THE Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) will for the first time hold its annual global conference in New Delhi in October 2015, focusing on India as an inbound MICE destination.

The announcement comes ahead of the 2014 conference scheduled for November in Rotterdam, where the SITE India Chapter is hosting a Destination Luncheon.

Anup Nair, president, SITE India Chapter, said: “The SITE Global Conference 2015 will bring together travel professionals who will find an exciting canvas on which to create unparalleled motivational experiences…We are gearing to offer a unique platform for professionals in the incentive industry to network.”

In a first for Asia, Rajeev Kohli, joint managing director, Creative Travel, is on the International Board of SITE as the president-elect for 2016.

Sushil Wadhwa, chairman, Platinum World, said India hosting the conference would give the country “a global visibility of proportions hitherto unexplored”.

“Rationalisation of indirect taxes by the Indian government will give us a leg-up in being more competitive in our bids for global MICE,” he added.

PLAZA Premium Lounge is seeing its meeting spaces at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) lounge and the recently opened klia2 terminal increasingly used for quick meetings by the airline industry and corporate clients.

Kellyn Ching, sales and marketing manager at Plaza Premium Lounge, which provides lounge, meeting, and rest and relaxation facilities at airports around the world, said the meeting facilities are popular with local and foreign airlines looking for a quiet space to conduct interviews for staff recruitment.

Corporate companies who want to hold short face-to-face meetings with overseas delegates also use the spaces.

“It is a convenient location for overseas delegates to fly in, have their meeting, and then return to their home country,” said Ching.

Both KLIA and klia2 have a Plaza Premium Lounge meeting room that fits up to 20 people each. Free Wi-Fi is provided, while other equipment such as a business projector and high-definition TV are available upon request though subject to additional charges.

Delegates can also enjoy the buffet spread available or request a special menu, as catering options are provided by the in-house F&B team.

Plaza Premium Lounge also offers Meet and Greet services that are popular with MICE and event organisers, and corporate clients from the banking, airline and multi-level marketing industries.

Ching said: “We provide personalised escort services for clients from touchdown right up to the awaiting transport service provider. For departures, our services start from the drop-off point at the airport until the boarding gate.”

For those on transit or with long flight delays, there are rest and recreation facilities available at Plaza Premium Lounge.

Plaza Premium Lounge recently introduced the Wellness Spa and Salon last month (in September) at both KLIA and klia2, offering services including massages and foot reflexology treatments, hair, manicure and pedicure services.

At the new lounge located at Gateway@klia2, individual napping areas were opened and there are 24 bedrooms with attached shower facilities, which customers can rent for as short as three hours.

GLOBAL airline alliance oneworld has added upgrades to oneworld events, a travel service for the conventions, conferences, exhibitions and special events markets.

Firstly, booking fees for flight reservations made on oneworld events’ dedicated websites are waived permanently.

Secondly, flight discounts from oneworld events can now be accessed through designated travel agencies.

Thirdly, oneworld events’ network has expanded to close to 1,000 destinations in over 150 countries as 15 new airlines joined as full members or affiliates in the last two years. This includes US Airways, Brazil’s TAM Airlines, Qatar Airways, and SriLankan Airlines.

The announcement was made yesterday at IMEX America in Las Vegas, more than a year since oneworld events first took off at IMEX Frankfurt in May 2013.

It is aimed at conferences, conventions, exhibitions, and special events with a minimum of 100 delegates flying from at least two regions.

The programme has signed up more than 100 large-scale events for a total of over 200,000 delegates in more than 55 different locations since its inception.

AMARI Watergate Bangkok has rolled out a Hybrid Meeting package to capitalise on the growing trend of meetings with a distinct technological edge.

Hybrid Meeting meshes the traditional benefits of face-to-face interaction with the advantages brought about by technology, including reaching more delegates via virtual environment, connecting multiple events happening simultaneously in different locations, and including attendees who may not otherwise be able to attend.

Planners can make use of Amari Watergate’s Connections meetings hub for gatherings of up to 50 pax, the Banglampoo room for meetings of up to 100, and the Watergate Ballroom for large-scale events of up to 600.

Between November 1, 2014 and December 31, 2015, Hybrid Meetings are priced at 1,700 baht (US$53) per person, not including the cost of technical set-up.

The technical component starts at 50,000 baht for a dedicated Internet line at 35mbps and a technician on standby. Audiovisual production and content live-streaming will cost an estimated 95,000 baht but is subject to specific production requirements.

Software for the hybrid meeting and the employment of a production manager is included in the price.

The Hybrid Meeting package includes:
– Use of a meeting room set up for face-to-face ‘studio meeting’ with stage and audience setting as theatre, classroom or cabaret seating
– Room rental from 08.00–12.00 or 13.00-17.00
– One coffee break, morning or afternoon with fresh pastries
– Lunch, one meal per person, one time
– Stage setting for Hyrbrid Meeting with backdrop wording or logo
– Flipchart and marker pens
– Bottled drinking water, candies
– Electronic signboard at meeting room foyer
– Dedicated high-speed Internet line, separate from hotel Wi-Fi
– Video cameras
– Audio
– Lighting
– Video editing suite and live-streaming
– Production team

SUBIC has received a shot in the arm with the confirmation of rights to host the Global Summit of Youth in Environmental Sustainability back-to-back with the Subic International Eco-Film Festival on February 25-27, 2015.

Some 500 graduating university students will attend the summit, to be held at the Subic Bay Exhibition & Convention Centre (SBECC), while the Eco-film Festival will be graced by about 100 film practitioners at the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST).

The youth summit aims to build the capacity of students and young community leaders to understand the issues and benefits of protecting the environment and to incorporate them in their daily lives.

The eco-film fest, on the other hand, will tackle the challenges faced by environmental film producers with a discussion on environmental and commercial films.

Both inaugural events are the brainchild of ISST and are expected to boost Subic’s positioning as an eco-tourism and MICE destination.

ISST president and former tourism secretary, Mina Gabor, said the eco-film fest will include an eco-film competition with entries from countries including Japan, South America, Iceland, and the Philippines.

“We’re starting small to get our feet wet but we have some good films,” she said, noting that there are many good commercial films about the environment, including the highly successful Avatar.

Participants at the youth summit will be encouraged to attend the screening of the eco-films.

W SINGAPORE – Sentosa Cove will this December become the stage for the Asian edition of the International Music Summit (IMS), which has its roots in the electronic music capital of Ibiza.

Come December 11, IMS Asia-Pacific will bring together the leaders of the electronic music genre from this region and the West for a series of panel discussions, keynote interviews and speeches, workshops, and tutorials.

Discussions will be relevant to the Asia-Pacific region and feature input from headline talent, regional industry icons, as well as big-name players from around the world.

IMS co-founder, Ben Turner, said: “This event has been created to unite the Asia-Pacific industry but also to educate and entertain delegates from around the world about this incredible frontier which is finally opening up in a huge way to electronic music culture.”

The event was also deliberately scheduled to coincide with Singapore’s annual ZoukOut dance festival. Said Turner: “We’ve positioned ourselves the day before the ZoukOut to help further the focus on this festival into a powerful business forum, and Zouk’s founder Lincoln Cheng has been a guiding light for all the IMS partners for the last 20 years.

“It is a huge honour for us to bring IMS to Asia-Pacific and to help galvanise this region for the future of the genre we know and love.”

The decision to hold the event at W Singapore – Sentosa Cove is an extension of IMS’ existing agreement with W Hotels Worldwide.

Arnaud Champenois, Asia-Pacific senior brand director, commented in a release: “To celebrate this partnership, we have also prepared a series of happenings that will feature an industry icon and headlining talent at W Singapore – Sentosa Cove and W Retreat & Spa Bali, Seminyak.”

LEVERAGING the exponential power of technology, Suntec Singapore has launched its new customer portal for virtual event planning, allowing MICE planners real-time access to their booking information.

Set to transform the way Suntec Singapore work with its planners, the interactive portal provides organisers a ‘live’ dashboard displaying the full details of their bookings including meeting space, furniture, equipment, F&B items, and digital signage allocation.

Marc Bakker, assistant director of marketing & communications, Suntec Singapore, said: “Organisers and planners are now firmly in control of their events from proposal to booking and the final delivery.”

The portal provides an interactive 2D blueprint for clients to visualise the layout of their spaces. The floor planning tools allow them to move the furniture, audiovisual equipment, and decorative items according to their requirements.

Further to that, the 3D-viewer with 360º panning ability promises clients a comprehensive view of the space.

Bakker said: “The collaborative and real-time nature of the online portal and easy sharing capabilities ensure seamless communication between Suntec Singapore, organisers, and third-party suppliers, enabling all parties to be more effective, saving time and travel costs of site inspections.”

Arun Madhok, chief executive of Suntec Singapore, said: “Our smart use of technology is increasingly making the entire customer experience easier, faster and more effective for our growing client base.

“Our clients – for the first time – will be able to fully visualise, modify and control their event spaces,” he said.

Nevertheless, the human service is still necessary as Madhok added: “Our staff will be working closely with our clients and service teams to ensure their expectations become a reality.”

Last month, Suntec Singapore launched virtual tours of the convention centre through the Google Maps’ Street View.

Visitors can preview the customer portal here: http://bit.ly/1tZv52H

FAIRMONT Beijing’s new MICE package for its three Hutong-inspired meeting spaces offers guests a new twist on regular meetings.

The three venues, which total 378m2, include the main Gold Fish Hutong room which can accommodate up to 200 pax in theatre style.

The meeting package includes themed coffee breaks throughout, Nespresso coffee machine usage, and a personal banquet service. Groups can make use of state-of-the-art meeting technology, an LCD projector and screen, podium with standing microphone and two wireless microphones, a whiteboard or flipchart with markers, and other amenities including writing pads, pencils, mint candies, and bottled water.

The full-day meeting package is priced at RMB680 (US$111) per delegate while the half-day option goes for RMB650 per attendee.

THE South Korean city of Deagu last month played host two two major technology conventions from September 24 to 27, bringing together the brightest minds from the fields of innovation and medicine.

Held at the Daegu Gyongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, the 11th Asia Association of Learning Innovation and Coevolution Studies (ASIALICS 2014) saw former vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, Jong-Yong Yun, deliver the keynote speech.

It drew participation from researchers in local institutions, namely Keimyung University, Daegu Technopark, the Science and Technology Policy Institute, and the Korea Institute of Science & Technology Evaluation and Planning.

At the same time, the city also welcomed the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society Asia-Pacific Annual Conference 2014 at Daegu Exhibition and Convention Center.

The event was attended by 800 tissue engineering and regenerative specialists from 40 countries, who discussed and presented the most cutting-edge research in the field.

Delegates also went on a technical tour to visit the city’s infrastructure of medical research.

Jeong-Ok Grace Lim, president of the Korean Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society which organises the conference, of which she is also programme chair, said Daegu has shifted its investments from the IT sector to biotechnology.

“Local officials have been especially influential in initiating research in this area, providing support to form a research partnership between Kyungpook National University and Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.”

Lim is also professor at Kyungpook National University Hospital’s Biomedical Research Institute.

In Daegu alone there are 3,000 medical institutions including 12 full-service hospitals, five medical schools, and 48 medical research centres.