizes from the forum’s partners, including a stock of black caviar — a legendary prize raffled among the most active participants.

For several years, the event operator of the forum has been Avantage Event Project, which handled all organizational aspects, including staff management.
The director of MEF 2025 is Aleksandr Madi, and the technical director is Aleksandr Prostakov.

For those who were unable to attend the forum, video recordings of nearly all sessions will be available.

Source of information and photos: MICE Excellence Forum