Event planners in Singapore and Malaysia are turning their attention to Perth for corporate events, where demand is driven by the city’s air accessibility, affordability, and diverse range of ready activities.
Jasmine Ho, managing partner of Singapore-based boutique events agency, The MasterPlan, told TTGmice that Perth would be suitable for her clients’ training and off-site events, or incentive trips. The MasterPlan specialises in B2B events for the financial, government, and technology sectors, and only recently started handling outbound corporate meetings and events.
Ho, a participant in this week’s BE reWArded Mega Famil, added: “With this trip, my knowledge of the city has improved beyond the fact that Perth is a family-friendly holiday destination. The airport is efficient, there are sufficient event spaces, the city is not crowded, and many activities and attractions, such as Swan Valley, are within a 30-minute drive.”
Another Singapore-based events planner, Kristina Forssell, director of 8th Wave Events & Destinations, said: “Demand for Perth is fairly steady for my company as it’s one of the hubs in Asia-Pacific. Most of my clients don’t come from Asia, so for an international kick-off meeting, for example, I need a city that is accessible and (served by) direct flights.”
Forssell added that although destinations need to be rotated for her corporate meetings and incentive travel clients and cannot be consecutively held in the same destination, Perth is “definitely in the running”.
“Perth is a destination that I will introduce to my clients. I think the city has good infrastructure. Business Events Perth is very helpful and will link me up with relevant agencies, as well as with suppliers for teambuilding activities, audiovisual (services), or catering,” Forssell elaborated.
Meanwhile, Meeting & Exhibition Planners’ (MEP) founder and owner, Karen Soo, is one step ahead. She revealed: “We already have a high achievers programme for a multinational company booked for Perth next year.”
Based in Kuala Lumpur, MEP, which has been in business for three decades, specialises in outbound corporate meetings and incentive travel across six different industries, such as FinTech, pharmaceutical, and oil and gas.
Soo told TTGmice: “For the past 30 years, my company has sold a lot of Melbourne and Sydney. But with this trip, I feel that Perth has a lot more – in terms of experiences and F&B – to offer now (compared to many years ago when I was here). It is also quite affordable.
“I also believe we’ve only seen a small portion of what Perth can offer during this three-day fam trip. There’s still the Pinnacles, and Pink Lake in Geraldton, that we can add to corporate itineraries.”
