Air France-KLM Group and Etihad Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aiming at enhancing their collaboration opportunities across passenger operations, loyalty programmes, talent development, and maintenance.
The companies are looking to expand their codeshare and interline agreements initiated in 2012, subject to regulatory approvals. As a first step, more than 40 new routes covering destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Australia have been made available for booking upon the signing, for travel as early as the winter 2023 season.
The signing ceremony took place at the Air France-KLM Group’s headquarters in Paris, France in the presence of Etihad Airways’s Arik De (left) and Air France-KLM’s Angus Clarke
The MoU also proposes the ability for frequent flyers of both Flying Blue and Etihad Guest to earn and redeem miles with Air France, KLM, and Etihad. The airlines will also explore terminal co-location, reciprocal lounge access and ground handling, among other initiatives.
Etihad currently operates daily flights to both Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol from Abu Dhabi international airport.
Air France will start operating daily flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Abu Dhabi International Airport from October 29, 2023.
Angus Clarke, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Air France-KLM Group, said: “This 11-year collaboration is now expanding even further, as we aim to explore opportunities in maintenance and loyalty, in addition to enhancing our route network for the benefit of our customers from all around the world. The attractiveness of Abu Dhabi as a destination and a hub, powered by Etihad’s large footprint spanning South and South-east Asia, as well as Australia, brings significant richness to this partnership. This moment marks our shared commitment to providing seamless, premium, customer-centric travel experiences to our shared global customer base.”
Arik De, chief revenue officer at Etihad Airways, added: “This MoU builds on our existing partnership by exploring deeper network enhancements as we offer improved connectivity between Abu Dhabi and Paris, and leveraging the extensive AF-KL network to Europe and beyond. It reaffirms Etihad’s intent to bolster Abu Dhabi’s cultural and economic growth as we look forward to welcoming more guests to our home enjoying better travel benefits and enhanced customer experiences along the way.”
On September 7, 2023, Meet Taiwan officially launched its Meet Taiwan Festival, marking the start of an interconnected series of business events scheduled both domestically and overseas throughout the month of September.
From left: Taiwan Exhibition and Convention Association’s Tiger Lin; Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affair’s Chun Hsiao; Taiwan External Trade Development Council’s Simon Wang; Taiwan Events Association’s Michael Tu; and Taiwan Convention and Exhibition Association’s James Wu
Around 100 stakeholders from Taiwan’s business event industry attended the launch event, which saw the unveiling of the theme song and video entitled Meet Taiwan Open Arms, and the introduction of a mascot, PaQ. PaQ’s name is derived from the Taiwanese pronunciation of “open”, and the mascot will make periodic appearances at future business events.
PaQ also carries a sustainability mission. For every embrace it receives, one unit of the Sustainable Fund is accumulated. During the event, Simon Wang, president & CEO of Taiwan External Trade Development Council, made a clarion call to implement sustainability with PaQ’s first embrace, turning sustainability into tangible actions within business events.
Wang added that Taiwan’s business events DNA comprises four components – international, interaction, knowledge and future – which aims to facilitate interaction between domestic and global industry players, knowledge sharing, and collaboration to promote Taiwan’s business event industry abroad.
Businesses on the the HighFlyer programme enjoy preferential airfares and earn HighFlyer points when their employees travel for work, and the points can be used on future travel or redeem for rewards for their business or corporate travellers.
The Clan Hotel lobby
With immediate effect, companies enrolled in the HighFlyer programme can now earn up to 500 points when their employees fulfil qualifying stays at selected Far East Hospitality hotels in Singapore, Japan and Malaysia. Some of hotels include The Clan Hotel Singapore, Far East Village Hotel Tokyo, Asakusa and Oasia Suites Kuala Lumpur. Simultaneously, their employees who are KrisFlyer members will also be entitled to accumulate miles for the same stays.
In addition, FEH’s 19 hotels in Singapore, Japan and Malaysia also offer SIA’s KrisFlyer members a chance to earn up to 500 KrisFlyer miles after each qualifying stay at the hotel.
At the same time, TFE Hotels – FEH’s joint venture partner in Australia, has become the first Australian hospitality group to partner with KrisFlyer. The partnership will see KrisFlyer members earn 500 KrisFlyer miles per qualifying stay, at more than 60 hotels across TFE’s global network.
Ōtautahi Christchurch has won the rights to host the International Play Association (IPA) World Conference 2026, the first time it will be held in the Southern Hemisphere.
A triennial event, the four-day conference at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is expected to attract 1,000 delegates from around the world.
The Margaret Mahy Playground in central Christchurch
Just a block from Te Pae Christchurch, the Margaret Mahy Playground is an award-winning all-ages, all-abilities playground which can also be used to hold outdoor events. At over 16,000m2, it has a capacity for up to 1,000 people.
The Christchurch bid was presented at the 2023 conference in Glasgow by Toni Talijancich, general manager at Play Aotearoa and supported by ChristchurchNZ and Tourism New Zealand Business Events.
Play Aotearoa is the New Zealand branch of IPA World, an international nongovernmental organisation, founded in 1961 to provide a forum to promote and improve opportunities for play, and the development of play environments, leisure time facilities and programmes for all children and youth in all countries, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
IPA member groups initiate a wide variety of projects that promote the child’s right to play. These include seminars, conferences, study tours, research, publications, playground design, playwork training and the organisation of play programmes and Play Days.
Talijancich highlighted that the IPA is focused on creating a world where all tamariki (children) have the right to play in their own way. Their membership is made up of play practitioners, researchers, educators, and businesses.
“This is a huge opportunity to put Christchurch and New Zealand on the map for the play sector, and to introduce our unique approach to bi-culturalism, diversity, and inclusion to this global audience,” Talijancich added.
Event brief
The World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) has been the leading international dermatological conference for over 130 years. Since its inception in 1889, WCD has traversed the globe across 19 cities.
Roy Chan, president of the Singapore National Organising Committee, said the Singapore edition was the first WCD to be held in the tropics focused on migrant and refugee skin health, neglected tropical skin diseases and diseases in skin of colour.
The theme for the 25th WCD 2023 was Dermatology Beyond Borders. Congress sessions highlighted the importance of skin diseases in relation to human suffering and climate change, global skin health, and dermatological care in underserved nations and the global south.
He added: “The aim was to expand the horizons of dermatology, to increase patient and community engagement, to transcend borders, physical and societal, to be an inclusive conference that celebrates diversity.”
This congress was tasked to deliver a comprehensive and diverse scientific programme comprising 208 symposiums, 15 keynote talks, 24 courses and 19 expert forums, among others.
Event highlights
WCD 2023 showcased significant dermatological advances and state-of-the-art medical and scientific knowledge relating to the art and science of dermatology.
Compared to the last congress, which was held in Milan in 2019, this year’s WCD International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) region representation featured a bigger number and greater proportion of chairs and speakers – 467 people, up from 265 in 2019 – from Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin America.
With the aim of thanking and leaving a legacy to the host city, WCD 2023 also demonstrated tangible sustainability measures during the congress.
Chan elaborated: “We created the ’25 nudges’, a list of handy sustainability tips for delegates and exhibitors to adopt to ‘Go Green’ during their stay in Singapore.
“We encouraged exhibitors to join the WCD Green Challenge, and congress participants voted for exhibitors that demonstrated outstanding waste and pollution reduction measures during product packaging and shared these practices in manufacturing and disposal. The winners were announced at the closing session of the congress.”
Other sustainable initiatives included the daily conference newspaper being published on the WCD app this year, participants were advised to bring and refill their own bottles at the many water points, and working with local NGO Divert for 2nd Life to manage the leftover food from the congress’s official events.
Challenges
Global events – such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, geopolitical tension, the economic downturn and high inflation rates – made planning the WCD a complicated affair, Chan shared, as attendance was impacted.
He continued: “As a workaround to all these challenges, we had to increase the number of scholarships awarded to assist deserving trainees, dermatologists and others from around the world to attend the congress.
“We also reduced registration fees for attendees from lower- and lower-middle income countries to open the congress to a broader audience.”
Chan also increased the conference’s promotional activities in person at overseas conferences, such as the National Academic Conference on Integrated Medicine of Dermatovenereal Diseases in Kunming, in April; and the International Societies for Investigative Dermatology meeting in Tokyo, in May.
Event 25th World Congress of Dermatology (WCD 2023) Organiser Dermatological Society of Singapore under the auspices of the International League of Dermatological Societies Venue Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre Dates July 3-8, 2023 Attendees 12,037 (on-site)
Xiamen Airlines will launch regular flights between Beijing Daxing and Doha on October 20 and between Xiamen and Doha on October 31.
The service commencement will coincide with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Qatar. It also marks an important initiative by Xiamen Airlines in supporting China’s Belt and Road initiative, further closing the distance between the two countries.
Xiamen Airline’s latest services will support China’s Belt and Road initiative
The daily Beijing-Doha service will depart from Beijing at 18.30 and arrive in Doha at 22.45; the return service will leave Doha at 02.00 and arrive in Beijing at 15.20.
The Xiamen-Doha service will fly twice a week, departing from Xiamen at 00.05 and arriving in Doha at 05.00; the return flight will leave Doha at 19.30 and arrive in Xiamen at 07.55 the next day.
Both routes will be operated on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, offering first class, business class and economy class seats.
The brand-new Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong has opened in Geelong, Australia, reinforcing the city as a prime destination for corporate travellers.
Three meeting and event spaces are on offer. From small business meetings to larger presentations, the function rooms can separately cater for 25 attendees each (theatre-style), or for up to 110 people cocktail-style when combined.
Media Lounge
Guests can make the most of unlimited, free high-speed Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art, built-in AV amenities, complete with a drop-down screen and projector.
With a variety of seating options and an additional media lounge, the Open Lobby could also be ideal for informal meetings or breakout sessions. Meanwhile, the E-bar conveniently provides a space to plug in and stay connected with work.
Tailored F&B selections and packages are available, including breakfast and day-delegation packages, as well as canapés, two or three-course lunches, and dinners.
Full-day delegate packages start from A$95 (US$61) per person, including tea & coffee; morning tea break; chef’s selection buffet lunch; afternoon tea break; AV & Wi-Fi; full-day plenary room hire (subject to minimum numbers) with mints, notepads and pens on tables.
There are a total of 180 rooms, which include 23 suites which come with balconies and kitchenettes targeted at longer-staying guests. Meanwhile, recreational facilities include a fitness centre, and a 20-metre heated indoor swimming pool.
Scott Graf, global president of BCD Meetings & Events (BCD M&E), has retired from the role after 26 years with the organisation.
In 1997, Graf joined McCord Corporate Travel in Chicago to begin its meetings and events division. Through an acquisition, the brand changed to WTMI (WorldTravel Meetings & Incentives) in 2001; and with the acquisition of TQ3 Travel Solutions in Europe and The Travel Company in the UK, BCD M&E was formed in 2006.
Scott Graf
Graf will continue to support the BCD M&E leadership team and transition plan through the end of 2023, and after some time off, he will move into a new partnership with BCD founder John Fentener van Vlissingen in April 2024.
Bruce Morgan, BCD M&E’s former chief operating officer, has been named global president, effective immediately.
Morgan, based in Chicago but originally from the UK, brings to the role more than 30 years of industry experience across various functions and global regions – with nearly 20 of those years within BCD M&E. BCD M&E’s COO since 2019, Morgan has also held roles throughout his career within sales and marketing management, global event management, sports marketing, performance improvement and regional leadership.
Demand for business events in New Zealand is on the rise and Tourism New Zealand has set itself a record target of 90 international conferences bids worth NZ$135 million (US$83.9 million) for the next financial year.
Instrumental to meeting demand are its new convention venues which now enable New Zealand to bid for events on a bigger scale, including regional and international association conferences from the Asia-Pacific market.
The three new convention centres stand out for their sustainable designs, cutting-edge technological capabilities, flexible function spaces and world-class culinary offerings.
However, each showcases its own identity, leveraging its host city’s knowledge strengths with impressive results.
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre hosted 290 events in its first 13 months of operation
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre opened in May 2022 in the revitalised city centre of Ōtautahi Christchurch. Offering a 1,400-seat tiered auditorium divisible into two 700-seat venues, it hosted 290 events in its first 13 months of operation, including 13 international conferences.
This year, it will host the ACM VRST Symposium, attracting VR software and technology specialists and showcasing Christchurch’s world-renowned HITLab and tech sector; and the 1000pax-strong APSA Asian Seed Congress, drawing on the Canterbury region’s strong agri-tech sector.
In 2024, Te Pae Christchurch will host the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Annual Scientific Congress; and the Extreme Solar Systems V Conference, aligning with Christchurch’s burgeoning aerospace business cluster.
The International Conference on Geomorphology, set to host 1000 delegates, has also chosen the city for 2026, capitalising on the region’s strong focus on earth science.
Wellington: Aspiring to be a “Science City”
Tākina has more than 50 conferences booked in its first year
Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington officially opened its new conference and exhibition centre, Tākina, in May, with more than 50 conferences booked in its first year. Located opposite Wellington’s waterfront, Tākina is at the heart of the capital’s cultural precinct, with capacity for plenaries of up to 1,600.
This new facility has seen Wellington attract larger international conferences, including the International Council for Traditional Music’s 48th World Conference in 2025, which expects more than 800 delegates.
The city is also attracting more regional conferences, including the Annual Scientific Meetings of The Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases Conference and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2024.
Wellington’s focus on attracting conferences in the science and education sectors recently received a boost with the New Zealand Government’s plans to make Wellington a “Science City”.
Investment in three new research hubs will bring together expertise in oceans, climate and hazards, health and pandemic readiness, advanced manufacturing and materials, energy futures and biotech.
Auckland: Showcasing culture and sustainability on a grand scale
Ahead of its opening, the New Zealand International Convention Centre has already confirmed 11 international conferences
Due to open mid-2025, the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) will be the largest new venue in the country. Rising in the centre of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, it will link directly by air bridges to the new Horizon Hotel and the SkyCity entertainment precinct.
Its flexible space will cater for up to 4,000 people, including a theatre capacity of 2,850.
Ahead of its opening, the NZICC has already confirmed 11 international conferences, including the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) 2025, with an expected turnout of 3000 delegates, showcasing New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori culture and education sector.
Science will take centre stage at the International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (ISME) in 2026 for 1800 delegates, while sustainability and the environment will be at the fore for the International Coral Reef Symposium.
The symposium, as well as the Federation of Asian and Oceania Pest Managers Associations (FAOPMA) Conference, are both expected to bring more than 2,500 delegates in 2026 to NZICC.
Tourism New Zealand provides funding and support to bring international conferences to New Zealand
To learn more about the assistance available, contact: Edward Kwek
Tourism New Zealand
Trade Manager Business Events – Singapore, Southeast Asia Contact: +65 9152 9122
Email: Edward.Kwek@tnz.govt.nz
SITE's past presidents are advocating for members to be more involved this time around
The SITE Past President Council (PPC) wanting to reach more members posted a three-page LinkedIn message on September 6 to give them a wake-up call to be more involved in how the association is run.
Signed by 24 past presidents, the message urges members to consider the council’s opinion and to make an informed decision when they vote for three significant proposed bylaw changes sent out by SITE.
SITE’s past presidents are advocating for members to be more involved
The proposals affect how the board is elected, how it is governed and “moving decisions of finance from the legitimately elected vice president of finance to a staff”.
The council’s message stated: “Without any personal prejudice, we the below Past Presidents, strongly oppose all three motions in the form presented and ask that our members critically assess these proposals themselves and consider the long-term implications for our beloved community.
“We are voting NO to all three proposals as presented. If you find any merit in our opinion, we ask that you please share this message with your fellow members and chapters so that everyone can make an informed decision. Everyone must vote. That is their duty. But vote fully informed. Not voting is also not appropriate.”
An informed source told TTGmice voting closes on September 17 and the PPC message advises members who have voted to write to SITE if they want to express an opinion.
He said the 50-year-old association has some 2,400 individual members globally, and between 10 and 15 per cent were “active internationally and in their local chapters, especially in the UK and the US”.
A two-thirds majority of votes are needed for the proposed bylaws to pass, and the source opined “not voting is an affirmation of what the board wants”.
He continued: If members vote for the changes they “give power to the board to decide who is on the board” instead of the current system which “allows anyone of any level or size of organisation to contest equally”.
SITE, he said, has commented to members that this was an “internal matter”.
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
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
