MICE market analysis - German and Swiss conference hotels compared

The MICE industry is known for its rapid pace, especially in convention sales, where time is of the essence. From our discussions with our hotel partners, we know how important a fast response time and a suitable offer from a conference hotel are when an event inquiry is received. Together with a market research institute, we regularly produce our Industry Benchmark Report , which analyzes the average reaction and response times of German conference hotels , as well as the quality of the offers submitted. In the last report from January 2024, we saw that the results had improved only minimally compared to September 2023.

This time, we expanded our market analysis once again, comparing the German market with German-speaking Switzerland. We wanted to know in which country the conference hotel industry responds to event requests faster and with higher quality. The new report highlights the differences in speed and quality of service. It also highlights areas where, despite good performance in some aspects, there are still significant risks for revenue losses.

But why do we focus our analyses on response and offer times? We'd like to explain the importance of these two factors in the MICE industry in more detail:

The efficiency with which a hotel responds to customer inquiries is often a first indicator of its quality and commitment. Fast response times are crucial, as they can shape first impressions and lay the foundation for future business relationships. A delayed response can quickly remove a hotel from the list of potential venues. Equally important is the time it takes hotels to prepare proposals. A promptly delivered proposal that is comprehensive and clear not only reflects respect for the customer's time but also demonstrates a deep understanding of the demands of modern business. The quality and speed with which proposals are delivered significantly shape a hotel's image.

In our latest MICE Benchmark report for dynamic booking times , we found that Swiss hotels respond faster on average than their German counterparts. However, there is an alarming finding: Almost half of Swiss hotels, or over 45%, did not respond to the requests at all —not even with a rejection. This can lead to significant revenue losses and jeopardize customer relationships.

Bernd Fritzges, our CEO, explains: " Our goal is to highlight the discrepancies between expected industry standards and actual performance. We want to not only provide information but also offer concrete solutions to sustainably improve performance in convention sales ."

Our report therefore includes deep insights into both markets and highlights the need for improvements in both countries. It also provides detailed data, comparisons, and suggestions on how hotels can optimize their processes to improve efficiency and customer loyalty.

Interested parties can request the full report here and also have the option to request a personalized evaluation for their own hotel. The Industry Benchmark Report and the individual hotel analysis are available completely free of charge for a limited time.

If you are interested in the results of previous analyses, please contact us and we will be happy to provide you with the previous reports. Please send us an email to: office@micedesk.de