Beyond Asia: Scotland; Los Angeles, US; and Helsinki, Finland

TTGmice's weekly round-up of MICE developments outside of Asia-Pacific.

VisitScotland provides more details on its Legends Legacy Network; Edinburgh, Scotland pictured
VisitScotland provides more details on its Legends Legacy Network; Edinburgh, Scotland pictured

VisitScotland unveils Legends Legacy Network
VisitScotland Business Events has launched Scotland’s Legends Legacy Network, pulling local innovation centres, industry representative organisations and research hubs together to enhance the country’s inward investment, inclusive growth and global profiling ambitions.

The Legends Legacy Network is an evolution of its Legends marketing campaign.

Focus is on the importance of legacy and collaboration, both nationally and internationally, and how the country can connect with international businesses through business events. It aims to promote Scotland as “a place where new #ideasbecomelegend.”

The Legends Legacy Network will continue to push and develop on the work that has already been achieved through the Legends campaign and continue to show that business events are a critical tool for economic and social progress.

Uniworld reports best year for charter sales
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, a luxurious all-inclusive river cruise line, will close 2019 charter sales with a YOY increase of 225 per cent in full ship charters, marking the company’s most successful year in charter sales in its history.

Uniworld has enhanced its charter and incentive offerings in recent years, including two new ships from new brand U River Cruises. A variety of charter options and the ability to customise an itinerary, executed by Uniworld’s in-house Charters & Incentives team, has helped drive incredible growth in the brand’s charter sales business, stated a press release.

Each ship accommodates between 116 and 159 guests in Europe and 56 to 81 guests in Egypt, India, Vietnam and Cambodia. Planners are able to build their own special menus, onboard entertainment and activities, private shore excursions, corporate branding opportunities and more. All ships include premier accommodations for meetings groups, with complimentary audiovisual equipment, shipwide Wi-Fi and meeting spaces in a variety of configurations. Itineraries can also incorporate themes such as food and wine, history or art.

Both Uniworld and U brands have been chartered by special interest leisure groups and corporate incentive groups, the latter said to be increasingly popular. Corporate incentive groups range from 20 to 80 guests, with bookings coming from the US, Canada, Asia, Australia and beyond.

Finnair flies first biofuel flight
Finnish flag-carrier Finnair flew its first biofuel flight, backed by its Push For Change carbon decreasing initiative, on August 5, with a second following on August 7.

Finnair flights departing San Francisco Airport bound for Helsinki, Finland, were flown with a biofuel mix of 12 per cent, reducing the total CO2 emissions for the two flights by approximately 32 tons.

“The launch of our Push For Change initiative was an important step for Finnair in order to provide our customers with the opportunity to conveniently offset or decrease the emissions from their travel,” said Arja Suominen, senior vice president, communications & corporate responsibility at Finnair.

Finnair’s biofuel partners in San Francisco are SkyNRG and World Energy; Shell Aviation has provided logistics and supply chain support for the project. The sustainable biofuel is produced from used cooking oil in California, which does not compete with food production or the agriculture industry.

Flights flown by Finnair with biofuel are determined by the uptake of the service by Finnair customers. To support biofuel flights, Finnair customers can purchase biofuel via Finnair’s Push For Change service available on Finnair web pages, which can also be paid for with Finnair Plus frequent flyer points.

Biofuel is sold for €10 (US$11), €20 or €65, to reduce the emissions of a return flight in Finland, return flight within Europe, or a return intercontinental flight respectively. Finnair customers can also support a CO2 emission reduction project by making offset payments of one euro for a return flight within Finland, two euros for a return flight within Europe, and six euros for a return intercontinental flight. The charges are based on the average emissions and costs of reducing a CO2 ton within the project. The payments are transferred to the project in full through NEFCO.

Finnair also offsets the CO2 emissions of its own personnel’s duty travel through the CO2 emission reduction project.

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