Business as usual from China

May 15, 2014

MICE from across the border holds steady for Macau despite new tourism laws and restrictions on government travel. By Prudence Lui

Despite many hotel developments in Macau, the destination’s past can still be glimpsed at Senado Square

Despite China’s stringent new tourism laws and restrictions on government travel and event expenditure, Macau – sitting across the border and recipient of a large number of Chinese arrivals – reported growth in its business events sector.

Macau welcomed 1,030 business events in 2013, up eight per cent year-on-year, and attracted more than two million participants to its shores.

Macau Economic Services director, Sou Tim Peng, said this was possible because the new laws and restrictions did not target business travellers.

Sou added that the Mainland and Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, introduced in 2011, had a part to play in the destination’s sturdy MICE performance, as it facilitated the participation of Chinese delegates in conventions and exhibitions held in Macau.

The Convention and Exhibition Stimulation Program was also credited for lifting business events performance.

In 2013, the programme supported 14 events from China, more than it had in 2012. These 14 events drew 15,683 Chinese participants, up 10.5 per cent from the year before.

MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, said the Convention and Exhibition Stimulation Program had attracted several repeat businesses from the mainland.

“These events see a year-on-year increase in participant numbers. We are also seeing more incentive groups coming from pharmaceutical, IT, transportation and electronics industries,” she said.

Stakeholders in Macau’s MICE sector have also reported upbeat business from across the border.

SmallWORLD Experience CEO, Bruno Simões, has seen more bookings from China, although the market represents a small 15 per cent share in his company’s revenue.

Simões shared an optimistic observation: “The Chinese market is becoming more demanding and spending a bit more. A few years ago, the opportunity to travel is in itself an incentive. Today, many companies must offer unique experiences that their (winners) cannot access on their own.”

MGM Macau enjoyed sustained Chinese MICE performance in 2013 and expects a “small increment in 2014 from the Chinese MICE segment”, said executive director of sales and guest services, Irene Wong.

Macau continues to attract Chinese corporate groups

The Westin Resort Macau reported significant growth from China, especially from Guangdong and Shanghai markets. Director of sales and marketing, Antony E Box, told TTGmice: “We forecast that the Chinese market will continue to generate growth. To ensure this, proactive face-to-face sales development is key to positioning our unique offerings, such as outdoor venues, lush landscaped gardens and opportunities for a variety of teambuilding activities in and around Colane and Macau.”

Galaxy Macau’s assistant vice president of hotel and event sales, Samson Woo, also noted a 20 per cent rise in Chinese MICE spend last year, due to greater demand for activities and entertainment.

Meanwhile, MGTO launched an additional MICE support scheme at the start of 2014. The International Meeting and Trade Fair Support Program provides assistance and financial support to event organisers.

See the other side of Macau

A-Ma Temple, built in 1488, is covered in one of the walking routes

To encourage visitors to explore lesser known quarters in Macau and boost community tourism, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) unveiled a new programme called Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities last September.

Four walking routes have been launched under the programme, each designed to cater to specific interests.

For instance, A Tour of Historical Trails takes participants to landmarks that played a prominent role in the destination’s past, such as Avenida da Praia Grande and Praça de Ponte e Horta.

Other walking routes are A Tour of Nature and Creativity, A Tour of East Meets West and A Tour of Arts and Culture.

Tour maps are available in traditional and simplified Mandarin, English and Portuguese. Interested travellers can also get a sneak peak of the various highlights of each of the four routes via videos.

In time to come, MGTO will roll out smartphone applications for the routes and build directional signs and maps at starting and finishing points of the trails.

Bruno Simões, CEO of SmallWORLD Experience in Macau, welcomes Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities.

“They are great for both incentive groups and leisure travellers,” Simões said.

“In fact, we are using 80 per cent of the featured sites and routes in our own city races and treasure hunts. We are already recommending these routes or something similar to our clients.”

However, not all corporate event specialists are aware of the new programme. Paradigm Consultants International, business development manager, Jake Erlich, is one of them.

Erlich told TTGmice that MGTO should market the programme to event companies if it wants “companies such as ours to develop programmes incorporating these routes”.

“Then we would be more likely to take time to visit (the routes) and consider how we could develop programmes around these locations,” he said. – Prudence Lui

Need to know

Wynn Tower’s winning new look

Wynn Tower at Wynn Macau has been given a facelift. Guestrooms now feature a fresh, light-colour palette as well as wall fabrics, carpets and lamps that were created exclusively for the property. In-room entertainment systems have also been upgraded.

A new experience also awaits guests at the hotel’s spa, which now sports refurbished treatment rooms.

Visit www.wynnmacau.com for more information.

Make movie magic

Galaxy Macau has developed a treasure hunt-style teambuilding activity called Movie Maker, which will see teams roaming the integrated resort with iPads and other tools in hand to help them complete various tasks in their mission and film their activity at the same time. Films made by the different teams will then be edited into a clip that serves as a memory of the group’s stay at Galaxy Macau. Contact (853) 2888-0888 for details.

Go wow at the House of Dancing Water

Grand Hyatt Macau is offering a House of Dancing Water WOW package which includes one night’s accommodation in a Grand Suite King, two tickets to the spectacular House of Dancing Water performance, 500 Hyatt Dollars redeemable at Grand Hyatt Macau’s restaurants and two tickets to the Dragon’s Treasure show.

Package prices vary according to the seat category, from HK$2,633 (US$340) for C-Reserve tickets to HK$3,233 for A-Reserve tickets. Prices excluded a 15 per cent tax. Other terms apply.

Contact macau.grand@hyatt.com

Vienna dethroned by Paris, Asia makes progress in ICCA rankings

By TTG Asia

May 15, 2014

ICCA has released its annual ranking on top countries and top cities for international association meetings, with little change in the line-up for top 10 countries but some movement among the most popular cities.

The US, Germany and Spain continue to lead in terms of the number of meetings held in their respective countries each year. The US hosted 829 meetings, Germany welcomed 722 and Spain saw 562.

Meanwhile, Japan and China have made progress by advancing one and two ranks to take seventh and eighth spot respectively. Japan witnessed 342 meetings while China was a hair’s breadth away with 340.

Paris has dislodged Vienna from the number one spot, which that latter has held since 2005 to claim the title as the city with the most meetings. Paris (204 meetings) was number two in 2012.

With 186 meetings last year, Madrid has overtaken Vienna’s 182. Barcelona (179) takes fourth place, followed by Berlin (178) which fell from third to fifth place this year. Singapore holds strong from last year at sixth place with 175 international association meetings while London dropped to seventh (166). Istanbul rose to eighth, leaving top 10 newcomers Lisbon and Seoul to share ninth place.

ICCA’s CEO, Martin Sirk, said: “It shouldn’t be surprising that our 2013 figures have demonstrated the strength of the international association meetings sector, since the overall picture for our industry is significantly better than has been the case for quite some time. But it should be remembered that this is a sector that has shown significant growth in every single year since the financial crisis hit the world economy in 2008.

“The international association meetings sector is a solid, reliable performer, in good times and bad, and the longer term trends are the most critically important factors when preparing strategic plans and investment decisions. I am convinced that every serious meetings destination, internationally ambitious venue, and forward-thinking meetings management company should include international associations in their marketing and development strategies.”

For the full ranking, visit ICCA’s website.

Vienna dethroned by Paris, Asia makes progress in ICCA rankings

By TTG Asia

May 15, 2014

The US, Germany and Spain continue to lead in terms of the number of meetings held in their respective countries each year. The US hosted 829 meetings, Germany welcomed 722 and Spain saw 562.

Paris has dislodged Vienna from the number one spot, which that latter has held since 2005 to claim the title as the city with the most meetings. Paris (204 meetings) was number two in 2012.

For the full ranking, visit ICCA’s website.

Persistent pursuit

By S Puvaneswary

May 13, 2014

Obstacles abound, in the form of limited air access and night entertainment, but Brunei MICE sellers are bent on winning over the Chinese, writes S Puvaneswary

Brunei’s lush forests, such as the one in Temburong pictured above, can be explored as part of a pre/post-meeting programme

An Air access and limited entertainment options in Brunei are main obstacles to the Sultanate’s quest for corporate events from China, but local MICE specialists are not letting that stop their courtship of Chinese clients.

Currently, Royal Brunei Airlines is the only airline serving the Bandar Seri Begawan–Shanghai route with three flights weekly. It operates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday using the Airbus 320 with a configuration of 12 business class and 132 economy class seats.

This is the only point in China that Royal Brunei Airlines flies to.

Inbound MICE specialists in Brunei said the destination needed more direct flights to China, especially to first-tier cities, in order to gain a bigger share of the Chinese MICE market.

Khirul Zainie, managing director of MegaBorneo Tour Planner, told TTGmice that he is only targeting small groups of less than 50 people from Shanghai, as securing seats for larger groups is a challenge.

Khirul added that Brunei will be sold as a dual destination, either combined with Malaysia or Singapore. Explaining the rationale, he said: “Brunei lacks attractions that appeal to Chinese MICE travellers such as night entertainment, gaming and drinking. It is easier to sell when Brunei is combined with another destination where travellers can drink, shop and have venues for night entertainment.”

Freme Travel Services manager, inbound and MICE division, Sugumaran Nair, shares Khirul’s contraints with seat capacity.

“If we get a bigger group (of more than 50 pax), we will have to split the group and have the delegates arrive into Brunei in batches,” he said. “We will have a stronger chance of securing more business from first-tier cities like Beijing and Guangzhou if we had direct flights. Most MICE organisers prefer direct flights due to time constraints as the average stay in Brunei is about three days.”

Last year, Freme saw an uptick in incentive business from China over 2012. It is still too early to gauge how 2014 will pan out for the company, but Sugumaran said forward bookings are coming in.

Jodie Chu, tour coordinator for Bon Asia Holidays, said the company had confirmed a number of incentive groups for 2014 with an average of two- to three-day stay. Sabah was usually a popular choice for twin programmes with Brunei, she noted.

Also in on the Chinese MICE action is Orchid Garden Hotel. Mohd Iswandi Maaruf, director of sales, said the hotel is working with inbound operators handling the Chinese market to create conference and leisure packages.

He said the hotel works well for Chinese MICE groups because of its Vanda Chinese Restaurant and proximity to Brunei International Airport and Brunei Convention Centre.

Private MICE stakeholders in Brunei are supported by Brunei Tourism’s efforts to promote the Sultanate as a meetings and incentives destination. The bureau is going direct to the top 1,000 corporate firms in Greater China, most of which are headquartered in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, while its China office will also participate at ITE 2014 in Hong Kong.

A MICE guide has also been produced to raise awareness of the destination and its event infrastructure. It provides meeting planners with details of meeting and convention venues, recreational activities, tourist spots and the range of services and support offered by Brunei Tourism to organisers who are hosting events with international participation.

According to Salinah Salleh, the bureau’s tourism officer for marketing & promotions, Brunei gets more leisure visitors from China, compared to business event travellers.

Brunei lacks statistics on MICE arrivals, although available tourism data showed 26,407 Chinese visitors in the first 10 months of 2013, an increase from 2012 which saw 24,504 arrivals.

Salinah said: “Our goal is to have MICE planners consider Brunei when they are looking for a new destination for incentives, meetings, conferences, product launches or teambuilding activities. Brunei makes a very convenient and refreshing pre/post-conference destination (for events held in) nearby meeting capitals such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok.”

Salinah also recommended twinning Brunei with Sabah or Bali for programmes that feature the sun and the sea, or with Dubai for a desert and jungle experience, or use Brunei as a stopover for groups travelling to and from Australia or New Zealand.

Need to know

Get back to nature

City folks attending meetings in Brunei should take the chance to get closer to Mother Nature. Start the day with morning tea at a local restaurant in Bangar, the capital of Temburong district, then continue onwards to Batang Duri Village.

Light refreshments at Freme Rainforest Lodge can be arranged, before proceeding further on to Bukit Patoi Forest Reserve. Here, stroll down the wooden walkways to the Canopy for a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside and enjoy the serenity.

Return to Freme Rainforest Lodge for lunch. For groups with energetic delegates, a series of outdoor teambuilding activities can be planned for the afternoon.

Contact Freme Travel Services at fremeinb@brunet.bn for arrangements.

Shopping like a local

One of the best ways to see how the locals live is to visit the local market. The Kg Kianggeh Open Air Market is a lively place where a wide selection of fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood are sold by friendly merchants. Some stalls also sell fresh coconut and sugar cane juices, as well as grilled fish, offering shoppers an opportunity to snack as they explore the market.

A taste of Indonesian cuisine

Considered one of Brunei’s most established Indonesian restaurants, Pondok Sari Wangi specialises in dishes from Java, Padang and Sulawesi. Ayam penyet (flattened crispy, fried chicken), ayam rendang (chicken cooked in a rich and spicy coconut sauce), tahu telur (beancurd omelette) and beef satay come highly recommended. Pondok Sari Wangi has three branches across Brunei, in Gadong, Sengkurong and Citi Square.

Explore a night market

Besides visiting a local market, visitors to Brunei should make time for a walk through Pasar Malam Gadong, or Gadong night market. For just a few dollars, one can load up on freshly cooked local favourites such as hati buyah (stir-fried slices of beef lungs) and pulut panggang (rice and prawns or beef wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over fire).

French flair, Asian ambitions

By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena

May 12, 2014

Paris is flaunting more than its iconic Eiffel Tower to attract more business event groups from South-east Asia

Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia are showing great MICE outbound promise, inspiring Paris to turn on its charms, discovers Xinyi Liang-Pholsena

Paris’ well-honed reputation as a capital for fashion, art and culture, as well as the nexus of economic and corporate business in France, bides well with its efforts to lure more Asian leisure and MICE visitors.

A city of 2.2 million habitants, Paris welcomed 29 million visitors in 2013, with business and MICE travellers making up half of the destination’s arrivals, according to Patricia Barthelemy, marketing manager of Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB).

“We are seeing lots of leisure and incentive visitors from Asia, as Paris is usually (one of) the first destinations of a Europe trip,” she informed.

“New MICE markets are China, India and South-east Asia, while Japan is already an established market. Incentives from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea are doing well, so these countries are no longer new markets for us.”

Having started the Chinese market 15 years ago, Barthelemy informed that PCVB “had time to understand the Chinese market”.

In contrast, the NTO only started making inroads into South-east Asia (excluding Singapore) in 2009, with particular attention given to the emerging markets of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, which accounted for 80,000, 70,000 and 65,000 arrivals respectively to Parisian hotels in 2013, based on estimated figures from PCVB.

Partnering Air France, PCVB in March led its second annual sales mission comprising 13 tour operators and sellers from Paris to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok as part of its aim to “meet major tour operators and understand clients’ rapidly changing expectations” and “present new ideas to the market”, said Barthelemy. Fam trips for this market trio are also in the pipeline this year.

Most Paris sellers, likewise, already had their radar tuned to the Chinese market for the majority of the last half decade, but South-east Asia’s MICE outbound potential is starting to register too, with several sellers sharing how they are stepping up contact with partners and launching more sales calls in the region.

Arnaud Calteau, founder & CEO of Azurever, a Paris-based DMC, told TTGmice that he began looking at the Asian MICE market in 2011 but currently keeps his focus on high-end segment of FITs, seminars and groups from Asia.

“It takes time to build up partnerships with Asian partners, but I have seen interest from incentive planners during this Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok workshop,” he said. “Indonesia has huge potential for incentives and leisure, as they are more open to ideas.”

Expecting the South-east Asian market to mature faster than its Japanese counterparts did in the seventies and eighties, Calteau has hence created MICE programmes plying to Asians’ love for shopping and glamour in Paris, such as a private tour of Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent, where a curator highlights the famed French designer’s fashion collections, life and approach to art; plus private cocktails and dinners in addition to backstage access to Lido or VIP access to Notre Dame Cathedral after closing hours.

Similarly, Lido’s international tourism sales manager Claude Micallef shared that the famed Parisian cabaret theatre has “adapted (itself) some 10 years ago to the rising Asian tide”. “We have received a lot of Asian corporate groups. We can personalise the venue through means such as putting company name (on the screens) or offering cocktails two hours before our shows,” he said. “The possibilities are endless.”

For Domaine de Chantilly, a 7,800ha historic estate in Paris’ outskirts, its MICE strategy was adopted in 2008 when the destination came under private management, revealed international sales manager Patrick Allais.

He commented: “We only started the South-east Asian market (Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand) two years ago and China three years ago; Japan was our first Asian market. For now, we mostly focus on emerging markets like Russia, Brazil, South-east Asia and India.

Jackie Chan’s Chinese Zodiac movie, which was shot on location at Domaine de Chantilly, has made it easier to introduce the château to the Asian market, with China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand rising to become the destination’s top MICE source markets from Asia, while MICE requests from India are starting to roll in, according to Allais.

“We surfed on the wave of Jackie Chan – he’s the best advertisement for us,” he said.

Domaine de Chantilly has also actively pursued new initiatives to strengthen its appeal for Asian MICE groups, said Allais.

Besides providing Chinese guides on-site, the destination has just entered into agreements with Asian food specialist caterers to offer such options as halal or pork-free food.

Furthermore, a Chinese website and marketing tools in Thai, Bahasa Indonesian and Melayu are expected to launch soon.

Meanwhile, the management is now looking at appointing a marketing representative in South-east Asia and India.

Need to know

A grand estate

Located a 20-minute drive from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Domaine de Chantilly is one of the best examples of princely grandeur France has to offer. The estate houses the Musée Condé, home to rich collections of historical paintings, books and manuscripts; three different gardens; the Great Stables featuring one of Europe’s largest equestrian centres; a restaurant helmed by a two-Michelin-star chef and a new Relais & Chateaux hotel. The estate offers myriad MICE possibilities, from intimate parties for 50 pax in The Stags Gallery and 450-pax gala dinners in The Equestrian Gallery accompanied by private equestrian shows to private guided tours of the château and museums. Teambuilding activities are also available, such as treasure hunt by GPS in the gardens.
Contact Patrick Allais at patrick.allais@domainedechantilly.com.

Hilton readies for new look

The historic Concorde Opera is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment to be rebranded as Hilton Paris Opera (pictured below) in autumn 2014. The area surrounding the 124-year-old landmark is undergoing large-scale redevelopment too. The rebranded 266-room hotel will boast an executive floor and lounge, meeting rooms and dining outlets.

Meanwhile, Hilton Chantilly Hotel & Conference Centre, located 30km from central Paris, is under construction and is expected to open in early-2015.

Charming river cruises

Offering year-round cruise tours along the Seine River, Bateaux-Mouches’ fleet of 15 open-deck riverboats will enable visitors to take in sights of Paris’ most iconic attractions such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee d’Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum and the underbellies of bridges that criss-cross the river.

Dinner cruises depart every evening at 20.30 while lunch cruises operate on weekends and public holidays only at 13.00, with all tables set on the water’s edge to give passengers a clear view of Parisian monuments over traditional French cuisine. Seating up to a maximum of 600 pax for dinners, corporate conferences, cocktails and gala dinners can be organised on board while special dietary options like kosher, Indian and halal food can be prepared upon request.

Visit www.bateaux-mouches.fr for more information or contact Chloe Wilhelem at c.wilhelem@bateaux-mouches.fr.

Oh, what a show!

The glamorous cabaret and burlesque show, Bonheur, performs at the iconic Lido theatre every evening, with 70 artistes putting on a glitzy extravaganza with 23 sets, 600 costumes and special effects.

Spread across six floors, the 7,500m² venue at Champs-Élysées features a 1,150-seat panoramic theatre and a giant elevator that allows the orchestra to sink 80cm into the floor to improve visibility for dining guests. Lido is set to undergo a renovation from January through March 2015, and will reopen with new shows.

MICE planners can also avail the venue’s corporate event packages or give clients the star treatment by requesting for customised options such as pre/post-show cocktails, backstage tours, meetings in the Bluebell Room or booking the entire venue for special events.

Visit www.lido.fr for details.

When in Paris, go shopping

Incentive planners working with Asian clients will do well to include a stop at Printemps, the French luxury department store founded in 1865 and with 17 outlets across France. The historic flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann boasts 44,000m² devoted to over 3,000 luxury brands and goods, a Maria Luisa store featuring famous and up-and-coming fashion names, a 2,000m² parfumerie and an entire building devoted to men’s fashion. Events can be hosted at the Brasserie Printemps. More information at www.printemps.com.

Caroline Cheah

By TTGmice

May 11, 2014

Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok has appointed Caroline Cheah as hotel manager. She was last group director of rooms at Shangri-La International Hotel Management. Cheah has been working with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts for almost 20 years, taking on roles such as director of rooms and executive assistant manager at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong; and hotel manager at Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai.

Oriol Montal

By TTGmice

May 11, 2014

Oriol Montal now leads JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa as general manager. He has 20 years of experience in hospitality and had started his career in the industry at the Hotel Barcelona Sants. He joins the Thai resort from The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka where he was general manager.

J Edward Brea

By TTGmice

May 11, 2014

J Edward Brea has taken the helm as general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. Armed with more than 30 years of hospitality experience, Brea was last general manager of Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai. He joined Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in 2000 and was the first hotel manager at Island Shangri-La Hong Kong and Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore before moving through the ranks.

Jeffrey Tan

By TTGmice

May 11, 2014

Jeffrey Tan has joined Pan Pacific Singapore as director of events, overseeing MICE, group rooms, catering sales, banquet operations and event services for the hotel. Armed with a decade of experience, Tan has been with The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore and Marina Bay Sands and most recently, Resorts World Sentosa. He is, however, no stranger to Pan Pacific Singapore, having worked with the hotel’s sales team from 2006 to 2008, and the Singapore sales team in 2009.

Gino Tan

By TTGmice

May 11, 2014

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has appointed Gino Tan as general manager of Parkroyal on Pickering Singapore. Tan brings 20 years of experience to his new role and was last general manager of Millennium Hotel London Mayfair. He spent the first 15 years of his hospitality career in sales and marketing positions with Omni Marco Polo Hotel, Merchant Court Hotel and Raffles Hotel in Singapore, as well as Swissôtel Beijing and Raffles Hotel Beijing in China.