ROYAL Cliff Hotels Group and its Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH) have been chosen as the official venue for the Asia Golf Tourism Convention 2013.

The event, to be held in PEACH from April 29 to May 2 next year, will see a gathering of owners and senior management personnel from 150 accredited golf tour operators from 40 countries.

Peter Walton, president of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, the organiser of the convention, said: “I have always been impressed by the Royal Cliff Hotels Group and its ability to stay fresh and modern. I have sampled many of the facilities and I can’t wait to return.”

The first Asia Golf Tourism Convention was held last year in Kuala Lumpur. It drew 426 delegates from 46 countries.

AUSTRALIA’S first Business Events Week will take place in Melbourne from February 25 to March 1, 2013.

The week-long event aims to showcase the value of business events, and will feature a string of high-profile events such as the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo, an invite-only CEO summit, ICCA Australia workshops and a showcase of the destination’s local produce by celebrity chefs.

Said Victoria state’s minister for tourism and major events, Louise Asher, in a press statement: “Business events generate extensive economic wealth for the local, state and national economy. In Victoria alone, business events inject more than A$1.2 billion (US$1.3 billion) annually.

“Over the next two years Melbourne will host in excess of seven of the world’s largest and most prestigious conferences including the 22nd World Diabetes Conference in 2013 and the International AIDS Conference in 2014, both of which will bring thousands of delegates to Victoria from all over the world and put our city firmly in the international spotlight.”

Karen Bolinger, CEO of the Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau, said: “Having a week dedicated to business events is a major coup for our industry and we firmly believe it will assist us in communicating how valuable the industry is to the Australian economy.”

Bolinger added: “Very few people are aware that as a convention and visitors bureau, our sole function is to bid for the right for Melbourne to host business events; from board meetings to corporate and incentive travel, right through to major conferences. In 2013, we hope to change that and educate Australia about this important industry which provides so much value across the knowledge sectors, tourism and beyond.”

REED Travel Exhibitions will debut IBTM in 2013, the Indian edition of its series of MICE tradeshows.

To be held at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai from September 12-14, the maiden event is expected to see more than 100 MICE suppliers, including hotels, venues, NTOs, DMCs and technology companies.

Craig Moyes, portfolio director of Reed Travel Exhibitions, said in a press statement: “India holds enormous potential for the MICE industry, with a substantial annual growth in outbound travel and an eight per cent growth in GDP. (Meanwhile,) India’s Ministry of Tourism has definite plans to build more convention centres, and several large hotel groups are building new properties with meeting and conferencing facilities.”

Sushil Wadhwa, chairman of Platinum Incentives, said: “IBTM’s entry into India shows confidence in the growth and potential of the Indian MICE market. A large trade event like IBTM will certainly help showcase our venues and attractions, enabling many international organisations to consider India for their global events. The Indian corporate travel segment will also be presented with an eye-opening variety of products and services that will be showcased.”

SITE India chapter will also be partnering IBTM to offer educational elements to Indian MICE practitioners at the show.

SARAWAK Convention Bureau (SCB) recently awarded five scholarships, each valued at RM10,000 (US$3,281), that enable recipients to attend an international convention of their choice.

The International Association Convention Scholarship Award covers travel, accommodation, association membership and convention registration fees, and has to be utilised by December 2013.

Mike Cannon, managing director of SCB, said: “Our aim is to encourage potential new bidders to actively participate in attending international conventions and in turn, showcase the benefits and opportunities that come from networking at these conventions.

“I am proud to see Sarawakians taking a positive step to expand their horizons and build international professional networks to prepare them to bid for international conferences in the future.”

The scholarship recipients are Ong Puay Hoon, president of Dyslexia Association of Sarawak; Ting Choo Yee, associate professor, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya; Kang Chia Yang, lecturer at Politeknik Mukah Sarawak; Joseph Ramanair, senior lecturer, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak; and Khong Heng Yen, senior lecturer, Universiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak.

Dylan Redas Noel, research director of the MICE bureau, said: “The (scholarship recipients) were selected based on their submissions and feasibility of the conference rotation and its scope of programme. These winners are very passionate and dedicated to their work, and the (scholarship) will further encourage them to consider bidding for conventions to be held in Sarawak.”

The International Association Convention Scholarship Award is into its fourth year. Chew Chang Guan, SCB general manager, noted that since the inception of the scholarship in 2009, the programme has met its objective of creating ambassadors for Sarawak and encouraging Malaysians to bid for international associations.

MORE Vietnamese government and commercial organisations are drawn to Japan for incentive programmes, a trend encouraged by the travellers’ recognition of the country’s high quality products, ability to recover quickly from the 2011 Tohoku disaster and vast natural and cultural attractions, according to Vietnamese buyers at the recent Visit Japan Travel Mart in Yokohama.

Data from Japan National Tourism Organization showed that 47,000 Vietnamese arrived in Japan between January and October 2012, up from 35,257 during the same period in 2010. Vietnam also registered the strongest growth among the destination’s other key tourism source markets.

Hanoi Red Tours operations manager, Nguyen Thi Quynh Mai, told TTGmice that Japan’s management of the tsunami disaster and efficiency in regaining travellers’ confidence had left a positive imprint on the minds of Vietnamese consumers, spurring more to desire a trip to the destination.

“Japan is a new destination (for my clients) and most of them are interested in experiencing Japanese culture,” said Nguyen.

For Tour 100 Vietnam, demand for Japan as an incentive destination has been on the rise “over the last few years”. The company’s director of sales, Vu Minh Chau, explained that incentive clients would first choose destinations closer to home, such as Thailand, China and Singapore, before venturing farther and to somewhere pricier.

Vu said: “Japan is much more expensive as a destination, so it is regarded as ‘the next level’. A company would have a budget of US$300 per person for an incentive trip to Thailand, but a programme in Japan for five to seven days would cost between US$1,000 to US$2,000 per person.”

She noted that demand for Japan had started to rise in 2010, but the tsunami disaster in the following year had impeded growth potential. However, recovery has been brisk, and Vu reported that interest in Japan this year was “stronger than ever before”.

The Pan Pacific Orchard, which is nearing completion of its extensive refurbishment programme, has rolled out special meeting packages that are valid until end-March 2013.

Priced from S$75 (US$61.40) per person, per day for a full-day package and from S$65 for a half-day arrangement, the deals include a choice of snacks and light meals, bottled water, LCD projector with screen, whiteboard, flipchart, pens, writing pads and complimentary parking for up to 30 per cent of delegates. A minimum of 15 pax is required.

The 206-key hotel also offers a full-day business executive package for eight to 14 participants. Priced at S$105 per pax, it includes welcome coffee/tea with snacks, a coffee/tea break with snacks, buffet lunch at the Claymore restaurant, one afternoon coffee/tea break with snacks, bottled water, LCD projector with screen and standard stationery, and complimentary parking for up to 30 per cent of delegates.

“Our meeting rooms are ideal for corporates that require a more intimate venue for their functions or meetings. Due to our venues’ relatively small size, we can offer guests a more personalised experience,” said Zulkifli Abdullah, senior catering sales manager, Pan Pacific Orchard.

JW Marriott properties in Thailand will continue to focus squarely on the South-east and East Asian markets to further the chain’s MICE business in the medium term, supporting the strategy with new hardware at the Bangkok hotel and an in-house events team at the Phuket resort.

Speaking to TTGmice in an interview, Peter Caprez, cluster general manager of JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, said 70 to 80 per cent of MICE business in Bangkok came from international firms with headquarters in Asia, with Singapore and Hong Kong being the key markets.

The 441-key JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, which courts sophisticated MICE groups and small- to medium-sized meetings, unveiled in May a new lifestyle meeting facility called Manhattan Studio, which comprises meeting rooms, a cocktail bar and a dining/breakout space with a private chef.

JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa and JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa are both banking on direct flights from Hong Kong and Singapore to win the bulk of their MICE business, which are comprised of mostly small- and mid-sized groups.

According to Tony Pedroni, general manager of JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, software offerings – an in-house events team and teambuilding operators in particular – have given the property a winning edge.

In addition to the teambuilding programmes, Pedroni said that the resort’s landscape, dining options, spa facilities and location within a natural park all work together to create a seamless experience for MICE clients.

As a partner of Society Environment Economy Knowledge – commonly known as SEEK – JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa also offers CSR opportunities to MICE clients through activities such as beach clean-ups.

Over in Khao Lak, north of Phuket, the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa, which sits 45 minutes from three national parks, makes an ideal jump-off point for trips to the Similan islands, noted Ty Collins, general manager of the property.

SHAREROOMSONWEB, a dynamic trading platform that permits medical conference organisers to sell off allocated hotel rooms, is set to launch an app at the start of 2013, enabling users to buy and sell room allocations on the go.

“We designed shareroomsonweb to answer a specific market need, and now, we’ve identified the need to adapt it to new market requirements, and how online transactions have actually evolved,” said Thomas Amiconi, leading consultant, Amiconi Consulting.

According to Amiconi, European and North American congress organisers are the most prolific users of the online site, but “the number of Asian professionals is growing”.

He expects the app to appeal to a similar market mix.

In order to attract more users to its main site, Amiconi is deploying a raft of direct marketing initiatives, such as newsletters to key MICE professionals, while leveraging on existing relationships. It is also looking at the possibility of extending the platform to other sectors.

Shareroomsonweb, which was launched in December 2011, currently has a cache of 200 medical event planners, and users are increasing at a rate of around five per week. Hotel rooms are based in primarily in the US and Europe. As at end-September, the site boasted 60 allotments, offering a total of 2,000 rooms. Sellers are charged five per cent commission on each sale transacted. This is the site’s sole source of revenue.

MARK O’Sullivan has been appointed general manager of the soon-to-open Vana Belle, a Luxury Collection Resort, Koh Samui.

Slated for a January 2013 opening, the seaside resort is tucked away in a secluded cove near Chaweng Beach, offering views of sunrise and crystalline waters. Vana Belle, whose name means “beautiful forest”, is designed with a lush landscape. It comprises 80 Pool Suites and Pool Villas with expansive outdoor spaces that offer utmost privacy.

Extensive facilities within the hotel allow guests to stay onsite all day, be it to experience an epicurean adventure at one of the resort’s restaurants, swig a cocktail by one’s own private pool, or indulge in an afternoon at the spa. Adventurous guests can also explore nearby islands, rainforest waterfalls or temples.

O’Sullivan, who joins the luxury property from Club Coco Palm at Coco Palm Bodu Hithi, a member of the Small Luxury Hotel of the World, where he was manager, said: “Backed by the world-renowned reputation of The Luxury Collection, Vana Belle is an exquisite property that combines unmatched natural beauty with unsurpassed levels of service, accommodations and amenities.”

Meanwhile, Vana Belle, A Luxury Collection Resort, Koh Samui is offering an opening promotion. The Escape Into Luxury package includes a complimentary daily breakfast, 2,000 baht (US$65) resort dining credit per room per day, and double Starpoints from the Starwood Preferred Guest programme. Rates start from 18,000 baht per room per night for a Classic Pool Suite. The offer is valid for stays until July 15, 2013.

VIETNAM’S Crowne Plaza Danang has made Adwin Chong its new general manager.

Chong brings with him more than 25 years of experience in hospitality and F&B management. He joins the Vietnamese property from Crowne Plaza Resort Xishuangbanna in China, where he was executive assistant manager.

“I hope to bring my experience in hotel management to Crowne Plaza Danang and set a new standard in hotel operation and dedication to service excellence,” said Chong.

His appointment is also in preparation for further development at Crowne Plaza Danang – a soon-to-open executive lounge, which will feature a VIP pool, and a second hotel project next door. The new hotel has not yet been named, but phase one, which comprises 535 rooms and a casino, has been completed. Phase two, with 1,000 rooms, will commence construction by end of 1Q2013.