BESydney announces new strategic agenda

October 18, 2023

The-Rocks,-Sydney-Harbour-Bridge — The Rocks and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Photo credit: Destination NSW

Business Events Sydney (BESydney) has unveiled its new Change Starts Here strategic agenda, aimed at sharing the depth of possibilities for powerful global change when hosting business events in Sydney.

After years of research demonstrating the knowledge and economic value of business events above and beyond tourism direct expenditure, BESydney is expanding its research programme to include Social Impacts. The programme is designed to co-create and then measure the social impact or legacy of business events held in Sydney – from environmental changes, government legislation, delegate development to health improvements.

The Rocks and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Photo credit: Destination NSW

The Change Starts Here programme highlights the changemakers and industries in Sydney that have the power to influence global change for good in Health & Life Science, Technology & Innovation, Finance & Professional Services, and will extend to Science & Engineering and Defence & Aerospace.

For Associations and corporations in these sectors, a new suite of downloadable eBooks puts a spotlight on Sydney’s credentials and the opportunities that exist by hosting business events in Sydney. More information is also available in a new video series and website content.

BESydney’s CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said: “Business events are a powerful platform for tackling and solving the difficult problems in our world through the exchange of knowledge and ideas, the pooling of resources and solutions that come from collaboration between a diverse range of global participants.

“BESydney wants to be part of the solution and we know that Sydney offers a unique environment that is welcoming, inclusive, safe, sustainably focused and delivers solutions through innovation.”

BESydney’s social impact programme behind this strategy has already enjoyed early recognition by taking the inaugural Global Destination Sustainability Movement Impact Award for destination management organisations committed to legacy and impact through business events in October 2023.

Adelaide Convention Centre achieves EarthCheck Master status

By TTGmice

October 18, 2023

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Members_of_Adelaide_Convention_Centre_s_Sustainability_Management_Committee_and_Green_Team_celebrate_achieving_EarthCheck_Master_status — Members of Adelaide Convention Centre's Sustainability Management Committee and Green Team celebrate achieving EarthCheck Master status

Adelaide Convention Centre has become the world’s first convention centre to secure EarthCheck’s coveted Master status – a 15-year commitment to best practices in business and environmental sustainability.

EarthCheck is the world’s leading business advisory group specialising in sustainability and destination management for the travel and tourism industry. Adelaide Convention Centre has actively participated in the global EarthCheck programme since 2007, consistently performing at above best practices in several key areas of social and environmental actions.

The venue’s 2022/2023 EarthCheck audit highlights included:

Adelaide Convention Centre achieved a greater than 99 per cent diversion from landfill rate, the highest recorded rate of any convention centre in Australia;
Adelaide Convention Centre’s average Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions are 72 per cent lower than the Australian convention centre average, and more significantly, 60 per cent lower than the next best-recorded competitor within the Australian region; and,
Adelaide Convention Centre’s average potable water consumption was measured at 73 per cent lower than the Australian convention centre regional average, and 47per cent lower than all other recorded convention centres in Australia.

The venue also recently installed Adelaide’s first WasteMaster – an innovative on-site food and organic waste recycling system, which converts food waste to high-value uses, including energy production, fertiliser and compost. Since the WasteMaster’s May 2023 installation, it has processed more than 43 tonnes of organic waste and produced more than 15 tonnes of nutrient-rich fertiliser.

Adelaide Convention Centre also operates a comprehensive food redistribution programme, which has seen the venue donate more than 200,000 unused meals to support local community organisations OzHarvest, Foodbank and Faithworks.

Adelaide Convention Centre’s sustainability efforts extend to supporting local producers, with 97 per cent of produce sourced from South Australian suppliers. Partnerships with local First Nations producers to plant, grow and supply native ingredients specifically for the venue’s Honest Goodness menu have also been cultivated.

Since 2018, the Adelaide Convention Centre’s energy consumption has been reduced by more than 40 per cent, thanks to a variety of different activities, including a staged transition to LED lighting. Currently, 70 per cent of lighting fixtures across the venue are LED, with a target to achieve 100% LED lighting by 2027.

Martin Radcliffe, general manager of Adelaide Convention Centre, added that a “dedicated ESG manager” has recently been employed to oversee the delivery and implementation of our sustainability strategy.

Carbon experts have a role to play in event planning

By Mimi Hudoyo

October 18, 2023

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Daniel-Chua — Chua: the more we get rid of carbon now will ensure climate stability for the future

Events planners should look at including a carbon expert during the event planning process as part of their decarbonisation efforts.

“From the planning standpoint, although we (take measures to) reduce the amount of carbon in the air, there will always be carbon. As planners, we have to work with carbon experts (to properly offset an event’s carbon),” stressed Daniel Chua, co-founder of MICEcarbon.

Chua: the more we get rid of carbon now will ensure climate stability for the future

One way the business events industry can offset carbon for their events is through verified projects. A solar project in Mongolia, which use solar panels to generate heat and electricity – in place of coal or wood – is an example.

“Mongolia has an abundance of sunshine, many grasslands, and very few trees, so tapping on the power of the sun to generate electricity also means zero emissions,” he elaborated.

However, Chua reminded that solar panels also have a lifespan too, where the panels are usually rated to last for 10 years. They will then need to be disposed of sustainably too.

According to Chua, carbon has different prices too, depending on the quality.

“The cheapest carbon can be bought for US$11 a tonne, (such as) a forestry project in Africa. It can also be very expensive, more than US$100 a tonne, like the project in Mongolia because it involves technology,” he said.

This is why a carbon expert, who understands the many different aspects of carbon offsetting, needs to be included in the event planning process.

“When event planners purchase carbon offsets on behalf of their clients, if possible, they should (also consider) going beyond 100 per cent,” Chua added.

Hell’s Museum

By Gerardine Donough-Tan

October 18, 2023

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Entrance to the 10 Courts of Hell. Photos: Gerardine Donough-Tan

Billed as the world’s first museum on death and the afterlife, Hell’s Museum at Haw Par Villa (HPV) – once called Tiger Balm Gardens – is split into stations across an indoor gallery and partially covered sculpture garden.

The one-hour guided tour began with an introduction to the world’s major religions and cyclical and linear perspectives of life. After guide Michelle Ng explained the Chinese practice of ancestral worship, we visited a ‘grave’ and looked at a Taoist ‘wake’ with symbolic offerings.

A rock formation with gory heads read in Chinese: “The sea of bitterness has no bounds; repent and you will reach the shore.” This and the diorama of fearsome workers in the Taoist netherworld served as a prelude to the highlight, 10 Courts of Hell.

The current rendition reflects elements of Taoist, Confucian, Buddhist and Hindu beliefs, but is predominantly Chinese in the amalgamation of the judiciary and penal systems.

For instance, in Court 1, the king assesses the deceased’s good and bad deeds. The good cross the bridge to become immortals or are reborn as human beings with good lives. Sinners undergo further judgment and punishment in the Courts.

Punishment depictions are stark: In Court 3, one’s chest is sliced open and heart extricated, or the sinner is tied to a pillar and grilled alive; in Court 4, the sinner is pounded by a mallet or ground by a large stone.

Other attractions include a round tower called “Karmic Kaleidoscope” with 18 tableaux, a village temple and outdoor rural-life dioramas.

MICE application
The tour can be customised for business events groups of 20 pax upwards, with larger numbers split into multiple groups. F&B catering may be requested, including banquet-style, pop-up bar and live stations.

Journeys to Hell, a two-hour twilight tour of the park and museum can also be arranged. It includes a narrative on the founding Aw family, sculptures and dioramas in the park and highlights of Hell’s Museum.

Verdict
An absorbing tour presenting various cultural and religious beliefs on death and the afterlife, gazing at effigies – some artistic, others scary, while contemplating the meaning of life and its transience. For group tours, give attendees time to explore further, read panel texts and take lots of photos.

Website
www.hawparvilla.sg/hells-museum

George Koumendakos joins Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi as GM

By TTGmice

October 17, 2023

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Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has named George Koumendakos as its new general manager.

The Dutch national, who is fluent in three languages, brings 37 years of experience including 15 years as general manager in multiple five-star hotels around the world.

Having worked in 14 countries, Koumendakos was recently general manager at Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara in Malaysia prior to joining Metropole Hanoi.

TUI Blue Hotels & Resorts Asia names new business development director – Indonesia

By TTGmice

October 17, 2023

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Edgar Terutung has been named the new business development director – Indonesia of TUI Blue Hotels & Resorts Asia. He will spearhead TUI Blue’s expansion in Indonesia in his new role.

He began his work experience in business development for local real estate developers in Indonesia, and subsequently joined the hotel and serviced apartment development at Ascott.

Before joining the team at TUI Blue, Terutung was regional director of development at Louvre Hotels Group in South-east Asia.

Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives welcomes new GM

By TTGmice

October 17, 2023

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Centara Hotels & Resorts has appointed Francesco Pompilio as the new general manager of Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives.

He brings a wealth of international hotelier experience to his new role, having worked across prominent destinations including Italy, the UK, the UAE, and Vietnam for over two decades.

He was most recently general manager at Vinpearl Discovery Sealink Nha Trang in Vietnam.

Direct selling firms increasingly drawn to Singapore for events

By Rachel AJ Lee

October 16, 2023

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Singapore has welcomed an influx of direct-selling companies opting to hold their large-scale corporate events and incentive trips to the city.

Such events so far this year include the Young Living APAC Convention 2023 (March 2023), Amway Managing Directors & Global Leadership Meeting (March 2023), as well as the Herbalife APAC Extravaganza 2023 (May 2023).

Direct-selling firms are increasingly opting to hold their business events in Singapore (pictured)

Herbalife Nutrition’s Herbalife APAC Extravaganza 2023 welcomed about 21,000 participants from countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea, and Malaysia, and was the largest corporate meeting held in Singapore since the pandemic. Meanwhile, Young Living’s APAC Convention 2023 was the first in-person convention for brand partners post-pandemic and saw about 1,500 attendees, with attendees largely from Asia Pacific and the Americas.

These mid- to large-scale events have generated significant economic benefits for the local tourism industry, with spillover effects into the retail, attractions, hotels, and dining sectors. Moreover, local DMCs and event organisers were tasked with executing and coordinating the events.

As to why Amway selected Singapore as its meeting destination, Asha Gupta, regional president, Asia & chief strategy & corporate development officer, pointed to the Lion City’s well-connected geographical location, her world-class infrastructure and modern meeting amenities, reputation for safety and cleanliness, and wide range of leisure offerings.

Additionally, Singapore is home to Amway’s Global Business Innovation Hub and is the regional headquarters for Asia.

“Amway hosts events at many locations around the world. Our regional and international delegates are always excited when Singapore is picked as one of our venues because they know that what they get to experience here is nothing short of world-class.

“We enjoy a close working relationship with Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and local partners like Sentosa Development Corporation have always elevated the experience for the events that we have held here,” she added.

For Boyd Price, regional president of Young Living Asia Pacific, Singapore was selected due to its “easy access for brand partners in Asia-Pacific”, “strong reputation as a MICE destination”, and successful management of the pandemic.

That is how Singapore “naturally emerged as our first choice”, revealed Price.‌

Price shared: “Our brand partners and staff thoroughly enjoyed the convention and their stay. Many were impressed with the service and quality standards of the venues, hotels and service providers engaged for the convention. Our brand partners also had time to explore Singapore on their own alongside their business engagements, and brought home beautiful memories of the garden displays at the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay and the amazing selection of local hawker fare.”

On Singapore’s appeal as a business events hub for direct selling companies, Edward Koh, executive director, conventions, meetings & incentive travel, STB, told TTGmice: “The global direct selling industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the corporate meetings and incentives segment. According to the latest report by the World Federation of Direct Selling Association, the industry saw steady year-on-year growth from 2018 to 2021, driven by top-selling categories such as Health and Wellness, Cosmetics and Personal Care, and Household.”‌

Koh pointed out that the direct selling business model – characterised by strong personal networks and order fulfilment processes – has proven to be adept in withstanding challenging economic situations like the pandemic.

“In 2021, Asia-Pacific contributed the most to global direct-selling retail sales compared to other regions. In particular, Singapore witnessed higher growth rates than the Asia-Pacific average in terms of retail sales and sales force, with retail sales rising by about 15 per cent in 2021 compared to pre- pandemic levels in 2019,” he added.

Many more such groups are expected to arrive in Singapore from now until 2025, with three mid- to large-scale events from the direct selling industry. These will be Nuskin Korea 2024 Success Trip (April 2024), Amway China Leadership Seminar (August 2024), and Amway Japan PF24 Family Programme (March 2025).

MICE stakeholders should help accelerate decarbonisation efforts: panellists

By Mimi Hudoyo

October 16, 2023

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CTW-conference — From left: Lithium Urban Technologies' Manish Raj; Amadeus' Srinivas Rao; MICEcarbon's Daniel Chua; and Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Ferry Tjahjono

Being a significant contributor to carbon emissions, the business events industry also plays a crucial role in accelerating decarbonisation efforts, according to CTW Conference speakers at the recent IT&CMA 2023 in Bangkok.

Referring to Sustainable Travel International data, Manish Raj, head – strategy & business of Lithium Urban Technologies said tourism was responsible for about 11 per cent of the world’s GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions and is projected to almost double by 2050.

From left: Lithium Urban Technologies’ Manish Raj; Amadeus’ Srinivas Rao; MICEcarbon’s Daniel Chua; and Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Ferry Tjahjono

Srinivas Rao, head of global TMC engagement APAC, Amadeus, said that there is an urgency to address Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, and reduce carbon emissions.

“Over the last two or three years, we can see the impact of climate change. It is impacting cities and countries. (People now) understand that this is impacting the world and unless corporates and individuals come together and find a solution, this will be very difficult to mitigate,” Rao said.

Fortunately, the pandemic has helped to change people’s mindsets, who are individually looking at how they can reduce their carbon emissions. In turn, companies have been pushed to change the way it can do business sustainably.

Daniel Chua, co-founder of MICEcarbon said: “Having been in the (meeting industry) business for a long time and having seen clients evolve, I think we all need to evolve along with them and lead the way in some cases.”

Rao shared that a recent Amadeus survey revealed that travellers now are increasingly asking for sustainable options like taking the train, or driving an electric vehicle. At the same time, travellers are also questioning the transparency around the sustainability policies that an organisation has.

“There’s a lot of conversation going on at the employee level,” he said. “We also understand that our customers are at different stages in their sustainability journies. So giving them one solution may not be the right fit. Instead, with multiple choices we can then choose which one is the right solution,” he said.

Internally, Amadeus has also taken steps to establish three strategic pillars. The first pillar is to transform the business, where Amadeus is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2025 instead of 2030. The second pillar was to provide customers with the necessary support to help them achieve their sustainability goals, while the final approach was to collaborate with other ESG companies and various industry partners to help achieve the goals.

Christchurch to host climate adaptation conference

By TTGmice

October 16, 2023

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Christchurch-NZ — An international climate adaptation conference will head to Christchurch (pictured) in 2025

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, or the University of Canterbury (UC), will host the 8^thAdaptation Futures Conference (AF2025) in 2025, which is part of the United Nations World Adaptation Science Programme (WASP).

The conference is set to convene 1,500 of the world’s leading network of scientists, practitioners, governments, industry and community, youth, educators and communicators at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre. Delegates will join AF2025 both online and in person to discuss climate adaptation.

An international climate adaptation conference will head to Christchurch (pictured) in 2025

AF2025 includes six special events to showcase and advance knowledge in:

Indigenous innovation: Indigenous leadership and knowledge for transformation
Cities: Climate-resilient development solutions for urban governments and communities
Biodiversity and food: Ecosystem health and agricultural innovation for food-water-energy nexus
Arts: The role of performance and creative arts for adaptation
Youth: Global Talanoa connecting high-school students, teachers and young activists
Capacity building: Early career development workshops for researchers and practitioners

The conference will provide a unique opportunity to identify knowledge gaps and implementation needs to advance climate change adaptation in an increasingly complex world.

UC professors Steven Ratuva, Bronwyn Hayward and Shaun Ogilvie played a vital role in securing the bid for the conference and are co-convenors of AF2025.

This hosting announcement was made by WASP secretariat head Maarten Kappelle at the Adaptation Futures conference in Montréal, Canada.

His announcement was followed by an official host handover led by representatives of the Indigenous People of Canada and mana whenua, Ngāi Tūāhuriri from New Zealand. Chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Lisa Tumahai and deputy high commissioner of New Zealand to Canada Kirsty Pelenur formally accepted the host handover of the conference.

Tourism New Zealand’s chief executive René de Monchy added: “Aotearoa New Zealand’s tourism sector is committed to supporting the transition to a more sustainable and regenerative future. Events like these bring the best and brightest together to find climate-resilient solutions for our communities. Hosting conferences is a key part of Tourism New Zealand’s strategy to attract high-quality visitors who positively contribute to our environment, communities, culture and economy.”

BESydney announces new strategic agenda

Adelaide Convention Centre achieves EarthCheck Master status

Carbon experts have a role to play in event planning

Hell’s Museum

George Koumendakos joins Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi as GM

TUI Blue Hotels & Resorts Asia names new business development director – Indonesia

Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives welcomes new GM

Direct selling firms increasingly drawn to Singapore for events

MICE stakeholders should help accelerate decarbonisation efforts: panellists

Christchurch to host climate adaptation conference

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