The Lux Collective has appointed Paul Mulcahy as its chief commercial officer, based in Mauritius.
He has over two decades of extensive leadership experience in commercial strategy and business transformation, with an acute business acumen and keen ability to develop and lead innovative commercial and operational strategies that deliver results.
Mulcahy joins The Lux Collective from RCI – part of Travel + Leisure Co. – where he served as managing director North America.
Nearly 80 per cent of China’s foreign direct investment went to Asia after the lockdown was lifted in 2023 and Singapore, where a large number of Chinese enterprises have set up shop, is reaping the benefits.
Alicia Yao, vice chairman of the China Business Event Industry Committee (CBEIC), a speaker at the recent ITB Asia, said Chinese investors set up 48,000 overseas enterprises in 189 countries and regions by the end of 2023.
The Chinese Enterprises (Singapore) Association), with some 950 members, is expected to exceed 1,000 by the end of 2024, she added. Members are in the fields of finance, infrastructure, shipping logistics, energy and trade, technology and digitalisation, culture tourism and services.
“The successful experience of Chinese enterprises in Singapore is the main reason for attracting Chinese business events and exhibitions,” she explained.
“Globalisation has become an unavoidable issue for Chinese enterprises and this will result in the climax of China’s outbound BEs in 2025 and 2026.”
Some 90 per cent of destination choice, she noted, is concentrated in Asia-Pacific, where airfares are more affordable and visa entry requirements have eased.
ITB Asia buyer Liu Lei, Lenovo (Tianjin) purchasing manager, said budgets have been reduced, so Europe and the US are out, while Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are in.
China outbound business events are diverse and include association delegation business visits, promotional roadshows, incentive trips, business study and research groups, conferences, and exhibitions.
According to Yao, Guangdong, Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Suzhou are the prime Chinese business events generators.
Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Foshan, Quanzhou and other second-tier cities in the Pearl River Delta are up-and-coming, she continued.
Yao advised industry practitioners interested in tapping Chinese business events to “pay more attention” to ROI, results of business activities, corporate brand publicity, product marketing and sales, project cooperation, and business success.
Chinese corporate incentive trips, she shared, want “different travel experiences” and “are willing to deeply experience local culture and customs”.
CBEIC was set up by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and involves related enterprises, social organisations and institutions to promote industry cooperation.
CBEIC members include China national associations, event companies, PCOs, think tanks, research institutes, colleges, universities, industry professionals and consultants.
The non-profit NGO is a new member of the Joint Meetings Industry Council.
It has been a productive year for ICCA’s Asia Pacific Chapter, as it chalks up several first-ever achievements that are aligned with its commitment to driving transformative change and business innovation.
Its efforts are shaped by its broader perspective on the value of meetings, where sustainability, social responsibility, and legacy are as crucial as economic gains.
This year, the Australian Business Events Association and ICCA signed a MoU that commits both to amplifying association core values and strengthening the three pillars of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Legacy and Sustainability; and Talent Development and Retention through white papers, access to programmes and information sharing, and the creation of key opportunities for emerging leaders.
Another achievement is the Association Impact Masterclass, designed to elevate the power, impact, and effectiveness of association partnerships. The inaugural class, supported by BESarawak as a Seed Fund Contributor, took place from April 25-27, 2024 in Kuching, Sarawak. The next edition will be in Dublin, Ireland in 2025.
Further commitment to capacity-building is seen in the roll out of ICCASkills certification programmes in the region. The first face-to-face Certified International Convention Specialist (CICS) programme in the region was conducted at the China National Convention Center, Phase II (CNCCII), Beijing in April. This will be followed by a second CICS programme from December 9-11.
In addition, the first in-person Certified International Convention Executive (CICE) course was conducted at Ta Pae Christchurch Convention Center in September. Learners had the opportunity to explore other New Zealand business events destinations and facilities, such as Wellington. The Macao Fair and Trade Association also led a CICS programme at Wynn Palace in September.
The year 2024 will most of all go down in ICCA history for the establishment of the ICCA China representative office in Beijing, pointed out Waikin Wong, regional director Asia Pacific.
ICCA was invited by both the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism to open a strategic office in the Chinese capital city to work together on driving a multidisciplinary, synergistic approach to facilitating international business opportunities, boosting local economies and societal impact, and integrating China with the global business events industry.
ICCA is the first global meetings industry association to successfully open an office in Beijing.
Along with this development, ICCA signed a milestone agreement with the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security-Beijing Government and Beijing North Star Co, the owner of CNCC II, to collaborate on capacity building.
The trio will develop a Certified International Business Events Professional programme based on successful ICCASkills certifications. The programme will join ICCA’s roster of educational initiatives and content will be offered in English and Mandarin. Certified participants will have an advantage when working in China, as the certification is recognised by the Beijing government.
Other capacity-building programmes also took place with the support of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Exposition and at members’ events in various Asian cities.
Wong said: “We want to facilitate lifelong learning and develop opportunities for our members, so as to build a future-ready meeting industry.”
“We are also investing in nurturing future talents,” she added, pointing to the Asia Pacific Business Events Youth Challenge in August.
The competition is designed for students and young business events professionals under the age of 30, offering participants an opportunity to showcase their creative ideas. The 2024 edition was hosted by the Daejeon Metropolitan City, with ICCA and the Korea MICE Association stepping in as co-hosts.
Other notable achievements for the chapter this year include the BE Wellness initiative by ICCA and Marina Bay Sands Singapore to better understand the impact of wellness on business events and professionals through research; the debut of the ICCA Global Venues Experts Forum in Beijing this December, aimed at C-suite leadership from the venues sector; and the continuation of the Bangkok Protocol on Sustainable Gastronomy, a legacy initiative from the 62nd ICCA Congress in Bangkok in 2023 that is backed by primary partner, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau.
Programme designers of business events need to be aware that at least one in five people are neurodivergent – according to the Neu Project, this includes ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette’s syndrome, etc.
Gayle McGuinn, head of associations sales, Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), who led the session Transforming Events: Empowering Inclusion through Neurodiversity, extrapolated that with more than 1,500 delegates at this year’s congress, up to 600 could be neurodivergent.
Indeed, a number of participants at the session shared they are neurodivergent.
As the movement is evolving, events must also transform by empowering inclusion, she McGuinn.
The ICCA Congress could start by including more “quiet spaces” and be aware of the impact of “sensory overload”, she opined.
To host It Takes All Kinds of Minds and create an inclusive experience, McGuinn said EICC launched an education programme comprising staff training and an accessibility audit. It trialled the new processes and fine tuned the details.
Other initiatives included the creation of a delegate manual to relieve delegate anxiety, introducing silent flappause (clapping by waving both hands), improving light and sound by using soothing blue and green lights, and deactivating hand dryers.
Delegate support also included quiet times and rooms, and colour-coded badges for sessions.
On the F&B front, sensory sensitivities, separate food, plain food stations, and quiet dining areas were offered.
Event practitioners, she advised, should design a diverse programme with short sessions, live stream to quiet rooms, and share content in advance.
Speaker support should include detailed guidelines; they should be encouraged to use visuals and conduct familiarisation sessions.
McGuinn continued: “A hybrid event would widen the reach; participants could engage via the event app and address interaction preferences.”
Japan is in a prime position capture more of India’s expanding business events market, provided the country is strategic and accommodating in its approach.
Panellists at the inaugural Japan MICE Expo, held in Osaka in October, said India’s population of 1.5 billion is increasingly interested in holding MICE events overseas, including in Japan.
“Corporates are using incentive travel as a big tool for doing business, and 70 per cent of India’s business events market is incentive travel, said Nitin Sachdeva, CEO of New Delhi, India-based Venture Marketing, which specialises in travel, tourism, hospitality and events.
Of particular interest to companies is using incentives to attract and retain talent or to facilitate staff interactions among teams working remotely, Sachdeva added, noting that many corporates are holding overseas incentives as frequently as once per quarter.
Alongside these changes in market needs. “India’s outbound market is looking for new destinations,” he explained. “We are seeing a change in mindset (where) people want to travel and to experience.”
Sachdeva and his peers in the industry are seeing growing interest in Japan thanks to its unique value, which includes a rich culture, modern infrastructure, clean environment and peaceful society. The weak yen and huge popularity of Japan on Instagram are additional attractive factors, he added.
Japan’s success in attracting Indian incentives, though, will depend on whether the stakeholders can adopt a strategy, be consistent in promotion and meet buyers’ needs.
“We expect ease of doing business, favourable flight timings, more flight loads from India and Indian food,” he said. Furthermore, if Japan-based representatives can speak India’s local languages, incentive participants can enjoy a “seamless experience”.
Mandarin Oriental has appointed Amanda Hyndman as chief operating officer, following the retirement of Christoph Mares.
Having been with the group for 18 years, Hyndman’s career spans over 30 years in the luxury hotel industry.
She will continue in her current role as chief people & culture officer.
Minor Hotels has named industry veteran Omar Romero as its chief development and luxury officer, a newly-created position based in Bangkok, Thailand.
In his new role, Romero will drive the global development strategy of Minor Hotels, identifying new business opportunities, overseeing the planning and execution of projects, and managing relationships with key stakeholders. He will also play a pivotal part in shaping and supporting the curation of Minor Hotels’ luxury brands.
He brings over two decades of experience to Minor Hotels, and most recently served as chief development officer at Six Senses.
Qantas will roll out a multi-million dollar investment in cabin upgrades for its Economy class across 10 A330-200 aircraft – these include installation of new seats with larger OLED entertainment screens, as well as USB-C fast charging and Bluetooth audio connectivity which allow users to use their own headphones.
The upgrades are part of the airline’s major refurbishment programme to enhance international flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo.
Other key elements of the A330 cabin upgrade programme include new mood lighting and the replacement of all curtains and carpets.
The existing Business Suites with fully-flat beds will remain on the aircraft.
The A330 aircraft being upgraded are scheduled to leave the Qantas fleet towards the end of the replacement programme. Work on the first A330 is expected to start in mid-2025 in Qantas’ Brisbane maintenance facility, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said: “We’ve used our fleet renewal programme to completely rethink the in-flight experience and these cabin upgrades mean we can bring next-generation features and designs to our existing aircraft.
“Customers can look forward to brand new Economy seats that have been specially created to maximise comfort and provide features that our customers want for international travel. They are the same seats that will feature on our ultra-longhaul A350-1000ULR aircraft, so it will be a preview of the Project Sunrise flying experience.”
In addition, Qantas has also started its international Wi-Fi roll out across the A330 fleet, providing connectivity for passengers on the Wi-Fi enabled A330 aircraft from December this year.
Corporate meeting and incentive demand for Japan from Asia-Pacific countries remain at an all-time high, say industry players who attended the JNTO Singapore MICE Business Meetings 2024 on October 28.
Corporate demand from Asia-Pacific is still “very strong”, Shigyo Satoru, JTB’s sales manager, corporate sales department, told TTGmice. This is reflected in the company’s handling of around 30 outbound groups this year, mainly from Singapore, as well as several from Indonesia and Thailand.
Although Satoru predicted that next year’s demand will be “even better” than 2024, he cautioned that rising costs, particularly in transportation, could significantly impact budgets, and advised planners to plan as early as possible.
Jeremiah Wong, assistant director, marketing communications, Chan Brothers Travel, also indicated that “demand is holding steady this year compared to 2023”.
He detailed: “Japan’s cultural richness and excellent infrastructure consistently attract corporate groups. The favourable exchange rate between the Singapore dollar and the Japanese yen has further fuelled demand, making Japan an even more enticing option. Its varied seasonal charms across the four seasons encourage repeat visits as well.”
The company has noticed a “growing interest” among corporate clients “in regions such as Hokkaido, Kyushu and Gifu, specifically Takayama City”, as these “are unique destinations beyond the usual urban destinations”.
Meanwhile, Alice Chia, director of Joyoj, a Singapore-based company with a partner in Thailand handling mainly Japan-bound corporate meetings and luxury business events, added: “Thai outbound to Japan is growing strongly. I am also seeing high demand from India, especially to cities with direct connections. ”
Chia indicated an increase in clients asking to move away from crowded main cities to quieter destinations, such as Wakayama, Toyooka and Kyotango.
The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) has once again been recognised as the Best Exhibition or Trade Show at the 2024 Australian Event Awards.
This marks the third consecutive year that AIME has received this accolade, solidifying its position as the premier business event for the Asia Pacific meetings and events industry.
AIME, a biennial event that connects international and local buyers with world-class exhibitors, will return to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from February 10-12, 2025.
AIME 2025 will be the fourth event delivered by event director Silke Calder and her team from Talk2 Media and Events, which manages the show on behalf of the Melbourne Convention Bureau. It is expected to attract over 600 exhibitors, 650 hosted buyers, and 20,000 meetings.
The Australian Event Awards & Symposium is the national awards programme and conference for the Australian events industry and establishes Australia’s best events and event-related goods, services and innovations over the past 12 months.
