YEARS after Amway China led its incentive group for the first time to Taiwan by cruise in 2009, the destination will once again welcome delegates from the company in 2013.

Apple Tours, the appointed DMC for the event, will fly 12,000 to 15,000 top distributors from China and Hong Kong into Taiwan in five batches, with each group spending five days in the destination.

The event will span from March 12 to April 1.

Amway Taiwan, corporate relations director, Nadia Ding, said the 2009 trip to Taiwan was “the first direct cross-strait sea transport in 60 years” between China and Taiwan.

“But on that trip our distributors spent most of their time on the cruise ship, and was only on land for a few hours,” she said.

“Mainland Chinese find Taiwan an attractive destination given the historical background and rich tourism resources. (Our programme next year) will be more of an FIT arrangement. Distributors are encouraged to explore Taiwan on their own.

“Instead of sightseeing or shopping, we have come up with six itinerary options that explore Taipei and other cities. One itinerary, for instance, offers a day trip to Kaohsiung or Tainan via high-speed train. With the help of (smartphone applications), distributors may travel around easily. Many itineraries also aim to showcase the nightlife of Taipei,” she added.

As some of the participants were on the 2009 programme, Amway China has arranged for different experiences in the coming trip. For instance, the 2013 event will feature a closed-door shopping party with celebrities in major department stores, as well as a bicycle tour around Taipei, a gala dinner with cultural performances in an outdoor camp site.

Participants will also be given taxi coupons in lieu of cash.

Ding complimented the Taipei City Government for approving the use of the outdoor camp site as well as the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall for the business sessions.

“This saves us from having to demolish and reinstall venue set-ups, as five groups will arrive and depart separately over three weeks. Our key challenge now is to find ways to woo our sophisticated distributors of different age groups and interests,” she said.

BUSINESS Events Sydney (BESydney) has been tasked to manage business event enquiries and bookings for the future Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct (SICEEP) in Darling Harbour and the Glebe Island Expo until operators of the two facilities are appointed.

According to Tim Parker, project director of Infrastructure NSW, the company behind the SICEEP project, Glebe Island Expo will be a temporary facility.

“It is designed specifically to house exhibitions scheduled during construction of the new Darling Harbour venue, and will be removed once our new, world-class precinct opens at Darling Harbour,” Parker told TTGmice e-Weekly.

He added: “Glebe Island Expo will be up and running by the time the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and the Sydney Entertainment Centre are closed for the construction of the new facilities in December 2013.”

According to a press statement by BESydney, major public exhibitions and trade shows affected by the Darling Harbour development will have first right of refusal for bookings for the interim facility.

The interim facility is expected to secure additional events too.

Speaking of BESydney’s new responsibility, Parker said: “BESydney’s team has extensive knowledge of the events market and the expertise to oversee the enquiry and booking process for both Glebe Island Expo and SICEEP.

“Our aim is to make the enquiry and booking processes as streamlined and user-friendly as possible. BESydney is already bidding on events for 2017 and beyond that will take place in the new facilities. The company is well placed to manage enquiries.”

Lyn Lewis-Smith, BESydney CEO, said: “BESydney will be a one-stop shop for business events. Glebe Island Expo is part of the Sydney-wide interim solution that will enable Sydney to remain a vibrant hub for business events while SICEEP is constructed. The new facilities will deliver great opportunities for business events in the city, both now and in the future, and the team is looking forward to working closely with the industry to ensure their success.

“We already have a dedicated Event Delivery department that assists clients with sourcing venue options for their events. BESydney has been working closely over the past months to re-home the conferences and congresses it secured for Sydney that will be affected by the SICEEP development.

“This team will be expanded and will have dedicated staff to take on the responsibilities of the Glebe Island Expo and SICEEP.”

STAR Cruises’ SuperStar Virgo has been appointed the official event venue for the 9^thCongress of the World Federation of Soh Associations next month.

Said to be the first congress to be hosted on a cruise, the event will take place on the newly refurbished ship from October 17-19, with port calls at Malacca and Kuala Lumpur.

More than 1,000 representatives of Soh Clan Associations from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, America and Europe are expected to attend the biennial congress, which is organised by the Soh Clan Association (Singapore) this year.

It was first held in Manila in 1994.

FOOD PLAYGROUND, a cooking studio launched recently in Singapore, is looking to serve up cultural- and culinary-themed teambuilding programmes to corporate clients.

Founded by Daniel Tan, who was with The Ascott Group and Pan Pacific Hotels Group, and another business partner, Food Playground had its first corporate group earlier this week. The event was a product launch and cook-out for some 20 international media representatives, hosted by a multinational home appliance manufacturer.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly at his cooking studio in Tanjong Pagar, within the central business district, Tan said: “I’ve had several enquiries from companies wanting to do teambuilding at Food Playground. We can tailor the programme for private groups, such as by featuring specific dishes or creating a cooking competition for teams.”

Food Playground’s cooking studio has a well-equipped kitchen with large workstations for 16 people and an instructor, as well as a spacious dining area where participants can dig into their own creations after classes.

Corporate event planners can also opt for Food Playground’s three-hour Cultural Cooking Class as a pre- or post-show tour option. The programme will begin with a half-hour visit to a local wet market, where participants will be introduced to local spices, tropical fruits and the locals’ way of life, and followed by 90 minutes of cooking instructions on two popular local dishes and an hour of dining and interaction. It is priced at S$99 (US$80.50) per person.

Programmes offered are commissionable, but the commission rate has yet to be firmed up.

THE EMPIRE Hotel & Country Club, Brunei will receive its largest single booking for the year in November when it plays host to Amway Korea’s Leadership Seminar.

More than 2,400 top Amway Korea distributors will descend on Brunei in four waves, with at least 600 delegates each for a total of 16 nights. Participants will use the opportunity to share their experiences, review past performances and prepare for the future.

Desmond Acheson, general manager of the 518-room Empire Hotel & Country Club, Brunei, said it would be the third Amway Korea event hosted at the property. Amway Korea had used the hotel for its annual Diamond Invitational events in 2005 and 2007.

According to Acheson, the hotel was shortlisted in late 2010 as a possible venue based on the success of previous events, and was officially named host venue last November.

Held from November 10-26, the Leadership Seminar will fully occupy the hotel.

Acheson said: “Some adjustments must be made. We have contacted some of our regular guests who usually come during this time of the year to see if they were willing to shift their travel dates.

“We’re really excited about this event as it will attract more than 2,400 new visitors to the Sultanate, all of whom will act as our ambassadors upon their return. They will talk about us to their friends and, hopefully, their friends will decide to visit us.”

DESPITE mounting interest among Singapore-based corporate firms to charter cruise ships for business events, this segment has yet to take off, according to Mona Foo, head of sales, Singapore, Royal Caribbean Cruises.

“In Royal Caribbean’s case, most of our charters derive from China, where there’s sufficient volume to warrant chartering large cruise ships, either wholly or partly. Multinational companies in Singapore tend to charter ships only if they can build numbers by roping in employees from other regional destinations,” said Foo.

Singapore-based corporate clients, as outlined by Foo, tend to request for cruise departures to Thailand and Malaysia for an average of three nights.

Speaking to an audience of travel consultants at a training session at Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific on Tuesday, Foo emphasised that clients were drawn to hosting MICE events on ships as they offered more value. “Corporations don’t have to fork out for separate elements, itineraries and activities can be customised and there’s an opportunity to drum up publicity,” she explained.

Alex Yip, general manager, Siam Express, expressed that chartering cruises for MICE does make business sense, but in order for travel consultants and event planners to convince their clients to pick ships as a MICE venue, it was crucial that travel consultants and event organisers were given the opportunity to experience the different MICE products and services cruise lines have.

“Only then, will you be able to give the right advice in regards to which cruise ship suits a client’s event best,” he said.

EXHIBITION IT service provider, Info Salons, and group reservation technology provider, Passkey, have joined hands to launch a group/MICE hotel booking service in Greater China.

The partnership will allow Info Salons to provide a much more expansive suite of business travel services, including hotel reservations, to event organisers, exhibition visitors and conference delegates. Passkey’s cloud-based GroupMAX platform, which is said to be the most widely-used solution of its kind, will also enable Info Salons to become the first hotel booking provider in Greater China to offer one-stop business travel registration for event visitors and delegates.

Gu Xuebin, managing director of Info Salons Greater China, said the partnership resulted from three years of preparation.

Greg Pesik, Passkey CEO, said: “We recognise how essential having a local partner is not only to our success, but to the success of our clients. This partnership, as well as the investment in the technology integration, will help ensure that Chinese exhibition organisers, hotels and convention centres can rapidly enhance the level of business travel service they can provide to visitors and delegates.”

DEMAND growth for business travel is projected to slow down next year, according to the 2013 Industry Forecast by Advito, BCD Travel’s independent consulting unit.

The study said continued eurozone woes would soften growth rates in other regions, even in historically strong driver markets such as China. Demand, however, will continue to outpace supply, with airlines keeping a particularly tight hold on inventory. As a result, buyers are warned to brace for low- to mid-single digit price hikes in airfares and hotel rates.

Bob Brindley, principal at Advito, said: “With the current macroeconomic situation uncertain and limited capacity going into next year, it’s more important than ever that buyers have a clear understanding of their buying power going into their negotiations, make better use of data analysis in their decision making process, and closely monitor their travel spend.”

He added: “For instance, with airfares projected to increase, buyers should pay close attention to fare restrictions and recommend smarter purchasing behaviour for their travellers. On the hotel side, options include searching for internal savings such as minor downgrades in accommodation standards and expanding the number of properties used in high demand markets to improve the likelihood of booking availability.”

For the first time, the 2013 Industry Forecast also analyses secondary spend categories including dining, mobile roaming and ground transportation. These expenses are estimated to account for 18 per cent of total T&E, and will become a major savings opportunity in 2013 and beyond.

THE OCEANFRONT Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Hotel in Fukuoka city, Japan is offering a limited edition meeting package for groups with 20 to 50 delegates.

Priced at JPY11,500 (US$147) per person, the Eureka package includes full-day use of a meeting room, lunch at Seala Buffet or take-out Japanese lunch box, two coffee breaks with refreshments, basic audiovisual equipment and stationery, and LCD projector with screen or flipchart.

Meeting delegates will also enjoy access to the hotel’s Iwaburo Stone Bath & Sauna once a day.

The Eureka package is valid from now till December 28. Contact Jeremy Nam, assistant director of sales at jeremy.nam@hilton.com or (81-92) 844-7901.

FOUR Seasons Hotel Singapore is offering complimentary environmentally friendly options for meetings booked by November 30 and held before the year is over.

Priced at S$90 (US$73) per person per day (full-day meeting package) and $75 per person per day (half-day meeting package), the Value Meeting Plus deal offers meeting planners the opportunity to use chinaware and silverware instead of disposable plating and utensils, enjoy a ‘green’ menu with vegetarian options upon request, and donate event decorations and display materials to a local organisation for recycling, among other green efforts.

To qualify for this sustainable meeting experience, a minimum booking of 10 guestrooms is required. Terms apply. Contact Chinen Phillips, director of sales, at chinen.phillips@fourseasons.com or (65) 6831-7007.