MINAMIZA, one of Kyoto’s earliest kabuki theatres, is opening its doors to business event organisers.

Minamiza was one of seven kabuki playhouses permitted by the Governor-General of Kyoto in the early Edo period, and is now regarded as the birthplace of kabuki, earning it a Japanese Tangible Cultural Property status in 1996.

VIP tours and private kabuki performances for corporate groups can be arranged. Minamiza’s spaces can also be hired for meetings, ceremonies and product launches.

Organisers using Minamiza for business events can apply for the Kyoto Convention Bureau and City of Kyoto cultural grant, which supports meetings, conventions or incentive programmes that incorporate cultural activities.

A spokesperson for Kyoto Convention Bureau said: “Many event organisers for business events choose Kyoto because it offers delegates the opportunity to enjoy traditional Japanese cultural activities alongside first class business facilities. The opening of the Minamiza theatre provides event planners with the ideal backdrop to showcase Kyoto’s heritage in a business environment. The theatre has already been used successfully for an awards ceremony and we look forward to seeing many more organisations using it for business in future.”

BUSINESS Events Sydney’s (BESydney) Ambassador Program has helped New South Wales (NSW) secure a number of events that will generate almost A$400 million (US$395 million) in economic impact over the next few years.

These events include the 12th Congress of the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement 2013, secured with assistance from Jeremy Chapman, director, Renal and Urology Unit of Westmead Hospital; and the International Bar Association 2017, secured by a bid led by Fred Chilton, partner of Emil Ford Lawyers.

NSW deputy premier Andrew Stoner, patron of the Ambassador Program, acknowledged the value of business events as a key driver of the state’s visitor and knowledge economies.

Stoner said: “Business events benefit not only our economy, but our communities and our industries, through the opportunities they create for global networking, trade and investment, information exchange and innovation.”

Meanwhile, the Ambassador Program has grown in size, with 24 individuals inducted into the body on Monday.

Twenty of these individuals took on ambassador roles while the remaining four are Future Leaders, an extension of the programme involving early career researchers and industry leaders.

New ambassadors include Peter Schofield, executive director and CEO of Neuroscience Research Australia; Ron Trent, director, Department of Molecular and Clinical Genetics, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; Bruce Spivey, president, International Council of Ophthalmology; and Timothy Walker AM, chief executive and artistic director, London of Philharmonic Orchestra.

New Future Leaders are Yvette Blount, lecturer in Accounting Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance, Macquarie University; Richard Payne, lecturer of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney; Pep Serow, senior lecturer, School of Education, University of New England; and Kate Fairlie, chair of FIG Young Surveyors Network.

BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said the bureau now had 78 ambassadors and eight Future Leaders, with plans to expand the programme even further over the next year.

“I have no doubt that, in 2013, our ambassadors and Future Leaders will continue to help BESydney to secure a diverse mix of events across a growing range of industry sectors and cement our position as Australia’s premier business event destination,” she said.

THE fifth edition of Beerfest Asia, a four-day event at Marina Promenade, Singapore from June 13 to 16, is offering VIP packages for groups with up to 200 pax.

Tickets cost S$130 (US$104) per person for entry on June 13 and 16, and S$180 for June 14 and 15. The package includes express entry, admission to a reserved VIP area with air coolers and seating, S$50 worth of Beerfest Asia credits, buffet dinner from 19.00 to 21.00, one festival T-shirt and one souvenir programme.

A minimum booking of 10 pax per group applies.

Beerfest Asia, first launched four years ago to raise the profile of the beer industry, draws microbrewers and distributors who are keen on growing their brand in Asia. The event will feature more than 300 types of beer from all over the world, live performances, a comedy club, beer auctions and tasting workshops.

Trade day is set for June 13 and the event will open to members of the public over the following three days.

INBOUND agents in Malaysia are projecting growth in the incentive business from Eastern Europe this year, thanks largely to improved air connections to the region offered by Middle Eastern airlines.

Qatar Airways bumped up frequencies to Warsaw from four flights weekly to daily services on February 1, while Emirates commenced daily flights between Dubai and Warsaw on February 6. The latter, which has been flying daily to Prague since July 1, 2010, also increased its services between Dubai and Kuala Lumpur from 26 weekly flights to 28 from April 1.

Alex Lee, CEO of Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours in Terengganu, expects to see a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in business mainly from the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary for the coming European summer this year.

Although Lee noted that most incentive groups from Eastern Europe were small, with less than 50 people each, he said that it was nonetheless a “good market to tap as the economy is growing, as compared to Central Europe”.

“(Eastern European incentive travellers) look for good beaches and shopping. We will work with our partners in Europe and attend trade shows such as ITB to further tap this market,” he said.

Luxury Tours Malaysia senior manager, Arokia Das, projects a 50 per cent increase in incentive business from the region for the European winter season based on advanced requests.

He said: “Our advantage is that many incentive groups have already been to Bali, Phuket and Bangkok and are now looking for new destinations in (Asia). Eastern Europe is a good market as incentive groups usually spend about five nights in Malaysia.”

Lee added there had been a heightened demand from corporate clients in Eastern Europe for corporate social responsibility programmes. To cater to this demand, Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours is working with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Terengganu and NGOs to develop day and night programmes on turtle and terrapin conservation in Terengganu.

Despite observations of stronger demand from Eastern Europe since late-2012, Malai Adventure managing director, Nasha Abdullah, said the market’s awareness of Malaysia as a destination was still low. “With Visit Malaysia Year just round the corner, we hope (awareness of Malaysia) will improve through government efforts,” she said.

BUSINESS Events Australia will make food and wine experiences one of the key selling points in its destination promotion efforts targeted at Singapore event planners in the next financial year beginning July 1.

Karyn Kent, general manager of South/South East Asia & Gulf Countries with Tourism Australia, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “Our consumer demand research last year showed that Singaporeans who had been to Australia rated very highly their food and wine experiences in the destination. With that, we know there are huge opportunities in the food and wine aspect of Australia and we want to highlight the dining experiences in our branding activity next year.”

Kent believes that Business Events Australia must devise new ideas, such as by leveraging on dining experiences, to “keep Australia fresh and desirable” for Singapore event planners because it is an important source market with a high repeat visitor segment of 82 per cent.

“Singapore ranks the fifth largest in terms of overall arrivals and is our eighth largest business events market. In the South-east Asian region, Singapore is right at the top,” she said.

Australia welcomed 350,000 visitors from Singapore in 2012.

Dining festivals and events across Australia, especially those that can be included in a business programme, will be promoted. Examples of annual major festivals are Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in March, Noosa International Food & Wine Festival in May and Margaret River Gourmet Escape in November.

To further increase options in Australia for repeat clients, the bureau will also step up promotions of regional destinations, such as Phillip Island and Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill which are close to Melbourne, through roadshows and familiarisation trips.

“Singapore event planners know about the activities that can be done around iconic locations, such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, but not all are aware of our regional areas. Some of these destinations are not far from the big cities and are easily accessible within an hour or two, but they offer a completely different experience,” Kent said.

ASIAWORLD-EXPO and seven other tourism players, including hotels and attractions, have come together to launch a new promotion to drive MICE bookings into Hong Kong’s Lantau Island.

Events confirmed with any of the eight sellers by September 30 this year and held by August 31 next year will enjoy a 10 per cent discount on their total bill.

The partnership, formed to demonstrate the destination’s all-in-one business and leisure capability, also comprises Auberge Discovery Bay Hong Kong, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel, Ngong Ping 360, Noah’s Ark Hong Kong, Novotel Citygate Hong Kong and Regal Airport Hotel.

In the lead up to the promotion’s debut, the eight Lantau tourism players held a networking luncheon and a two-day tour of the destination for PCOs, PEOs and DMCs. The programme included a visit to Baby and Mother Carnival at AsiaWorld-Expo, a dining event at Novotel Citygate Hong Kong and a night’s stay at Regal Airport Hotel.

YOKOHAMA Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB) has developed a new brand and tagline to better reflect the Japanese city’s status as a destination for conventions.

Kana Nomoto, chief coordinator, convention sales department of YCVB, told TTGmice e-Weekly that the new brand and tagline, Japan’s First Port of Call, “was constructed to target the international and regional associations, with a focus on life sciences, environment, medical, IT and biotechnology industries”.

Japan’s First Port of Call was inspired by the city’s history – it was the first Japanese port to open up to the rest of the world, some 154 years ago.

Nomoto said: “(We found that) Yokohama is first in many ways, from being the first Japanese port to open up, to hosting first-time-in-Asia congresses, and to being the first in innovation, research and development. For international meeting organisers who want to bring their events to Yokohama, YCVB is, of course, their first port of call as we are a full service bureau.”

The new brand is reflected in a logo that uses a Japanese nami pattern, representing waves and reinforcing Yokohama’s status as a harbour city that is open and dynamic, and at the same time offering Japanese tradition, hospitality and efficiency.

A key image, capturing the port of Yokohama and the main convention area which is anchored by PACIFICO, has also been created.

Besides adopting a new and targeted MICE branding, YCVB is also revamping its website to incorporate fresh content and brand visuals, as well as creating a promotional movie that will be made available to event planners.

Meanwhile, Nomoto revealed that MICE business was promising for Yokohama last year.

“Last year, YCVB secured multiple high-profile meetings like the Goldschmidt Conference (2016), Biennial Congress of the Asian-Pacific Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association (2017) and the International Orthodontic Congress (2020).

“Also in 2012, Yokohama hosted large-scale international meetings such as the 2012 IEEE 75^th Vehicular Technology Conference VTC2012 Spring (800 delegates), Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (3,500 delegates), 15^th International Conference on Behçet’s Disease (500 delegates), 4^th Congress of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (3,000 delegates), and the 48^th Session of the International Tropical Timber Council (1,000 delegates),” she said.

Yokohama continues to be on a roll this year, with the 5^th Tokyo International Conference on African Development coming to town for the second time. The event, hosted by the Japanese government, United Nations, United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, will be attended by more than 3,000 attendees.

The city will also host the International Congress of Chemotherapy and Infection (2,500 attendees) and the Human Proteome Organisation Congress (2,000 attendees) this year.