The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi welcomes Moreno Gianfranco Miotto to the team as the resort’s new executive chef.
Born in Canada, Miotto started his career in independent restaurants, honing his skills in Italian cuisine before joining the hotel industry in 2007, as executive chef at the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany, Italy, before moving back to Canada where he continued to build his career as an executive chef.
From there he joined The Ritz-Carlton, Doha as chef de cuisine for two years, before returning to Canada for two years to join the Sequoia Company of Restaurants as corporate executive chef.
Miotto returned to the Marriott Group in 2019, joining W Hotel Doha first as chef de cuisine before being elevated to executive sous chef. After his time with W Hotel Doha he moved to the Rosa Grand Milano, then Sheraton Ammam, and finally his last role at The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest as executive chef.
Geoff Donaghy, chief executive of ICC Sydney and group director – convention centres, ASM Global (APAC), will depart from his full-time role on August 30, 2024, but will stay on as an advisor to the business until the end of the year as ASM Global embeds its succession strategy over the coming weeks.
Donaghy is one of ASM Global’s longest-serving executives, having been with the company for more than three decades. During his 10 years at ICC Sydney, Donaghy and his team secured and operated events that have delivered almost A$4 billion (US$2.6 billion) in economic impact.
Under his leadership, ICC Sydney received 95 industry awards, achieving an average delegate satisfaction rating of 97.4 per cent and 98.2 per cent client satisfaction rating.
During his time with ASM Global, Donaghy also contributed to the establishment of other venues such as the Cairns Convention Centre, and Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
NDC remains complex and challenging for corporate travel buyers
A continuous sourcing model for corporate travel is emerging, but the industry is still grappling with IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC), a data exchange format based on offer and order management processes, allowing airlines to create and distribute relevant offers to customers regardless of the distribution channel.
With this new sourcing trend, Nicola Winchester, director of global travel at EY, emphasised that airline pricing should be based on future data, not historical data.
NDC remains complex and challenging for corporate travel buyers
Johnny Thorsen, vice president, partnerships, Spotnana, and a fellow panelist at the recent Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) APAC Conference in Singapore, agreed that the industry can no longer adopt a “once-a-year buyer mindset.” He added that artificial intelligence can help by amalgamating data and eliminating outdated airfares.
A veteran corporate travel manager told TTGmice that airlines have the technology to reprice airfares based on backend sales data continuously. For instance, United Airlines can file up to 26 fares that differ slightly in price. However, he noted that NDC seems to favour airlines by enabling them to deliver more personalised services, rather than assisting corporate travel buyers.
This situation leads to airfares and eligibilities on a company’s online booking tool not being foolproof, while travel management company (TMC) operation teams struggle to keep up.
“Each airline is creating its own NDC strategy with some similarities, but inconsistencies exist. Some airlines work with global distribution systems (GDSs) and offer direct connections, but others do not, limiting content access,” he explained.
Due to cost factors, his company’s Online Booking Tool (OBT) is still catching up in building direct connections with airlines using different NDC versions, with no concerted effort to upgrade to the latest standards.
He called for better standardisation of NDC, GDS, and APIs (application programming interfaces), and urged regulators to step in, though he remained sceptical about potential intervention.
Adriana Nainggolan, travel programme manager APAC at Autodesk, said: “It all goes down to industry standards for NDC readiness. Airlines have worked with GDSs and TMCs will need to create the Minimum Marketable Product (MMP) Framework to be able to sell the NDC fares on OBTs.”
She cited American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) as an example of providing companies access to comprehensive and competitive travel content. In May, Amex GBT announced the extension of its private channel agreement with British Airways (BA), ensuring customers have surcharge-free access to BA content while NDC and modern retailing capabilities evolve.
Amex GBT acknowledged that transforming air distribution with NDC is a complex endeavour requiring alignment across the entire travel ecosystem. The TMC stated: “To help develop robust NDC connections for business travel, we’ve created the MMP framework, available through public, open channels.”
“This framework, based on early deployments of NDC-sourced content, includes 162 use cases that airlines, GDSs, and OBTs need to fulfil before integrating NDC content into the Amex GBT marketplace.”
From left: Gevme’s Veemal Gungadin, and WeMeet’s Gu Xuebin
Singapore-based event technology company Gevme and WeMeet, an AI platform for international marketing and business events, inked a partnership agreement at the Global Exhibition CEO Shanghai Summit 2024 last week.
Key features of the combined offerings include seamless WeChat integration, empowering organisers to leverage WeChat as a marketing platform to drive event registration, digital payment, and audience engagement, alongside AI-powered tools for multilingual event concierge services, real-time content summaries, and hybrid and live streaming capabilities accessible both inside and outside of China.
From left: Gevme’s Veemal Gungadin, and WeMeet’s Gu Xuebin
On why this was a good time to officially enter the Chinese market, Gevme CEO Veemal Gungadin, told TTGmice: “The timing couldn’t be better. With China’s Go Global policy, we have seen trade with China and South-east Asia, the European Union, and the US increasing. In fact, From 2018 to 2022, the compound annual growth rate of China’s outward direct investment stock in South-east Asia reached 11.7 per cent.”
This in turn, he added, has an impact on both the inbound and outbound business events industry from China, which Gevme wants to tap onto.
When asked how difficult it was to access the notoriously-difficult China market, Gungadin shared: “We recognised early on that success in China requires a deep understanding of local nuances and strong relationships. That’s why we spent considerable time identifying the right partner.”
Gevme has been working with the WeMeet team for almost four years now, whose “proven expertise in the Chinese market and their innovative use of AI” aligned perfectly with Gevme’s vision.
“Together, we’ve created a solution that seamlessly integrates with existing Chinese platforms while offering the sophisticated features Gevme is known for globally,” Gungadin stated.
Both Gevme and WeMeet have also affirmed their commitment to continuous innovation, and are actively exploring further developments to enhance their joint offerings.
“We have an ambitious roadmap for the future. In the next few years, you can expect to see deeper WeChat integration; and new AI-powered features that further streamline event planning, personalise attendee experiences, and provide valuable data insights.
“We will also be targeting specific industries within China where our combined solution can create significant value,” he noted.
The MoU aims to facilitate business connections and technology transfer through business events across China and South-east Asia
DLG Exhibition & Events Co. (DEXPO), a trade exhibition and event organiser in China, has entered into a strategic partnership with MP Singapore, a global full-service events management, marketing, and community engagement firm.
The agreement aims to jointly invest in, organise, and host business events in the technology sector between China and South-east Asia, in particular, Brunei, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The MoU aims to facilitate business connections and technology transfer through business events across China and South-east Asia
These programmes will include industry conferences, trade delegations, and matchmaking events to facilitate business connections and technology transfer between Chinese and South-east Asian companies.
The presence of Singapore businesses at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, July 4-7, 2024 in Shanghai, and Chinese businesses at AIMX Singapore, October 28-30, 2024, respectively will mark the first of many of such collaborations enabled by this partnership.
“This partnership with MP Singapore is a significant step forward in our mission to connect Chinese and Southeast-Asian businesses within the technology sector,” said Joes Qiu, vice president, DEXPO. “By combining our resources and expertise, we can create valuable platforms for technology exchange and facilitate the growth of the MICE industry in the region.”
From left: HKIAA’s Simon Li, and Informa Markets' Michael Duck
The Hong Kong International Aviation Academy (HKIAA) and International Cooperation and Service Center (ICSCC), by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), have signed a cooperation agreement with Informa Markets Asia, becoming strategic partners for the inaugural Super Terminal Expo (November 5-7, 2024).
Apart from a 20,000m2 exhibition area at AsiaWorld-Expo, Super Terminal Expo also comprises a conference programme, featuring more than 80 forums led by industry experts, discussing trends such as passenger experience innovations, terminal security, sustainability, advanced air mobility, and intermodal connectivity.
From left: HKIAA’s Simon Li, and Informa Markets’ Michael Duck
“Super Terminal Expo sets the stage for next-level airport design and operations across Asia by uniting leading solution airport technology and services providers with senior buyer teams from airports and vendors. It provides a platform for the members of the China Civil Aviation “Belt and Road” cooperation platform to better participate in international exchanges and showcase the latest development achievements of China’s civil aviation industry,” says Meng Qingfen, director general, ICSCC, CAAC.
“We welcome the opportunity to be part of this inaugural event in Hong Kong. Super Terminal Expo provides a unique platform for meaningful exchanges for Mainland China and international industry leaders on the latest trends and developments in the aviation industry,” added Simon Li, president of HKIAA. “We, at HKIAA, appreciate the potential of this occasion and look forward to new partnerships being forged at the event.”
Seeing a shortage of open-air event venues in Hong Kong’s CBD, the JW Marriott Hong Kong has created a new semi-outdoor event space on its premises.
Located at Level 7 of the hotel and adjacent to recently-reopened sustainable dining outlet Fish Bar, the PRESIDEN dining room offers panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony. It is connected to HarbourDen, a semi-outdoor space which boasts stunning harbour views and are ideal for pre- or post-meeting social gatherings.
A lunch set-up in PRESIDEN
The hotel’s general manager, GP Yeow, shared that the new space can host about 80 to 100 people for cocktail events. The new space can also be split into two, and rented separately.
The minimum expenditure for private bookings of each venue is HK$30,000 nett (US$3,839), which includes the required setup and F&B consumption.
The hotel has also integrated sustainable practices into PRESIDEN. For instance, all materials wooden all from certified sustainable source like South Africa; staff uniforms of Fish Bar are made by fabrics such as coffee fibre, recycled polyester and designed by students from Caritas Bianchi College of Careers in support of local youth career development. Additionally, digital menus, rechargeable LED lights, and reusable water-absorbent ceramic coasters are employed as alternatives to the traditional methods.
JW Marriott Hong Kong has also rolled out a series of sustainable initiatives such as the Meet Green at JW Meeting Package, Stay Green at JW Room Package, and Sustainable Gastronomy.
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has appointed Saffron Benner, former sustainable development goals manager for Griffith University, to the role of sustainability & community engagement advisor.
In this newly-created role, Saffron will focus on the environmental and social impact areas of sustainability within the organisation, working to promote all the initiatives that BCEC has implemented to reduce its environmental footprint.
A major priority for Saffron is the development of a sustainability strategy for the Centre that sets both long and short-term social and environmental goals.
The appointment forms part of BCEC’s environmental future strategy and aligns with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ goal to be the most sustainable Games in Olympic history.
Alternative accommodation provider Urban Rest has opened Urban Rest North Sydney, offering a range of apartment options.
Situated on the corner of Doohat Avenue and Pacific Highway, Urban Rest North Sydney offers self-contained studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and several three bedroom split-level penthouses featuring panoramic views of Sydney Harbour.
Urban Rest North Sydney
1 of 4
In promoting health and wellness, all apartments are equipped with the brand standard in-apartment work-out kits by Peloton, providing guests with the opportunity to stay active and energised during their stay. Additionally, guests receive a complimentary 30-day subscription to Peloton’s on-demand workouts.
One of the standout features of Urban Rest North Sydney is its shared terrace overlooking Sydney Harbour, where guests can relax and enjoy barbecue facilities while soaking in the views.
Urban Rest North Sydney stands as the company’s third property north of the bridge and its 23rd property in Sydney.
Latest island attraction Sentosa Sensoryscape is not only an immersive multi-sensory experience incorporating augmented reality, design, nature and music, but embodies sustainability as a key development tenet.
Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) worked closely with the project team of architects, engineers, and contractors to build Sentosa Sensoryscape, an experiential connector for travellers who wish to explore the island on foot in all weather conditions, with strategic ventilation and shade.
The ImagiNite interactive digital experience at Sentosa Sensoryscape’s Scented Sphere, pictured
Lee Cheh Hsien, SDC assistant chief executive, corporate and sustainability, said Sentosa Sensoryscape, which opened in mid-March, is also designed to capture rainwater runoff to a water harvesting tank that provides for non-potable water use such as in irrigation systems.
He added: “During the construction, ecological-valuable tree clusters were further enhanced with proposed tree planting for canopy connectivity required for birds and butterflies’ movements along the east-west axis.
“Approximately 220 species of trees and plants, including over 100 different native fauna-attracting tree and shrub species were also introduced to ensure biodiversity and contribute positively to the environment, such as enhancing air quality, reducing glare and combatting heat.”
Lee stressed it was “imperative for new island partners and attractions to be onboard with our Sustainable Sentosa ambition and sustainability goals to become a globally recognised sustainable destination by 2030”.
“When attractions are being conceptualised, we encourage the operators to develop their plans with the natural environment in mind so as to lessen the disturbance to the biodiversity within the vicinity.”
“A few good examples include setting a wellness resort next to a serene, forested area, or experiencing a zipline above the treetop canopies onto the beach.”
He commented: “Beachfront areas are zoned as active and vibrant areas suitable for crowd events like music concerts, while protecting other quieter beaches and intertidal areas with rich biodiversity by limiting activity and visitorship through guided tours.”
The design of energy consumption, Lee told TTGmice, is also kept in mind to ensure that the carbon footprint is kept low and, where possible, powered by renewable energy.
“One such example of a newly-launched attraction which has already achieved carbon neutrality is the SkyHelix, a carbon neutral attraction which boasts a panoramic experience at the peak of Mount Imbiah,” he shared.
Just 10 minutes from Phuket International Airport on the serene northern coast, this 178-key, Bill Bensley-designed resort offers delegates a quiet, tropical paradise steeped in Phuket’s tin-mining heritage
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
Behind the imposing, Brutalist concrete that defines Zurich’s Oerlikon district lies a surprising secret. While its exterior honours the neighbourhood’s industrial roots, stepping inside Mama Shelter reveals a vibrant, neon-soaked world that is a far cry from its rigid shell
