Asia/Singapore Sunday, 21st June 2026
Page 102

The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore makes two new hires

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From left: Anita Ngan; and Scott Henderson

The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore has made two senior appointments – Anita Ngan as director of sales & marketing, and Scott Henderson as executive chef.

Ngan brings an extensive background in luxury hospitality, with nearly 20 years of experience in the commercial field. She began her career as a sales coordinator in 2006 and rose through the ranks in hotels such as JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong and The Excelsior Hong Kong.

From left: Anita Ngan; and Scott Henderson

She later advanced to a senior role as cluster director of sales for the flagship Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, overseeing corporate, luxury brand, luxury consortia, leisure and business events segments.

Prior to joining The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, she served as director of travel industry sales at Capella Singapore.

Joining Ngan is executive chef Scott Henderson. Henderson will lead the hotel’s culinary direction, overseeing the all-day dining at 15 Stamford Restaurant, Lobby Lounge, The Bar at 15 Stamford, Capitol Bistro, Bar and Patisserie, as well as banqueting operations at the hotel’s function spaces, including the Capitol Theatre.

He brings more than 20 years of experience from some of the world’s most prestigious addresses, including Shangri-La Vancouver, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.

His most recent appointment was the Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou, where he led a team of 110 chefs and oversaw five dining venues, including Lai Heen – the hotel’s fine Cantonese restaurant, which has retained its Michelin star consecutively since the inaugural Michelin Guide Guangzhou in 2018.

Tourism Australia and Amway sign MoU to drive incentive travel

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From left: Tourism Australia’s Robin Mack; and Amway’s Asha Gupta signing the MoU in the Amway office in Singapore

Tourism Australia and Amway, the world’s largest direct selling company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the first time such an agreement has been forged.

The objective of the partnership is to help Australia attract more of Amway’s Leadership Seminar and Diamond Invitational group incentives in the future.

From left: Tourism Australia’s Robin Mack; and Amway’s Asha Gupta signing the MoU in the Amway office in Singapore earlier this morning

When asked what was the motivation behind the signing, Asha Gupta, Amway’s chief operating officer, told TTGmice that the MoU was a “great opportunity to keep Australia as one of our key destinations”. It also helped that “Tourism Australia showed great interest in forging this partnership”.

She added: “When we have a partnership with a destination like that, we know we can expect the very best from them. They are willing to go and above and beyond to support our incentive groups, demonstrating that through the various trips we have done.

“It is easier when we have a tourism board who understands our values, what we are trying to bring to the table, and can be a thinking partner. Experience is important, but thoughtfulness from the welcoming country is also very critical because it helps us curate the best experience for the groups.”

Amway affiliates have been hosting groups to Australia since 1985. Just last month, Melbourne hosted 16,000 Amway China incentive delegates across six waves for its 30th Anniversary Leadership Seminar – the largest incentive group in history to visit Australia, and the biggest outbound incentive group ever arranged by Amway from China.

Australia has also hosted several other Amway incentive groups in recent years. This includes 730 delegates on the Gold Coast in 2019, 1,000 delegates in Perth in 2024. Later this year, another 2,700 delegates will be in Cairns for the Amway Korea Leadership Seminar.

Tourism Australia’s executive general manager for commercial & business events, Robin Mack, shared: “We have had a strong partnership with Amway for over 40 years, but this MoU takes it to another level so we can attract even more Amway events to Australia in the future. It will help keep Australia top of mind, and there will be more opportunities for us to share why the country is the perfect destination for future Amway events.”

Securing more Amway incentives would also provide a huge boost for Australia’s business events industry. For instance, more than 80 businesses took part in the Amway China 30th Anniversary Leadership Seminar, including 66 restaurants and eight hotels. Moreover, a number of delegates also joined extension trips to other Australian cities Sydney and Hobart, which Mack noted that “dispersal is what we want”.

He pointed out that the “sheer scale and diversity” of experiences throughout Australia will continue to evolve and improve, giving companies like Amway “many reasons” to choose Australia.

As for whether other MoUs with other destinations will be signed in the future, Gupta indicated the company is “open to discussion”.

IATA appoints regional VP for Asia-Pacific

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Sheldon Hee as regional vice president, Asia-Pacific, effective June 1.

Based in Singapore, Hee will lead IATA’s operations across 39 countries and 53 member airlines in the region.

Hee has over 25 years of airline industry experience, having held management roles at Singapore Airlines in multiple countries. Prior to joining IATA, he was vice president for partnerships and international relations at Singapore Airlines.

Henri Arnulphy takes on GM role at Raffles Bali

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Raffles Bali has named Henri Arnulphy as its general manager, who brings nearly 20 years of international hospitality experience to the role.

Arnulphy has held senior leadership positions at resorts across the globe, including Jade Mountain in St Lucia, Constance Moofushi in the Maldives, and Sandy Lane Yacht Club in the Grenadines.

His experience spans resort transformations, new openings, and initiatives focused on sustainability and community engagement – values that align with Raffles Bali’s approach to conscious luxury.

Conrad Bengaluru expands leadership team with two appointments

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Conrad Bengaluru has appointed Sunil Kumar as director of operations and Ashu Hattar as director of catering & events, marking a step forward in Conrad Bengaluru’s focus on strengthening its leadership capabilities and driving continued growth.

Kumar joins Conrad Bengaluru with over 17 years of experience in luxury hospitality, having started his career with IHCL. Most recently, as director of food & beverage at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore, he led strategic initiatives centred on brand repositioning and enhancing the dining experience. At Conrad Bengaluru, he will focus on improving operational cohesion, developing teams, and refining service standards.

From left: Sunil Kumar and Ashu Hattar

Hattar began her career at Hyatt Regency Delhi and has since held leadership positions with brands such as Pullman & Novotel New Delhi Aerocity, W Goa, and Le Meridien Gurgaon.

She most recently served as associate director of sales at The Ritz-Carlton, Bengaluru, where she led the group segment and contributed to key strategic projects.

Global uncertainties afford major growth opportunities for APAC business travel

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Neufang: GBTA will actively expanding its presence and initiatives in APAC

While the recent US tariffs may have a slight dampening effect on the global corporate travel market, this very disruption presents a significant opportunity for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region to flourish.

“There are five APAC markets – China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia – in the top 15 business travel spending markets, making up a total of US$551.7 billion. Indonesia is also moving up quickly, and I think Singapore may surpass Thailand in the next few years,” Suzanne Neufang, CEO of Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), told TTGmice on the sidelines of the GBTA APAC Conference in Singapore.

Neufang: GBTA will actively expanding its presence and initiatives in APAC; photo by Rachel AJ Lee

She pointed out: “When there’s trade disruptions, there are opportunities for someone else. I think the business travel sector will be looking at enabling new partnerships, with or without the US.”

When asked if there has been a noticeable decline of inbound corporate travel into the US, according to GBTA research, government actions have not deterred most foreign companies from holding meetings in the US. However, 12 per cent of buyers outside the US said their company has cancelled meetings in the US, or have relocated meetings (14 per cent) or events (10 per cent) outside the US.

Neufang explained that the statistics are currently “heavily skewed toward Canadian reluctance”, and based on the recent GBTA’s Convention Supplier Summit in Denver, there has been no change in global attendance, she added. Neufang also expects the situation in US to stabilise soon, given that the FIFA World Cup will be taking place in the country in 2026.

Still, this small shift could be an opening for APAC destinations. “As APAC is a little bit concerned (about the situation), the region can tap onto this uncertainty and benefit from it by attracting more events here,” she explained. It helps that business travel professions are very resilient, as they are used to travelling even during uncertainty and disruptions, she adds.

GBTA is largely optimistic about APAC’s potential, and for the last three years, been the association’s fastest-growing region. Over the past two years, the GBTA office in Singapore has grown to five people, while the annual GBTA APAC Conference, has seen consistent year-on-year growth, and may soon outgrow the Raffles City Convention Centre location.

“We have just established Advisory Boards in India and China, and have done networking events in other APAC destinations like Japan. We also have a fairly large delegation from China this year at the GBTA APAC Conference.

“The conference itself isn’t just for Singapore anymore, but an international event,” Neufang stated.

GBTA establishes new advisory boards in India and China

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The exhibition area of the GBTA APAC Conference 2025 in Singapore; photo by Lynette Tey

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has created two new GBTA Advisory Boards in India and China.

Announced during the GBTA APAC Conference 2025 (May 27-28) – held in partnership with the WERC Regional Summit at the Raffles City Convention Centre – these new Advisory Boards bring together regional professionals from leading organisations to provide strategic advisement, industry knowledge, and local market insights as GBTA continues to expand its footprint across Asia Pacific (APAC).

The exhibition area of the GBTA APAC Conference 2025 in Singapore; photo by Lynette Tey

For GBTA India, Ajay Bhatt, group head, corporate services for Godrej Industries Group, will serve as chairperson of the country’s 15-member Advisory Board which includes:

  • Siva Sankar Ala, director – travel & hospitality, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories
  • Sri Arardhi, co-founder, Fast Collab Systems
  • Rajan Bahadur, CEO, Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council of India
  • Monica Bhatnagar, assistant project officer, World Bank
  • Rajan Dua, founder & managing director, Udaan India
  • Dev Karvat, founder & CEO, Asego
  • Amarnath Lal Das, India travel lead and global crisis and compliance, Accenture Solutions
  • Manian SGS, associate director, Mindsprint
  • Gaurav Shekhar Nagwekar, head travel logistics & corporate service administration, Reliance Industries
  • Jehangir Press, vice president – strategic accounts management group & commercial director Qmin, Indian Hotel Company
  • Sudha Prasad, senior manager – compliance (travel industry), Mphasis
  • Prasad Shriyan, vice president – corporate travel, Thomas Cook
  • Santosh Sharma, co-founder & CEO, Foresee Aviation
  • Sakshi Vij, managing director, Carzonrent India

Over in China, the 10-member Advisory Board includes:

  • Jonathan Kao, managing director, North Asia, BCD Travel
  • Becky Cao, vice president – sales and marketing, China, Langham Hospitality Group
  • Michael Du, managing director, CIBT
  • Lingyun Fan, APAC travel manager, General Motors
  • Anja Jia, general manager of client success, Trip.Biz
  • Ibrahim Orhanli, general manager, Eastern China, Turkish Airlines
  • Liping Si, travel operations lead – APJ, ExxonMobil
  • Samuel Wang, travel manager, APAC, Adient
  • Yoyo Wang, regional senior sourcing manager of general service, MGS Commercial APMEA, Mars
  • Sophie Xu, global procurement – procurement manager, BeiGene

The addition of these boards follows the successful formation of a GBTA Advisory Board in Australia earlier this year. GBTA has also added local staff based in Singapore, Australia and India to better support members and partners, reinforcing its long-term commitment to the APAC region.

“Our mission in APAC is to empower the business travel community through meaningful connections and tailored support and offerings,” said Catherine Logan, GBTA regional senior vice president for EMEA and APAC. “By leveraging the insights of our advisory board members and fostering collaboration, we’re able to address the unique needs of the region, ensuring that APAC remains a dynamic hub for business travel.”

“India and China represent essential and growing markets for business travel with immense potential for innovation,” added Elle Ng-Darmawan, GBTA regional director for APAC. “Our regional initiatives such as our APAC Conference exemplify our commitment to dialogue and partnership in a region that plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the industry.”

Informa Markets launches new B2B event for F&B, hospitality

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A screenshot from the promotional video

Industry leaders will converge at FutureFWD – Hospitality, Food & Beverage on September 25, 2025, at EQ Kuala Lumpur to address the rapid transformation impacting Asia’s food, beverage, and hospitality sectors.

The conference, part of Informa Markets’ global F&B series and held alongside Food & Hospitality Malaysia (FHM) (September 23-26), will feature keynotes and panels anchored on the content themes of Trends, Technology, and Transformation.

A screenshot from the promotional video

The one-day programme will analyse evolving consumer demands, technological advancements, and shifting market dynamics. There will be sessions on sustainability, tech adoption, changing consumer behaviour, and innovative design.

For example, a headline session, The Great F&B Reset, will feature industry leaders discussing strategies for thriving amid ongoing disruption and navigating Asia’s evolving culinary landscape. There will also be a fireside chat exploring circular innovation and eco-conscious solutions shaping the future of the drinks sector.

A networking event will also connect attendees with over 200 top buyers and distributors.

FutureFWD – Hospitality, Food & Beverage is launched by Informa Markets and delivered by Saladplate has Technomic, The Sustainable Restaurant Association and Food Made Good as event partners.

WSCC teams up with Encore to elevate event production

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WSCC’s Conference Room banquet-style

The Western Sydney Convention Centre (WSCC) at the Panthers Precinct, has announced a new partnership with event technology and creative production company Encore, as its official in-house event production partner.

This collaboration follows WSCC’s recent expansion, which now incorporates the broader Panthers Precinct, offering over 4,000m2 of event space. This enhanced capacity aims to position Western Sydney and Penrith as a premier business and tourism hub in Australia, attracting national and international delegates in anticipation of the Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) opening next year.

WSCC’s Conference Room banquet-style

While the WSCC already boasts a state-of-the-art 1,000-seat capacity, significant upgrades to audiovisual and production equipment have been implemented across select event spaces within the precinct. With Encore’s integration, clients will now have access to seamless technical delivery, unparalleled creative and production resources, and the latest innovations in event technology.

The partnership also promises bespoke production services, curated audiovisual packages, access to the Asia-Pacific region’s largest inventory of LED displays, and AI-powered event technologies, ensuring impactful events. Encore’s team will work closely with WSCC’s event planning and management teams to provide a fully integrated planning and execution process.

Pro-invest NZ Hotels releases new offers for business events

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The Great Room at Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre

Pro-invests’ three New Zealand hotels – voco Auckland City Centre, Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre, and Holiday Inn Express and Suites Queenstown – have launched exclusive offers for corporate events.

For a limited time, IHG Business Rewards members can enjoy 10 per cent off the master bill, while non-members receive five per cent off on all events booked at the voco and Holiday Inn Express hotels by August 31, 2025, and held by March 30, 2026.

The Great Room at Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre

Event planners looking to maximise their loyalty benefits can take advantage of triple points with IHG Business Rewards plus two bonus Elite Night credits for events booked by June 30, 2025, and held by November 30, 2025.

Located in the city’s cultural and commercial heart, voco Auckland City Centre offers five versatile meeting rooms from an executive boardroom to three flexible spaces with natural light that can be connected for larger functions. Italian-inspired trattoria, Mozzarella & Co. and level 38 spaces including the Waitematā Suite, Wyndham Room, and Bar Albert rooftop bar with open-air terrace caters to cocktail functions and special celebrations, of eight to 73 guests.

Event organisers and guests at voco also enjoy convenient self-parking, all-day dining options, and the ability to combine venues or secure full-floor buyouts for tailored experiences. Event spaces come equipped with free Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art AV equipment, including 65″ LED screens with Chromecast, data integration, and sound bars. Additional amenities include individual stationery for each conference delegate and personalised event signage.

Over at Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre, three light-filled and flexible meeting spaces can accommodate up to 40 people.

Lastly, the two modern and flexible meetings spaces at Holiday Inn Express and Suites Queenstown can cater between four and 60 people. Bathed in natural light with floor to ceiling windows overlooking landscaped gardens, these modern spaces have seamless technology and fast Wi-Fi connectivity.

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