Laguna Phuket baits corporate clients with Food & Music Festival

Laguna Phuket has rolled out corporate packages for its inaugural Food & Music Festival, from March 3-5 this year, in hopes of leveraging the public event to add fun elements to corporate gatherings and to demonstrate the integrated resort’s varied offerings for business events.

In an interview with TTGmice e-Weekly, Ravi Chandran, managing director of Laguna Hotels & Resorts said the “crossover” between lifestyle and business events allows corporate clients to benefit from fun activities when both are held together.


Laguna Phuket Triathlon

Chandran shared that Laguna Phuket’s large-scale destination events, such as the Laguna Phuket Triathlon, have been attracting corporate groups. Citing an example, he said a global nutrition and weight management company took part in the popular sporting event in 2015, not only as one of the main sponsors but also by using the event as a platform for its own three-day incentive programme.

“With some of the festivalgoers being business owners and CEOs themselves, Laguna Phuket gets the opportunity to show off what it can do for their events without having to tell them, ‘come and meet here’,” added Chandran.

Highlights at the Food & Music Festival include live culinary demonstrations by MasterChef Asia judge Audra Morrice, Laguna Phuket’s appointed food consultant; pop-up food truck and beer garden with musical performances; and a charity gala dinner on March 4 with celebrity appearances.

There will be business aspects in the festival too, with sponsors such as Jaguar and Coca-Cola taking up booths to showcase their products and hotels within the Laguna Phuket integrated resort doing the same to show off their business event capabilities.

Chandran is confident that this hotel showcase will allow Laguna Phuket to secure at least five to six business events after the festival.

He revealed that 600 to 800 people are expected to attend the weekend festival, and a number of them will be part of corporate groups. When asked if these corporate groups would be tying their meetings and incentives with the festival, Chandran believes that “at least one would be doing so”.

Of the 40 tables at the charity gala dinner, 18 to 20 of them have been purchased by MNCs and leading Thai companies.

The Food & Music Festival is one of several key events that will be held in a year-long campaign to celebrate Laguna Phuket’s 30th anniversary. Corporate discounts are available on accommodation, corporate fundraising and promotion booths. Bookings can still be made at press time at ticket@lagunaphuket.com.

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