How does the business environment ecosystem promote the development of the MICE industry? Empirical evidence from Chinese provinces

Purpose The meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions (MICE) industry embodies a business model in the Business-to-Business (B2B) service platform economy. From a configurational perspective, this study aims to investigate how the multi-factor configurational effects of the business environment influence the development level of the MICE industry. Design/methodology/approach Taking 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China as research cases, this study uses the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method to examine how different dimensions of the business environment combine in configurations to affect MICE industry development. Necessity analysis and configurational analysis are conducted to identify multiple equifinal paths leading to high- and low-level MICE development. Findings No single condition of the business environment serves as a necessary condition for the high-level development of the MICE industry. Four configurational paths contribute to the high-level development of the MICE industry, namely, the efficiency-technology synergy-driven configuration, the foundational support-driven configuration, the regulation and vitality-driven configuration and the balanced synergy-driven configuration. There are three configurational paths leading to the low-level development of the MICE industry, which exhibit an asymmetric relationship with the paths leading to the high-level development of the MICE industry. Originality/value From a B2B marketing configurational viewpoint, this study comprehensively examines the intricate connection between the business environment and MICE industry growth, going beyond traditional linear regression methods. This study identifies multiple configuration patterns through which the business environment promotes the MICE industry development, providing concrete practical guidance for policymakers. This study establishes new theoretical bases and practical implementation paths for the advancement of the MICE industry.