Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will host the International Dairy Federation’s (IDF) World Dairy Summit in 2026, anticipated to attract over 1,000 industry leaders and scientific experts to the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC).
The event is expected to deliver more than NZ$2 million to the region’s economy.
A rendering of the soon-to-open NZICC in Auckland
The summit is the flagship event for the 120-year-old Federation, which spans more than 40 member countries, representing more than 75 per cent of the world’s milk production. Over 2,000 people attended the event when it was last held in New Zealand in 2010.
The event will showcase the work the IDF is doing to enhance all aspects of dairy – from cows to consumers, including the vital role the Federation plays in helping to shape food policies and standards. Attendees will also hear from senior industry executives from across the globe and eminent technical experts about the sector’s opportunities and challenges.
This will be followed by technical tours of manufacturing plants, research institutes, farms, and the dairy industry, showcasing New Zealand’s wider agriculture sector. A programme of social tours will also enable visitors to explore Auckland and New Zealand.
Convenor Andy Williams indicated that this win reflects New Zealand’s standing in the global industry as the source of 40 per cent of the world’s traded dairy products.
“Hosting this summit will be great for New Zealand, it’s recognising our dairy expertise and leadership. We’ll be able to showcase what New Zealand is doing to stay at the forefront of this important global industry and how we’re adapting to emerging challenges. Dairy has an important role in the sustainability, safety and security of the global nutrient supply, and New Zealand must be at the table when the sector discusses how we will respond to these important issues.”
New Zealand was awarded this event following a bid by the New Zealand International Dairy Federation with support from the Auckland Convention Bureau, a division of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, and Tourism New Zealand.
Japanese multi-brand hotel operator Hotel Management Japan’s (HMJ’s) plan for 2024 is to increase its banquet and events revenue, as well as focus marketing efforts on the Indian outbound market.
“Although our room revenue for 2024 has already exceeded 2019, our F&B, events, and banquet revenues are still lagging behind. This is what the MICE manager has been tasked to handle, to push these revenues back to 2019 levels,” Oriental Hotels & Resorts’ senior director, business development, Tsuyoshi Maeda, told TTGmice at ITB Berlin last week.
Maeda shared that the hotel group recently signed on the 11-villa Hakone Retreat Fore (another seven villas will be ready in August 2024), which will join HMJ’s portfolio next month. Located 1.5 hours from Tokyo, this hideaway is “suitable for luxury incentives or C-suite meetings”.
This year also marks the first time that the company is participating in ITB Berlin to deepen its brand awareness. Another show that Oriental Hotels & Resorts will most likely attend is ITB India.
When asked why India in particular, Maeda explained: “Taking into account the rising middle class, the Indian outbound market holds huge potential for us. It is not often that you hear a Japanese company actively court the Indian market, but if we (make inroads) early enough, this will bode well for us in the future.”
He referenced Suzuki as an illustration of how the automotive and motorcycle manufacturer successfully entered the Indian market ahead of its competitors, contributing to its substantial market share today.
Given the stark difference in culture and travelling styles, Maeda acknowledged that there will be challenges in dealing with the Indian market, such as the provision of vegetarian cuisine, and the approach to hospitality.
However, Maeda strongly believes that the rising Indian outbound market will play a large part in doubling the company’s portfolio in the next five years.
The Ascott Limited has opened the 255-key Sydney Central Hotel Managed by The Ascott Limited (Sydney Central).
The accommodation mix includes standard, superior and executive rooms. On-site amenities include a rooftop pool, gym, and the Thomas St Kitchen + Bar which provides a breakfast buffet with barista-made coffee and in-room dining.
Sydney Central Hotel
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Sydney Central, equipped with on-site catering services, also features 12 versatile spaces, including a spacious ballroom. These venues can accommodate events ranging from 10 to 300 people.
At this point, Sydney Central will be undergoing staged renovations, and an additional 72 rooms across eight floors will be added; the refurbishment will include accessible and family suites. A new café is also in the plans. Once everything is complete, the property will be rebranded as Citadines Sydney Central.
The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) has appointed Samantha Glass, director of corporate affairs, communication and sustainability, ICC Sydney to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
She takes over the convention centre appointed position on the Board from Janet Hamilton, general manager, Cairns Convention Centre, who has stepped down to concentrate on fostering opportunities for her extended and refurbished centre.
Glass is known for her role as founding member of ICC Sydney’s leadership team and as an ASM Global ambassador, spearheading pioneering initiatives in sustainability and corporate social responsibility, including ICC Sydney’s Legacy Program and Corporate Social Responsibility Plan.
In adherence to the ABEA Constitution, the appointment maintains the presence of a convention centre leader and advocate, ensuring continuity in expertise, while simultaneously maintaining the 50/50 gender balance.
As the business events landscape develops and competition for quality events intensifies within and among destinations, industry players have seen an evolution in the relationship between vendors and clients. A simple buy-and-sell approach no longer cuts it; both have to be partners committed to the shared goal of delivering a memorable and fruitful event to their stakeholders.
This partnership mentality has resulted in convention centres becoming more deliberate in their efforts to support event organisers, ultimately benefitting event attendees and the local community.
Take for instance International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) in Australia, which is committed to supporting local farmers and food producers while bringing the freshest state produce to its guests. Today, the venue is also a prolific supporter of the New South Wales wine industry, selling more than two million glasses of wine from the state since its opening in 2016.
ICC Sydney CEO and ASM Global (APAC) group director – convention centres, Geoff Donaghy, said: “Since our pre-opening days, we decided to feed our delegates healthy meals to keep everyone awake after lunch. Feeding Your Performance started out as a nutritionist-designed menu, but we soon realised that it was also benefitting our farmers and small producers. Feeding Your Performance feeds their performance and our local economy,”
ICC Sydney presents First Nations art
A qualitative research conducted with the University of Technology Sydney found that ICC Sydney has been able to give farmers “certainty of business”, which allowed farmers more time to give back to their community instead of having to worry about business, according to the venue’s director of corporate affairs, communication and sustainability, Samantha Glass.
“Some sustainable farmers are taking time to teach their neighbours how to farm more sustainably,” added Glass.
ICC Sydney also connects clients and their attendees with the destination’s heritage and people meaningfully through the arts. It offers its Gadigal Dreaming – The Sacred Country of the Gadigal People augmented reality experience content to event planners hosting at the venue. Content comprises eight scenes covering gathering, fishing, corroboree, crafting, tracks, hunting, camp life and cosmology legends of Sydney’s original custodians, and can be enjoyed on the audience’s own devices through QR codes.
Gadigal Dreaming, created by Bilbie XR Labs, an award-winning First Nations digital storytelling enterprise and the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, with the support of Investment New South Wales, was first launched in September 2022 to bring the stories of the Gadigal People to members of the public passing through the Darling Harbour precinct.
Using art and media to “amplify First Nations voices, share the experiences of the world’s oldest living culture and preserve the history of the land on which our venue stands” is just one of the many ways ICC Sydney is using its “sphere of influence” to support Aboriginal community development, said Glass.
The venue’s support for the Aboriginal community extends to a First Nations procurement strategy, which provides business to First Nations organisations; employment programmes with education partners to benefit Aboriginal individuals; and hosting of events that connect Sydney’s business community partners with First Nations-owned businesses to result in opportunities for collaboration.
Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) in the Malaysian state of Sarawak is also leveraging its commercial influence to drive meaningful interactions with NGOs. It provides NGOs with complimentary space to exhibit and sell their products, such as handcrafted souvenirs made by members, to conference delegates. BCCK supports a range of NGOs, including the Association for the Welfare of Sarawak Mentally Retarded Children, Kuching Autistic Association, Sarawak Deaf Association, Penan Women Association, and Sarawak Blind Association.
Organisers are encouraged to commission conference materials, such as speaker gift bags and delegate lanyards, from these NGOs. Notably, massages offered by members of the Sarawak Blind Association have gained popularity among conference organisers and delegates, according to BCCK’s CEO, Eric van Piggelen.
Singapore Expo brings fun to meetings
Over at the Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur, a fabric recycling campaign was launched in October 2023 in collaboration with Kloth Cares, a pioneering textile-recycling movement in South-east Asia.
Initial collections garnered through the campaign, held in conjunction with the prestigious CIMB Artober Art & Soul 2023 and CIMB Artober Fashion Week 2023 at MITEC from October 5-8, were sorted through Kloth Care’s recycling centre. High-quality fabric items were either exported or donated to charities, while the rest were upcycled or transformed into products like industrial wiping cloths and processed engineered fuel.
The 2023 campaign concluded successfully and MITEC continues to work with Kloth Cares this year; a fabric collection bin is placed prominently at the venue’s North Foyer. Taking this circular economy initiative a step further, MITEC will be organising quarterly thematic collection drives in 2024 to encourage personal donations from the centre’s visitors and local community.
As event attendees value fun experiences, convention centres are getting creative with networking concepts.
At Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo, organisers are gifted with EXPOtainment CUBE, where an array of visitor engagement programmes are customised based on the nature of the event – for free.
For a recent event, it organised a jazz performance for attendees. It took place around the end of the event show day, just in time for relaxed networking. Finger foods were thrown in.
Khoo Yew Jin, Constellar’s vice president for marketing for Singapore Expo, Singapore’s largest purpose-built events venue, told TTGmice: “Attendees today have grown far more selective about the types of events they attend, and in relation, the kind of activities they get to enjoy and participate in. Event organisers also want to create informal, casual moments where participants can gather, have fun, and at the same time make meaningful connections.”
Singapore Expo has strategies to elevate business events in such ways.
For instance, the venue integrates festivalisation into events hosted on-site. With Food&HotelAsia – Food & Beverage 2023, Singapore Expo created the first-of-its-kind Beer Yard @ FHA as a delegate networking event. The outdoor beer and networking zone, hosted in an outdoor atrium, invited delegates to connect over a selection of craft beers from local taprooms, fill their bellies with treats from food trucks, and enjoy daily live music and nostalgic games.
This networking concept enhanced the overall vibrancy of the show and visitor experience.
Khoo said more leisure offerings would be revealed in the year ahead.
MITEC upcycles with Kloth Cares
A venue for everyone
Another invaluable evolution of the role of convention centres is how operators regard their spaces today. More are recognising that their centre is not solely for business events, and having daily visitors through its doors benefits tenants and the local community.
The Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand, aims to become a community hub.
“As the city changes with more developments, we too, need to change to ensure we remain part of the community. We would like to serve nearby residents, office workers, and exercise lovers, and not just be a venue for people to convene in,” said Sutichai Bunditvorapoom, executive vice president – marketing, sales and operations division.
Out of its total space of more than 300,000m2, an area of 11,000m2 has been carved out for retail such as bookstores, convenience stores, and a spectacle shop. They fit into the Bangkok Active Lifestyle Mall concept, comprising co-working spaces, shower stations, spa, and F&B outlets.
According to Sutichai, the calendar is filled with “regular entertainment”, where temporary art pieces from the Bangkok Art Biennale are on public display alongside permanent art installations.
“We are partnering with Benjakitti Park (next door) to organise activities for visitors, covering music, sports, and recreational activities. People who visit Benjakitti Park are also welcome to use our facility (to wash up and hang out),” Sutichai added.
Meanwhile, visitors to the sprawling Singapore Expo will soon discover that the centre is also a destination for good local food. Work is underway to launch a new dining experience in 1Q2024. The project, in partnership with established F&B group BMP Food Concept, will bring Singapore’s aspiring hawker-preneurs, live sports, music and performances together in a communal food park space.
TFE Hotels has made key general manager appointments across their Australian and New Zealand network.
Christian Price has been named general manager for TFE Hotels’ five brands – The Interlude, Adina Apartment Hotels Melbourne Pentridge, North & Common, Olivine and Chapter Place events – at the redeveloped Pentridge lifestyle precinct.
Christian Price and Lucy Ockleston
Lucy Ockleston is now cluster hotel general manager supporting Adina Apartment Hotel, Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront, and the Travelodge in Australia’s Top End.
Additionally, Nigel Maxey is the new general manager of Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands; Emma Sutherland is now general manager at Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour; Sid Bhatia is Vibe Hotel Gold Coast’s new hotel general manager; Diana Quinones-Silva helms at Hotel Kurrajong Canberra; Ben Saxton will lead the team at A by Adina Canberra; Andrew Edwards has moved to Quincy Hotel Melbourne; and Jolanta Prusek will head the team at Adina Apartment Hotel Surry Hills.
Travellers arriving and departing Singapore by car via Woodlands and Tuas overland checkpoints can expect faster passage from March 19 as the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) adopts a QR code system for immigration clearance.
Currently, travellers need to hand over their passports to the ICA officer at the car counter.
Singapore will adopt a QR code system for immigration clearance at its Woodlands and Tuas overland checkpoints from March 19
A QR code can be generated for individuals, while a group code can be generated for those travelling in the same car. Travellers will need to download the MyICA mobile application on their mobile device and populate their passport details in the application.
First-time visitors and those re-entering Singapore using a different passport from their last visit to Singapore will need to present their physical passport for immigration clearance. They will be able to use the QR code for immigration clearance on their subsequent trips.
ICA officers will conduct face-to-face checks of travellers using data retrieved backend through the QR code.
According to ICA, the QR code initiative can deliver estimated time savings of around 20 seconds for cars with four travellers, to approximately one minute for cars with 10 travellers.
Overall waiting time can be reduced by more than 30 per cent if most car travellers use the QR code for clearance. This initiative also offers travellers contactless and more hygienic immigration clearance.
ICA plans to progressively extend QR code clearance to the other clearance zones at the land checkpoints. This will allow travellers in other means of conveyance to also enjoy faster and more convenient immigration clearance. Details will be announced in due course.
The Riau Islands Governor has called on Bintan and Batam suppliers to enhance their event facilities, to help advance the promotion of the region as a premier destination for business events.
Emphasising the need for enhanced facilities and event quality, Ansar Ahmad, the governor, expressed this vision during the recent Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (IHRA) National Coordination Meeting in Batam.
Ansar also advocated for collaborative promotional efforts with neighbouring countries like Singapore and Malaysia, utilising regional meetings such as IMT-GT (Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle) – held in September last year – to strengthen ties and attract more participants.
“We will continue to organise events in the Riau Islands to increase arrivals,” he added.
Guntur Sakti, the head of the Riau Islands Provincial Tourism Office, also outlined plans to develop not only Batam and Bintan, but also Karimun and Tanjung Pinang as free trade zones, aiming to enhance their appeal to visitors.
Ansar also requested a change to the visa policy for foreign tourists during the National Coordination Meeting. His proposal included revoking the visa on arrival (VOA) policy in favour of a visa-free approach or introducing a shorter visa facility with lower tariffs, considering a traveller’s average three-day stay in the region.
In response, Sandiaga Uno, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, shared: “The Ministry has proposed a short-term visa rate of US$10 per foreign tourist for seven days in the Riau Islands. However, the implementation of this policy, particularly for visitors from (outside of South-east Asia) is awaiting tariff guidelines from the Ministry of Finance.”
At press time, Indonesia’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights has prepared a short-term visa with a maximum duration of seven days, applicable at five immigration checkpoints in Batam, Bintan, Karimun, and Tanjung Pinang. However, the final implementation hinges on the tariff decisions from the Ministry of Finance.
Highlighting positive tourism growth, the Riau Islands witnessed a more than 50 per cent increase in visitor arrivals in 2023 compared to 2022, totalling 1.5 million visits. The majority of visitors came from Singapore, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, domestic tourist visits from January to November 2023 amounted to more than two million people.
Fiji has seen an influx of incentive groups from China and Japan over the past few years, which Tourism Fiji is keen to continue attracting and maintaining interest in, outside of its top main markets of Australia and New Zealand.
“This year, we’ll be doing several roadshows in China and Japan. We also recently consolidated our Asian representation in our office in Shanghai. Our regional director for Asia there looks after South-east Asia, China, and Japan.
Thompson: exploring new inbound markets for Fiji. Photo: Rachel AJ Lee
“We also do a lot of regional work out of Singapore – where we have a direct flight – but the big markets for us are Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan in Asia-Pacific,” Robert Thompson, executive director of regions, Tourism Fiji, told TTGmice at ITB Berlin last week.
As planners are now looking for new incentive destinations, Fiji has also been garnering interest from Singapore and Thailand, Thompson shared, as well as global companies based in Indonesia and Hong Kong. The sweet spot for Fiji is for groups of around 200 to 400 max, he added.
“We had a huge explosion (of groups) throughout 2022 and 2023, to the point our ADR increased about 40 per cent, with occupancy between 85 to 95 per cent. While this is great for the country in terms of revenue, it was bad because interested groups did not have many options on the ground, especially when Fiji’s major markets (Australia, New Zealand, and US) returned in full force,” he said.
Fortunately, the situation has improved because more incentive groups can provide a 12- to 18-month lead time now, as compared to just after Covid when groups arrived within a month’s notice.
“We can now map out capacities and inventories, and already have requests for 2025, 2026, and even 2027,” Thompson said.
When asked to describe Fiji’s lure and how it is sold to incentive planners, Thompson stated: “Fiji is a departure from what groups are used to, and the experience on the ground is unique. Happiness is the core of what it is like to be in Fiji, and we try to ensure visitors get to experience what that is. Many of our incentive groups include a visit or interaction with the local community.”
Fiji’s other selling point is barefoot luxury. “Don’t expect a butler in a crisp white shirt and suit, but instead, a smiling Fijian in a polo shirt who’ll bring you the cocktail,” he said.
This year, Thompson is testing the waters for two offline countries, South Korea and India; offline for Tourism Fiji means countries that Fiji does not have direct flights to.
“We plan to hold a roadshow (each) in South Korea and India. We’ve taken a big interest in India, as the outbound sector holds many opportunities for Fiji, but we do need to think about how (we are going to handle) large-scale groups (above 400),” he said.
Mona: proactive approach to quality management and improvement
Place Borneo, a professional congress organiser (PCO) based in Sarawak, recently became an accredited IAPCO (The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers) member, making them the first member from East Malaysia.
Mona Abdul Manap, co-founder and CEO of Place Borneo, said she received the membership approval in February, after going through the extensive reviewing process which included an event audit by one of IAPCO’s council members, Jason Yeh. Yeh is also the CEO and founder of Taiwan-based GIS Group.
Mona: proactive approach to quality management and improvement
During the audit, Yeh visited Place Borneo’s head office in Kuching, Sarawak, and also audited the ASEAN Food Conference held in October 2023, which Place Borneo managed as the PCO.
Mona expressed: “We are committed to delivering world-class standards for every congress we produce, and the IAPCO accreditation validates this commitment. By benchmarking ourselves against top PCOs worldwide, we ensure that our processes align with international best practices while being tailored for local contexts.”
She added that as an IAPCO-accredited member, Place Borneo is now bound by the standards of service demanded by the international industry, where deviations can result in a penalty or termination.
“We will work closely with national and state convention bureaus for bids and having an IAPCO member enhances the destination’s or local host’s capability to produce an international-scale congress, from the bid committee’s perspective,” she added.
Anderes Fourdy, based in Kuala Lumpur, is the other PCO in Malaysia recognised by IAPCO.
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