WITH an eye on strengthening Malaysia’s business tourism industry, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has made two key appointments to its corporate sales and industry services team.

Tan Lay Teng and Jennifer Ong Jan-Ni has joined the bureau as sales manager, corporate and incentive sales team and industry services manager respectively.

Tan, who has 12 years of experience in developing international business in the MICE industry, will lead the team in generating more sales leads, achieving conversion of businesses for Malaysia and discovering new business opportunities.

Ong, who has more than nine years of experience in the meetings and incentives industry, will work with industry partners on product development, industry education programmes and seminars to lift the profile of Malaysian partners in the global arena.

MyCEB CEO Zulkefli Hj Sharif, said: “MyCEB is always looking for ways to remain competitive on the global stage. With new competition especially in the Asia-Pacific region, I believe these new key appointments will be well positioned to lead MyCEB in its continuing evolution to remain a leader in the business events industry. It will undoubtedly strengthen our relationship with corporate and incentive clients and bolster our push for increasing business in these premiere markets.”

INTERNATIONAL events solution provider, Off-Site Connections Event Solutions (OSC), has launched a new logo and revamped its website (www.offsiteconnections.com) as it enters its 17th year.

The new website is more contemporary, image-rich and interactive than the former version, tauting a gallery that allows potential clients to see recent events organised by the company. While the former website divided OSC into regions before users could enter the site, the refreshed version showcases the company is one entity different portfolios per region.

OSC general manager-China, David Ong, told TTGmice: “OSC will continue to focus on the corporate sector, servicing the hospitality, property and finance industry. We will also invest strong effort into the MICE business on both inbound and outbound events.
“We are hoping that with this new brand image, we will also be able to capture more attention to our work and create a unique position within the industry as a global, dynamic and creative company.”

With offices in Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast, Cairns, Shanghai, Beijing and Macau, OSC handles product launches, property openings, teambuilding activities, conferences, road shows and gala dinners.

Its China presence has been strong, drawing clients such as a top-tier investment bank, five-star hotels and a Telco company. Last year, OSC handled hotel openings in second-tier Chinese cities such as Tianjin and Chengdu, gala dinners, an incentive tour for a New Zealand home hardware company and more than eight wealth management forums throughout China.

Ong said that one of the biggest challenges of event management in Shanghai was intense competition, brought about by strong interest in the destination for “all kinds of events” and the resulting over-saturation of event companies. According to Ong, price competition and a compromise on service and quality have emerged.

“OSC believes that with a good mix of perseverance and education, and a whole lot of passion in producing good events, we are able create a market that appreciates events of high standards,” Ong said.

By Patricia Wee

INDONESIA’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and Bank Danamon American Express Corporate Card have come together to host the Indonesia Corporate Meeting & Incentive Travel Mart (ICMITM) from May 8 to 12.

Formerly known as the Indonesia MICE & Corporate Travel Mart, the annual affair is expected to attract 100 buyers, including corporate card members of the bank, and corporate buyers from multi-national firms in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and India. The mart will feature various tabletop business meetings, an education seminar and site inspections.

ICMITM is scheduled to take place in Medan, with the support of the Medan municipal government as part of Visit Medan Year 2012.

Berman Lubis, MICE director, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said: “This is part of the ministry’s commitment and effort to support the development of 10 MICE destinations in Indonesia. Bali, Jogjakarta, Lombok and Manado have hosted this event previously, and it is now Medan’s turn to be introduced to MICE planners. Next year, it will go to Semarang, Central Java.

“By inviting Bank Danamon American Express Corporate Card’s top members to this event, we hope to generate more corporate MICE events in the country,” he added.

Bank Danamon executive vice president-card business head, Dessy Masri, noted that rotating ICMITM among different Indonesian destinations had helped to improve corporate buyers’ knowledge of available MICE venues, which in turn encourage them to take their events to Indonesia.

She added that based on surveys conducted following the four previous marts, sellers had experienced a growth of up to 30 per cent in MICE business.

AFTER a 15-year hiatus, the Sri Lanka Expo will return from March 28 to 31 to profile the former war-torn country as an attractive destination for trade, investment and tourism.

The three-day international event, which was suspended due to civil war, is organised by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board. It has so far confirmed more than 1,000 foreign participants including 100 journalists and 50 tour operators, as well as leading buyers of tea and garments, the country’s biggest exports, officials said.

Vipula Wanigasekera, general manager of the state-owned Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, told TTGmice e-Weekly that travel writers and tour operators attending the trade fair would be provided information on Sri Lanka’s uniqueness as a tourist destination.

The Sri Lanka Expo will also feature a symposium on trade, investment and tourism. Speakers lined up for this programme include Xu Jing, regional head of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and K.G. Udaya Indraratne, executive director, policy and strategy, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Government of Dubai.

The expo will take place at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Center in Colombo.

MUNICH-based Amiando, a specialist in online event registration and ticketing, has created an iPhone application (app) that allows conference hosts to send conference details and communication direct to delegates.

To customise Amiando’s Conference2go app, event organisers only need to transfer relevant details such as the programme agenda and speakers’ bio and contact details to Amiando. A feature-rich app will then be developed and uploaded in Apple’s App Store for delegates to download.

The app will enable delegates to import presentation schedules to their own diaries, and maximise networking opportunities through a messaging platform and an attendee search tool. Event organisers will benefit from improved marketing communications as details of the event, exhibitors and sponsors can be included in the app.

Event organisers can book the app through Amiando for 997 Euros (US$1,320).

THIS YEAR’s IT&CM China, the sixth edition of the show, will see a one-third growth in size, with 50 new international and domestic exhibiting companies, larger booths taken by returning exhibitors and more than 400 international buyers.

New exhibitors, including corporate brands such as Dusit International and HNA Hotels & Resorts, and tourism bureaus such as the Jeju Convention & Visitor Bureau, Switzerland Tourism and Geneva Convention Bureau, will cover over a quarter of IT&CM China’s total floor space.

Returning exhibitors include Sanya Tourism Bureau, which has committed to a larger booth space this year, JinJiang International Hotel Management and Wuzhen Tourism.

TTG Events, a business group of TTG Asia Media and one of the organisers of the annual MICE show, said in a press statement that the confidence of both new and returning exhibitors reaffirmed IT&CM China as the leading international MICE event in China. China International Travel Service’s (CITS) entry to the tripartite partnership (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 15, 2011), which also includes MP International, is said to have been a big draw for local and international participation.

The show’s larger international buyer participation also includes representation from new participating countries such as Czech Republic, Denmark and Morocco.

IT&CM China, to be held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre from April 17-19, is part of Shanghai Business Events Week, which will feature seven other industry business, education and networking events from April 16-20.

THE MALAYSIAN Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) will make raising the MICE capabilities of various Malaysian states its priority this year.

Efforts include a training seminar in January, led by international MICE veterans, to show MICE sellers and state officials how events in Malaysia can be more innovative, regular roadshows in different states to raise the awareness of the economic benefits MICE brings, as well as close partnerships with state tourism offices to develop fresh programmes to entice MICE buyers.

Ho Yoke Ping, general manager of sales and marketing, MyCEB, told TTGmice e-Weekly that the bureau would also play an advisory role to Malaysian states, providing input on how infrastructure developments can be shaped to cater to MICE.

According to Ho, several Malaysian states were “getting more active in the pursuit of MICE business”.

“There’s a lot of construction going on in some of the states,” she said.

“Penang is building a convention centre, Johor will have the Legoland theme park and a convention centre by the Genting Group (which will be built along with a water theme park and 2,000-key hotel as the second phase of the group’s Johor Premium Outlets), and Malacca’s Arab City is being planned.”