The Westin Surabaya officially launched The Westin Grand Ballroom and Convention Center to 200 corporates, PCOs, PEOs and government agencies from Jakarta and Surabaya last week.
The Westin Grand Ballroom and Convention Center offers 9,000m2 of events space, comprising the Grand Ballroom which can accommodate up to 4,000 people theatre-style, as well as 15 breakout rooms which can be further divided into 20 smaller function spaces.
Reza Aryawarman, complex director of sales and marketing of The Westin Surabaya & Four Points by Sheraton Surabaya, Pakuwon Indah, told TTGmice that the hotel opened in December 2020, during the pandemic, but such a grand opening could not be held then.
“Now that the condition has improved, it is time for us to create awareness that we have the facilities to support Surabaya as a business events destination in this newly-developed area of West Surabaya,” he said.
During the opening, several elements of business events were showcased. The cocktail and dinner menu, for instance, highlighted Westin’s Eat Well concept; the concert and fashion show demonstrated the space’s 55m stage and audiovisual capabilities; while the lighting, LED shows, and giant screens revealed the ballroom’s available event technology.
“We wanted guests to experience for themselves how it’s like to hold events such as conferences and exhibitions in this space,” Reza added.
There were also cars on display that evening, to which Reza explained: “This is our response to some queries about whether it can support exhibition organisers. This shows that our loading facilities can handle exhibits such as cars.”
Delegates who attend events at The Westin Grand Ballroom can choose tostay at the 204-key The Westin Surabaya, or the 310-key Four Points by Sheraton Surabaya, Pakuwon Indah. Both hotels are located in the same building, within the Pakuwon Indah township development. The hotels offer direct access to a shopping mall, and is close by to golf courses and other entertainment facilities.
With The Westin Grand Ballroom and Convention Center now online, Reza is targeting 70 per cent occupancy with the help of business events.
“Domestic events will be our main market, but we are starting to tap regional markets like Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea. Singapore was the largest market for Surabaya before the pandemic and we are confident this will come back strongly. Malaysia, meanwhile, has the potential to grow,” Reza said,
As for South Korea, the hotels under his care have seen a growing demand for rooms from Korean corporate travellers, thanks to the projects they have in Surabaya. Eventually, Reza opined that demand for corporate events will soon follow.
Sinarto, head of the East Java Regional Culture and Tourism Office, said that the new venue would uplift Surabaya and East Java’s position as a business event destination.
He added: “East Java has the facilities to support the growth of MICE business. Big and small venues are available and business event activities take place almost daily. Surabaya is very accessible (from other parts of Indonesia).”
Similarly for Panca Sarungu, CEO of Raja MICE, he is confident that the new venue opens up opportunities for Surabaya to tap both the regional and international markets, thanks to its international branding.
Moreover, the Michael Learns to Rock’s MLTR Back on The Road Tour 2022 concert is set to take place on October 19, which will help bolster Surabaya’s business events profile.
Panca hopes that this recognition would also attract other hospitality players to invest in the area, as rooms in the surrounding Pakuwon Indah area are still “lacking”, making it difficult to hold “big” events.
