China will resume 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of Singapore and Brunei from July 26, after more than three years of the facility’s suspension due to the pandemic.
The facility is available to citizens of Singapore and Brunei with ordinary passports travelling for business, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, and in transit, according to notices put up by the Chinese Embassy in both countries.
This follows the removal of most zero-Covid measures in December.
The Philippines’ Movement of Incentive Travel Executives (MITE) will be reactivated this year, after years of being dormant.
Reviving MITE is a timely move as the confidence is there and the sector is growing, Mike Albaña, vice president and general manager of SMX Convention Center told TTGmice on the sidelines of the signing with Clark Development Corp. (CDC) designating SMX Clark as the venue of MICECON 2024.
Albaña added that MITE will complement the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS), which is the voice of the Philippines’ convention and exhibition sector.
He plans to gather various industry stakeholders including hotels, event venues and tour operators handling incentive trips to discuss the MITE’s initiatives moving forward.
Tourism Congress of the Philippines’ (TCP) president, Bob Zozobrado, opined that forming an organisation of incentive travel executives “makes sense” to cover more business events ground as the sector is so varied.
Business events is one of the departments under the Philippines’ Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), prompting stakeholders including Zozobrado, to clamour for a body to handle business events exclusively.
In 1976, the Philippine Convention Bureau, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT), was in charge of business events until a reorganisation. It was renamed Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp. (PCVC) in 1987, before being reorganised again in 2009, and renamed TPB.
In its heyday, MITE actively worked side by side with the DOT and PCVC in holding educational programmes for the incentive travel, meetings and conference sector.
Registrations for Business Events Industry Aotearoa’s (BEIA) annual conference in Marlborough, which kicks off New Zealand’s inaugural Business Events Week on September 18, are open.
Themed Experience Extraordinary, the three-day conference will feature speakers, panel discussions and workshops, held at the ASB Theatre, Marlborough, and Marlborough Convention Centre in Blenheim.
BEIA chief executive, Lisa Hopkins, said: “Leading into Business Events Week, our conference is focused on elevating the discussion on the impact of business events – their impact on our economy, our society, our culture, and our environment.
“We are working to shine a light on our industry from a global perspective, looking at the data, and amplifying the legacies created by knowledge sharing and connecting at business events.
“We will be looking at how the industry continues to raise the bar given the pressures and opportunities we have in front of us. Our speakers will be challenging us all to rethink how we view the business events industry.”
International keynote speakers include Senthil Gopinath, CEO of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), and Martin Sirk, a former CEO of ICCA and an expert on the social and economic impact of meetings, and the future evolution of the meetings industry.
New Zealand economist Cameron Bagrie will also be sharing his views on the economy, while leaders of New Zealand’s key tourism, hospitality, event and hotel industry associations will also be present for panel discussions and the latest sector updates.
Delegates will also be able to experience the region first-hand with an afternoon of activities including exploring the Marlborough Sounds by boat, wine tasting, nature walks and wildlife. Before and after the conference, delegates can experience the Coastal Pacific train between Christchurch and Blenheim. They can also add a stopover in Kaikōura with a special accommodation package at the new Sudima Kaikōura.
The event will kick off on September 18 with a Welcome Function at Wither Hills Winery, and wrap up on September 20 with a dinner at Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre.
Traditionally stronger on the leisure front, Tasmania’s business events sector has been quietly growing over the years, with future plans boosted by the announcement of major improvements to its infrastructure this year.
For instance, Hobart’s upcoming waterfront stadium, slated for completion in 2029, will open the gates for the island state to host more large-scale events.
Business Events Tasmania’s CEO, Marnie Craig, told TTGmice: “Business Events Tasmania is working closely with the Tasmanian Government on the design of the stadium and surrounding precinct to maximise business event outcomes. The aim is to grow our capacity and capability so we can host events for 2,500 people.”
Craig pointed out that Tasmania is currently able to comfortably host business events of up to 1,100 people, and enjoys a “strong reputation internationally in Antarctic science, agriculture, maritime and renewable energy”, which is where their target opportunities lie.
“While we have traditionally enjoyed a strong domestic market for both association and incentive business, after the opening of large brand hotels, particularly in Hobart, we have seen strong growth in international incentives,” she added.
Aside from the waterfront stadium, Hobart Airport has finalised plans to upgrade its runway, taxiway and apron, which will open up the potential for new passenger flights to hubs like Singapore or Hong Kong from Hobart, Sarah Clark, CEO of Tourism Tasmania, shared on the sidelines of the Australia Marketplace South East Asia 2023 held in Singapore.
Business events help to bring in opportunities during the shoulder winter season. In June 2023, six conferences held brought 1,000 people to Tasmania, producing an economic impact of A$3 million (US$2 million) dollars.
Tasmania also has in place, its own Business Events Attraction Fund (BEAF), which has invested A$1.1 million to win 48 events, bringing nearly 15,000 delegates and a direct economic spend of A$51 million since Business Events Tasmania took over management of the fund in September 2021.
Craig opined: “Tasmania is a strong leisure market for the same reasons that the MICE sector is thriving – there is space to think clearly, the ease of accessibility and walkability of our cities, and the connection to a rich cultural heritage and close and connected community of Tasmanians doing extraordinary things.”
The importance of travel and expense spend management has increased in priority, reaching its highest level since 2020, according to a recent BCD Travel survey of 164 travel buyers worldwide.
In 2023, 88% of buyers regarded payment & expense management as “very important” or “extremely important,” compared to 76% in 2021.
In terms of payment and expense priorities, the ranking remains unchanged compared to two years ago. Simplifying processes remain at the top, followed by traveller satisfaction, combating fraud and frictionless payment and expense experience ranking equally. Operational efficiency, which translates into indirect cost savings, saw the most significant increase in importance.
When it comes to payment setup and administration, the biggest pain points for travel buyers are suppliers not accepting specific payment methods or charging extra fees (46%) and payment needs of non-employees (43%).
Looking at payment methods, corporate cards (84%) and centrally billed accounts/business travel accounts (71%) are the two most often used. Only 38% of those surveyed offer virtual payment to their travellers. Payment for guest travel provokes high interest from both virtual card users (49%) and non-users (42%).
In terms of expense management and credit card reconciliation, more than half report collecting receipts and missing invoices (52%) as the biggest challenge, followed by manual reconciliation (45%) and managing expenses for complex categories (45%). As for visibility into costs and compliance, almost a quarter of buyers have no insight into on-trip spend (24%) and out-of-program bookings (23%). Regarding the importance of pre-trip approval for controlling spend, opinions are split. While 44% rate pre-trip approval as “very important” or “extremely important,” just as many consider it “slightly important” or “not important at all.”
BCD also recently conducted a payment & expense survey of 1,349 travellers. The traveller and buyer surveys reveal some similarities and differences:
“With the tremendous evolution and growth in financial technology and automation, the journey to transform the travel and expense spend management experience is well underway,” said Ajay Singh, vice president, digital payment and expense products at BCD.
“We’re listening to our clients and travellers and developing adaptations to BCD Pay, our proprietary suite of spend management solutions. By using real-time virtual cards, artificial intelligence, machine learning and open APIs, BCD Pay will offer a frictionless, digital payment experience from procure to pay to account for T&E spend management.”
The 45th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 23) will bring together more than 2,300 experts from around the world to Sydney this week (July 24-27) to discuss advances in biomedical engineering.
Taking place across all four levels at ICC Sydney, the conference will feature more than 1,000 speakers and 1,200 poster displays, and bring about an estimated economic impact of A$7 million (US$4.7 million). A staggering 87 per cent of delegates are also international.
Anticipated keynote speaker, Nicholas Opie, will discuss his company’s advances with the Stentrode, a product that has just finished successful clinical trials. The Stentrode allows people with paralysis to control external equipment – such as phones and computers – with their minds.
Another key feature of EMBC 23 is the Women in Engineering forum, a first for the conference series. The forum will feature an all-female speaker line-up and fulfil the committee’s diversity, equity and inclusion objectives.
Australian event management company, The Arinex Group, managed all aspects of EMBC 23, including speaker management, programme management and accommodation.
The Ritz-Carlton, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio, has opened The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan.
The luxury hotel occupies the nine topmost floors in a 25-storey glass tower designed by Kume Sekkei of Tokyo. There are 167 guestrooms, including 20 suites, where Fukuoka Skyline rooms offer sweeping views of the city, while Park View rooms overlook Ohori Park. There is also a 132m2 Presidential Suite and 188m2 Ritz-Carlton Suite.
Event spaces include two versatile banquet venues on the third floor of the building, the 108m2 Ritz-Carlton Studio and 336m2 Ritz-Carlton Ballroom, that can be configured to accommodate breakout sessions, and board meetings. The Ballroom is equipped with a six-meter-square LED screen, enabling film and video presentations.
On the 24th and topmost floor of the hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Club is open to guests staying in club and suite categories. Five culinary presentations are offered daily including breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, hors d’oeuvres, and cordials. It also boasts a bar and a private room, making it a convenient venue for business gatherings. Live jazz performances are also held every Saturday night.
Other facilities include four restaurants and two bars that reflect Fukuoka’s food culture, a spa on the 24th floor, an indoor swimming pool, and gym.
For corporate travellers with their young ones in tow, the hotel also offers child-friendly amenities and activities from the brand’s signature Ritz Kids programme, including guided excursions and craft experiences designed around the programme’s four pillars of nature, exploration, responsibility and culture.
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.
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.
For more information, email hello@ficomasseria.com
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.
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.
