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.
Despite having to handle 1,200 delegates, staff at Branded Asia and The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore pull off the Herculean event through sheer teamwork, reports Linda Haden
Bob Lefsetz and Kenneth Parks at Digital and Music Matters 2012
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore hosted Digital and Music Matters, a regional digital media and entertainment industry event, for the second consecutive time from May 22 to 25.
Organised by Branded Asia, a media and entertainment brand marketing agency, this edition saw a line-up of 175 speakers, including Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter; Bob Ezrin, the music and entertainment producer for Pink Floyd, Nine Inch Nails and Alice Cooper; and Adam Smith, head of Asia Pacific, YouTube.
Over 1,200 participants from 497 companies across 30 countries attended the four-day conference, which comprised of 40 panels, including 17 keynote presentations and interviews, as well as six roundtables and workshops focused on digital publishing, gaming, music publishing, copyright, video and live music.
Branded’s president, Jasper Donat, stated that The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore was selected to host Digital and Music Matters again as it met the organiser’s requirements. “We wanted a venue that was large enough for our event yet still retained a sense of intimacy.”
The conferences were staged in the hotel’s various function places including the Grand Ballroom for keynote presentations. The foyer was transformed into an exhibition space while the Grand Gallery hosted a standing buffet luncheon and two evening cocktail receptions for 300 guests each time. On the second night, guests were treated to a poolside reception.
Communication was the crux to pulling off the event. The Ritz-Carlton and Branded teams consistently shared updates in the months before the event, and stepped up communications closer to the date. When Branded’s event planner arrived in Singapore, the hotel gave her a mobile phone loaded with complimentary local calls as well as a pre-saved contact list comprising key hotel staff members.
Despite the substantial number of delegates, there were no major logistical or operational hurdles. “There were no major hiccups per se as we had a good understanding of what expectations and results were to be, given that this is the second year that Digital and Music Matters has taken place at The Ritz-Carlton,” said the hotel’s general manager, Peter Mainguy.
He added: “With any event on this scale, last-minute changes were anticipated and the hotel team was able to react quickly to facilitate these changes… The schedule was rigorous and demanding however, with careful planning, close communication and tracking of event take-up numbers up to the very last hour.”
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore drew invaluable lessons from hosting the event the second time round, with “mutual understanding, trust and strong timely communication” being the key learning points, said Mainguy.
Donat said he was highly pleased with how the conference turned out. “The (hotel) was a terrific partner to work with because they were happy to go the extra mile, resulting in an absolutely flawless event. We did not get any complaints from attendees.
“For one session we had 400 delegates registered, but 600 showed up. The hotel staff responded really well and brought chairs from all over. Overall, this was an extremely great team effort between Branded, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore and Singapore’s government bodies.”
Branded Asia’s efforts paid off when the agency won Trade Show of the Year at the Singapore Experience Awards 2012.
The close partnership between Branded Asia and The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore will continue in 2013, when the latter plays host to Digital and Music Matters for a third outing in May 21 to 25.
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.
URBN Hotels Shanghai, a design-led boutique property in the Chinese city, is offering a free room upgrade for bookings made by February 15.
Guests who place a booking for a standard studio room package at a price of RMB1,400 (US$225) nett will be upgraded to a garden view room, with a complimentary bottle of red wine thrown in to sweeten the deal.
The package also includes an a la carte breakfast for two, access to URBN Lounge with complimentary drinks and tapas from 17.00 to 19.00, and free Wi-Fi access in the guestroom.
IN A statement to the press today, Brisbane Marketing has declared the Queensland capital well and back in action.
According to lord mayor of Brisbane Graham Quirk, the city has weathered the weekend storms well and the business district is open.
Quirk said: “The airport is open, roads and trains into the CBD are open and running, and the business and retail centres are trading as usual. All hotels, events and attractions are open.”
“While some suburbs are still experiencing power and water difficulties, the clean-up and repairs are well underway. Most of Brisbane is well and truly back on its feet and the business district is fully operational,” he emphasised.
Quirk said he was proud of the resilience of the city.
“There is no reason for people planning to travel to Brisbane for business, holidays or study to change those plans, the sun is out and we’re ready to welcome you.”
He acknowledged that the city was “more fortunate than many country areas” and added that he would help to “provide support to harder-hit surrounding areas” in his capacity as Chair of the South East Queensland councils.
TEN more individuals have joined Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau’s (MyCEB) successful Kesatria 1Malaysia ambassador programme to help bring the country closer to its long-term target of growing business tourism arrivals from the current five per cent to eight per cent by 2020.
Launched in 2012, the programme started off with 17 kesatrias (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 2, 2012) or knights in the Malay language. Since then, it garnered some 22 conference leads, translating to at least 46,000 delegate arrivals and RM552 million (US$177.7 million) in economic benefits for the country.
The newly knighted appointees come from various key economic sectors, including science and medicine, research and innovation, education and law.
Mary Easaw, new to Kesatria 1Malaysia, is the chief dietician, dietetic & food services at the National Heart Institute and country representative of the American Overseas Dietetic Association. She said: “With MyCEB’s support, we hope to bid for the Asia Congress of Dietetics 2016 or 2017 to be held in Malaysia. It will be so affordable and convenient for local nutritionists and dieticians to attend, gain knowledge and present their findings. It will be a great avenue to nurture personal and professional development, skills and competencies.”
Zilfalil Alwi, a kesatria for the past one year and head of the Malaysia Node of Human Variome Project, said: “With experience (gained from) the successful bid for the Human Genome Meeting 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, I shared pointers with other associations on how they can get support from MyCEB to bid for international meetings and conferences.
“I am also encouraging them to appoint a professional conference organiser. From my past experience, (manage the conference myself) can be very stressful and taxing.”
SHERATON Mirage Port Douglas on the Four Mile Beach in North Queensland is offering meeting planners 15 per cent off food and beverage and complimentary high-speed Internet access in the meeting room.
Bookings must be made and held by June 30 this year.
In addition, planners who confirm their meetings by February 15 will receive double Starpoints.
The hotel has 11 meeting venues, the largest being the Mirage Grand Ballroom which can seat up to 1,000 guests theatre-style.
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