Big wins from China

Putrajaya International Convention Centre will host a major Chinese event this year

MyCEB steps up promotional efforts in China to keep the flow of major events coming from first- and second-tier cities, writes S Puvaneswary

Malaysia has seen strong growth in Chinese business events over the last few years, with the average group size expanding from 190 delegates in 2011 to 340 in 2013, according to data collected by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).

Last year saw two major events from China being held in Malaysia – the 2013 International Dragon Award Annual Conference in August, which drew 5,000 local and international delegates; and the Malaysia-China Economic Summit 2013 in October, which was attended by more than 1,000 business leaders from the two countries. The latter had a VVIP guest list that included China’s president Xi Jinping and Malaysia’s prime minister Najib Razak. Both events were held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

This year will also welcome several big events from China such as the Saw Clansman Association of the State of Malaya at Resorts World Genting, with an estimated 1,000 delegates; and International Chinese Film Festival in May at Putrajaya International Convention Centre, with more than 2,000 delegates from China. In February, Roche Annual Sales Conference was held at KLCC with 1,400 delegates from China.

Attractions and hotels have reported good performance in the business events segment last year and expect to see the same in 2014.

Bill Holman, consultant/director, Sunway Lagoon Theme Park, said the number of corporate groups from China has risen year-on-year, with most hailing from first- and second-tier Chinese cities.

The theme park can cater to teambuilding programmes, corporate family days, gala dinners and themed parties. The area by the wave pool can host dinners for 1,500 delegates.

Sheryl Lim, director of business development at Hilton Petaling Jaya, expects to see significant year-on-year growth in the Chinese market this year. “We will be working closely with tourism players to customise solutions for their China bids. (We will) continue to invest in the hotel and leverage Hilton’s global assets, knowledge and resources to emerge as the preferred hotel venue for the MICE sector,” she said.

The property, recently refurbished, boasts a refreshed exterior, lobby and lobby lounge, as well as 18 meeting rooms including a pillarless ballroom for 1,000 delegates in theatre set-up.

To further penetrate the Chinese MICE market this year, MyCEB participated at IT&CM China last month and will conduct roadshows in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing with Malaysian MICE suppliers. It will continue to work with industry partners to host fam trips for corporate clients and key MICE planners, and leverage on Tourism Malaysia’s presence in China as an extended sales team to promote the destination for business events and to obtain leads, said Zulkefli Sharif, MyCEB CEO.

MyCEB has also extended its Malaysia Twin Deal++ subvention programme to events confirmed by June 30, 2014.

However, BMC Travel managing director, Billy Leong, who has noted forward bookings to be slow so far this year, warns that business will be challenging in 2014 due to the stronger Renminbi giving Chinese clients greater buying power and more destination options.

How I did Reckitt Benckiser (Thailand) 2013 Sales Conference

Destination management company, Luxury Tours Malaysia, had only a week to put together the logistics, venue, teambuilding activities and gala dinner for Reckitt Benckiser’s (Thailand) four-day annual sales conference held in Kuala Lumpur in January 2013.

Its manager, Ganneesh Ramaa, said the group of 240 comprising top level management and sales staff, were originally supposed to hold their event in Dubai but changed the venue at the last moment, as a number of delegates could not obtain visa to enter the United Arab Emirates.

He added: “Our partner in Thailand passed this group to us and we immediately set to work. As this was during the peak Chinese New Year holiday season, we had numerous challenges. The client wanted a five star international brand which could cater as the conference and gala dinner venue as well as provide accommodation facilities.

“There were not many five-star international brands at that time which had 180 vacant rooms and conference facilities which were large enough to include 34 tables, in half-moon seating, and a stage.

“We used our good relations with Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel to secure the hotel venue and they were flexible on payment terms and let us have an extra 15 rooms, as additional delegates confirmed their attendance at the last moment.

“They also gave us good rates due to our long-term relationship with them. The biggest challenge was meeting the client’s requirement of having rear projections. For this we had to engage a contractor to build a stage for performance and presentation.

“Getting a contractor was not easy as this was during the holiday season and many contractors were either on leave or were rushing jobs as they had order backlogs to fulfil. Again, through much persuasion we managed to get a contractor to do the necessary within 24 hours.

“For the gala dinner entertainment, we hired Malaysian Drum Symphony and they had two days to coordinate a line-up which showcased drumming from the various ethnic groups in Malaysia.

“We managed to pull off a successful event simply because we had good relationships with our suppliers.”

Delegates who were lucky prize winners at the event

Need to know

Sunway Lagoon’s new draws

Vuvuzela water ride

Sunway Group, which operates the 21-year-old Sunway Lagoon, recently announced it will open Asia’s first Nickelodeon-branded attraction zone within the theme park come March 2015.

Highlighting Nickelodeon’s hit characters, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Explorers’ Oasis will comprise nine attractions and six rides.

There will be immersive attractions such as the Oasis Lagoon Splash Pad and climbing structure, an interactive water play area using reactive technology, daily signature slime events, retail shops, games and F&B establishments.

The new zone will add to the existing rides and attractions in Sunway Lagoon, which total more than 80 and span over 35 hectares.

Other new attractions to debut in the theme park include a high-dive show at the Giant Surf Pool area from May with 20-minute performances thrice daily as well as Cleopatra’s Adventure within the Scream Park in the second half of 2014.

The only integrated resort city in Selangor is where companies can hold an annual corporate dinner for 1,000 pax and where delegates can eat, shop, ten-pin bowl, catch a live show or the latest movie all in one location.

Swing in style on Langkawi Island

The first Els Club in Asia will open this month on Langkawi Island, giving golf enthusiasts a chance to play on an 18-hole championship golf course nestled in centuries-old lush rainforest with towering tropical foliage, and overlooking the picturesque shores of the Andaman Sea.

The Els Club Teluk Datai is said to be one of the most incredible courses within the Els Club collection.

A private boardroom equipped with the latest in audiovisual technology is available for up to 24 guests.

For more information on Els Club Malaysia, visit www.elsclubmalaysia.com/about.

Silka Cheras opens its doors in April

Adjacent to the newest shopping mall Cheras Sentral, Silka Cheras opened last month, offering 319 guestrooms with four room categories: Superior (26m²); Silka Room (32m²); Studio (38m²) and the open-concept design, Silka Suite (42m²).  Facilities include an all-day dining outlet and a function facility for up to 220 people, theatre-style.

The hotel is just a 15-minute drive away from the heart of Kuala Lumpur City Centre and 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Other attractions within a 5km radius include the Alam Damai Recreation Park, Velodrome, National Swimming Centre and Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium.

I-City offers a few tricks up its sleeves

Selangor’s theme park, i-City, will welcome a 240-room Best Western hotel in September as well as a shopping mall and a convention centre in 2017, allowing it to draw more MICE business. Its Wax Museum will have new exhibits this month that are interactive, taking a bow or waving at visitors. Other new attractions that have come online since 2H2013 include the House of Horrors and Trick Art Museum.

The Trick Art Museum renders two-dimensional paintings in three dimensions by creating illusions. Each exhibit looks different when seen from different angles. At a perfect angle from camera lenses, the paintings seem to just ‘jump out’.

The museum comprises five themes, each in a separate room: famous masterpieces, Egyptian lost tomb adventure, animal kingdom, marine life and modern classics. Unlike a real museum, visitors are free to roam around, make as much noise and spend as much time here as they wish. In fact, when posing with exhibits on the floor, they are encouraged to step on them or lie on them to create a realistic photo.

Tickets are at RM10 (US$3) for adults and children. Website: http://i-city.my/tourism

Malaysia Airlines to suspend flights to Los Angeles flights

Malaysia Airlines will suspend its flights into Los Angeles following a route rationalisation exercise effective April 30. The airline will continue to offer one-stop air connectivity between Kuala Lumpur and several major cities in the US through a codeshare arrangement with American Airlines and Japan Airlines, its partner airlines in the Oneworld alliance.

Mega development announced for Malacca

An iconic waterfront development in what is said to be South-east Asia’s largest cluster of islands has been planned for Malacca, featuring an international cruise terminal, a theme park, seven-star hotel and the Malaysia Eye. The RM40 billion Melaka Gateway to be completed by 2025 will comprise one natural and two man-made islands. It is expected to drive home Malacca’s maritime importance through the new Melaka International Cruise Terminal and Ferry Terminal for up to three cruise ships, a world-class maintenance and repair facility for mega yachts, and the region’s largest marina with up to 1,000 berths.

 

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