BWH Hotels has appointed Joelle Park to the role of senior vice president and chief marketing officer. She will lead the company’s global marketing, brand strategy, and communications, including oversight of the company’s loyalty programmes.
With over two decades of marketing experience, she brings an extensive background in hospitality marketing, spearheading customer-centric programs with a proven track record of success.
She recently served as vice president, global enterprise and cross brand marketing at Hilton.
Event planners looking for a venue that takes guests out of the bustling CBD in Singapore should take a closer look at Fico.
Located at East Coast Park, Fico is an Italian restaurant fronted by former Braci chef Mirko Febbrile which recently opened in partnership with The Lo & Behold Group. Course menus, communal sharing plates and live stations are among some of the options Fico offers, all of which feature comforting Italian dishes such as hand-kneaded pasta, its signature focaccina (a focaccia-pizza hybrid), and fresh burrata.
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The maximum capacity of the restaurant is up to 115 guests in regular set-up. The indoor dining room can house up to 47 guests, while the outdoor terrace can house up to 68 guests. The total sit-down capacity for the venue is 104 (without the high counter seats); 36 in the indoor dining room, and 68 in the outdoor terrace.
Venue buyout prices are negotiable depending on the number of people, which prices starting at a minimum spend of S$15,000 (US$11,321) for a weekday lunch (Tuesdays to Thursdays, 11.30 to 15.00), to a Weekend Dinner (Fridays to Sundays, 17.30 to 22.30) with a minimum spend of S$35,000.
For buyouts held during the venue’s operating hours, the event date would need to be confirmed two months prior to the event. For weekday lunch events held on Tuesdays to Thursdays, the event date would need to be confirmed two weeks prior to the event.
Fico is also equipped with a full AV setup, boasting a projector and screen indoors, as well as speakers all around the venue.
Turkey’s flag carrier Turkish Airlines will add four weekly flights from Singapore to Istanbul in response to a “remarkable uptick in demand” to visit the destination that straddles Europe and Asia.
The service boost will be rolled out in phases, with two extra weekly flights starting from August 12 and two more to come September 13. This translates to a 27.7 per cent increase in seat capacity for passengers flying the Singapore route each week – and 9,492 seats in total across its eventual 14 weekly flights from Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Turkish Airlines is confident that Singapore arrivals to Turkey will break records this year
Addressing the media on July 19’s evening, Turkish Airlines chairman of the board and the executive committee, Ahmet Bolat, said: “Singapore has always been a special place for Turkish Airlines, being the very first destination in the Far East for the company since 1986.”
Later, during his welcome speech to trade partners attending the airline’s gala dinner to celebrate its connection with Singapore and the world, Ahmet expressed confidence that Singapore arrivals to Turkey are expected to break records this year, following years of increasing numbers.
“(However,) we believe there is much to be done in the field of culture and tourism. As the flag carrier of Turkey, we are committed to doing our part to strengthen these ties. Regarding Singapore a key market in the Far East, we consider it our duty to invite the friendly people of Singapore to Turkey, famous for numerous cultural and historic sites, as well as several other areas of tourism,” he said.
He told TTGmice that many Singapore travellers favour Turkish Airlines’ extensive international network for connecting flights onward to other parts of the world, and he intends to convert more of such customers into point-to-point travellers who will spend time appreciating Turkey’s multitude of attractions.
One way to start is through the airline’s ongoing Touristanbul stopover programme, which invites customers on international flights connecting through İstanbul with a layover between six and 24 hours to join one of eight free city tours. Airport transfers are provided, and tour times are carefully arranged and planned.
Hans Lagerweij has returned to Albatros Expeditions as chief executive officer with immediate effect.
After exploring other career opportunities for the past year and a half, Lagerweij brings his extensive expertise and passion back to Albatros Expeditions, and will collaborate with the team to further the company’s growth and innovation.
Country Inn Premier – The Prominence, Dehradun, which opens in August, has appointed Sarthak Mathur as its operations manager.
With over 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he brings a wealth of expertise to the hotel. He will be responsible for all aspects of hotel operations.
He previously worked with Marriott International and Radisson Hotel Group.
An earlier image taken in the countdown to the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Photo credit: commonwealthsport.com
Victoria’s events industry is now focused on preservation and damage control following the shock announcement that the 2026 Commonwealth Games has been cancelled.
The decision, blamed on a cost blowout, was announced on Tuesday, sending reverberations throughout the state. Victoria prides itself in hosting large-scale and significant events, especially in the realm of sports.
An earlier image that was taken in the countdown to the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Photo credit: commonwealthsport.com
The initial budget was projected to be A$2.6 billion (US$1.8 million), with the Games held across five locations over 12 days in regional Victoria. The multi-city model would’ve been a first for the Commonwealth Games and thrust regional Victoria into the international spotlight, which was aimed at enhancing its tourism reputation, creating thousands of jobs and leaving a legacy for its future.
That was until the state government received a revised cost estimate of more than twice the original quote.
“We were pleased to be asked to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but not at any price. I think all Victorians would agree that more than A$6 billion is just too much,” Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews said.
Within the events sector, initial shock and disbelief at the decision is giving way to regret and consolidation.
“I think (on Tuesday) there was this whole mix of emotions (ranging from) shock to frustration and disappointment. It felt like we went through the five stages of grief all in one day,” said Felicia Mariani, CEO of Victoria Tourism Industry Council.
“The decision has already been made to withdraw from hosting the game so our key concern (at this point) is that Victoria works very hard to protect its very precious reputation as a preferred destination for hosting major international events here in Australia.
“We need to work in collaboration as much as we can, with the International Organising Committee to ensure a smooth transition to the next city for this event,” she shared with TTGmice.
At press time, no city has been announced to take over the 2026 Games, but the eventual host will have less than three years to prepare, compared to four to six years for previous host cities.
But while the cancellation has upset Commonwealth Games organisers and caused some embarrassment within the events sector, the news has not entirely surprised Chris Porter, executive officer of Business Events Victoria.
“While it came as a shock, as an organisation we weren’t entirely caught off guard. We were aware of the challenges they were facing in hosting the Games across five regional centres, including the complexities and costs of building necessary infrastructure in today’s climate, plus accommodation supply problems,” he said.
“But the reputation issues are probably where we’re most concerned, especially on the international scene. With this cancellation as a backdrop now, would larger events start to reconsider where they will host their (future) international business events?” Porter stated.
“We hope that the reputation is carefully managed over the next six months or so to ensure that we don’t lose the ground we have formed over many years to successfully deliver great business and major events,” he added.
Porter also noted that while some of regional Victoria’s key destinations that were to host the Games “will be greatly impacted” by the cancellation, the effects will be mitigated by government support measures. A government funding package of A$2 billion has been announced, including a A$150 million Regional Tourism and Events Fund.
Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) has also released a statement stating that it is “dismayed and disappointed” about the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, calling it a “blow for the Victorian events industry”, as many operators are still in the recovery phase.
Calling it a “significant missed opportunity for the regional Victoria events sector”, MEA members also expressed concern that the cancellation could potentially damage the state’s and nation’s reputation, which could lead to the loss of future event bids.
Meantime, Peter King, chair of the newly formed peak events body the Australian Business Events Association, provided a conciliatory position on the issue.
“As part of the events industry we understand the blow this decision would be to the army of people who were working on the comprehensive design and delivery of this complex event, as well as the athletes, community, and fans. There are major long-term economic, social, industry and tourism benefits to hosting events, especially ones that would be watched by the world,” he said.
“We want to see governments continue to invest in events as a vehicle for economic and social prosperity. We will continue to work with governments to invest and attract business events, and support the workforce skills and capability to provide a solid base for the future, to ensure Australia retains its position as a leader in delivering major events,” King added.
1. Deeper understanding of a traveller’s journey
Personalisation has benefited the travel industry for over a decade. Travellers crave tailored content and recommendations, as well as control over their itineraries. Various technologies, such as voice search, mobile apps, and chatbots, have been utilised by airlines, hotels, restaurants, and other in-destination services to meet these evolving needs.
Contextualisation provides that unique humanised understanding of a travelle’s journey and takes personalisation to a new level by using (near) real-time information from multiple sources to provide options based on a traveller’s location, special needs, travel companions, and desired activities. This approach provides industry players with a complete view of a traveller’s end-to-end trip and allows for real-time adjustments.
2. Data collaboration
Contextualising a trip involves analysing a whole host of data to unlock its value. According to the Amadeus and Microsoft report, Delivering traveler value: Inspiring, understanding and fulfilling expectations throughout the travel experience and beyond, travellers face limitations in their search process, with 39 per cent reporting frustration with a limited budget search, and 38 per cent with a limited date search. Travellers want more flexibility to search by budget, location, date, and transport options. However, they require transparency on the security of the data they share and how it is being used.
The travel industry can provide a seamless experience through integration, but transparency and security issues must be addressed. Travellers need assurance that their data will be handled appropriately and right now, all they want is improvement measures from the industry.
3. World of search
Planning a trip can be a time-consuming process that involves comparing prices across multiple websites for transportation, accommodation, food, and activities. For business travel, this becomes even more complicated as companies take on a duty of care for their employees. However, a contextualised search can minimise input required from the traveller and draw on data to understand the context of the trip before the search begins.
ChatGPT, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to create patterns based on conversations with the user, is an example of this approach. Currently, the travel industry operates in silos with different systems, limiting data accessibility to a select few. To deliver more value, data must be collated and combined so that travel providers can develop a single, optimal proposal and distribute it across the most relevant channels to support the traveller’s needs.
4. On the road
Travel planning involves search parameters, but the real excitement lies in the journey. Contextualisation allows travel providers to learn a traveller’s preferences and adjust their journey. Imagine being on a business trip whereby digital payments by the company are enabled across the last mile of the trip. From restaurants to taxis to receipt filing, everything is optimising to help the business traveller do what they do best, get that next big deal.
For example, Cytric Easy offers a glimpse of the future. The tool allows users to search, book, pay and expense for business travel within the Microsoft 365 productivity tools they use every day, like Microsoft Teams.
5. Toward a purposeful trip
According to the Amadeus and Microsoft report, 56 per cent of business travellers value a stress-free and frictionless journey. To deliver more value to travellers, the travel industry must collaborate and share customer insights to suggest personalised ancillary services and generate new revenue streams.
By contextualising each trip and utilising technologies like AI, and biometrics, the travel experience can become more humanised and personalised, resulting in meaningful and inspiring journeys.
Destinations in Thailand like Bangkok (pictured) remain popular with incentive groups
The days of companies splurging on longhaul incentive trips post-lockdown are winding down, with companies increasingly more cost-conscious and rewarding their winners with destinations in Asia-Pacific instead.
Petrina Goh, regional commercial director, South-east Asia & Hong Kong, CWT Meetings & Events, told TTGmice that Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia are popular incentive choices “given the prevailing economic uncertainty”.
Destinations in Thailand like Bangkok (pictured) remain popular with incentive groups
“The proximity of these countries means lower travel costs for APAC-based groups compared to travelling further out, and they also offer excellent value for money in terms of accommodation, catering, and activities. These destinations are also rich in culture and diverse in their offsite activity offerings such as tours, unique dinner venues and entertainment acts for the social elements of an event programme,” she elaborated.
Goh has also noticed that there is a shift away from major cities like Bangkok, Hanoi, and Bali, and a “growing interest in less-explored secondary cities” like Pattaya, Koh Samui, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang and Yogyakarta, where the “crowds are smaller, and there’s a greater sense of novelty”.
She added: “As flight schedules slowly build up to these cities, airfare costs are becoming more manageable as well.”
Group sizes, Goh noticed, have also scaled down to around 100 to 250 participants on average, which is a “perfect group size for the current MICE infrastructure in secondary cities”.
Corporate groups numbering in the thousands as well as companies without deep pockets are also looking towards Asia-Pacific destinations for their events.
Theresa Teo, sales manager group sales, Singapore, Miki Travel (HK) Limited, has noticed that “big groups gravitate towards Asian destinations like South Korea and Thailand”, where there are large-scale venues and more direct flights.
Barbara Sew, senior reservation and groups executive, The Travel Corporation, agreed: “Companies with not very high budgets will opt for South Korea and Japan. For these destinations, we can build a programme itinerary for groups from a few hundred to the thousands.”
Patrick Kam, director of MICE Maestro, noted that Bangkok and Bali remain popular destinations for large groups of more than 3,000. Some of his clients have also opted to head to Vietnam and Cambodia.
Regardless of whether the destination is in Asia-Pacific or farther afield, Sew encourages corporates to plan ahead to “book at least six months in advance”, because logistics post-lockdown “can be really challenging”.
Goh added that organisations have also been “more demanding in their expectations around pricing in order to meet budgets”, but pointed out that instead of splurging on an extravagant firework display for example, “smaller, personal touches” such as a welcome message will also go a long way in creating an amazing attendee experience.
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will welcome medical leaders from across Australasia when it hosts The Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) Conference from October 11-13, 2023.
The three-day event will be held at the Cordis Auckland is expected to attract 250 specialist medical administrators and clinical leaders from across Australasia, including Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and India.
A delegate in Auckland
The conference is estimated to deliver 750 room nights and an economic impact of NZ$335,000 (US$210,000) for Auckland. It is supported by Auckland Convention Bureau, a division of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.
RACMA’s conference committee co-chair, Andrew Simpson, said: “This is the first time the event has been held in New Zealand since 2015. The theme for the conference reflects the challenges and innovations in medical leadership that New Zealand is currently experiencing.
“Speakers will present on issues including Equity in Action, Digital in Action and Change in Action. Workshops will focus on Cultural Safety, Restorative Health Systems, The Rural Medical Workforce and Advancing Women in Leadership.”
Simpson added that delegates will get to experience presenters with expertise in various fields, with a particularly strong emphasis on Equity from the New Zealand contingent.
RACMA is a specialist medical college that provides education, training, knowledge and advice in medical leadership and management and is recognised by the Australian and New Zealand Medical Councils. Its members occupy a range of roles including chief executives, chief medical officers, director of medical services, heads of departments, as well as working in the university and defence sectors.
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
The five-star property excels in backing its expansive facilities with seamless service and personalised attention, setting the benchmark for luxury in Bangkok.
She recently served as vice president, global enterprise and cross brand marketing at Hilton.
After exploring other career opportunities for the past year and a half, Lagerweij brings his extensive expertise and passion back to Albatros Expeditions, and will collaborate with the team to further the company’s growth and innovation.
He previously worked with Marriott International and Radisson Hotel Group.
With over 23 years of experience, he was formerly the group chief executive officer and executive director of Majuperak Holdings.
