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.
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).
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.
Following the formation of New Zealand’s new coalition government, the business events industry is calling for all-of-government recognition for the sector.
Business Events Industry Aotearoa’s (BEIA) chief executive, Lisa Hopkins, pointed out that the industry straddles a broad variety of ministerial portfolios.
“New Zealand’s business events industry impacts not just tourism, but diverse industries and government departments. Our sector has immense potential to influence New Zealand’s economic and social indicators, and our global reputation as an exceptional world-class destination.
“We want to work with government to support the sector, enabling it to increase its reach and potential, but, most importantly, realise the positive impact the sector plays in delivering outcomes for New Zealand and New Zealanders.”
Hopkins added that BEIA has prepared a “comprehensive briefing document” for the incoming ministers, and will “proactively engage with Ministers and their policy advisors of many portfolios, including Trade, Immigration, Foreign Affairs, Health, and Economic Development”.
Business Events is one of Tourism New Zealand’s top four strategic markets, delivering investment, jobs, and economic growth, and significantly contributes to the hospitality, retail, and transport industries,
As such, BEIA is calling for sustainable funding through the application of a visitor levy for distribution across the visitor economy, including business events.
“New investment is also needed to secure international conferences for New Zealand. As the world’s last developed nation to unveil a range of state-of-the-art, eco-friendly centres, we are setting the benchmark for others, but we are playing on a global stage which requires support. The returns, however, are significant.”
Hopkins also called for the new minister for tourism and hospitality Matt Doocey to provide direction and support to the TDLG (Tourism Data Leadership Group), to ensure the industry is measured accurately to reflect its value.
“As well, we look forward to continuing the good mahi (work) done to date with Immigration, as we collaborate on a process to streamline access to New Zealand for attendees from non-visa waiver countries. This is an excellent example of government and industry working together to find a solution,” Hopkins stated.
Corporate incentive planners are buzzing with excitement after AirAsia Malaysia recently announced the launch of its inaugural flight between Kuala Lumpur and Perth on March 11, 2024.
These seven new services will complement AirAsia X’s – an affiliate airline – existing daily medium-haul operations connecting Kuala Lumpur and Perth.
This will bode well for the Malaysian incentive market, said Koh Yock Heng, group managing director, Apple Vacations, as there has been “a notable decline in outbound European tour bookings and incentives to Middle East and Europe” due to geopolitical issues.
Koh added: “This enhanced air connectivity will play a crucial role in advancing our efforts to promote Perth and Western Australia for both incentive and leisure travel.”
On what would appeal to Malaysian incentives, he pointed to Western Australia’s favourable weather conditions, renowned wineries, exceptional opportunities for nature and wildlife sightseeing, and diverse range of experiences.
Corporate Information Travel’s (CIT) business development manager, Foo Sze Zhaun, indicated that this announcement will strengthen the existing collaboration between CIT and Tourism Western Australia in attracting Malaysian outbound corporates and leisure travellers to Western Australia.
Foo also expressed optimism that more flights will also help stabilise airfares, as Perth is a “perennially-appealing destination located just. 5.5 hours from Kuala Lumpur”.
Meanwhile, Zahira Tahir, founder and CEO of Universal Holidays Travel and Tourism, opined that the new air routes have also created an opportune moment for her company to enter the Australian incentive market.
She elaborated: “This is a new market for us, which we plan to actively engage by participating in tradeshows in Australia to identify potential partners.”
Corporate travellers in Asia-Pacific are exhibiting a greater willingness to travel for business, but not without higher expectations to prioritise safety, flexibility and sustainability, according to new research by SAP Concur.
Business travel is returning steadily, with nearly all (94%) Asia-Pacific travellers asserting that the future of their career depends on successful business travel in the coming year. Three-fifths (60%) are very willing to travel for business, which is a 12% increase from the 48% who were this willing last year. The stakes are shown in the value put on travel ̶ many (46%) believe it’s vital to maintain customer relationships.
While there is a greater inclination to travel, the vast majority (93%) of Asia-Pacific business travellers expect flexibility to book travel outside of company policy when policy conflicts with their needs or values.
Flexible arrangement includes employers allowing staff to book travel that falls outside of company policy to help facilitate a healthy work-life balance (53%), and a rising priority – to book more sustainable travel options (40%).
These expectations show that for business travellers, it isn’t just about value; it’s about values. Two-fifths of Asia-Pacific business travellers (40%) expect their company to allow them to make travel choices outside of company policy to book more sustainable travel options.
Moreover, 90% of travellers said they will take extra steps over the next 12 months to reduce the environmental impact of their business travel. Nearly a quarter (24%) would directly decline a business trip if they had concerns about the environmental impact of the travel.
Companies may need to swiftly make adjustments to accommodate such employee sentiments, otherwise their business and financial operations may be compromised. Already, the survey had found that many travellers were going outside their company’s purview to book business travel, thus hampering their employer’s visibility into travel spend.
Half of Asia-Pacific business travellers (50%) book their travel directly using an airline, hotel or car rental company’s website or app, while slightly fewer use their company’s travel agency or department (41%). Many change or cancel flights using a direct approach too – 41% typically use the airline’s website or app, and 19% call the airline directly.
This behaviour of taking matters into their own hands may gather momentum if employees’ expectations for greater control over the nitty gritty of their trips remain unmet. Already, more than a third of Asia-Pacific business travellers (34%) said they would decline a business trip that does not give them the flexibility to make adjustments outside of company policy.
Despite the clear advantages and opportunities afforded by corporate travel, 93% of Asia-Pacific business travellers perceive threats to their business travel today.
Nearly nine in 10 Asia-Pacific business travellers (89%) said their business travels are already being affected, with the most common impact being reduced travel budgets (42%). Many have also seen policy changes that impact the comfort and pleasure of their business travel, including employers requiring travellers to stay in lower quality accommodations and/or less safe areas (34%), and taking cheaper flights even if it means layovers, indirect routes or alternative airports (32%).
“As companies seek to balance corporate budget restrictions with the re-opening of business travel post-pandemic, it’s imperative they recognise the experience of business travellers and seek solutions that can help meet traveller expectations within the capacity of corporate travel programs and budgets,” said Charlie Sultan, president, Concur Travel, SAP Concur. “Tools, policies and practices to maintain spend visibility and control, meet compliance, and deliver employee duty of care obligations must be top of mind.”
The survey, running in its fifth year, polled 1,050 business travellers in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand in April this year.
For more information, the full report can be downloaded here.
The Mohegan INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in South Korea is set to welcome guests on November 30, 2023, with a soft opening that includes 1,275 hotel rooms, business events facilities, entertainment, and signature restaurants.
The three towers will each have a distinct concept, while meetings and events facilities include the INSPIRE Arena, a multi-purpose indoor performance venue with a total capacity of 15,000 seats. The opening will also include Splash Bay, a glass-domed indoor water park (swimming pool available to hotel guests in the initial phase), more than 10 INSPIRE-owned restaurants such as Michael Jordan’s Steak House; and Aurora, a 150m-long digital entertainment street featuring large LED screens.
Following this announcement, INSPIRE Mall – an integrated space combining shopping, dining and entertainment is expected to open in 1Q2024. Opening later in 2Q2024 will be the Discovery Park, a 100,000m2 outdoor entertainment facility; an international food court in collaboration with Glow Seoul; Splash Bay’s water attractions; Korea’s largest digital content exhibition centre; and an indoor children’s playground.
INSPIRE is a large-scale integrated entertainment resort in the International Business Center III near Incheon International Airport in Yeongjong-do. The resort is the eighth property of its parent company, Mohegan. Spanning a land area of 461,661m2, equivalent to 64 soccer fields, the facility required an investment of approximately two trillion won (US$1.5 billion).
Hilton Kuching unveiled its recently-refreshed Grand Ballroom and meeting spaces at its recent Meetings Redefined: Unveiling a New Era at Hilton Kuching event.
The Grand Ballroom now has married cutting-edge technology with aesthetics, featuring a large LED motorised screen and ambient lighting. This setup enhances the mood for any event, merging sophistication with advanced audiovisual experiences.
Meanwhile, the meeting rooms have been transformed into contemporary spaces, flooded with natural sunlight and offering breathtaking river views. Equipped with 85-inch interactive touchscreen TV panels, wireless capabilities, and laptop mirroring, these rooms provide state-of-the-art amenities for seamless meetings.
Hilton Kuching offers a Premium or Standard Meeting Packages, where Premium Packages include personalised setups, dish presentation, and individual plating for guests. The hotel also offers clients Reset & Recharge packages that allow meeting attendees to conduct business while enjoying a stay at Hilton Kuching’s newly-renovated rooms.
On the sustainability front, the hotel avoids single-use plastics by using glass bottles for meetings and events and snacks that are free of single-use plastics. Recyclable-friendly pens and stationery made from cardboard materials are provided. Meeting rooms are also linen-free, eliminating water wastage associated with laundry.
Hilton Kuching also spotlights locally-sourced, sustainable ingredients indigenous to Sarawak in its culinary menu, to celebrate the rich flavours of the region while significantly reducing the hotel’s carbon footprint. It also participates in Hilton’s Meet with Purpose programme, allowing event planners to offset their carbon emissions and invest in a portfolio of verified carbon reduction projects through its partner, ClimeCo.
AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) in Hong Kong signed an Agreement On Strategic Partnership And Cooperation with the Korea International Exhibition Centre (KINTEX) in Gyeonggi Province on November 14, sparking the start of collaboration to develop Asia-Pacific’s events industry.
The agreement encompasses various key areas of collaboration, including active exchange of business development strategies, exploration of potential business opportunities and marketing strategies, enhancement of employee training in both venues, and arrangement of reciprocal site visits.
By leveraging the extensive experience and local expertise of both professional teams, AWE and KINTEX will promote expo and cultural events with joint effort and cross-city power of alliance.
Irene Chan, CEO of AsiaWorld-Expo, said in an earlier press statement that the agreement was an extension of her company’s “close cooperation with the exhibition and entertainment industries in South Korea, having successfully hosted numerous remarkable exhibitions and concerts which attracted a large number of international visitors”.
“This signing ceremony marks a new chapter in our cooperation, facilitating communication among industry professionals, expanding the scale of conference and exhibition activities in both cities, promoting business and incentive travel, and attracting more large-scale international and regional events. Leveraging our strategic location in the heart of the Greater Bay Area, AWE is committed to fostering the thriving development of the MICE industry in the Asia-Pacific region,” stated Chan.
In an interview with TTGmice in Hong Kong on November 23, Chan said: “If we can join forces to attract more events and delegates over to Asia-Pacific, we will do it.”
She believes that collaborative efforts could earn Asia-Pacific events that rotate within the region or lead to spin-offs that benefit several cities.
She shared that the AWE team actively researches on topics that would benefit Hong Kong and Asia as a whole, and determines if events specialising in such topics could be successful for a long time. The team would then speak to relevant event organisers on the possibility of staging such events in Hong Kong.
One outcome of this effort is the birth of Super Terminal Expo 2024, set for November 5-7.
“It is exciting because it is an inaugural show for the transportation and logistics industries in Hong Kong and the rest of Asia. Our business development team has been working on this event topic for quite a few years, even before the pandemic,” said Chan.
She added: “Super Terminal Expo in Hong Kong will be organised by Informa Markets, a big player, and will cover airport terminal, cargo terminal, logistics railway terminal, and more. It will be groundbreaking.”
China will temporarily exempt citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from needing entry visas in a bid to boost tourism recovery.
The exemption will be in effect from December 1 this year to November 30, 2024.
It will be available to those visiting China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, or transiting for no more than 15 days.
