EAGER to boost its overall tourism industry performance and improve average occupancies in four- and five-star hotels, the Malaysian state of Selangor is looking to strengthen its positioning as a business events destination.

In an interview with TTGmice e-Weekly, Selangor Tourism general manager, Noorul Ashikin Mohd Din, revealed that the bureau is targeting business event groups from Australia, the Middle East and regional markets.

Included in Selangor Tourism’s action plans is an updated business events directory which will be ready by end of this year. The directory will provide a listing of meetings, accommodation venues and attractions in the state, among other details.

MICE hardware will improve through the launch of a new convention centre in Selangor’s Shah Alam by 4Q2014. Ideal Convention Centre will be the largest venue of its kind in the state. Spread across 8,674.4m2, the venue will comprise 11 halls in four different sizes. It will be able to accommodate up to 8,000 guests.

Ideal Convention Centre will join two other private venues that had opened in Shah Alam in recent years. The latest is Midlands Convention Centre which opened last month in Section 7, Shah Alam. The purpose-built venue can host up to 2,500 people in theatre set-up. The other is Setia City Convention Centre which started operations in late 2012.

Also keen to court business events, especially those from Indonesia and the Philippines, is i-City Properties which has added new attractions to its i-City theme park. According to the company’s sales manager, leisure division, Norsyuhaini Mohd, a Best Western hotel will open within the theme park by the last quarter of the year.

Saini Vermeulen, head of international sales, Panorama Tours Malaysia, said the new event spaces would provide more options for meetings and noted that events hosted in Selangor would cost some 30 per cent lower than the same in nearby Kuala Lumpur.

“(Selangor’s) lower prices are especially attractive to the price-sensitive regional markets,” he said.

Sachin Bansal, director of ABS Holidays in Delhi, said: “With Malindo Air’s new Delhi-Kuala Lumpur flights, we anticipate MICE demand to Malaysia to pick up significantly this year. Thus, it would be helpful if Selangor Tourism could keep us updated with new product developments.”

AUSTRALIA’S Northern Territory (NT) is ready to step up its MICE strategy now that international air connections have “stabilised” and more suitable products are available.

NT’s existing daily Jetstar service from Singapore to state capital Darwin was joined in November by Malaysia Airlines’ four-weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Darwin. SilkAir will boost its frequency between Singapore and Darwin from four to five times weekly come June and upgrade its aircraft for this route to the new Boeing 737-800 from October, said Tourism NT’s international marketing executive, Philip Haines.

Hotel developments are advancing too. H Hotel and Élan Soho Suites will boost Darwin’s room inventory with 186 rooms and 168 rooms respectively. Hilton Worldwide, which has taken over three properties in Darwin from InterContinental Hotels Group, now operates Hilton Darwin, DoubleTree by Hilton Esplanade Darwin, and DoubleTree by Hilton Darwin in addition to its existing by Hilton Alice Springs.

Halikos Hospitality, which manages H Hotel, is spending A$750,000 (US$661,200) in phase one to refurbish Crab Claw Island Resort, 90 minutes from Darwin, to package with its 800 hotel rooms and serviced apartment units in the capital, according to general manager Geoff Weeks.

To cater to corporate meeting groups from China, Marrakai Luxury All Suites, a 10-minute walk from the Darwin Convention Centre, has engaged a Mandarin-speaking staff member.

To reach out to new buyers from Asia-Pacific, Great Southern Rail will be attending AIME for the first time this year, said Claire Sim, general manager.

“We have been promoting to European (and Japanese) incentive groups…for a long time and are now looking to grow the South-east Asian market, in particular Singapore and Malaysia,” she said.

“Incentive groups can travel on The Ghan’s two-night weekly departures through the heart of Australia from Darwin to Alice Springs and ending in Adelaide, and participate in off-train bonding and teambuilding activities. (It) is suitable for satellite meetings and exclusive board meetings for between eight and 10 people,” she explained.

THE Biggest Loser’s Michelle Bridges and Forbes columnist Margie Warrell will be among the star-studded line-up for AIME Knowledge 2014, taking place on February 18 and 19 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The event, part of the annual tradeshow Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo, aims to provide both personal and professional development for attendees and promises a varied programme covering creativity, mindfulness, interpersonal relations, innovation, events trends and business travel.

AIME Knowledge 2014 also encompasses the fifth annual Saxton Ultimate Event Experience, which will showcase 12 presenters in the space of 2.5 hours on February 19. Highlights include ARIA award-winning vocal group, The Ides of North, and musician Darren Percival, best known for his soul-stirring performances on the first season of The Voice Australia.

“This year we’ve created a comprehensive programme that we expect will appeal to the varied audience that comes to AIME,” said Jacqui Timmins, exhibition director at AIME and China Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition.

“We utilised research and feedback gathered from previous years to build the programme for 2014. AIME Knowledge is such an important component of the event and it’s crucial that we deliver value to our attendees by motivating them and providing them with the tools they need for success.”

“We believe the speakers presenting this year will truly resonate with our audience and provide hands on, practical advice on how to develop their skills.”

Other speakers featured at AIME Knowledge 2014 include Adam Fraser, one of Australia’s leading educators, researchers and thought leaders in the area of human performance, who will teach the audience how to tap into their high performance by identifying triggers and practical techniques; and Debbie Mayo-Smith, one of the world’s leading business productivity experts, who will impart easy, clever tricks to improve business success and free up time with everyday technology tools.

Tickets are priced at A$55 (US$49) for AIME visitors, with free visitor pre-registration now available via the AIME website. An All Access Pass that provides access to all sessions is also available for A$175.

Exhibitors are welcome to the education sessions by purchasing an Exhibitor Company Pass for A$175.

Visit www.aime.com.au for more details.

THE Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) recently concluded a CSR event that offered a group of special needs students a chance to learn the tricks of the hospitality trade.

Some 20 industry participants representing corporations, universities and travel vendors such as The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, American Express Travel, Royal Caribbean International and Marco Polo Hotels led six students on a programme on January 11 at the Hong Chi Association, where they toured the Hong Chi Pinehill Integrated Vocational Training Centre and training hotel, visited the unique mock-up hotel room of JW Marriott Hotel, and attended a bakery class, among other activities.

John Zee, managing director, operations of China International Capital Corporation, one of the 20 participants, said: “This CSR event is an eye-opener for us. We were pleased to see a professional vocational institution training special needs students to prepare them for work in the hotel industry. We took this opportunity to bond with the students by making cupcakes together.”

A NEW naming rights partnership between Sydney Entertainment Centre and Qantas Credit Union has led to a name change for the iconic event venue in Sydney’s Harbour City.

Now known as Qantas Credit Union Arena, the venue will work with Qantas Credit Union in developing a range of new marketing and promotional opportunities.

The partnership comes as AEG Ogden assumes responsibility for operating the venue until the end of 2015.

Announcing details of the partnership, Sydney Entertainment Centre general manager, Steve Hevern, said Qantas Credit Union had helped to ensure that there would be a major entertainment venue in the Sydney CBD for the majority of the time while the new International Convention Centre Sydney was under construction.

“Our business case for the Sydney Entertainment Centre remaining open for a further two years included the securing of sponsorship revenue. Qantas Credit Union has stepped up to the plate in being a major contributor to the financial viability of the centre during the next two years,” said Hevern.

He added: “We as a venue team are very motivated to create a platform by which Qantas Credit Union can interact with our patrons across the wide range of events that we will host at Qantas Credit Union Arena.”

According to Hevern, the venue has staged over 4,000 events for more than 26 million people since May 1983.

PADANG is developing its first stand-alone convention centre to boost the city’s positioning as a MICE destination.

Set to open mid-2014, the three-storey Minangkabau International Convention Centre (MICC) will have a 4,500m2 convention hall that can be divided into five smaller meeting rooms as well as five break-out rooms on the upper floor. With a 12m high ceiling, the convention hall is also equipped for concerts.

Maulana Yusran, board member of Sungai Tanang Sinergi, which owns MICC, said the investment was in line with the company’s “commitment to support the development of Padang as a MICE destination”.

Padang, along with its neighbour Bukittinggi, is one of 13 destinations that Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is looking to develop and promote.

Yusran, who is also chairman of the Indonesia Hotel & Restaurant Association (IHRA) West Sumatra Chapter, said Padang’s hotel landscape had improved since 2009 when there were 1,500 rooms. As of end-2013, inventory has expanded to 2,800 and “a few hundred more” are due to come online this year.

“Of note is the entry of Accor which brought with it two brands, Mercure and Ibis. We hope that other international hotel chains will follow soon,” said Yusran.

He added: “Padang and West Sumatra used to be (favoured by tourists) due to its wealth of nature and culture, but little about it was known (among the business event community). Things have changed. While natural attractions continue to lure tourists, the (government and corporate) meeting business has grown in line with the emergence of facilities.”

The construction of MICC comes at a time when the regional government has expressed a commitment to growing Padang’s tourism sector. At a recent media briefing, West Sumatra governor Irwan Prayitno said the tourism industry is among the region’s top 10 revenue generators.

Besides holding regular events such as Padang Fair, which showcases local industries, Irwan said the destination has been bidding for national and international shows such as World Food Day and Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo. Come May it will host the Indonesia Corporate Meetings & Incentive Travel Mart.

MORE destinations on Hainan Island are stepping up efforts to court business events and corporate groups, pushing nature, culture and well-being to counter Sanya’s popular coastal appeal.

Qixianling, for instance, is boosting promotions for its scenic mountain settings and health-enhancing hot springs. Meeting and incentive visitors can also choose from several five-star hotels here.

The destination was featured most recently in a five-night fam trip, hosted by Hainan Airlines, for major travel consultants and media personnel from Singapore. Participating consultants said Qixianling makes a good option for leisure and corporate groups.

Sino-America Tours senior operations manager for MICE, Bee Ann, said: “Hiking in the rainforests and mountains is good for teambuilding; if not, the Narada Resort & Spa Qixian Mount should suffice as a destination itself, with its hot springs and array of well-thought out activities like tai chi, yoga, bamboo rice making and wild vegetable plucking.”

Pre- and post-meeting activities can take place in Tunchang, which boasts organic farm stays and a street of oil painting shops; Qionghai lures with small clean towns and coffee shops that occupy converted heritage residential buildings. Qionghai also houses the BFA International Convention Center – the permanent venue for the annual Boa Forum for Asia – and two supporting MICE-friendly hotels, BFA Hotel and Golden Coast Hot Spring Hotel.

Bee Ann believes that the food, indigenous population, nature and hot springs at Hainan’s secondary destinations can attract Singapore’s corporate groups, but added that her agency’s packages would nevertheless include Sanya, a must-visit destination for Singaporeans, as part of the itinerary.

Meanwhile Sanya is not resting on its laurels. Haitang Bay will welcome a new duty-free mall and hospital, among other facilities, while central Sanya saw the opening of a popular cultural tourism attraction, Sanya Romance Park, in September 2013. Developments are also ongoing in Sanya Bay, Yalong Bay and Dadonghai.

Hainan currently has two international airports in Sanya and Haikou, with another under construction now in Qionghai’s Boao. The latter is expected to open in one to two years’ time.

Bee Ann said: “Hainan Airlines’ direct flights to Haikou have helped to prop up business in recent years. I expect the third airport to boost access, and our business, further.”

Hainan Airlines currently flies Singapore-Haikou-Taiyuan thrice weekly. Its Singapore branch general manager, Peng Xin Xiu, said the airline expects to add three more flights out of Singapore to Hefei via Haikou by end of this month.

MARK Searle, who was appointed in April 2013 to develop Pacific World’s business in Europe, the Middle East and South Africa, will now take charge of all destinations where the global business event specialist has operations in.

Hervé Joseph-Antoine, global managing director of Pacific World, said: “Mark’s combination of MICE agency background and the knowledge he has gained around the DMC offering has strengthened our presence in the UK market, and we look forward to supporting him in driving representation forward into 2014 across the whole Pacific World portfolio.”

Searle’s new appointment was effective from the start of this month. As part of the new role he will be responsible for representing destinations including China, India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Greece, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Southern Africa, France, Monaco and England.

With Searle’s expanded responsibility, Pacific World ended its partnership with MM & Co at the end of December. Joseph-Antoine said: “David Marks and his team have been a great partner and an important representative for Pacific World”.

THE Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and its convention division, the Japan Convention Bureau (JCB), have launched a new website for international MICE planners.

The website, www.japanmeetings.org, provides information on what the country can offer for international business events, testimonials and case studies, a list of unique venues and activities, and a handy search function that allows event planners to find cities and venues that best suit their needs, among other features. Requests for proposals can also be submit through the improved website.

Comprehensive toolkits are available for download, and planners can access a library of destination images, videos and guides.