INDONESIA’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and Bank Danamon American Express Corporate Card have come together to host the Indonesia Corporate Meeting & Incentive Travel Mart (ICMITM) from May 8 to 12.

Formerly known as the Indonesia MICE & Corporate Travel Mart, the annual affair is expected to attract 100 buyers, including corporate card members of the bank, and corporate buyers from multi-national firms in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and India. The mart will feature various tabletop business meetings, an education seminar and site inspections.

ICMITM is scheduled to take place in Medan, with the support of the Medan municipal government as part of Visit Medan Year 2012.

Berman Lubis, MICE director, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said: “This is part of the ministry’s commitment and effort to support the development of 10 MICE destinations in Indonesia. Bali, Jogjakarta, Lombok and Manado have hosted this event previously, and it is now Medan’s turn to be introduced to MICE planners. Next year, it will go to Semarang, Central Java.

“By inviting Bank Danamon American Express Corporate Card’s top members to this event, we hope to generate more corporate MICE events in the country,” he added.

Bank Danamon executive vice president-card business head, Dessy Masri, noted that rotating ICMITM among different Indonesian destinations had helped to improve corporate buyers’ knowledge of available MICE venues, which in turn encourage them to take their events to Indonesia.

She added that based on surveys conducted following the four previous marts, sellers had experienced a growth of up to 30 per cent in MICE business.

AFTER a 15-year hiatus, the Sri Lanka Expo will return from March 28 to 31 to profile the former war-torn country as an attractive destination for trade, investment and tourism.

The three-day international event, which was suspended due to civil war, is organised by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board. It has so far confirmed more than 1,000 foreign participants including 100 journalists and 50 tour operators, as well as leading buyers of tea and garments, the country’s biggest exports, officials said.

Vipula Wanigasekera, general manager of the state-owned Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, told TTGmice e-Weekly that travel writers and tour operators attending the trade fair would be provided information on Sri Lanka’s uniqueness as a tourist destination.

The Sri Lanka Expo will also feature a symposium on trade, investment and tourism. Speakers lined up for this programme include Xu Jing, regional head of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and K.G. Udaya Indraratne, executive director, policy and strategy, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Government of Dubai.

The expo will take place at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Center in Colombo.

MUNICH-based Amiando, a specialist in online event registration and ticketing, has created an iPhone application (app) that allows conference hosts to send conference details and communication direct to delegates.

To customise Amiando’s Conference2go app, event organisers only need to transfer relevant details such as the programme agenda and speakers’ bio and contact details to Amiando. A feature-rich app will then be developed and uploaded in Apple’s App Store for delegates to download.

The app will enable delegates to import presentation schedules to their own diaries, and maximise networking opportunities through a messaging platform and an attendee search tool. Event organisers will benefit from improved marketing communications as details of the event, exhibitors and sponsors can be included in the app.

Event organisers can book the app through Amiando for 997 Euros (US$1,320).

THIS YEAR’s IT&CM China, the sixth edition of the show, will see a one-third growth in size, with 50 new international and domestic exhibiting companies, larger booths taken by returning exhibitors and more than 400 international buyers.

New exhibitors, including corporate brands such as Dusit International and HNA Hotels & Resorts, and tourism bureaus such as the Jeju Convention & Visitor Bureau, Switzerland Tourism and Geneva Convention Bureau, will cover over a quarter of IT&CM China’s total floor space.

Returning exhibitors include Sanya Tourism Bureau, which has committed to a larger booth space this year, JinJiang International Hotel Management and Wuzhen Tourism.

TTG Events, a business group of TTG Asia Media and one of the organisers of the annual MICE show, said in a press statement that the confidence of both new and returning exhibitors reaffirmed IT&CM China as the leading international MICE event in China. China International Travel Service’s (CITS) entry to the tripartite partnership (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 15, 2011), which also includes MP International, is said to have been a big draw for local and international participation.

The show’s larger international buyer participation also includes representation from new participating countries such as Czech Republic, Denmark and Morocco.

IT&CM China, to be held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre from April 17-19, is part of Shanghai Business Events Week, which will feature seven other industry business, education and networking events from April 16-20.

THE MALAYSIAN Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) will make raising the MICE capabilities of various Malaysian states its priority this year.

Efforts include a training seminar in January, led by international MICE veterans, to show MICE sellers and state officials how events in Malaysia can be more innovative, regular roadshows in different states to raise the awareness of the economic benefits MICE brings, as well as close partnerships with state tourism offices to develop fresh programmes to entice MICE buyers.

Ho Yoke Ping, general manager of sales and marketing, MyCEB, told TTGmice e-Weekly that the bureau would also play an advisory role to Malaysian states, providing input on how infrastructure developments can be shaped to cater to MICE.

According to Ho, several Malaysian states were “getting more active in the pursuit of MICE business”.

“There’s a lot of construction going on in some of the states,” she said.

“Penang is building a convention centre, Johor will have the Legoland theme park and a convention centre by the Genting Group (which will be built along with a water theme park and 2,000-key hotel as the second phase of the group’s Johor Premium Outlets), and Malacca’s Arab City is being planned.”