Meeting Planners’ Perspectives on Relationship Selling in the MICE Industry

The purpose of this study is to propose a newly refined model of relationship selling in the general context between meeting planners and suppliers in Meeting, Incentive, Convention, and Exhibition (MICE) industry .The refined model was tested by using an online survey of a sample of professional meeting planners in the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). Results showed both social bonds with the supplier and expertise of the supplier had an effect on meeting planners’ perceived trust and satisfaction; while willingness and power of the supplier was related to neither meeting planners’ perceived trust nor satisfaction. This refined model could provide research insights and guide future research on key relationship selling constructs between meeting planners and suppliers in the MICE industry