CROWNE Plaza Changi Airport in Singapore is offering a full-day meeting package for events held by December 31.

Priced at S$268++ (US$219++) per person, the meeting package includes a night’s stay in a Deluxe Room (single occupancy), breakfast at Azur, Internet access in both guestroom and meeting room, use of a meeting room from 09.00 to 17.00, welcome coffee and tea, two coffee breaks with two snack items, buffet lunch at Azur, ice water, mints, writing materials and use of one whiteboard and flip chart.

A minimum guarantee of 10 delegates is required. Other terms apply.

LOCATED at Australia’s largest attraction Ayers Rock, Uluru Meeting Place (UMP) opens tomorrow, giving event planners a reason to dream big.

The owners, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, spent some A$30 million (US$31.3 million) on the new conference centre as well as the makeover of the adjacent Sails in the Desert Hotel, both part of the larger Ayers Rock Resort.

The result is a series of striking modern spaces designed with indigenous flair, from the three meeting rooms in Sails to the two main conference rooms in UMP, namely the Tjungu Ballroom and Wanari Conference Room with seating capacity for 420 and 300 people respectively. All 231 guestrooms at Sails have also been given a facelift.

Coinciding with the launch, a range of teambuilding activities has been introduced, including hosted talks and cultural performances. A new, premium under-the-stars dining experience, Tali Wiru, has commenced, offering guests the opportunity to dine outdoors with views of The Rock, as have the Outback Sky Journeys, a series of stargazing tours.

Voyages’ executive general manager sales, marketing and distribution, Ray Stone, said: “We see great potential here for the Asian market – it’s an emerging market that has real scope for growth in the near future, especially in the area of incentives and meetings.”

Stone told TTGmice e-Weekly that Voyages was working closely with a number of business, tourism, trade and events groups to actively promote UMP throughout the region.

By Natasha Dragun

THE Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) will set an example of how ‘green’ MICE events can be when the eco-friendly venue, built to be 32 per cent more energy efficient than buildings of similar size, scope and usage, hosts the UN Climate Change Conference (COP18/CMP8).

COP18/CMP8 is scheduled to run from November 26 to December 7 and draw an estimated 17,000 participants.

QNCC, which is fitted with 3,500m² of solar panelling, will provide up to 12.5 per cent of the centre’s energy needs or 40.8MWh in total, during the conference.

The centre has also prepared environmentally-friendly food packaging for 21 ‘grab and go’ food outlets for delegates and visitors during the event, with bowls made from sugar cane residue, salad bowls and drinking cups for cold drinks from natural starch, as well as cutlery and coffee cups from natural cellulose.

Adam Mather-Brown, general manager, QNCC, said: “Energy efficiency was a specific consideration during the design and build phase of the project. Qatar has a desert climate and cooling systems are of paramount importance. The centre was designed and built to the highest environmental standards and conceived with a focus on sustainability, a feature that complements the objectives of COP18/CMP8.

“Its use of solar power is an innovative way to reduce the building’s impact on the planet, a benefit that is very relevant for this event.”

COX & KINGS India has tied up with Berlin Tourism to promote the historic city to major Indian companies, in a bid to tap the burgeoning Indian outbound MICE market.

Road shows were held in New Delhi and Mumbai to showcase attractions and MICE venues such as Brandenburg Gate, Olympic Stadium, State Opera House and East Side Gallery.

Lately, Indian leisure and MICE travellers have shown interest in exploring off-the-beaten-track destinations in Germany.

Ajay Seth, vice president outbound MICE, Cox & Kings India, said: “Berlin has state-of-the-art conference facilities as well as renowned museums and art galleries, and these make it an attractive MICE destination. Moreover, (the city) is very well-connected by flights operated by many airlines.”

Romit Theophilus, director of marketing and sales, German National Tourist Office India, said: “Germany is more economical than other European countries and this is one of the reasons why it is the second-most important destination in (this region) after the UK.”

Theophilus also compared Berlin to New York, saying that hotel rates in the German capital city were lower, thanks to a larger supply of rooms.

In 2011, 547,000 Indians travelled to Germany while 600,000 are expected to do so in 2012.

WORLD experts on lung health will gather in the Malaysian capital for the five-day Union World Conference on Lung Health next week.

Held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from November 13-17, the conference is organised by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

CEO of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), Zulkefli Hj Sharif, expects the conference to attract 3,000 delegates and generate an estimated RM43.3 million (US$14.1 million) in economic impact.

He said: “MyCEB is very supportive of this conference. Besides its obvious economic benefits, the conference will facilitate the opportunity for professional development, knowledge exchange and best practices in the local and regional health sectors, particularly in respiratory health. It will highlight the vital importance of collaboration in our common efforts to address conditions affecting lung health and HIV/AIDS, diabetes, asthma and other diseases. This in turn will impact positively on Malaysia as a model developing country.”

THE QATAR National Convention Centre (QNCC) in Doha will in three weeks’ time host the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change 2012, which will bring an unprecedented number of delegates to the destination.

The event, spanning November 26 to December 7, will utilise QNCC’s complete inventory of spaces, including 40,000m² of indoor exhibition space and 3,500m² of outdoor exhibition area.

Another 76 meeting rooms will be constructed – in addition to the existing 52 – to accommodate all delegation offices and work areas.

Adam Mather-Brown, general manager of QNCC, said: “This is definitely a substantial event considering that many meetings will run simultaneously and require a level of efficiency from our staff to ensure that tight turnarounds and requirements are delivered.

“We have been planning this event for almost a year now and we are currently setting up many of the venues to ensure that we bring the event to life on schedule.”

Meetings are expected to run past midnight, and, as a result, the centre will be operating on a 24-hour basis. To ensure a seamless service delivery, there will be some 5,000 staff on duty round-the-clock, including volunteers and support staff who are currently undergoing intensive training.

INDIA, which contributes more than half of Sri Lanka’s MICE arrivals, is getting more attention from the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB).

The MICE bureau, along with SriLankan Airlines, organised the largest-ever familiarisation tour last week for more than 75 Indian MICE operators, including meeting planners, incentive experts and media representatives. The programme sought to raise Sri Lanka’s profile as a destination with plenty of MICE options, and showcased convention centres and resorts, among other products.

The familiarisation tour is a step up from the current destination promotion efforts undertaken by SLCB and the flag carrier, which comprise only three roadshows in India a year and smaller scale familiarisation programmes.

MICE arrivals from India have been growing at an annual rate of 10 to 15 per cent over the past few years, according to Achini Dandunnage, SLCB senior manager, who added that a target growth of at least 20 per cent has been set.

Dandunnage said Sri Lanka had drawn meetings organised by India-based divisions of multinational companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Tesco and IBM, and Indian attendance were often strong at conferences organised out of Asia-Pacific.

“We also hope that they (Indian conference attendees) will return to Sri Lanka with their families,” she said.

STEEP hikes in domestic airfares, by as much as 29 per cent quarter-on-quarter according to American Express India, have forced companies to replace air travel with train journeys.

Anurag Agarwal, managing director of Southend Travels, who has seen a drop of 15 to 20 per cent in air ticketing volume, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “The corporate sector has become more cautious, a result of steep domestic fares (and) little difference in fares offered by low-cost carriers and full-service carriers. In some sectors, fares are higher on low-cost carriers.

“Companies have cut down on non-essential travel. Train travel has also become more popular especially in areas where there are rapid train services such as Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express.”

Subhash Verma, chairman of Travel Plus and president of the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India, has also observed a shift to train rides among corporate clients, along with a three per cent decline in domestic travel within India.

Verma said, “Corporates are looking at cost-cutting measures. They are trying to switch junior staff to train travel.”

On the weekend before the festival of Diwali, which falls on November 13 this year, airfares between Mumbai and Delhi on low-cost carriers such as GoAir and Indigo have reached as high as Rs16,000 (US$298), while Air India is charging Rs7,000.

In contrast, an air-conditioned, first class ride onboard the Rajdhani Express for the same sector costs the traveller only Rs4,000.

Sandeep Shastri, vice president and general manager of Global Business Travel, American Express India, said: “The increase in travel demand, inflation, reduction in flight capacity and flight network disruptions are some of the contributing factors to the increase in airfares. We believe that the environment will continue to be dynamic, and to stabilise business travel expenses, companies should look at cost-effective travel programmes and execute multi-year contracts with key domestic and international carriers.”

MACAU Government Tourist Office (MGTO) deputy director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, will replace Joao Manuel Costa Antunes as director on December 20.

Antunes stepped into the role in April 1988.

In an interview with Teledifusão de Macau, Macau government Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cheong U, explained that the arrangement was a normal change in personnel.

Antunes told TTGmice e-Weekly: “(Following the succession), I will continue my public career as the full-time coordinator for the Macau Grand Prix Committee, and focus on preparations for the 60th anniversary of the Macau Grand Prix.

“I am proud to say that the past 25 years in MGTO have been the best period of my life. This experience gives me great pride and satisfaction to move on in my public and private life. I know that I couldn’t have achieved this without the efforts and support of my colleagues and industry partners.”