MCI has expanded its global DMC brand, Ovation, to Australia with an office in Sydney.

The new office is headed by Sonja Söderbom, who joins MCI Australia as director, Ovation Australia. Söderbom has more than 15 years of DMC experience. With the support of MCI Australia’s creative services and event design team, Söderbom will offer clients visiting or returning to Australia a fresh approach to destination experiences and creative bespoke events.

MCI Australia managing director, Stephan Wurzinger, said in a press statement: “MCI Australia has always offered this exclusive (DMC) service to our existing international clients. However, I am very excited to now be able to raise the bar by having the Ovation brand in Australia as a leading creative DMC provider.”

Ovation operates in more than 125 destinations worldwide including Cambodia, China, Japan and Taiwan in Asia.

LAUNCHED in May, SMX Taguig, the third convention centre under SMX Convention Specialist Corp, has welcomed two major entertainment events into its calendar which is presently dominated by corporate meetings and seminars.

The fifth edition of ManilART, held last week, is the country’s largest visual arts fair. It featured works by Philippine greats such as Fernando Zobel, Romeo Tabuena and Vita Sarenas, as well as up and coming artists.

The other win is Circus Vargas Presents Magikaria, an American circus act, which will run from Christmas this year until January 1, 2014.

Marivic Marquez, assistant vice president for sales and marketing, SMX Convention Specialist Corp, believes that SMX Taguig’s features and location are key factors in helping the venue attract a wider roster of high profile cultural and tourism-oriented events.

Occupying the third and fourth floors of SM Aura Premier mall, SMX Taguig offers 6,358m² of gross floor area and leasable space of 2,552m², with three function rooms that seat 250-2,250 pax, and eight meeting rooms for 36-255 pax. Kitchen and storage facilities allow for large catered events.

Parts of the mall, such as the open air Sky Park on the fifth floor, can support events and were utilised by the recent ManilART.

PHASE two of Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC) has opened for business, doubling the venue’s raw space to 50,000m².

The latest phase spans 25,000m² and with the existing facilities offered in the first wing, BNDCC now provides event organisers 50 meeting rooms capable of hosting 12,000 people altogether.

Owned by Nusa Dua Indonesia, a sub-holding company of public-listed Dyandra Media International, the BNDCC complex also includes a five-star hotel which is due to be ready this December. With the completion of the hotel, the entire development will be renamed Bali Nusa Dua Hotel and Convention Center.

Business has been brisk for the new wing, having hosted three international conferences and the grand finals of Miss World 2013 prior to its official launch at end-September, as well as APEC Summit’s media centre and a dinner for economic leaders.

To come before the end of 2013 are several more events, including the World Bridge Championship with 1,000 delegates from 31 countries, the Internet Governance Forum with 2,000 delegates from 100 countries, the Bali Democracy Forum with 500 delegates including six head of states of member countries, and the 9th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting in December with 7,000 delegates from 185 countries.

Meanwhile, Nusa Dua Indonesia is constructing the Indonesia International Convention and Exhibition Center in Tangerang, off Jakarta. Slated to open in mid-2014, the venue will offer 150,000m² of convention and exhibition facilities – possibly the largest in the country.

The company is also planning to build its fifth venue in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

BUSINESS event organisers and delegates can now look forward to VIP treatment with the new Singapore MICE Advantage Programme (SMAP).

The joint collaboration between the Changi Airport Group, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau seeks to enhance the overall event and destination experience by offering perks such as preferential airfares with SIA, additional baggage of 10kg for each delegate and complimentary Changi Airport shopping vouchers of S$20 (US$16) each.

Event organisers can enjoy assistance in securing exclusive event venues, pre-event marketing support, discounts on advertising space within Changi Airport and complimentary advertising space on SIA’s publications and/or KrisWorld channels, among many other benefits.

Jeannie Lim, executive director of exhibitions & conferences and conventions & meetings, Singapore Tourism Board, said: “The premise of this programme is that the delegate experience of Singapore can begin even before the usual welcome reception.

“Singapore already has well-differentiated and innovative offerings that amplify the overall MICE experience. Through SMAP, we can also leverage the strengths of Singapore’s internationally acclaimed airline and airport.”

Noting that the airline is “an integral part of the entire event experience” for MICE travellers, Sheldon Hee, vice president marketing communications and development of SIA, said: “MICE customers can enjoy a host of privileges with the Boarding Pass Privileges programme whereas organisers can tap into a package of customised benefits to ensure a great experience for their clients.”

Applications for SMAP will be accepted from now till December 31, 2016, and all events must be held in Singapore by December 31, 2017. Each application will be evaluated individually.

THE 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu and neighbouring Bohol on Tuesday is not expected to rattle the Philippine MICE sector for long, although some cancellations and postponement of business events had been registered.

“We do not expect a major impact as both Bohol and Cebu have very broad offerings and their travel and accommodation infrastructure is largely intact,” tourism secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr told TTG e-mice Weekly.

“Except for some disruption for a week or so, we expect tourism, MICE included, to push on,” Jimenez added.

Cebu hoteliers agree that it is business as usual two days after the quake that crumpled heritage churches in both destinations.

“Major hotels withstood the intensity of the quake,” said Lara Constantino-Scarrow, director of sales and marketing, Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. “From our survey among the major hotels, there was no evidence of damage except (cosmetic damage like) broken chinaware and glasses. Water supply and electricity are running normally.”

The hotel had some postponement but no cancellation. For instance, a group scheduled to arrive next week had moved their meeting to December.

There were still clients who remained confident of the destination, said Constantino-Scarrow, who added that a MICE group from South Korea had kept to their programme and arrived a day after the earthquake as planned.

Cebu City Marriott Hotel is supporting concerned clients by waiving cancellation penalties.

“We also proactively make calls to our clients with scheduled MICE bookings to confirm if they are still pushing through or to simply give them assurance that there are no structural damages to the hotel,” said Cleofe Albiso, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.

In Bohol where heavier damages were seen at its heritage churches, Chocolate Hills attraction and roads, The Bellevue Resort had been getting cancellations but corporate general manager, John Patrick Chan, expected “everything will be back to normal soon”.

HILTON Bandung has rolled out two corporate event packages that feature some of the best aspects of the Indonesian destination.

The Perfect Balance Meeting package, priced from 290,000 rupiah (US$25.40) per person, includes a teambuilding activity at Bandung Treetop, which will see participants flying down a zip-line, taking a Tarzan leap through the lush rainforest and manoeuvring through other obstacle courses. Use of a meeting room, mints and bottled water, two coffee breaks, free Internet access, a choice of rewards and HHonors Event Bonus Loyalty Points are part of this package.

The Exquisite Meetings package, priced from 1.75 million rupiah per person, offers delegates a chance to kick off their gathering with a ride from Jakarta in a private train carriage. Participants are promised scenic mountain views as the train chugs towards a hill station. Included in this package are refreshments, use of a meeting room, mints and bottled water, two coffee breaks, buffet lunch, poolside dinner at Fresco, a signature spa treatment at Jiwa Spa, free Internet access, return to Jakarta by car, a choice of rewards and HHonors Event Bonus Loyalty Points.

Meetings at Hilton Bandung can also utilise a carbon offset programme.

Contact (62-22) 8606-6888 for reservations.

MICE tourism has come onto the radar of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), which has ordered the development of a strategy to court business events, especially from Asia.

In line with the tourism bureau’s MICE ambition, the South African destination will host its first MICE Tourism Symposium today at The Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare.

Organised by ZTA and held during the ongoing World Travel and Tourism Africa Fair, the one-day forum seeks to position and promote Zimbabwe as a business event destination.

Discussions on ways to enhance Zimbabwe’s MICE capabilities and capacity will be conducted among global and local professionals and relevant stakeholders. Speakers include MICE veteran Gary Grimmer, chief executive of Gaining Edge; Dary Keywood, former president of SITE; and Daniel Chigaru, vice chairperson of Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company.

Responding to TTGmice e-Weekly’s questions via e-mail, ZTA’s spokesperson Nellia Nhauranwa said the NTO is banking on Gaining Edge’s Grimmer “who works extensively with the Asian market” to “unlock inroads into the (region)”.

Nhauranwa added: “Currently Zimbabwe has a presence in China and plans are underway to appoint an attaché and market representatives in other Asian countries.”

Besides China, ZTA has also reached into India this year through roadshows and meetings with incentive houses.

She said: “We are also talking to the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India and Travel Agents Federation of India to court them to host their conferences in Zimbabwe in 2014.”

SHARJAH is now the home of the UFI Middle East/Africa Regional Office, following a three-year agreement inked between the exhibition industry association and host venue Expo Centre Sharjah in the UAE.

The UFI Middle East/Africa Regional Office, which was previously located in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, supports association members in the region, enabling them to profit from networking opportunities, develop industry information resources and implement a variety of education programmes.

Saif Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, said: “I am convinced that the benefits from UFI’s presence (here), especially with regards to information, networking and education, will continue to serve the business objectives of members throughout the region”.

A press release on the office relocation revealed that recent UFI research had shown growth in the Middle East’s exhibition industry. A 14 per cent increase in the number of trade fairs and a 21 per cent rise in available exhibition space have been recorded since 2006, despite the disruptive global economic crisis in 2008 and Arab Spring in 2011.

Paul Woodward, UFI managing director, commented: “UFI recognises the great importance of maintaining a base in this region to actively serve the needs of our members in both the Middle East and Africa. We are truly grateful to our Regional Chapter leadership and the office host for (their) support. We look forward to a long and fruitful presence in Sharjah as the exhibition business continues to develop and thrive across the regions we serve from this office.”

A MASSIVE refurbishment of The Sukosol, Bangkok has resulted in a 40 per cent growth in meeting and conference business, according to the hotel’s top level personnel.

Executive vice president, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, said the renovations had brought about a “real surge in incentives as well as many more…events from China, (South) Korea and even Europe”.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly, Songsri Toperngpong, vice president – sales & marketing of The Sukosol, Bangkok, said: “A lot of our European MICE business is coming from the east, from markets such as Poland and Romania. I believe that this emerging interest in Bangkok from Eastern European markets is due to clients’ desire to experience new destinations, and South-east Asia is relatively fresh.”

Besides refurbishment of guestrooms, F&B venues, meeting rooms and public spaces – a project that carried a 400-million baht (US$12.7 million) price tag – the hotel has also invested in human resource development through an extensive training programme aimed at raising MICE service standards to a global level.

The hotel has also leveraged its award-winning F&B team to develop a number of innovative themed parties and meeting breaks to enhance delegates’ experience.

Songsri said the hotel, which belongs to home-grown hospitality group, Sukosol Hotels, has plans to expand its global sales presence to maintain growth momentum.

“We have sales representatives in several countries today, such as Japan, Australia and Italy, but we need to keep growing. We are now looking to establish sales representation in Russia and China.

“We are especially interested in tapping China, as it has contributed a lot of MICE traffic to our properties in Bangkok and Pattaya,” she said.

THE business events industry in Australia has finally recovered from the recent economic downtown, according to the latest report from Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) which shows a rise in international conference delegate numbers last year as the nation increased its share of the global meetings market.

According to the BECA 2012 State of the Industry Report, 190,000 people visited Australia in 2012 to attend a conference or convention, up 11 per cent on 2011.

New Zealand remained the major source of conference visitors, with numbers rising 2.5 per cent since 2011, while convention arrivals from the US, China and Japan grew 26 per cent, 23 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.

At the same time, Australia’s ranking on ICCA’s top destinations for international association meetings rose to 13^th spot in 2012 comapred to 16^th in 2011.

The State of the Industry Report also reflected a smaller deficit between inbound and outbound convention travel with a 10 per cent rise in arrivals and a three per cent decline in departures.

BECA executive manager, Inge Garofani, said in a press statement that a majority of the key performance indicators showed continued growth for the industry, which had now recovered from the impact of the recent global financial crisis.

“The outlook is extremely positive. We are ahead of our 2020 target for arrivals and well on track to achieving our goal of being an A$31 billion (US$29.2 billion) industry by (that year),” said Garofani.