SINGAPORE Expo’s dedicated convention wing, MAX Atria, has played host to more than 300 business meetings and events from corporations and associations from various industries since its opening in March last year.

Some of the notable events held in MAX Atria included Fuji-Xerox Docu World 2012 and the inaugural Tank Storage Asia 2012.

To commemorate this milestone, the venue is offering special celebration packages for events booked by the end of July 2013.

Birthday Treat A, valid for corporate meetings, conferences and seminars, offers organisers a 10 per cent discount on full-day meeting packages as well as an option to add on complimentary use of a projector system, welcome coffee/tea or complimentary car park tickets for 30 per cent of confirmed delegates for just S$1 (US$0.80) per guest.

Organisers of corporate banquets and special events can avail themselves to Birthday Treat B. Events with at least 10 confirmed tables can obtain the first barrel of beer for S$1. The same, as well as free food tasting for up to 10 pax, are offered to events with at least 25 confirmed tables.

Contact sales@maxatria.com.sg for booking enquiries.

A NEW 6,400m² convention centre scheduled for launch in 2H2015 is rising at Iloilo Business Park in Iloilo City, on a plot of land donated by Megaworld Corp.

The 450 million peso (US$10.6 million) project led by the Iloilo City government will comprise a main hall on the ground floor which can accommodate up to 3,700 pax, as well as function rooms on the second floor for up to 500 people. It will be able to handle top of the range catered events.

With its location within Iloilo Business Park, the future convention centre will be surrounded and supported by business, retail and residential properties. Three new business towers, with projected capacity of 7,000 jobs/seats, are expected to be ready by end of 2014.

Richmonde Hotel and a Courtyard by Marriott property are also being built to support convention business, while a new retail property, Festive Citywalk, is due to complete by 2015.

Hotels and malls are emerging elsewhere in Iloilo City too, while the local government is coordinating the construction and expansion of roads, power capacity and upgrades to the city’s fishing port.

Jericho Go, first vice president for business development and leasing at Megaworld Corp, said the convention centre would put Iloilo City in a position to bid for the 2015 APEC Ministerial Summit in the Philippines.

Twice-weekly flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong and Singapore via Cebu Pacific, launched last November, have also strengthened opportunities for business and leisure travel from the region, Go noted.

He also revealed that Megaworld may bring in other hotel operators and build an outdoor arena, a driving range, a wakeboarding park, sports facilities and other developments to “complement” business opportunities in Iloilo City.

INTENSE competition for Indian incentives to Malaysia has resulted in a price war among local inbound event specialists, with some reporting weaker bookings and thinner margins.

Luxury Tours Malaysia senior manager, Arokia Das, told TTGmice e-Weekly that “unhealthy competition” and price undercutting had caused a 30 per cent year-on-year dip in business.

He said: “A three-night ground package in Kuala Lumpur inclusive of twin-share accommodation in a four-star local hotel used to cost about RM800 (US$265.70) per night three years ago. Now it costs about RM600 to RM650. With inflation, prices should go up, not down.”

He added that the price sensitive nature of Indian incentive clients fan the flames of the ongoing price war.

A Aruldass, managing director of Tourland Travel, one of Malaysia’s largest Indian inbound operators, said: “Sometimes we have no choice but to operate at nett cost in order to sustain the business. With (industry) liberalisation and (the entry of) more foreign players opening inbound agencies in Malaysia, the price war will get more acute over time.”

According to Aruldass, foreign competitors are able to operate at lower costs as they have small operations in Malaysia, while their headquarters are in their country of origin, allowing them to save on exchange rate losses when clients pay for some of their services back home.

Meanwhile, to counter the weaker business in Malaysia, Tourland Travel has diversified into new markets in Asia and the Middle-East, starting with a specialisation in leisure segments before moving into MICE.

Asian Famous Tours & Travel chief operating officer, Pradeep Kumar, believes that competition from new players is inevitable and calls for fellow business event specialists to work together.

He said: “It is not fair to blame (the new players) for the price wars. (Specialists) should come together and agree on minimum rates. They should hold their rates and maintain service standards in order to compete with other destinations on service and value. Otherwise, Malaysia will lose out as an attractive MICE and leisure destination.”

A MAKEOVER of the grand ballroom in Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa has completed, arming the 850m² space with enhanced event technology and fresher furnishings.

The grand ballroom now sports fibre optic lighting and multiple rigging points on its ceiling, LED lighting on walls, a contemporary new carpet design and enhanced acoustics.

Events held at the grand ballroom, which can accommodate up to 800 people, are also supported by Creative Concept AV, the hotel’s preferred in-house audiovisual supplier.

Andre A Gomez, general manager of Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, described the refreshed grand ballroom as a “world-class space that features the latest technology, catering to the needs of modern MICE organisers”.

The ASEAN Plus 2013 Rubber Conference and Exhibition was the first event to be hosted in the new ballroom.

KUALA Lumpur has been chosen to host the first Asian edition of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in March 2014.

The four-day event, to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, is expected to welcome 6,600 international delegates from countries such as Australia, China and Russia. It is estimated that RM66.5 million (US$22 million) in economic impact will be generated from OTC Asia.

Describing Malaysia as “an obvious choice as many of the world’s most well-known international oil and gas companies are present”, OTC executive director, Stephen Graham, said: “On top of that, the support which we have received so far from local organisations such as Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has been tremendous.”

MyCEB CEO, Zulkefli Hj Sharif, said: “Accounting for around one-fifth of the (Malaysia’s) entire GDP and included in the country’s Economic Transformation Programme outline, the oil and gas sectors are some of the most important pillars of Malaysia’s economy. This makes it a real honour for us to welcome OTC Asia to our shore and we are very proud to be its first Asian host.”

He added: “With every business event that arrives in Malaysia, we put together the best experience for delegates. Our last oil and gas conference was the 25^th World Gas Conference 2012, which reached record breaking attendance. We hope (for the same) success for OTC Asia as well.”

SKYCITY Entertainment Group has signed a Heads of Agreement with the New Zealand government to design, build and operate the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Auckland.

Key terms of the agreement include Skycity committing NZ$315 million (US$259.6 million) to build the NZICC and contributing a 14,000m² Auckland CBD site valued at NZ$87 million. In return, the government has agreed to extend the Auckland Casino Venue Licence for 35 years to 2048 and a package of regulatory reforms.

NZICC will include public convention and exhibition space that can accommodate 3,500 delegates at one time, at least 780 car park spaces and a link-way bridge over Hobson Street.

The facility is expected to open in mid/late 2017.

BUSINESS event specialist MCI has acquired creative events agency Off-site Connections Event Solutions Australia (OSC) in a bid to expand its resources and enhance creative services to clients.

The move brings a team of 16 to MCI Australia, with event solutions skills ranging from technical production, creative event design and styling, event and brand communication, overall event programme design and all logistics management.

Nick Millis, general manager of OSC will join MCI in Australia as director of corporate and creative events, working closely with Stephan Wurzinger, managing director of MCI Australia.

OSC’s managing director, Peter Kinnane, will join MCI as director of creative events, Asia-Pacific. He will drive the MCI Creative Events and Brand Experiences to corporate and association clients throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Wurzinger said: “MCI Australia has found in OSC a creative partner who matches our client-centric ethos and constant quest to provide outside of the box solutions. A major milestone for operations in Australia, this acquisition will transform our corporate events offering.”