How data-based automation is revolutionizing convention sales

"As CTO, I didn't know what exactly I was supposed to build - until we started to really think in terms of operations."
This quote from Tigran Manvelyan, Co-Founder and CTO of MICE DESK, puts it in a nutshell: digitalization in convention sales is not just a technology issue. It is a profound change in culture and efficiency, and it begins precisely where processes come to a standstill and people are overloaded.

The silent killer in convention sales: time lost due to system breaks

MICE inquiries often end up in a fragmented mix of systems: Outlook, property management system (PMS), Excel, sales & catering tools. What sounds simple - an inquiry comes in, an offer goes out - is in reality a bottleneck course. As the MICE Benchmark Report (03/2025) shows: 36% of all MICE inquiries remain unanswered. And if a response is given, it is often too late.

The quotation times speak for themselves: only 36% of quotations are created within 12 hours. A full 60% take more than 24 hours, 27% of them even up to 5 days. And 9% significantly exceed this deadline. This shows that the longer the offer takes to be prepared, the higher the risk that the customer will already sign up with the competition.

MICE DESK has proven that these times can be significantly reduced, often by up to 50%, through data-based automation and clearly defined processes.

Gears instead of chance: how data-based process automation works

Imagine Convention Sales as a precise clockwork mechanism. Every cogwheel, whether email client, PMS, Sales & Catering (S&C), Revenue Management or Customer Relationship Management (CRM), must mesh precisely. But there is often sand in the gears:

• Legacy systems without Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)

• Modern systems with integration-hostile processes

• Different Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in each hotel

We meet these challenges with a well thought-out approach:
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as a bridging technology, Generative AI (GenAI)-based orchestration, clear SOPs and people at the center of every decision.

"Technically, we could automate everything. But that wouldn't be smart. We call the principle "Human in the Loop". An approach in which AI supports humans, but never makes decisions without them." - Tigran, CTO

Human in the Loop: Automation with humanity

With us, every step in the convention sales process is accompanied by an AI agent, but never completed autonomously. Check availability? Yes. Calculate prices? Yes.
But: The human must agree.

This mixture of "software-in-the-loop" and operational intelligence ensures trust, traceability and continuous learning. Especially in a segment that is often heavily dependent on personnel, this approach is worth its weight in gold.

RPA as a life extension for legacy systems

In an ideal world, every hotel would have modern, API-enabled systems such as Opera Cloud, Apaleo or Mews. The reality is different:
Many hotels work with software solutions that are neither open nor cloud-based and whose manufacturers often charge integration costs just to release data.

We therefore rely on robotic process automation (RPA). The small bots simulate clicks, read data from the PMS, make simple decisions and act like virtual employees. What makes them special: They are orchestrated. From the outside, everything looks like a modern system, but on the inside, clever RPA bots click their way through outdated interfaces.

"It's like a navigation system for legacy hotels: digital on the outside, down-to-earth but efficient on the inside." - Marwin Kunz, Strategic Alliance Manager at Wandelbots and interviewer.

Data points instead of gut feeling: making bottlenecks visible

A central element of the platform is the systematic recording and analysis of all process data: from the first inquiry to the invoice. This allows bottlenecks to be identified objectively.

Example:
A hotel waits four hours for feedback on a room booking. The actual task takes two minutes. Bottlenecks like this kill conversion rates and can be made visible and solvable with MICE DESK.

Why now?

The hotel industry is in the midst of a digital revolution. But while industries such as automotive and pharmaceuticals have long been using standardized API landscapes, hospitality is lagging behind.

"Now everyone is writing artificial intelligence (AI) on their software, even if there is none in it." - Tigran

The difference with MICE DESK: it's really in there. And that's not all: the platform sees itself as an operational sparring partner, not just a tool provider. Rocket 2.0 thinks with you, not just out of you.

The vision: more people, less monotony

We pursue a clear mission: to relieve convention sales teams, streamline processes and improve results.
Technology is the means to an end, people remain the captain.

"Our aim is to provide Convention & Group Sales employees with a toolkit that automates all the annoying tasks. And they can finally concentrate on what matters: customer communication." - Tigran

Conclusion: Just get started - and let the data speak for itself

The future of convention sales is data-based, interoperable and human. We provide the toolkit, the methodology and the experience.

If you want to know which setup suits your requirements, arrange your free consultation now.