THE NEXT ICCA Congress will be held in China for the first time when it heads to Shanghai in 2013.

The event is expected to draw 800 to 1,000 delegates from more than 80 countries and regions. Shanghai International Convention Center has been selected as venue for the congress, which will run from November 2 to 6 next year.

To draw attention to the 52nd congress in 2013, the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration (SMTA) staged a presentation and reception during the closing ceremony of ICCA Congress 2012 on October 24 in San Juan.

Shen Shanzhou, vice chairman of SMTA, said: “The ICCA Congress has never been to mainland China before. We believe the 52nd ICCA Congress will be a milestone and an occasion that new horizons will be explored for the future development of the meetings industry in China.”

MALAYSIAN event and exhibition contractor, Instant Tradeshows & Exhibitions, has developed a mobile application that guides users to fairs and exhibitions in the destination.

Called MyExpo, the free application provides details such as floor plans, special promotions and short video footages of fair and exhibitions that are due to take place in Malaysia.

K Kaarthik, managing director of Instant Tradeshows & Exhibitions, said the application was developed with the intention of informing the public about upcoming events.

Kaarthik is now in talks with show organisers in the ASEAN region and India to have their conferences listed on MyExpo.

Meanwhile, the company is also obtaining 10 units of modular double-decker booths from Germany. The 4m by 8m booths, which can be conveniently assembled and dismantled according to international safety standards, will be made available for rental from January 2013.

BANYAN Tree Hotels and Resorts has opened its first urban resort property in China.

Located along the Huangpu River, the Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund offers 130 guest rooms, four F&B outlets, the signature Banyan Tree Spa which will span three floors within the hotel, and four meeting rooms that can be configured to accommodate 10 to 90 guests.

Pancho Llamas, general manager of the hotel, said: “Following the success of our group’s three other urban resorts – in Bangkok, Macau and Seoul – Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund capitalises on our core brand value of rejuvenation and offers a sanctuary for the senses within the context of Shanghai’s vast urban cityscape.

“Business and leisure travellers may take advantage of our many amenities and facilities, such as an award-winning spa, a multitude of dining venues and various meeting spaces, during their visit.”

SCOTT Boyes, regional general manager of Accor NSW and ACT, has been elected to the Business Events Sydney’s (BESydney) Board of Directors following its annual general meeting on Tuesday.

He will take on the role of members director, after having received the most votes from BESydney’s strategic partner and members.

Gary Daly, general manager sales of Luna Park, and Kate Smith, managing director of WaldronSmith, are other members directors on the board.

PAHANG’S Bukit Gambang Resort City (BGRC), said to be the largest water theme park resort in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, has set its sights on the international MICE market to fill its inventory of event spaces.

First launched in 2009, BGRC opened a dedicated MICE centre in May, offering 10 meeting rooms and a pillarless grand ballroom that can seat 3,100 people in a banquet setting. The massive ballroom gained fame recently when it made its way into the Malaysia Book of Records as the largest pillarless ballroom in the country.

With the opening of the dedicated MICE centre, the resort city now boasts 31 event spaces including those in the Caribbean Bay Suites and Bukit Gambang Water Park Visitor Centre, and is supported by 1,866 guest rooms in Caribbean Bay Suites and the new-build Arabian Bay Resort.

BGRC’s current business mix comprises 60 per cent MICE and 40 per cent leisure, and guests are predominantly locals. But it is looking to capture more international interest.

Karen Tan, spokesperson of BGRC, said business and leisure travellers from China, India and Singapore were on its radar, and efforts to connect with these markets include participation in travel trade fairs and organisation of familiarisation trips for MICE planners.

BGRC will add 11 break-out rooms to its inventory next year, while a safari park, focused on education and conservation, will open in 2Q2013.

THE 695-room pentahotel Hong Kong, Kowloon, slated for a summer 2013 opening, has appointed Andy So as general manager.

So brings 24 years of hotel experience to his new role. Prior to joining pentahotels, he was executive assistant manager, sales and marketing for Grand Hyatt Macau; opening team director of sales and marketing for Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsimshatsui; and director of sales and marketing for Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong.

The soon-to-open property will boast a full floor of meeting and function space, as well as recreational facilities such as a gym and an outdoor pool.

ROYAL Cliff Hotels Group and Pattaya Exhibition And Convention Hall (PEACH) in Thailand have collectively rolled out a new meeting package that will be valid for events taking place between January 16 and May 31 next year.

Called the Royal Cliff Ultratech Meeting Package, the offer is priced at 1,700 baht (US$55) per person per day for the full-day package and 1,500 baht per person per day for the half-day alternative.

The half-day package includes use of a meeting room, one coffee break, buffet (a minimum of 40 pax is required) or set lunch with a customisable menu, four hours of Wi-Fi access, standard meeting stationery, slide and overhead projector, video conferencing facilities, a standard sound system, among other things.

The full-day package offers the same inclusions, but with an additional coffee break and double the duration for Wi-Fi access.

A minimum guarantee of 15 people is required for event organisers to access the Royal Cliff Ultratech Meeting Package. Other terms apply.

MTA, a specialist precision engineering trade show held once every two years in Singapore, will debut a new event component, MetrologyAsia2013, when it opens next April at the Singapore Expo.

According to a press statement issued by Singapore Exhibition Services (SES), the organiser of MTA2013, the launch of MetrologyAsia2013 is driven by a growing need for high quality test and measurement equipment for Asia’s budding manufacturing scene.

MetrologyAsia2013 will showcase exhibitors specialising in cutting-edge measurement equipment systems and technologies that are specifically designed to meet today’s demanding manufacturing processes.

“The local government has been putting in a lot of effort to bolster the industry, and we believe that MetrologyAsia2013, together with MTA2013, will serve to complement this initiative. Companies specialising in test and measurement equipment and systems have been growing by leaps and bounds, and it was clear that the next step for MTA would be to congregate all the top metrology companies within a dedicated space,” said William Lim, project director of SES.

MTA also incorporates ToolTec, iAutomation, MetalAsia, WeldTech and Outsource&SubCon.

THE FULLERTON Bay Hotel Singapore has unveiled three custom built floating event pods that can cater to a variety of business and social events.

Sited over water, the event pods – Compass, Voyage and Port of Call – come with an adjoining balcony, a rooftop, an attached bathroom, a 55-inch HDTV, built-in sound system and automatic blinds. They also offer clear views of the Marina Bay.

Boasting warm hues and luxurious furnishings, the pods can accommodate 30 people theatre-style, 40 for receptions, 15 in a classroom setting, 20 for boardroom meetings and 20 in a banquet configuration.

A GREATER appreciation for the serene environs in Putrajaya, Malaysia has led to a 25 per cent year on year increase in events business at the Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside, according to the hotel chief.

Franck Loison, general manager of the three-year-old hotel in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur’s city centre, said: “At the beginning people used to ask, what is there to do in Putrajaya? Now this has changed. Event organisers who do not want their participants to be distracted by (leisure) diversions in Kuala Lumpur city, such as shopping and getting a massage, are now looking at us.

“Our unique selling point is that we are a 20-minute drive from the heart of Kuala Lumpur and 25 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.”

According to Loison, about 60 per cent of the business mix is from MICE and the remaining is leisure-based. International MICE business comprises about 30 per cent of the business mix.

The 281-room hotel saw an average room occupancy of 70 per cent last year, and is targeting a two per cent increase this year.

The close proximity of the hotel with Putrajaya International Convention Centre, which is five minutes away by car, allows both properties to cross-sell each other. On request, the hotel can provide catering services at the convention centre.

With an inventory of 21 fully equipped meeting rooms and boardrooms, Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside also attracts large-scale Indian weddings. It hosted two from India this year.

Loison said: “Each wedding ran for four nights, taking up almost all of the guest rooms. Meals were arranged in the hotel, and the ceremonies were held outdoors and in almost all our meeting rooms, including the ballroom. It was very good business for us.”