BETTER supporting infrastructure and more activities are needed in Putrajaya before Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) can be positioned as the country’s main convention centre, according to MICE industry players.

The comments came after Ali Hamsa, chief secretary to the government, was quoted in a local news report as saying that PICC would be helmed by Putrajaya Corporation by June, which had been tasked to develop a business plan to make the venue on par with other global convention centres.

Managed by the Prime Minister’s Department currently. PICC is the main convention centre in Putrajaya. It began operations in September 2003, with its first conference being the 10^th Organisation of Islamic Conference in October that same year. Today, most events held at the convention centre are government related.

MICE players in Malaysia told TTGmice e-Weekly that a lot more improvements must be made to the surroundings of PICC before the venue can compete on a global playing field.

Luxury Tours Malaysia manager, Ganneesh Ramaa, said supporting infrastructure such as hotels and public transportation were currently lacking.

Ganneesh opined the number of hotel rooms in the vicinity, about 1,200, were insufficient to support trade shows communities should events be held at PICC.

He said hotels adjoining the convention centre were also needed to provide convenient access for delegates.

“Putrajaya also needs a variety of fine dining restaurants, shopping and entertainment outlets for delegates to unwind and to entertain business clients,” added Ganneesh.

Saini Vermeulen, Panorama Tours Malaysia senior inbound manager, also called for better public transportation within Putrajaya and between Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Ri-yaz Hotels & Resorts group CEO, Shaheen Shah, pointed out that a successful convention centre must be managed professionally and at an international standard, and therefore PICC needed an experienced general manager and good marketing and catering teams.

THAILAND’S MICE industry continues to register strong recovery in the first quarter, with DMCs reporting solid double-digit growth year-on-year.

Improved air access, revenue from new markets and Thailand’s value proposition were seen as key drivers of the positive trend. A peaceful 2012 – the first 12 months in the past five years to pass without any major political upheavals or natural disasters – was an additional shot in the arm for Thailand’s MICE players.

DMCs contacted by TTGmice e-Weekly reported a strong start to the year, with three posting yield growth ranging from 10 to 100 per cent year-on-year.

“We are up by 100 per cent on Q1 last year,” said Michael Lynden-Bell, general manager of Exotissimo Thailand. “We have done more MICE business in 1Q2013 than we did for the full 2012.”

France, Belgium and South Africa were key source markets for Exotissimo in the first quarter.

“The direct flight offered by Thai Airways from Brussels has been a huge win for us. We have seen a large increase in MICE business from Belgium and that has put Thailand back on the map as a MICE destination for many European markets,” said Lynden-Bell.

Other operators cited increased flight capacity from new carriers such as Norwegian.com and Thai Smile as additional boons to their business.

“We’re seeing good growth out of the American market,” said Andre van der Marck, general manager of Khiri Travel Thailand, where MICE yield rose 10 per-cent during the period.

“Australia is doing well for future bookings, following our trip to Melbourne for AIME in February,” van der Marck added.

Asian Trails Thailand’s incentives manager, Sumlee Anankamanee, said the firm’s MICE business grew by 30 per cent year-on-year in the last quarter as increased revenue from upper-market clients in India, China, Russia, Poland and Vietnam far outweighed a downturn in business from Portugal, Spain and other parts of Europe.

“Thailand’s still a good destination,” she said. “We are great value and we have everything in one place.”

CWT Meetings & Events has reinforced its team to manage and support the strong growth of its business with two new appointments.

Pauline Houston has been made director global supplier management for hotels and meetings and events. She is tasked with driving greater alignment in the approach to suppliers for both business travel and meetings and events clients.

Houston has worked for CWT since 2009 and was previously head of CWT Meetings & Events for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Patrick Lukan has joined CWT Meetings & Events as senior director global operations to support the global strategy and delivery of operations for meetings and events. Lukan has worked the past 20 years in various technology and service delivery roles in the travel and technology industries including American Airlines, Sabre and Travelport.

Floyd Widener, global senior vice president, CWT Meetings & Events, said: “The beginning of the year has been very healthy for our business and we expect to see strong market growth for the first quarter of 2013 on a global level. We have further strengthened our team to drive even greater value for our clients.”

FOUR Points by Sheraton Bangkok, Sukhumvit 15 has rolled out two new customised events that organisers can weave into their overall meeting programmes at the hotel.

The ExecutiveChef is a dinner party where guests compete in a cooking challenge under the guidance of the hotel’s own executive chef. Inspired by the popular reality show, MasterChef, guests will have to create a dish that will impress the judges.

After the event, guests can sit back and enjoy their choice of soup and appetisers, and free flow of beer, wine and soft drinks.

The package, suitable for a group of up to 30 people, is priced from 3,500 baht (US$119.60) per person or 5,000 baht per team of two pax.

Event planners can also pick Movies Under The Stars for a post-meeting gathering. The movie party will be held on the hotel’s rooftop Garden Terrace, and is perfect for groups of 15 to 30 people. Priced from 2,000 baht per pax, the package includes selected cocktails, prosecco, beer and wine, as well as a menu of savoury and sweet nibbles.

Contact sarut.maneerat@fourpoints.com for more details.

KUALA Lumpur Convention Centre is encouraging event planners to inject a sense of relaxation into their meetings, training sessions or forums at the venue by switching chairs for colourful beanbags.

Under the new TenOnCall Beanie Experience, event participants can snuggle up in large, comfortable beanbags in various set-up configurations such as circle, half-moon and straight rows.

Angeline Lue, the centre’s director of sales & marketing, said the option was “ideal for clients who wanted to give a slight innovation to their meeting format”.

“It’s particularly ideal for training, brainstorming, teambuilding and creative networking. And with the beanbags’ funky colours, the meeting atmosphere will definitely be lightened,” Lue added.

TenOnCall Beanie Experience is enhanced with takeaway beverages, and complimentary Bean-ovation value-adds such as titbits, energy drinks, energy bars, comfortable slippers and a stress ball.

A beanbag can also be rented on its own at RM20++ (US$6++) a day.

THE 482-room Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral opened in the Malaysian capital last Friday, marking the entry of the Aloft brand into the country and setting a record for being the world’s largest Aloft hotel.

Its general manager, Paolo Campillo, is keen to attain a market mix of 50 per cent leisure, 30 per cent corporate and 20 per cent MICE.

The hotel will leverage on its good location in the commercial and transportation hub of Kuala Lumpur Sentral and its collection of event spaces to attract corporate business.

Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral boasts a large ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,000 people in a theatre setting and seven other function rooms.

Ganneesh Ramaa, manager of Luxury Tours Malaysia, said: “New international hotel brands in Malaysia will attract more global conferences and events to the capital. The hotel fills a niche as there are not many hotels in the city with large ballrooms.”

The hotel is looking at an occupancy rate of 65 per cent in its first year of operations, according to Campillo.

Meanwhile, the hotel had a roaring good start, achieving full occupancy over the F1 Malaysian Grand Prix weekend, which ran from March 22 to 24.

SINGAPORE will add the River Safari to its latest collection of attractions come April 3, a development that some DMCs here said would further boost the city’s appeal in the eyes of incentive clients.

Hailed as Asia’s first river-themed wildlife park, the River Safari was built between the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari at a cost of S$160 million (US$128 million). The 12-hectare park features over 150 plant species and 300 animal species in eight river habitats including the Mississippi, Nile and Amazon rivers. It also contains the world’s largest freshwater aquarium.

It will join other new attractions in the city-state such as the Marine Life Park in Resorts World Sentosa, Gardens by the Bay and the Giant Panda Forest.

Pacific World’s regional director, Singapore and Malaysia, Selina Grocott, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “Singapore may be small but it certainly commands an enormous presence in Asia’s incentive industry. (The) ever-changing tourism landscape and constant opening of new and exciting developments continue to position Singapore as a preferred destination in this region.”

Daniel Chua, managing director of Singapore-based conference organiser, Aonia, said the River Safari would add to the country’s dense collection of attractions, an attribute that appeals to time-starved business event travellers.

“Clients need to minimise the travel time between destinations and attractions, and Singapore’s density of attractions means event participants can pack their days here with a variety of things to do and places to see,” Chua said.

Dennis Law, managing director of Star Holiday Mart, a travel company that specialises in both leisure tours and business events, pointed out that Singapore’s “new nature-based spots will enhance (the country’s) image as an eco-friendly place and not just a city destination”.

“Singapore in itself is already attractive for both business and leisure travellers…and new options such as the River Safari will complement all our existing attractions,” Law added.

Entrance fees during the soft opening phase, beginning April 3, are S$25 (US$20) for adults and S$16 for children aged three to 12.

Additional reporting by Karen Yue

THE Taiwan Chemical and Engineering Society has won the rights to host the 12th World Filtration Congress (WFC12) in 2016, an event that has always rotated in the US and Europe.

Although the International Delegates on Filtration (INDEFI) comprised only three Asian members – Taiwan, Mainland China and Japan, Guo-zhen Huang, a professor with Tamkang University’s department of chemical engineering, felt that Taiwan’s odds at winning were quite promising and made a bid for the event’s hosting rights.

Huang, who was joined by several other professors in putting forth the bid, expects WFC12 to attract an estimated 2,500 domestic and foreign visitors from more than 40 countries.

He believes that, besides establishing international academic authority in the filtration industry, hosting WFC12 in Taiwan will create opportunities for younger scholars to participate in international academic activities, internationalise Taiwan’s academia, and stimulate commercial activities and industrial development.

“Having won the rare opportunity to host (the congress) in Taiwan, we must be sure to impress the world, so that Taiwan may shine in this international professional arena,” said Huang.