Asia/Singapore Wednesday, 8th April 2026
Page 139

Hilton Tokyo revamps event spaces

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A rendering of Sekka Studio

Hilton Tokyo has begun a multi-million dollar phased renovation of its event spaces, as part of ongoing efforts to meet continued strong demand and consolidate its position as a leading business hotel in Japan.

The hotel will revamp its entire third floor in the first stage of improvements, adding 200m2 of meeting space to the existing 1,000m2 to create modern, AV tech-enabled rooms designed to harmonise with Shinjuku’s traditional and contemporary craftsmanship.

A rendering of Sekka Studio

The renovation, which is due for completion soon, will result in four meeting rooms, five function rooms, one pre-function room, three break-out areas, and one lecture hall.

Access to F&B services will be enhanced thanks to built-in or nearby facilities and greater capability to open up the floor, promoting the smooth flow of guests. The new spaces will have the highest-grade LED screens and digital audio technology systems.

Leo Frankel, commercial director of Hilton Tokyo, said: “This renovation allows us to capitalise on the surge in demand for MICE events from clients all over the world. Our new unique meeting floor is designed to meet the growing need for flexible space, enabling our experienced event team to provide seamless events, from enquiry to delivery.”

Alongside the renovation, more international team members are being onboarded to the event team, increasing the number of languages spoken to eight.

The hotel’s fourth floor, including its iconic ballroom, will be renewed in summer 2025.

MHR revamps loyalty programme for corporates

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Corporate clients benefit from exclusive Millennium Meetings offers

Millennium Hotels & Resorts (MHR) has launched MyMillennium BIZ, a new loyalty programme designed exclusively for corporate bookers.

Replacing the former MyMillennium Pro, MyMillennium BIZ offers a range of tailored perks and rewards to cater to the specific needs of business travellers.

Corporate clients benefit from exclusive Millennium Meetings offers

Corporate clients who book rooms or business events services through MyMillennium BIZ will earn four MyPoints for every US$1 spent. Meanwhile, new business stays are rewarded with a generous 7,500 MyPoints bonus.

Additionally, the programme offers exclusive Millennium Meetings offers, including 5X MyPoints, complimentary late check-out, and room upgrades for group bookings.

The introduction of MyMillennium BIZ complements the broader revamp of the MyMillennium loyalty programme. This comprehensive overhaul aims to provide guests with a more personalised and rewarding experience, aligning with the brand’s five core pillars: thoughtful service, memorable experiences, quality, consistency, and sustainability.

ATG taps Patsy Khoo to lead APAC business development

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Netherlands-headquartered travel management company company ATG Travel Worldwide, has appointed Patsy Khoo as sales & business management director for the Asia-Pacific region.

Khoo reports to Tammy Krings, ATG’s founder and CEO.

Based in Singapore, Khoo’s role is to serve ATG’s APAC clients as their primary contact, focused on building and managing each clients’ Global Business Plan which outlines the activities, tasks and resources required to achieve mutual goals and performance of the Service Level Agreement.

Khoo also ensures ATG’s technology and service offerings are tailored to the requirements of the APAC market.

She holds extensive experience in business travel management, having spent 30 years between three TMCs, including Rosenbluth International, where she reached the general manager level.

New Sabah Convention Bureau lets the games begin at ICCA Congress 2024

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The newly-established Sabah Convention Bureau is determined to engage more with ICCA, and has made its first move to sponsor the Challenge Night at this year’s 63rd ICCA Congress in Abu Dhabi.

CEO Noredah Othman, who has more than three decades of experience in the tourism industry and was previously CEO of Sabah Tourism Board before taking on the leadership role at Sabah Convention Bureau at the start of 2024, told TTGmice that “this is our debut appearance at the ICCA Congress”.

Noredah: immense learning opportunities at ICCA events

“This is an opportunity for us to introduce the convention bureau officially to the industry. Sponsoring the Challenge Night at the Warner Bros Abu Dhabi theme park tonight is ideal for Sabah, as we are such a fun destination that is itself a nature theme park. We hope that all Congress delegates will not only have lots of fun, but also discover what Sabah Convention Bureau and our destination are all about,” said Noredah.

Sabah Convention Bureau is a non-profit agency under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Environment Sabah. It takes over the responsibility of advancing Sabah’s business event industry from the Sabah Tourism Board.

This transition, according to Noredah, will allow her team to be more active in ICCA activities. She shared that the bureau is presently exploring the possibility of supporting ICCA programmes such as ICCASkills and Masterclass.

“We brought the Sabah state minister of tourism to the Congress this week, to show her what ICCA is all about. It opened her eyes and made her realise the extensive learning opportunities this event offers to industry members. We hope that with her seeing the value of engaging with ICCA, our future proposals for ICCA activities will be supported,” she said.

Going forward Noredah hopes to motivate more business event organisations and players in the Malaysian state to join ICCA to lift their capabilities and expand their network. Only the bureau and Sabah International Convention Centre are ICCA members today.

“We need more local players to elevate themselves to be able to support our industry and improve the competitiveness of Sabah Convention Bureau when we make our bids for meetings,” she added.

Sabah has been a popular choice for various national associations meetings, and the bureau hopes to expand this pool of gatherings to regional and international ones. It will not only court meetings that are aligned with the Sabah state’s three key economic pillars of agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, but also events related to conservation. Sabah is home to a UNESCO triple crown site title – Kinabalu National Geopark is recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark (recognised in May 2023), UNESCO Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve (recognised in June 2014), and UNESCO World Heritage Site (recognised in December 2000).

David Martens leads as Centara Karon Resort Phuket’s VP operations and GM

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Centara Hotels & Resorts has named David Martens as vice president of operations and general manager of Centara Karon Resort Phuket.

The Australian has over 30 years of hospitality experience and has been an integral part of the Centara family since 2012.

He most recently served as senior director of operations and general manager at the same property.

AIME 2025 reveals two keynote speakers for Knowledge Program

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Knowledge Program at AIME 2024

The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) has announced two keynote speakers for the 2025 Knowledge Program, which will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from February 10-12.

This year’s Knowledge Program theme, We Matter!, focuses on the global business events industry as a powerful driver of economic growth.

Knowledge Program at AIME 2024

The first keynote speaker, Kristy Goodwin, a renowned neuro-performance scientist and author, will deliver her session entitled Powered-Up Performers: The Neuroscience of Sustainable Peak Performance in a Digital Age.

Sponsored by speaker bureau Ovations!, Goodwin will explore how neuroscience and technology can be harnessed to improve performance and well-being in today’s digital world, as well as share practical strategies to enhance productivity, manage stress, and maximise energy, empowering attendees to thrive in the fast-paced and demanding digital age.

Next, Gus Balbontin, former executive director and CTO of Lonely Planet will take a disruptive approach to innovation in his session titled, Adapt, sponsored by ICMI. Balbontin will challenge attendees to embrace discomfort as a catalyst for breakthrough ideas to inspire them to think outside the box.

Expected to draw more than 1,500 global event professionals to the opening day of AIME 2025, the Knowledge Program is hosted and curated by BEAMexperience founder El Kwang.

Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road introduces new GM

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Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road has named Nicolas Mercier as its general manager.

The French national has amassed over 20 years of experience in South-east Asia’s international luxury hospitality landscape, and was most recently the hotel manager at InterContinental Hotel & Residences Jakarta Pondok Indah.

Mercier will work on developing creating guest experiences, keeping sustainability goals and responsibility towards the community, as well as strengthening the hotel’s position in the competitive Bangkok market, such as culinary experiences.

Langham Hospitality Group names new senior VP – finance

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India’s G20 presidency fuels surge in inbound MICE events

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Bharat Mandapam (pictured) is an exhibition hall located within the sprawling Pragati Maidan complex in New Delhi

India’s successful G20 presidency, which concluded on November 30, 2023, has left a lasting impact on the country’s business events industry, where stakeholders in the inbound business events sector report a surge in demand.

“The exposure that India received after its G20 presidency has helped in the positioning of the country as an inbound MICE destination. We have started to see MICE demand coming from longhaul markets like Europe and the US,” said Naveen Rizvi, executive director, Incentive, Conference & Event Management.

Bharat Mandapam (pictured) is an exhibition hall located within the sprawling Pragati Maidan complex in New Delhi

Amaresh Tiwari, managing director, A T & Seasons Vacations Travel, agreed with this observation: “New venues such as the Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi in New Delhi, Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, and Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Kolkata – all of which opened during India’s G20 presidency – have helped to attract more international business events.”

Rizvi added that the opening of these new large-scale venues has also enabled the country to bid for major international conferences in sectors such as telecommunications and renewable energy.

Tiwari highlighted that the G20 presidency also provided opportunities for diverse destinations across India to host related events, boosting confidence among tourism stakeholders and local authorities in their ability to attract more international business events.

“The presidency has also helped position smaller Indian cities as viable destinations for inbound MICE events, expanding beyond traditional markets like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad,” Rizvi shared.

For instance, destinations like Kumarakom in Kerala – traditionally a leisure destination – has also received attention from the business events sector, he noted.

Chander Mansharamani, managing director of Alpcord Network Travel & Conferences Management, opined: “To compete with Southeast Asian destinations like Thailand and Singapore, India needs to introduce more attractive incentives for international MICE groups. Without such measures, we risk losing valuable business opportunities.”

India’s G20 presidency attracted over 100,000 participants from 135 nationalities, making it one of the largest in-person gatherings for the forum. In total, there were more than 200 meetings hosted across 60 cities, alongside 300 cultural events which showcased local and national art forms.

Cathay Pacific unveils new Aria Suite

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Cathay Pacific has unveiled of its all-new Business class, Aria Suite, together with its new Premium Economy and refreshed Economy onboard its retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. ​

​The aircraft debuted on its Hong Kong-Beijing route on October 18, and will be progressively deployed on other regional and longhaul routes.

Cathay Pacific’s new Business class, Aria Suite, provides passengers with comfort, privacy and a sense of personal space

Soon to follow will be a new First Class experience onboard the airline’s 777-9s, and a brand-new flat-bed Business class product on its Airbus A330s.

Aria Suite passengers will be able to enjoy a holistic and immersive experience where comfort, privacy and a sense of personal space are completely reimagined.

Cathay Group chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: “To solidify our role in both the industry and the community, we’ve committed a significant investment of over HK$100 billion over the next seven years into our fleet, cabin products, lounges, and digital and sustainability leadership, reflecting our confidence in Hong Kong’s long-term growth and its position as a key player in global aviation.”

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