HONG Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (KTCT) could soon be seeing charter ferry services if discussions between operator Worldwide Cruise Terminals (WCT) and government authorities work out.

The terminal last week completed a trial berthing of charter ferry services, carrying 300 passengers across the Victoria Harbour from a Wanchai convention centre to the terminal for an evening function.

Jeff Bent, managing director of WCT, said in a statement: “WCT had earlier worked with various government departments and the ferry operator to perform technical trials. These measures ensured passenger safety and that the facilities and security of the KTCT would not be affected by the ferry operation.”

“Once long-term operational approvals are granted by the relevant authorities, and subject to commercial agreement, this method of transportation will be available for special events held at the KTCT in the future. Event organisers and cruise lines will be able to arrange service times and routes for charter ferry service with the ferry operator.”

Bent added that WCT and a ferry operator are currently in talks with the Hong Kong government regarding the construction of a public ferry pier, which would allow for regular ferry services linking KTCT, North Point, Kwun Tong, and other destinations as well.

Besides welcoming cruise ships, KTCT is also used as a venue for product launches, cocktail parties, and sporting events, among others.

FOLLOWING the city’s entry into China’s alliance for incentive travel, Suzhou is setting up the Suzhou MICE & Travel Promotion Centre.

The centre is drawing organisations including the Suzhou Municipal Tourism Administration, cultural tourism companies, Suzhou Industrial Park, and Taihu National Tourist Resort to work together.

It aims to package the city’s top hotels, scenic spots, cultural and recreational activities, and launch these incentive travel products through integrated marketing approaches.

Suzhou’s 2,500-year old heritage and attractions, plus its accessibility from Shanghai, have increased the city’s tourism receipts significantly in recent years, and the Suzhou MICE & Travel Promotion Centre is likely to further boost its tourism revenue.

Suzhou MICE & Travel Development’s director of operation, Wang Zhang Rong, explained that Suzhou is planning to develop high-end incentive tourism product emphasising its cultural heritage.

These include garden conferences, lakeside incentive tourism products, conference activities in the ancient walled city, and various cultural activities distinctive to Suzhou.

The 2014 Suzhou Cup has also stimulated the research and design of travel products and the integration of tourism with cultural and commercial activities distinctive to Suzhou.

Wang further noted that many cities are similarly working to boost their incentive tourism sectors. Looking forward, Suzhou will seek to develop special travel products and promote the city at major incentive travel exhibitions.

Translated from the original TTG China e-Daily article, November 18, 2014 by Ong Yanchun

FCM Travel Solutions is keen to capture a piece of the MICE pie with the launch of the new FCm MICE team in Singapore.

Leveraging FCm’s parent company, Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), Mark Ten, general manager of FCm Travel Solutions, said this support would give FCm “global negotiating muscle to deliver the most competitive prices on all travel, meetings and events requests”.

Ten said: “Establishing FCm MICE is part of our five-year plan at FCTG to boost our operations in Singapore. We have been fielding smaller meeting and incentive requests from our corporate client base for some time, and now is the right time to extend ourselves into MICE.

“We see offering expertise in the MICE sector as a natural extension of our corporate offering, and necessary as part of an end-to-end service for our corporate clients,” Ten added.

While the MICE team has three staff now, Ten added that the number will be grown to seven. FCm MICE, which will tackle both inbound and outbound MICE, will handle approximately 10 per cent of the overall business in FCTG.

Emphasising that FCm MICE has an advantage over the competition because of its ability to build on FCTG’s existing network, he said: “MICE planners are always looking for creative programmes with more interesting and non-traditional offerings, yet this is also a very price-sensitive segment and customers want a lot more value for less.

“As such, we have a network of suppliers and DMCs that we can leverage, and close relationships with NTOs that will allow us to tap into new ideas for immersive experiences,” Ten added.

MELBOURNE has nabbed the rights to host the International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC) in May 2019.

This conference will see 1,000 international delegates in the city for six days, with an estimated economic contribution of approximately A$5 million (US$4 million) to the state.

Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) CEO Karen Bolinger said that the process used to win the IPAC 2019 conference was a good illustration of the collaborative nature of all Melbourne bids.

She said: “MCB has collaborated with the Synchrotron team – all leaders in their respective fields – to prepare a comprehensive bid proposal that demonstrated the intellectual capital available to delegates attending the conference. IPAC 2019 is our seventh collaborative win and the biggest so far.”

Dean Morris, head of corporate services at the Australian Synchrotron, said: “In its seven years of operation, the Australian Synchrotron – one of only two such facilities in the Southern Hemisphere – has helped forge many international partnerships and collaborations between Australia and other researchers around the world.”

“Most recently, it has been a founding partner in the Australian Collaboration for Accelerator Science, which seeks to raise the profile of Australian Accelerator Science in the world community. Hosting IPAC in 2019 would be the flagship event for this collaboration, and would firmly place Australia on the world science map.”

AUSTRALIA has beat out the competition to host the next World Congress of Accountants (WCOA) 2018 at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney).

WCOA is a platform for participants to listen to leaders of the finance industry, exchange views, and debate about trends with other accounting and finance professionals from around the world.

The event is estimated to be worth US$18 million and will see the country hosting more than 5,000 accounting professionals in Sydney.

Troy Grant, New South Wales deputy premier and minister for trade and investment, said: “This is the latest high-profile international event to be secured for the ICC Sydney. It’s one of 18 international business events locked in for Sydney and New South Wales, representing a combined estimated economic impact of close to US$150 million.”

The bid was led by Alex Malley from CPA Australia, Lee White from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia, and was supported by Business Events Sydney, the New South Wales government, and Australian representatives.

THE Philippines’ efforts to get back into the MICE loop are paying off, judging from the sharp increase in the number of exhibition and event organisers coming in.

Marisa D Nallana, chair, Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS) said that foreign groups have started mounting events and fairs here during the past few years.

Among these are three Singapore-based Conference & Exhibition Management Services of Singapore, APAC Expo, and Terrapinn; UBM Exhibitions Philippines, which is a member of the UBM Asia Group of Companies; and AMB Exhibition of Malaysia.

Nallana said: “Some foreign organisers and mergers & acquisition companies are in the Philippines to set up a representative office, team up with local organisers for shows/events, buy local fairs to add to their list of exhibitions, and tie up with local organisers for international exhibitions.”

“Thai organisers have come to check out the major venues here. They are looking into possible collaboration for certain exhibitions.”

NTOs are also making their enthusiasm known.

“Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau is open to collaboration with PACEOS and major industry associations. Likewise Singapore Tourism Board and Taiwan External Trade Development Council,” she said, adding that these developments prove the Philippines’ image is improving.

DUBAI will welcome the 57th edition of the ICCA Congress in 2018, it announced this week.

Hosting the ICCA Congress is one step towards the destination’s Tourism Vision 2020 to increase arrivals to the emirate through a regular stream of events, of which business events form an integral part.

Steen Jakobsen, director of Dubai Business Events, a division of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, commented: “The ICCA Congress is known to attract a gathering of meeting industry professionals from across the globe and will be a fantastic opportunity for the emirate to familiarise leading ICCA members with everything Dubai and the Middle East has to offer for business and leisure tourists.”

Likewise, ICCA CEO, Martin Sirk, commented: “Dubai is positioning itself as the Middle East hub for association development, and the potential for ICCA membership growth is very exciting, so there are very compelling business opportunities for both ICCA and our members.”

INTERNATIONAL DMC and event management organisation Pacific World has forayed into three new emerging MICE destinations – Croatia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives – through parent company TUI Travel.

Existing TUI joint ventures on the ground in each destination will direct Pacific World’s operations.

In Croatia, Pacific World is tying up with Gulliver Travel, a strong player in the Balkan region’s MICE scene, for Pacific World Croatia.

Aitken Spence Travel, with its longstanding relationships with local suppliers, is the appointed partner for Pacific World Sri Lanka and Pacific World Maldives.

Harsha Krishnan, strategic development director of Pacific World, said: “Through the shared ownership structure provided by TUI Travel, we can guarantee service standards and ensure that creativity and the customer experience is second to none.”

THE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre in 2016, the first time the conference is taking place in the Middle East.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) announced this week that ATCE will run from September 26-28, 2016.

Explaining the choice of Dubai as the next host destination in a press release, Jeff Spath, 2014 SPE president, said: “SPE’s membership is dispersed globally. More than 11,000 of our professional members and 2,200 of our student members reside in the Middle East.

“Dubai’s position as the crossroads of the east and west make it an ideal meeting point for our global industry.”

ATCE gathers approximately 10,000 attending engineers, scientists, managers, and executives for networking, as well as certification and training opportunities. The event will also see the annual general meeting of SPE members where awards and recognitions are given out to industry technical leaders.

An exhibition of over 10,000m2 will run concurrently.

Khalid Zainalabedin of Saudi Aramco has been selected as the ATCE 2016 programme chairperson.

SOUTH Korean city Daegu has redesigned the visitor experience through four new itineraries unveiled recently by the Daegu Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).

Known as Deagu Colorful Tour, the tours explore four different geographical regions and experiences in the city.

The Daegu Modern History Alley Tour takes visitors through several downtown locations that clue them in on Daegu’s contribution to Korean history, including the original site of Samsung Group’s headquarters. Yangnyeongsi, South Korea’s oldest and largest oriental medicine market, is also on the itinerary, as is the historic textile market, Seomun market.

Alternatively, visitors can travel to Suseong or Gachang beyond downtown Daegu to experience local life by hiking Mt Apsan or unwinding at a jjimjilbang, or Korean bath house, in Spa Valley.

The third itinerary offers cycling down the Nakdong river path for beautiful sunset views and a trip to Mabijung Mural Village, which is full of art and culture.

The last focuses on the Mount Palgong area and its various attractions such as Gatbawi, a statue of Buddha made during the Unified Silla Kingdom era, and Donghwasa, a temple housing a 17m Buddha statue and where visitors can take part in a temple stay programme.