Established in 2014 MICEit.co is the first online platform out of Jordan that will streamline the organization of events, meetings, conferences and exhibits. After receiving funding from the Jordanian Oasis500, and reaching the finals in the Hadafi competition program [one that, in partnership with Pepsico, encourages Arab women in the entrepreneurial field], they launched a beta version of its site in November 2014.

They will now be replacing it with the fully functional site in the coming weeks. 

The idea of co-founder Roula Fayad, the company’s concept was born out of a desire to streamline the event planning process, and take part of the burden off the organizer’s shoulders.

How it works

As an online platform MICEit.co offers all services related to event planning, bringing together buyers and sellers. Through online auctions service providers (sellers) and organizers (buyers) can acquire services needed for any type of event. 

Google Developers Group (regular users of MICEit.co) want to organize a workshop for its staff, by creating an account on MICEit.co, they can then post a request that includes all the logistical requirements of the event - place, time, number of attendees, and budget. The request is then viewed by all subscribed sellers, and those whose services fit with the organizers requirements can show interest in the request.

If the buyer has asked for instance for a five-star hotel as a venue for the workshop, the Marriott and Movenpick, two registered sellers with the site, can show interest in the request. Negotiations would then take place. This way the organizer can compare all available options without wasting time talking to service providers one by one. 

Anyone can join

There is no requirement for the buyer to be a huge company, a single person wanting to organize a workshop, or a even a concert, is able to use MICEit.co. As for the seller, it can either be a comprehensive service provider that handles all the event planning details, (like an event management company), or a company that offers just one service, like a hotel or airline. 

Services offered by sellers on the platform include the booking of venus, equipment, necessary audio-visual supplies, and group travel reservations including transportation, airplane tickets, and accommodation.

Next step

According to Fayad, they are the first event planning platform available, in Arabic, in the region.

Although it is currently based in the Jordanian capital, Fayad and her co-founder Mohamed Turki plan to expand the company soon to include the whole Arab region. 

The company has managed so far to organize no less than 18 events and is expecting to organize 70 more in the coming year. Monetizing of the project comes through the commissions it earns from sellers and partners, as well as from ads. 

Fayad expressed thanks for Potential’s Hadafi project, saying that it gave her “a great experience which lit my entrepreneurial skills and motivated me for the future”. As a female entrepreneur, Fayad encourages women and advises them “not to worry. Avoid discouraging people… and dream! You have nothing to lose. Work 24/7 to turn your ideas into companies.”