By Raini Hamdi, Xinyi Liang-Polsena, Lee Pei Qi, Mimi Hudoyo, S. Puvaneswary, Prudence Lui, Rosa Ocampo, Marianne Carandang, Shekhar Niyogi, Rohit Kaul, Feizal Samath, David Andrews and Greg Lowe
Their best bet
Where MICE players put their biggest dollars in 2013 and did it pay off
Just the product we need
The product that caught the eye of corporates in 2013
The best fam trip
International buyers spill the beans on which fam trip wowed them this year
All the best intentions
A peek into the minds of TTGmice leaders in the region on what they ‘shall’ and ‘shall not’ do in 2014
Reporters’ notebook
Our best and worst MICE editorial encounter of the year
Their best bet
Be it an investment in social media, new hires, market diversification or office expansion, Asian inbound MICE players have not kept still. They tell TTGmice where they put their biggest dollars and whether it’s paid off
SOCIAL MEDIA
“Since last year, we’ve become more active on social media networks. Potential clients always look online for information, plus we can upload photos of our activities and portfolio on these sites. In fact, an Australian company recently contacted us via LinkedIn to organise an event for a MICE group, even though we have not met before. Our revenue grew 60 per cent from last year. We are surprised at the good performance (through this strategy).” – Bobby Kim, chief marketing officer, Jane Tour & DMC, South Korea
RIGHT HIRE
“MICE2CHINA was a set up in early 2012 as a new division of Century Holiday International Travel Service. We started hiring regional talent to cultivate a global image for the company and show that China is not just a producer of cheap goods but a great MICE destination. We have been successful with India, Singapore and Malaysia. We will soon broaden our marketing efforts to Australia and Eastern Europe, especially Poland.” – Burt Sim, sales director, MICE2CHINA, China
MORE SYNERGY
“We strengthened our office in Kota Kinabalu, known as Synergy Borneo, by increasing staff strength from two to six people as Borneo is growing for the European inbound market for leisure and MICE, partly due to its nature, culture and heritage. Sabah and Sarawak also have good five star properties to attract meeting and incentive delegates.” – Fabio Delisi, group CEO, Synergy Tours Malaysia
ASEAN MARKET
“We’ve been focusing on the European market, which is stable, but have started to grow MICE business from the ASEAN market. We are getting more enquiries from Indonesia, and from Asian MICE groups interested in half-day tours after their conferences in South Korea. Previously we were looking at only the Australian market.” – Mi Nong Lee, operation director, Holiday Planners, South Korea
CHASING MICE
“We expanded our Guangzhou office this year, which was previously just a call centre. Having launched in March 2012 a new corporate travel department, we also started the FIT and MICE departments in January 2013. We are expecting a good outlook for MICE business to China in the coming year.” – Lisa Chau, assistant general manager, tour department, Guangzhou Anlu Travel Service (a subsidiary of Lotus Tours Hong Kong)
DIVERSIFICATION
“We diversified our focus from Japanese travellers to include the global market now. Therefore this year we participated in more MICE tradeshows, such as IT&CM China and IT&CMA, to build up our branding. This year’s IT&CMA also marked the first time JTB (Macau) Travel took a separate booth from the JTB brand.” – Barry Muk, manager-purchasing & hotel reservations, JTB (Macau) Travel
STAYING RESILIENT
“2013 has certainly been a challenging year. Visitor numbers to Hong Kong are well up, but not from our markets. More emphasis needs to be placed on attracting visitors from anywhere other than mainland China. Anyone listening?
Adding to the problem is the greed of landlords here. Ours put the rent up 100 per cent, which means a move in April to smaller and far less expensive premises.
We cut back on tradeshows but attended the new Meetings Show in London in July, which produced excellent results. We also spent the quieter time sourcing and developing new local tours which have proven popular with our clients.
Things seem to be on the up and up though, with quite a few new enquiries coming in for next year. So roll on 2014!” – Jenny May, managing director, The Destination Management Company Hong Kong
NEW PARTNER
“Since representing and partnering Pacific World in South Korea from November 2012, we’ve seen a 15 per cent increase in MICE business to-date (October), most of it being incentives from pharmaceutical and IT companies from Europe and South America. In 2014 and 2015, we’re expecting even better results.” – Mina Oh, deputy general manager, Europe & American team, Kim’s Travel, South Korea
SNOW INCENTIVES
“We started new snow-shovelling activities as part of our corporate social responsibility efforts, which are popular with corporates. This is a happy activity because delegates get the chance to mingle closely with the local residents in the neighbourhood as they help to shovel the snow in their driveways. Not only do they get a chance to do something for the community, they also have fun at the same time.” – Megumi Minabe, meeting planner, DMC Sapporo, Japan
NEW TEAMBUILDING OFFER
“SmallWORLD Experience, our sister company, launched a new teambuilding programme, Wine Making Academy, which was developed with a wine partner in Spain but adapted for Macau. This activity requires small groups to work together to blend a new wine from five mono grapes, create a label and develop a presentation, followed by blind tasting and scoring by judges. Since launching this programme in May 2013, it has been steadily gaining popularity among clients and we have seen more requests over the last two months.” – João Santos, events assistant, DOC DMC Macau
RATE FINDER
“We introduced a new third-party software tool, RateFinding.com, in all our Asia-Pacific offices. This hotel procurement portal has enabled us to access and check room rates on the database quickly, paving for easier communication and rate negotiation with the hotels. Previously, we used to do it manually via an Excel file, but now we just need to log on to the website. The simplified process has helped us to save time and improve efficiency.” – Mervyn Tan, assistant manager – purchasing, Robert Bosch (Malaysia)
BOOKING ENGINE
“We invested in a B2B and B2C Internet booking engine which we launched in October 2013. Through this system, the general public and our partners can buy inbound tours to Brunei and hotel rooms in Brunei and other destinations. The booking engine has made operations more efficient as it operates 24/7, and allows instant confirmation of bookings upon successful online transactions. We hope this system will attract more business and leisure travellers from Australia and London who already have a culture of booking online.” – Michael L P Lee, managing director, Freme Travel Services, Brunei
IMEX AMERICAS, BUT…
“We exhibited in IMEX Americas in Las Vegas in October. It’s our first time as we would like to test the water since the US market, especially incentives, has been so quiet. I also leveraged on this trip by joining a Hong Kong-based hotel chain to explore more business opportunities. I ended up spending three weeks in the US.
But we won’t spend more on this market given its sluggishness. Overall, the MICE market has been very quiet in Hong Kong and overseas this year.” – Cary Chiu, general manager, PC Tours and Travel, Hong Kong
NEW DESTINATION
The biggest investment Global Conference Management Group made this year was marketing a new destination, Hong Kong, to corporates in Chennai, using an innovative tourism quiz based on a new wine.
We tied up with Meetings & Exhibitions Hong Kong and Air India. Some 120 teams – the who’s who of corporates in Chennai – participated in the quiz. We hope to build the event up as a pan-India event from next year. The event evoked interest in Hong Kong as a new destination among corporates.”– M. K. Ajit Kumar, president and CEO, Global Conference Management Group, Chennai, India
FESTIVAL MARKETING
“An area we significantly invested in was festival marketing. Philippine Exhibit and Themeparks Corp is the only company that supports and promotes our local governments in the national marketing of their festivals. Through this effort, local governments become known, their culture appreciated, while national advertisers recognise that festival marketing is major tool for brand campaigns.” – Marisa Nallana, president, Philippine Exhibit and Themeparks Corp
eDA
“A key investment for Destination Asia in 2013 was eDA, an online booking engine. A single PNR enables the user to input a login code and gain access to all of Destination Asia’s products and services across the countries we operate in. The system submits one currency for all booked destinations with the transaction processed through one bank account.” – James Reed, CEO/group managing director, Destination Asia, Thailand
TECHNOLOGY
“The most significant investment we made this year was technology. We installed a new MICE administration system, which streamlines areas such as registration and payment, making them more transparent and accountable.
Apart from the government events, we handle many association meetings and conferences. We usually share profits with the associations. This new system will allow both Pacto Convex internally and our association clients to access the process and see, for example, the amount of the total profit.
The system is on trial now and we expect to officially launch it in early 2014.” – Susilowani Daud, president director, Pacto Convex, Indonesia
PEOPLE
“Our major investment this year has been in staff. There is a constant need for fresh blood to keep new ideas flowing and we can always learn a lot from the younger generation. We find the best people, train them and learn from them.
As a business we also need to become more connected and ensure we have a strategy for using new communication tools and media. Bringing in new, highly engaged staff who are willing to learn but can also share their knowledge and skills for these newer technologies is key to this.” – Chariya Sudasna, director of Creative Destination Management Thailand
Just the product we need
Corporates tell TTGmice what product or service caught their eye this year and why
Arpita Bhose
Account manager, Kenes Asia, Singapore
I currently have my eye on the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre, which is going to open in 2017. We often rotate our annual congresses around Asia and try to keep up with the different convention centres so we can give everyone a new experience. When we look at Malaysia, it’s usually just Kuala Lumpur. This new centre looks grand and promising and we are really excited about it.
Karen Leemon
Campus administration officer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, Deakin University Australia
The Sampran Riverside in Thailand caught my eye. At IT&CMA this year, it made its booth look authentically Thai. The property is involved in promoting organic farming to local farmers. It caught my eye as we have a group of students going to Thailand for two weeks next year and we might be able to work out a programme for the students where they can volunteer their time and get involved with the local community.
Jane Tan
Director, Enterprise Promotion Centres, Singapore
I was surprised to find out how interesting Sabah is as an incentive destination. Besides being close to Singapore, it offers plenty of natural attractions and post-trip options, plus many golf resorts that could be ideal venues for business travellers. With a stronger understanding of what Sabah has to offer, I’ll definitely consider it as an incentive destination in future.
Stephani McKay
Travel team leader administration, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Brisbane, Australia
Mandar Gokhale
Group manager – Corprate Travel,
Mumbai, India
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel sticks out favourably. I was impressed with the representative. She did her homework by studying our company background before our meeting. She was aware of what I was seeking; she explained the property in great detail. When we bring future business to Kuala Lumpur, I will definitely work with her.
The best fam trip
How to do a fam trip that has buyers swooning and featuring the product the next day? International buyers spill the beans on which fam trip wowed them this year
Laos (above Tat Luang) made an impression
It was to Laos early this year where I experienced first-hand the destination which is so rich in culture and heritage. The weather and terrain is so different from South Africa.
As a result of the fam trip, I was able to promote Laos to travellers from my country and the first group departure to Laos was in November 2013.
The best fam trip I had this year was to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. I organised it myself in early 2013 and got the hotels to host my stay. This was the first time I went to these destinations and my intention was to see the products first-hand so I could tailor luxury tours for clients and design incentive programmes in these destinations. It was a successful trip as I made many new contacts and can now tell my clients of my own experience in these destinations. This will make it easier to sell these destinations.
I went to Spain and participated in the tomato festival. We painted the town red because everyone was throwing tomatoes at each other as part of the celebration. This something not possible in any other country in the world. Asians will definitely like it as it is so fun, so I will consider bringing groups there next year.
It was to Phuket to visit The Surin after its renovations were completed. The fam trip was well-planned and executed. We were shown not just the rooms but also activities that could be done there such as cooking classes and off-site dining venues nearby. Phuket as a destination always sells. Recently we have had a number of enquiries from corporate clients to do incentives and conferences in Phuket.
I was brought to the Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani province in Thailand. It transported me to Mother Nature. We stayed in treehouses and were surrounded by wildlife. This will make a peaceful new location to host my clients.
I explored India’s Golden Triangle route recently and I especially like Jaipur the pink city. India is going to be my new destination for MICE. It is getting too normal to always visit Europe. The contrasting cultural experiences between Czech Republicans and Indians are going to be exciting.
The famous Jaigarh fort in Jaipur and the surrounding vista
All the best intentions
Reporters’ notebook
TTGmice journalists share their best and worst MICE event, encounter or interview this year
Raini Hamdi
Senior editor
BEST My best MICE interview this year was with Pansy Ho, managing director, Shun Tak Holdings, a company which has stakes in all corners in Macau – TurboJet, Macau International Airport, Air Macau, Macau Tower, OneCentral (mixed-used residential, serviced apartments and the Mandarin Oriental Macau), the Cotai Strip, to name some. I love it that she was powerful yet accessible. Delegates were swimming to exchange cards with her after her panel during the PATA Annual Summit in Bangkok and she patiently talked to each of them. When my turn came, I asked if I could interview her in private at the Centara lounge; she said okay but she had only half an hour as she’s flying back to Hong Kong. I made her promise to be there – she was there five minutes before me, and she gave a frank interview that reflected her passion for building Macau up as an attractive destination in its own right and gateway to greater China.
WORST Media briefings at IMEX. I still don’t understand why some CVBs or MICE companies (you know who you are) book a media briefing room if they have nothing new to brief. One (let’s just say a popular South-east Asian MICE destination) even teased a new initiative in the invite but there must have been some miscommunication as, when I asked about it, the CVB representative who was giving the briefing looked puzzled. No wonder most of the time, the attendance at these media briefings was poor.
Briefings for buyers are already being held at the stands to update them on the destination, product, etc. Why not invite media members to join in these briefings if they are keen to learn more? Save the press conference/media briefing for when you really have something to announce and I promise you’ll have a roomful of journalists.
Karen Yue
Group editor
BEST Event planners should know that the choice of event entertainment could make or break the whole experience and influence guests’ impression of the organiser, yet I’ve been made to sit through some very bland ones. Fortunately, I have only great things to say about the welcome lunch for delegates at AIME 2013. The main act that came on mid-way through lunch rocked almost everyone like a hurricane. A quartet of two ladies and two men, dressed most formally, emerged with a stunning performance of the famous aria, Nessun Dorma. Suddenly, the elegant act gave way to a medley of rock hits such as Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet child of mine and Queen’s We will rock you and Bohemian Rhapsody, which the quartet performed with equal flair. When the City of Melbourne Highland Pipe band marched into the ballroom at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre with a haunting accompaniment to John Farnham’s You’re The Voice, I knew right away that this experience would make it to my Best experience in this year-end issue. And yes, I am more convinced than ever that Melbourne is one hot, exciting destination. If you want to know, the stellar entertainment was produced by Australian company, Peter Jones Special Events.
WORST I attended a tradeshow and post-show fam for business event buyers in a North Asian country, but hosted journalists were given less than three hours for interviews and research at the tradeshow before being whisked off on a city tour. Fam tours are fun but not as essential as hitting the show floor to talk to trade buyers and sellers for news and market trends, and I hope CVBs will bear this in mind when planning programmes for trade media.
Gracia Chiang
Deputy group editor
BEST I thought this year’s TravelRave Leaders Gala was a well-executed effort by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Held at Gardens by the Bay, it not only offered a platform to mingle with the region’s who’s who, but showcased the country’s event capabilities amid a verdant setting. I liked that the night’s F&B was orchestrated by pop-up restaurant Gastrogig, which rounded up an unconventional culinary collective, from a gourmet food truck-cum-social enterprise to edible gardens. This wasn’t all. On the way out, I met a helpful STB representative at the taxi stand, who told me she was in charge of booking cabs for delegates as transport out of the park was anticipated to be a problem. Good service is always a winner.
WORST During a media/trade preview of an attraction in Singapore, the experience was interrupted midway by a technical glitch. It was a good 10-15 minutes of us buckled up in our seats and listening to safety announcements ad nauseam before anyone came to offer an explanation. Thankfully, we managed to return to the faulty ride much later, although part of it was cordoned off. I felt embarrassed for the organisers. Plus, the last I heard the ride might be pulled in less than two months.
Xinyi Liang-Polsena
Assistant editor
BEST I attended ITB Berlin for the first time this year, and I was quite amazed to see the world’s travel industry converge at a single albeit sprawling venue. The show floor was buzzing, the weather was pretty good (well, that was before the snowstorm hit a few days later in March) and working with my colleagues with a glass of wine (this being Europe, anyway) kept my spirits up throughout the three-day event.
WORST The said snowstorm wrecked havoc on my return flight to Bangkok, as my connecting flight to Frankfurt was cancelled and I was rerouted via Copenhagen instead. However, a technical glitch in my connecting Bangkok-bound flight forced me to make a last-minute layover in the Danish capital. Interestingly, six other travel industry members on their way home post-ITB were also stranded, so we exchanged namecards and commiserated over our predicament, and the bad feelings quickly turned into a sense of solidarity among us.
Mimi Hudoyo
Senior editor-Indonesia
BEST The most interesting MICE event I went to this year was MG Holiday’s mega table top. The Indonesian major hotel wholesaler organised its table top event outdoors at Jakarta’s famous theme park, Ancol Dreamland. Sellers, comprising hotels from all over Indonesia, were scattered at different locations in the theme park – under a tree, near a pool, on a rock formation with the roller-coaster in the background – so travel consultants must walk or even cycle to meet them. I thought this was unique and fun.
WORST When I was invited to attend the opening of a travel fair. The invitation was for a press conference by the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy at 09.00, followed by the opening of the fair. The minister did not come, there was no press conference and the opening ceremony did not start until 10.30. Such a waste of time.
S. Puvaneswary
Editor-Malaysia
BEST TTGmice, October issue, on Women Deliver 2013: I loved the speed at which Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) had accommodated my request for an interview with KLCC deputy general manager, Alan Pryor, and executive chef, Richard Lim. They are both busy people, so I am grateful they had time to spare for this interview. I also have to thank the PR team at the centre for preparing notes in advance as this helped me write the case study.
WORST An interview with a five-star international hotel brand to write about its recent refurbishments and MICE business. I was taken on a hotel inspection by the hotel GM and PR manager. Suddenly, the PR manager informed the GM that the media representative for his next appointment had arrived, and ended the current session so he could proceed with the next interview.
I thought it was a rather abrupt and rude ending. Clearly this hotel needed to improve on its soft skills.
Lee Pei Qi
Assistant editor-Singapore
BEST The impressive hospitality from the Taiwanese during a familiarisation trip there. And I am not just talking about the locals in the hosted facilities, but basically every one there from the taxi driver to the guy selling street snacks. They literally welcomed me with open arms, making me feel right at home.
WORST A hotel dinner function which pre-determined beef for the delegates – and there was little room for flexibility for those who did not want it.
Greg Lowe
correspondent-Thailand
BEST I loved chatting with Phoenix Voyages’ Jean Michel Romon about his calamitous experiences as the official ground agent for the World Economic Forum in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.
It was the first major event to be hosted in the country, which has scant infrastructure for such events. For some 2,500-plus delegates, the 220-strong team arranged 5,000 roomnights across 22 hotels, more than 800 transfers and 14 charter flights. To ensure attendees could get from A to B in the city, 146 cars and buses had to be transported from Yangon and Mandalay as Naypyitaw has a mere 11 private taxis. Talk about herding cats. But as Romon said: “It was hard but worth it. Everyone was proud to play a part, especially the Burmese.”
WORST Conversations, networking and meeting sources are the lifeblood of journalism. They are especially important when reporting on trade events, where I previously assumed organisers deploy a simple formula for generating as much coverage as possible: A (delegates) + B (media) = C (coverage).
Some other logic was clearly in play during September’s Global Tourism Economy Forum in Macau where organisers went out of their way to separate journalists from delegates, save for pre-arranged interviews in the media centre. We were accommodated separately, dined separately, corralled to and from meals and events by the PR team (who were actually very nice people) and only had an hour-long after-event gathering to rub shoulders with the travel trade’s great and good, by which time most people seemed more concerned with hooking up an intravenous supply of wine than being interviewed. And who could blame them?
David Andrews
Correspondent-Indochina
WORST For me Laos is a place I always feel relaxed in and at peace, that was until I embarked on a two-day fam cruise along the Mekong a few months ago. Setting off from Huay Xai we cruised upriver to Pakbeng, staying in a traditional wooden lodge. I know observing the wildlife is part of the experience, but when the wildlife is staying in your room at night, I get a little edgy. To me it sounded like a bat roosting on top of our cabin, and for some reason I was convinced it was going to try and land on me. It didn’t help that previous guests told of a story of a snake. As I lay there, sheet pulled up under my chin, I began to nod off. With a yelp I bolted upright with what felt like a claw attached to my face. A giant locust about four inches long had landed directly on my face.
Prudence Lui
Correspondent-Hong Kong
BEST The first MICE cruise seminar in town hosted by Lotus Tours on Marina of the Seas opened up a new perspective on what corporate/event planners can do at sea.
WORST The first media visit to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, as it was not fully completed with water leakage problems due to a strong typhoon.
Shekhar Niyogi
Senior correspondent-India
BEST The Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, which I was covering for both TTGmice and TTG Asia. The media conferences and briefings were spaced well with plenty of prior information handed out at the media centre that was located in the hub of activity – not tucked away in a corner as in many other events. There was no room to complain about sparse seating in the media centre as there was no time to sit! My interview with the CEO of Qatar Airways was arranged efficiently. The exhibitor booths were buzzing with activity and were well manned so one got the opportunity to speak to at least one person during any unscheduled visit. The Dubai and Abu Dhabi NTOs were helpful in disseminating detailed information for my Middle East destination reports.
WORST The maiden venture of IBTM India was a success with its one-on-one meeting format. As Hosted Media I was offered two nights’ accommodation for a three-day event and no airport-hotel transfers. On the final day, one had to check out in the middle of the day’s proceedings and leave before all the sessions were over to catch my flight. One expects an international event to make it convenient for hosted delegates. I hope it will next year. I would want to work through the entire IBTM India event as it was buzzing!
Rohit Kaul
Correspondent-India
BEST The best conference I attended this year was the Global Spa & Wellness Summit in Gurgaon from October 5-7. It was well-organised with 30-plus high-profile keynote addresses. The speakers ranged from diplomats to medical professionals, each presenting a different view on wellness. However, the best talk was by spiritual leader and Nobel Prize winner, the Dalai Lama, who spoke extensively on how inner peace can lead to true well being.
I wish I had got some news leads too, which unfortunately I didn’t.
WORST My worst interview this year was with the Joint Secretary of Tourism, Anand Kumar. The exclusive interview in the beginning of the year turned out to be a damp squib. Even though I waited for three hours at the ministry’s office for the interview, the senior diplomat was not keen to answer my questions, only divulging information which I already had.
Rosa Ocampo
Correspondent-Philippines
BEST Last October when we wanted to find out the impact of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake on MICE in Cebu and Bohol, tourism secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. replied fast and quick to all our SMS.
WORST We have the email addresses and mobile phone number of the Department of Tourism office in Cebu. But unlike the tourism secretary, the Cebu office never replied to our emails, SMS and phone calls before and after the earthquake.
Marianne Carandang
Correspondent-Philippines
BEST Attending the Clark Aviation Conference in February. The focus was on the twin airport concept for Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Clark International Airport, with the discussions attempting to visualise and quantify the benefits of this vision. I see this as a major step in addressing connectivity to Manila and the rest of the country. I hope it is finally decided and the money committed for a real airport solution.
WORST I don’t have any real negative experiences to report this year, but I’d like to put forth a wish. The Philippines is gaining traction as a genuine MICE option within South-east Asia with the quick rise of new hotels and convention centres. I wish our MICE venues and organisers would share more stories highlighting the creativity and expertise of our event planners in transforming existing MICE venues and destinations into memorable experiences.
Feizal Samath
Correspondent-Sri Lanka
BEST A medical congress with doctors from Asia, including Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. Initial speeches being over, it was time to present honorary fellowships – the names being announced, the citations read by a colleague and the ‘potential’ Fellow present before the eminent gathering. The fourth name was read out, the recipient stood up, and there followed an awkward silence. The doctor who was supposed to present his colleague was absent.
Five minutes passed,then the head of the Sri Lanka College of Surgeons, without missing a beat, stepped down from the stage, whispered a few words to an eminent colleague and went back to his seat on the stage. A few moments, the eminent surgeon presented his colleague, with no paper or speech in hand, totally impromptu, and the ceremonial inauguration of the conference continued. It was a lesson in how not to get flustered when faced with a minor ‘crisis’.
