WHILE economic challenges are expected to retain the familiar sense of uncertainty among Asian meeting and incentive players, many have stepped into 2013 with greater confidence compared to a year ago.

Echoing the sentiments of most event specialists in this region, Pacific World’s regional director, Singapore and Malaysia, Selina Grocott, said: “2013 is likely to remain challenging with the uncertain global economic outlook (but) we remain optimistic as Asia-Pacific is set to continue to lead in global tourism.”

Jere Tala, director consulting APAC, Advito, said: “In 2012, most companies in Asia-Pacific had continued their spend on meetings and incentives because the region was still seeing business growth. We saw a lot of intra-Asia movements and fewer long-haul trips. This year, companies in the region will continue to spend on meetings and incentives, and again, this region will be self-sufficient.”

However, Asian event experts told TTGmice e-Weekly that familiar obstacles to business growth remained. For instance, profit margins will continue to be impacted by tight budgets and clients’ focus on returns on investment.

E T Quah, owner of Feature Tour Malaysia, noted that clients would not be “splashing out” on meetings and incentives, although a slight “upward shift in budgets for gala dinners and meals” for incentives was expected.

“It will be a pressing year for industry players to continue to balance clients’ increased demand for quality and expectations of value. Strong partnership with vendors, attention to details and creative planning have been some of our focus to ensure the success of an event,” said Grocott.

Tight lead times will also continue to be an issue, with some MICE players saying that bookings will come in only a month in advance.

Koushik Goswami, general manager-outbound, Travelcorp India, said: “Lead times will continue to be nerve-wreckingly short, and there will be last minute changes.”

– Find out how other segments of MICE are expected to unfold this year in Running Strong, TTGmice February/March issue

HILTON Worldwide has opened its second mid-priced Hilton Garden Inn brand hotel in India with the launch of the 201-room Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square.

Operated by Hilton Worldwide and owned by the Baani Group, the hotel sits near prime corporate, commercial and residential districts, and is a 10-minute drive from the DLF Cyber City central business hub.

Business travellers staying at the hotel will enjoy the brand’s signature offerings such as complimentary Internet access, 24-hour complimentary business centre facilities, complimentary remote printing service from the guestroom to the business centre and the 24-hour Pavilion Pantry convenience mart.

Other facilities in the hotel include four meeting rooms and various dining establishments.

“With the launch of this property, Hilton Worldwide now operates seven hotels in Delhi NCR and a total of 12 hotels in the country with a presence in Mumbai, Chennai, Shillim, Vadodara and Goa,” said Martin Rinck, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide.

“We continue to grow our India portfolio through a multi-brand, multi-partner and high-growth strategy. While we are exploring opportunities across all segments, for which we are well positioned with the six brands we are developing in the country, we are placing significant emphasis on the expansion of our mid-market and focused-service brands, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton, to accommodate the exponentially growing demand for mid-priced hotel rooms in the country”.

THE 125-room Best Western Premier Khaolak Southsea has opened in southern Thailand.

Equipped with luxurious trimmings expected in a five-star property, the new resort boasts a classic design, public areas with natural lighting, an outdoor swimming pool and two restaurants.

There are also event facilities and a 24-hour business centre.

“We are delighted to expand our footprint to yet another fantastic Thai destination,” said Glenn de Souza, Best Western International’s vice president International Operations – Asia & the Middle East.

“The stunning shores of Khao Lak’s Andaman Coast offer some of Asia’s most beautiful beaches, and with a vast array of leisure facilities close-by, including world-class diving sites in the Similan and Surin Islands, this exciting destination has something to offer everyone.”

The Best Western Premier Khaolak Southsea is the hotel company’s 16^th property in Thailand, and the fourth to carry the top-of-the-tier brand in the Kingdom.

BINTAN Lagoon Resort in Indonesia will unveil its new Conference Centre at the end of this month.

The three-storey building will house a column-free banquet hall capable of hosting up to 1,300 guests, an outdoor roof terrace and spacious pre-function and foyer areas.

It will also boast the latest in lighting and audiovisual capabilities and high-speed wireless Internet throughout.

Robert Ramey, managing director of Mozaic Hotels & Resorts, the management company of the 473-key beach resort, said: “The new Conference Centre will cover a combined…area of 1,858.1m². Bintan Lagoon Resort will play a pivotal role in hosting sizeable company meetings, product launches and other exciting events.

“This brand new facility will not only significantly enhance our ability to draw large conferences and business groups, but also strategically position Bintan as a desirable location for meeting and incentive organisers.”

Henry Ng, vice president of sales, Mozaic Hotels & Resorts, added: “The convenience of a private ferry service, fast track immigration clearance, and 473 deluxe rooms and villas will enable us to exceed the demands of larger MICE groups.”

Meanwhile, an introductory offer is available for the new facility. Meeting and conference packages are priced from S$45 (US$36.40) nett per person. For more details, email reservations@mozaichotels.com.

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts is giving away a tablet and double Starpoints to Starwood Preferred Planner members who place an event booking by March 31 this year.

Events must be held by June 30 at any of the 200 participating Starwood hotels and resorts in Australia, China, Indonesia, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.

For individual group bookings with spend of more than US$18,000, members will receive a mini tablet.

Individual group bookings with spend exceeding US$25,000 will earn members a tablet as well as two Starpoints for every US$3 spent.

The offer is valid for all group events and meetings, including those booked through travel agents.

Starwood senior vice president, sales – Asia Pacific, Alison Taylor, said: “As the world’s largest luxury/upper upscale hotel operator, Starwood’s growing footprint across nine brands offers meeting planners greater value and choices of venues to suit every budget and requirement.

“This limited time offer is also an excellent way to book meetings at our new hotels such as Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central; W Bangkok; the ITC Grand Chola, A Luxury Collection Hotel; or soon-to-open hotels such as W Guangzhou and Aloft Kuala Lumpur – Sentral.”

THE annual Coffee Expo Seoul is expected to see a stronger buyer and seller turnout this year, benefitting from the country s booming coffee trade.

To be held from April 11-13 at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center Seoul, the event is gearing up for an estimated 50,000 domestic and international buyers and exhibitors, up from 30,000 visitors seen at last year’s edition.

The number of coffee- and tea-themed exhibition booths is expected to hit 500 this year, up from 230 in 2012.

Coffee Expo Seoul 2013 will also host the World Super Barista Championships and several educational seminars.

The event provides an interactive platform for coffee businesses, buyers and enthusiasts as they gather in a city that is recognised for its strong coffee culture.

According to a press statement from COEX, South Korea’s coffee industry has seen vast growth over the past half-decade. It witnessed almost 900 per cent growth in the number of coffee shops between 2006 and 2011, and a 1,800 per cent rise in national sales over the same period.

Seoul now boasts the highest concentration of coffee shops in the world, with more than 10,000 cafes and coffee houses.

THE International Design Alliance (IDA) has appointed the South Korean city of Gwangju as the host destination of the 2015 IDA Congress, following a strong bid put forth by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation and Gwangju Metropolitan City.

The event will be the third IDA Congress which aims to bring together the international design community in a themed framework to advance the vision and mission of the alliance by engaging government leaders as well as representatives from international non-governmental organisations, businesses and the sectors of science and technology, education and social sciences, and to present multi-disciplinary design sessions relevant to the IDA partner disciplines.

Kimdaejung Convention Center will be the main conference venue for the congress when it takes place in October 2015.

A WAVE of new business decisions is sweeping through Sydney’s MICE landscape as the closure of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre looms closer, with some major events looking to relocate elsewhere.

With less than 11 months until the centre closes its doors, a number of business event organisers have announced plans to relocate their shows until the future Darling Harbour precinct (TTGmice e-Weekly, December 12, 2012) opens at the end of 2016.

The future of CeBIT Australia, a massive annual international IT trade fair, is still uncertain. The government has vowed to find an alternative location, although identifying one large enough to accommodate CeBIT’s 32,000-plus visitors and 500 exhibitors will be a problem.

Several trade sources believe that the G20 summit in November 2014 was awarded to Brisbane due to a lack of facilities in Sydney, while other events including The Australian Fitness & Health Expo will relocate to Melbourne until the new Sydney facilities open; Vforum organisers are also looking at interstate alternatives.

However, general business sentiments are still positive. A number of events, including the 2014 Rotary International Convention and the Australian International Motor Show, have confirmed staying in Sydney and will shift to alternative venues such as Sydney Olympic Park, Moore Park, the Australian Technology Park at Eveleigh and the interim exhibition facility on Glebe Island (TTGmice e-Weekly, September 27, 2012).

Hoteliers are expecting business as usual over the three-year closure of the convention centre. In fact, some are predicting increased occupancy as they look to host some of the smaller relocated events.

“We are already receiving a large number of enquiries for meetings and events at Sydney Olympic Park, which offers the city’s largest collection of conference spaces. Our hotels with large-scale meeting facilities are also receiving record forward bookings for 2014. So while there will be a temporary disruption and some relocation to other states, Sydney is more than likely going to see a displacement of events to other areas of the city,” said Peter Hook, general manager communications for Accor, which has 42 hotels across Sydney.

Hook added: “We also have several hotels that are upgrading their meeting facilities in preparation for the (convention centre’s) closure, with Pullman Sydney Hyde Park and the Sebel Pier One Hotel spending millions to renovate their meeting facilities to attract event business.”

Despite the size of the future Darling Harbour precinct, MICE operators suggested it would not be large enough to cater to increased inbound conference demand, which Tourism Australia estimates to be worth AU$16 billion (US$16.4 billion) by 2020, up from AU8.5 billion in 2011.

By Natasha Dragun