Positive winds of change

Both the public and private sectors are taking steps to raise the profile of MICE in the Philippines, writes Rosa Ocampo

The underperforming Philippine MICE sector is making up for lost ground through a more vigorous private-public collaboration, infrastructure renaissance and better air access.

Heeding the call of the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), more private companies and associations are going out of their way to bid for and bring international events into the country.

Several months ago, the Philippine Council for the Advancement of Association Executives (PCAAE) assembled a group of ambassadors from over 70 national associations to bid for and win international events.

“We too can help in this effort. Inbound MICE will dramatically increase now and in the future as the country continues to get positive economic and political reviews internationally,” explained PCAAE president and CEO Octavio Peralta.

For its second year in 2016, the B2B Asia Premium Travel Mart (APTM) will include not just buyers and sellers for luxury properties but MICE specialists as well, said Edwin Villanueva, director of APTM organiser S8 Exhibition.

He noted rosy prospects for MICE as the Philippines already has an extensive list of upmarket hotels and events venues that are supported by highly trained and service-oriented hospitality staff.

Indeed, private sector confidence reflects developments in recent years that bode well for MICE.

Firstly, the shortage of hotels and resorts is being eased by international brands that continue to make a beeline not just for Metro Manila, but also elsewhere in the Philippines. In the pipeline are Okura, Mandarin Oriental, Conrad, Westin, Hilton, Sheraton and more Marriott, Movenpick, Dusit Thani and Accor properties.

Secondly, convention centres are being built where there were none, in Cebu City, Iloilo and Bohol, apart from new ones in Davao and Bacolod. Another convention centre is also being planned for the Makati CBD in Metro Manila.

While air traffic congestion at the single runway of Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport remains a major hurdle, its Terminal 1 has been spruced up, while Terminal 3 is now open to foreign airlines.

Airports in secondary destinations are also being upgraded, paving the way for increased direct flights from abroad. Mactan-Cebu International Airport will have a second terminal by 2018. Puerto Princesa International Airport is undergoing expansion while the gateway to Boracay, Caticlan Airport, is being expanded to accommodate wider-bodied aircraft.

The Philippines’ accessibility has improved substantially this year as more airlines opened routes to Manila and increased flight frequencies to secondary gateways. Carriers now flying to Manila include Turkish Airlines from Istanbul, Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa and Garuda Indonesia from Jakarta. Flag carrier Philippine Airlines now flies to New York, Australia and New Zealand and together with Cebu Pacific, the carriers have opened routes to several points in China and the Middle East. There also are more non-stop flights from Asia to Cebu, Davao, Kalibo, Palawan, Clark and Iloilo.

MICE prospects are sanguine this year, the year of Visit Philippines 2015, and the debut of MICE brand Fun Works, said TPB COO Domingo Enerio III.

The country is playing host to over 150 meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), culminating in the November summit. APEC is expected to bring in 25,000 international delegates and over 4,000 media personnel.

Other high profile events this year include the Madrid Fusion Manila, the 17^th Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition,
and the 70^th anniversary commemoration of the end of World War II hostilities.

“These (events) give us the opportunity to put our best foot forward,” enthused Enerio III.

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Farid Schoucair, general manager of New World Makati Hotel, suggests what visitors can do in Manila

Rise and shine
Pick your side of the Makati CBD on weekend mornings, and inhale the vibe of the Salcedo and Legazpi markets. Explore and discover the fresh, the organic and the artisanal.

Retail reinvented
Explore, browse and pick up great finds at the Greenbelt Lifestyle Center. The premier lifestyle complex is home to international luxury brands, fine local boutiques, a museum and a heritage library.

Holes in the walls
The local gastronomic scene has expanded to compete for a share of the palate with the authentic, the fusion or the deconstructed. In the same token of authenticity, speakeasy bars have sprouted in hidden corners with a fine collection of premium blends.

Hit the streets
Ride in the iconic Philippine jeepney or the calesa at the historic walled city of Intramuros. Better yet, join the famous walking tours through Spanish colonial churches, museums and other landmarks.

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For the grandest of business events

Inaugurated in July, the Marriott Grand Ballroom (MGB) in Marriott Hotel Manila is described in superlatives. It is the Marriott group’s biggest convention and exhibition space outside the US; the biggest ballroom in the Philippines. MGB is also the most modern, the grandest; and the most sophisticated in terms of technology. Its location is also extremely convenient, sited just a stone’s throw away from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

MGB is huge and boasts 8,000m² of space for more than 4,000 people in cocktail-style. Its column-free main ballroom and 28 other meeting spaces – including six VIP sky boxes – are flexible, allowing more creativity when handling events, accommodating different MICE group sizes, and holding exhibitions, concerts and performances.

MGB boasts the latest in meeting technology such as SkyFold (automatic vertical folding partitions set from the ceiling); 176 programmable ceiling lights that change to 360 colours; and an adjustable ceiling height. Furthermore, the three restaurants on-site eliminate the need for outside caterers.

There are also booking tools and meeting services apps that can help to connect meeting planners and MGB in real time, any time. For example, on an event day itself, the meeting services app allows meeting planners to manage events without moving from their seat.

For event attendees who meet and stay under Marriott’s roof, they can make use of the mobile check-in, which enables guests to check-in and check-out at their own convenience. The hotel has an existing inventory of 342 rooms, and it is building another 228 luxury rooms, which will be available next year.

{Talking Numbers}