Asia/Singapore Monday, 22nd December 2025
Page 207

Routes Asia 2025 heads to Perth

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By hosting Routes Asia, Perth (pictured) will help to drive growth for the region’s air route networks

At the CAPA World Aviation Summit on November 28, it was announced that Routes Asia 2025 will take place in Perth, Australia from March 25-27.

Routes Asia unites decision makers from airlines, airports and the destinations they serve from across Asia Pacific. Vice presidents and heads of network planning from over 80 of the region’s leading and fastest-growing airlines are expected to attend the event.

By hosting Routes Asia, Perth (pictured) will help to drive growth for the region’s air route networks

The event will be hosted by Perth Airport and Tourism Western Australia with the support of Business Events Perth and Business Events Australia.

Tourism is an important part of Western Australia’s economy, supporting nearly 30,000 tourism businesses and generating 89,100 tourism-filled jobs in 2021-22, while in 2022-23 the sector contributed A$16.8 billion (US$11.2 million) in visitor spend. Increased air connectivity is essential to the region’s strategy to continue this economic growth.

Having seen international traffic recover to 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, Western Australia’s capital city is focused on developing direct aviation access from key priority markets including China, India, South Korea, Taiwan and other unserved markets. By hosting Routes Asia, Perth will demonstrate to the region’s leading airlines the viability and profitability of these routes.

The airport recently welcomed the announcement that Qantas will commence operating a non-stop service between Perth and Paris in July 2024. Other recent route successes for Perth include two new non-stop services to Ho Chi Minh City by VietJet Air and Vietnam Airlines and the resumptions of the ANA Perth to Tokyo service.

“Hosting Routes Asia 2025 is an amazing opportunity for WA as it allows us to build on our work to secure even more direct flight connections between Perth and Asia,” said Tourism WA’s managing director Carolyn Turnbull.

CNCC II to host ICCA China office, signs hotel agreements

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An artist's impression of CNCC II

Although China National Convention Center Phase II (CNCC II) in Beijing is currently under construction with a scheduled opening set for 2025, the complex has recently agreed on several key partnerships.

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has chosen CNCC II as the location for its China representative office. This move, supported by the Beijing government and Beijing North Star, aims to foster global networking exchanges for the business events industry in Beijing and China.

An artist’s impression of CNCC II

The partnership also includes the launch of the first ICCASkills hub project in China, emphasising the commitment to upskilling and developing the workforce of the business events industry.

Meanwhile, Beijing North Star Group, the developer of CNCC II, signed agreements for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Beijing, North, and the Beijing Marriott Marquis Hotel as part of the CNCC II convention complex.

Set to open in 2026, the Ritz-Carlton Beijing, North, will offer 282 guestrooms, while the Beijing Marriott Marquis Hotel will offer 671 guestrooms.

These two hotels are part of the 780,000m2 integrated development, which will include the China National Convention Center – Phase 2, one commercial office building, and retail.

CNCC II is being designed and constructed according to the LEED V3 platinum standard and Green Building 3-Star System standard, and will offer 420,000m2 of gross floor space and 270,000m2 of purpose-built meeting and event space.

MCB reports robust growth across Victoria’s business events sector

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People are walking on the banks of the Yarra River in front of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

The Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) has announced strong results for the 2022/2023 financial year, reporting a 74 per cent increase in economic contribution from secured business events compared to the previous year.

Economic contribution for the state reached A$354 million (US$235 million) through the successful acquisition of 197 future events, anticipated to attract over 100,500 visitors and occupy over 196,000 room nights across Victoria. The annual results exceeded all targets.

People walking in front of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Speaking at the Annual General Meeting, MCB chief executive Julia Swanson, acknowledged the MCB team’s dedication and lauded their bold and innovative strategies that propelled the sector forward, overcoming challenges of recent years.

“Melbourne’s business events sector has not just rebounded; it is thriving, having transitioned into recovery faster than anticipated. We are now back on par with pre-covid levels, with further growth underway.

“This success is a testament to the collective effort and unwavering support from the Victorian Government, Visit Victoria, City of Melbourne, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, MCB Partners, and industry collaborators, emphasising the effectiveness of our ‘Team Melbourne’ approach in securing international business,” Swanson said.

Prestigious global association meetings secured for Victoria were highlighted with standout events like the World Chambers Congress 2025 and the inaugural APAC Offshore Wind and Green Hydrogen Summit 2023, as examples of the city’s ability to draw significant and influential events aligned to the state’s priority sectors.

Corporate meetings and incentives also played a crucial role, contributing A$77 million in economic impact for the state from the 58 groups secured. Notable among these is the Amway China Leadership Seminar 2025, expected to bring over 10,000 delegates from China to Melbourne. As one of the largest delegations from China to visit Melbourne, this mega incentive group is a major coup for the state.

Large-scale conventions, that Melbourne is renowned for, also made a strong return, hosting events like the Rotary International Convention 2023. Throughout the year, a total of 187 events were held, injecting A$385 million into Victoria’s visitor economy.

With the celebration of the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Event’s (AIME) 30th anniversary, Swanson emphasised the enduring importance of the event not just for MCB as owners of AIME, but for Melbourne as the host city and its impact on the global business events industry.

Meanwhile, MCB Board appointments include Natalie O’Brien, chief executive of Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre and Janette Kendall, an experienced company director with more than 25 years of board experience across public, private and not-for-profit organisations spanning a diverse range of industries.

TRYP by Wyndham Pulteney Street Adelaide hires F&B director

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TRYP by Wyndham Pulteney Street Adelaide has appointed Valentin Corchado as director of F&B.

Corchado’s hospitality career spans 24 years, where he has managed hotels in Darling Harbour and Brighton in Australia and large F&B operations in several Fiji resorts with global brands such as Hilton and Raddison. He has also worked as an F&B manager in hotels in Darwin, and as an events manager in Sydney.

For the past six years, he was the director of his own hospitality consulting firm Coliseum, where he provided human resources and operational support to international resorts in Fiji.

Learn the art of block printing with Khushbu

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Print on your own tote bag or tea towel

The Khushbu Project started in 2011 as an educational programme to serve migrant women and their families in an urban village within the megacity of New Delhi.

What started as literacy training quickly expanded to include jewellery making, self-help savings groups, forums on social justice, and after-school tutoring for children. These activities enabled women and their children to learn new skills, develop social support, and understand basic human rights.

Print on your own tote bag or tea towel

To support its various activities, the socially responsible business runs two-hour-long block-printing workshops guided by its master artisans.

Suitable for corporates, each workshop can hold up to eight people in one session, and costs 2,800 Indian rupees (US$33.60) per person. Participants will get to choose the block printing design they like, and at the end of the day, they will take home a tote bag and two tea towels at the end of the day.

Aside from providing classes, Khushbu also takes in corporate orders, all handmade with great care. Materials are sourced from surplus or upcycled shops, so that the excess of others does not end up in landfills, and they aim to become a low-waste manufacturing centre over the next five years.

Habyt and Rently reduce hefty upfront rental costs for corporates

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New Habyt members do not need to pay hefty security deposits

Flexible housing provider Habyt has partnered with Singapore-based startup, Rently, which allows new Habyt members the freedom to rent a home with zero upfront cost.

New members can enjoy deposit-free rentals across hundreds of rooms – from fully-furnished co-living rooms to four-bedroom flats – in Singapore and Hong Kong, a first of its kind in Asia-Pacific.

New Habyt members do not need to pay hefty security deposits

Unlike traditional rental processes that require a substantial upfront deposit, this partnership enables new members to allocate their funds more flexibly, avoiding the burden of initial payments.

In celebration of this partnership, Habyt has rolled out a flash deal which includes a 20 per cent discount for Singapore rentals and a 10 per cent discount for Hong Kong rentals, applicable to leases starting from now until December 31, 2023.

This offer is valid for new members signing a minimum three-month lease in Singapore and a minimum one-month lease in Hong Kong. The flash deal is not valid for selected properties in Hong Kong, including Tsing Fung, Austin Avenue, and Knight on Wyndham.

AIME 2024 gets bigger and better

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AIME 2023 - Showfloor
aime-logo-event

Brought to you by AIME

The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) is the flagship trade event for the global meetings and event industry in the Asia Pacific region.

With just three months to go until AIME 2024, it is all systems go to create an event that will be even better than the last – it’s the reason AIME remains the leading event on the professional event planner’s calendar.

In 2024, AIME expects to host 500 buyers from around the world, welcome 3500 visitor buyers and more than 400 exhibitors from various business events sectors and countries – including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Macau and many other destinations.

AIME is delighted to announce a larger showfloor in 2024, expanding the event’s footprint by an additional two bays at its home, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

This growth allows the introduction of new zones, including The Boutique and DMC Network and bringing a number of first-time exhibitors to AIME.

A dedicated zone for the world’s boutique experience makers, The Boutique will showcase such operators as small independently owned wineries with intimate spaces, design-led luxury venues with a distinct personality and services to match, and other bespoke and highly customizable experiences.

Also, for the first time at AIME, a dedicated zone for Destination Management Companies (DMCs) will exist – the DMC Network. This space will bring together on-the-ground teams from all over the world who are perfectly positioned to curate tailored experiences for conferences, incentives and events in their region.

AIME 2024 will also feature dedicated spaces on the showfloor for those all-important impromptu meetings, facilitating more networking opportunities across the three days of the event.

A dedicated tech zone – which will be double the size of 2023, continues to highlight the importance of event technology companies and suppliers to the global industry.

Kicking off the three-day event on Monday 19 February, AIME’s highly anticipated Knowledge Program is themed “The 4Ps of GLOCALISATION”,  which is inspired by the AIME global community’s wish of harmonising the relationship between global insights and local nuances.

Exploring the intricate dynamics of glocalisation’s transformative impact will be two magnetic keynote speakers, award-winning marketing executive Lisa Ronson and bestselling author, TV host and founder of the 100 Things movement Sebastian Terry.

Breakout sessions across the day will highlight how to align a “Glocalisation” mindset with the pivotal 4Ps – People, Planet, Purpose, and Profit – to achieve deeper brand engagement and sustainable business success.

The AIME 2024 Knowledge Program is attended by Hosted Buyers, Media, Exhibitors and Visitor Buyers who upgrade their ticket, but opportunities for education and inspiration continue for all attendees on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 February, with the Ideas Academy presented by Spice Magazine.

Each Ideas Academy session is delivered silently via individual headphones, with high-quality, informative content providing practical takeaways for attendees to implement in their business.

Sessions will run continuously and are free for all attendees. Bookings are not required.

As AIME enters its 31st year, it’s clear that it is the place where Asia Pacific does business – and where it has a lot of fun, too!

AIME 2024 will run 19 –21 February, 2024 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC).

For more information or to register to attend AIME visit: aime.com.au

InterContinental Bali Resort welcomes new DOSM

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InterContinental Bali Resort has appointed Jeremy Brook as the new director of sales and marketing.

Brook brings a wealth of experience and a track record of success in both sales and marketing strategies. He is adept at fostering strong and productive business relationships and is known for his strong team-building skills.

He has previously worked at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula in Vietnam, InterContinental Hong Kong, Bulgari Hotel London, Peninsula Hotels Brand, to name some.

Jamie Tan joins Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Singapore as hotel manager

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Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay has named Jamie Tan as its new hotel manager.

A seasoned professional, Tan has over 20 years of experience in the hotel industry, including a tenure of 15 years at Pan Pacific Hotels Group.

In her new role, she will take charge of the hotel’s operations team, which encompasses front office, culinary, food & beverage, security, engineering, housekeeping, and lifestyle (spa and wellness).

Stephen Cane helms as GM of Dorsett Melbourne

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Dorsett Melbourne has appointed Stephen Cane as its new general manager, bringing over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry to his new role.

Most recently area general manager at Accor, Cane moved back to Melbourne from London where he lived for 20 years, 12 of which he worked as general manager to four- and five-star hotels.

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