Asia/Singapore Tuesday, 5th May 2026
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1. Waka on Avon, New Zealand
Experience the excitement of paddling a hand-crafted waka (canoe) down the Avon River, and learn about the importance of the waka to Maori culture. Waka paddling is one of the oldest teambuilding activities, when the Ngai Tahu tribe would race up and down the Avon River in Christchurch as a method of preserving social interaction and community engagement. In the same way, Waka on Avon’s teambuilding experience combines cultural learning, team collaboration, and a touch of healthy competition that culminates in a race off.

2. Bali Village Life & Traditional Farming, Indonesia
For many generations, Balinese residents have lived off what Mother Earth has provided them with. Tunjuk is one of such local communities, and corporates are given a chance to experience a day in a life of a Balinese villager. On this Asian Trails itinerary, visitors will get to mingle with the locals and play with the children. After a sumptuous lunch, corporates will head to the communal farm to learn about the various stages of rice cultivation, and join in the rice planting.

3. The Kangaroo Sanctuary, Australia
A 15-minute drive away from the Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters’ convention centre, stands The Kangaroo Sanctuary, established by Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns in 2011. Today, the 76-hectare sanctuary is home to 55 kangaroos that are unable to fend for themselves; most are released back into the wild.

On the three-hour walk around the sanctuary, Barns will regale the group with kangaroo rescue stories and facts, as participants get to cradle baby joeys, visit Roger’s memorial – a muscular kangaroo that found Internet fame – and watch kangaroos hop curiously by. All tour proceeds and donations are directed to the rescue and care of orphaned joeys and adult kangaroos.

4. Maruku Arts, Australia
This one-hour painting workshop in Yulara Town Square can be added onto a corporate trip heading to Uluru. The workshop kicks off with a local Anangu artist sharing stories about the Anangu culture and way of life in Pitjantjatjara, which will be translated by an assisting interpreter. Participants will also learn about traditional art, symbols, and tools used in the locals’ daily lives. The group will then have 45 minutes to paint something meaningful to them; a canvas, paints and brushes are provided. Corporates will then place all their paintings together, and take turns explaining the stories behind their brushstrokes, which will help gain a better understanding of each other.

5. Sushi Experience, Japan
Eating incredible sushi at an exclusive and hard-to-get-into restaurant is high on the list of any foodie in Japan. Luxurique, a hospitality company for MICE events in Japan elevates and adapts this experience into a teambuilding activity. Guests will be able to learn the skills of sushi making under the direct tutelage of the head chef of a Michelin-star restaurant, such as pressing, forming and kneading. Teams will then compete against each other to make the best-rolled sushi, which can be enjoyed at the end of the event with sake. This experience can be arranged in various locations around Japan, such as Tokyo and Kyoto.

6. Build Your Own Bike Workshop, Singapore
In this one-of-a-kind workshop booked through Seek Sophie, corporates will be able to build a company bicycle that can be used for lunch runs, or donated to charity. During this three-hour workshop run by facilitators from Unspokin, participants will be able to build a belt-driven bicycle (designed in Singapore) worth S$1,200 (US$890) from scratch. The building experience will be segmented into different portions so that the best team of mechanics will win a prize. The end result is a custom bicycle that is hand-built, will last a long time, and is for a great cause.

SFDA returns to MBS for a fifth edition

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Food industry members at SFFA 2022, now known as SFDA 2023

Speciality Food & Drinks Asia (SFDA) 2023, a fine food and beverage show, is touching down in Singapore for its fifth edition from September 26-28, 2023, at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre.

SFDA is expected to host up to 8,000 trade visitors and over 200 exhibitors from across the region, bringing together the entire F&B industry and include restaurants, pubs and bars; meat and poultry; and speciality coffee and tea. It will be co-located with the second edition of takeaway and delivery show Food2Go.

Food industry members at SFFA 2022, now known as SFDA 2023

Attendees can expect presentations and chef demonstrations, panel discussions with thought leaders from industry players at the Innovation Stage, and taste the industry’s newest brews at The Tap Room.

SFDA organiser Montgomery Asia has also partnered with FoodTech investor Big Idea Ventures (BIV) to host the international finals of the first-ever Big Idea Food Competition – which focuses on identifying the best in alternative protein – at SFDA 2023.

In addition to the Big Idea Food Competition, two other competitions include the Singapore National Coffee Championship, as well as the inaugural ASEAN Butchery Competition, hosted by Montgomery Asia and the Meat Traders Association Singapore.

Sarawak’s MICE industry records stellar performance for FY2022

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An aerial view of Kuching, Sarawak's capital

Sarawak’s business events performance for FY2022 surpassed targets on both economic and legacy impact returns.

With face-to-face meetings back in full swing, Sarawak hosted 100 business events in FY2022, which had RM230.3 million (US$49.5 million) in total economic impact. Direct delegate expenditures injected another RM125.1 million into the economy while 18,275 short- and long-term jobs were created within the last 12 months.

An aerial view of Kuching, Sarawak’s capital

For secured events in FY2022, the legacy performance recorded an 82 per cent success rate with 91 out of 100 secured events planning to drive benefits to sectors, trade and investment, communities, the environment and governance. A total of 485 impacts were identified with the highest in the services, tourism, agriculture, education & human capital, and innovation categories.

Sarawak also secured 100 future business events with a projected total economic impact of RM325.3 million, which would bring about a direct delegate expenditure of RM177.3 million and tax revenue of RM19.6 million. The local community will also benefit from these events, with an additional 25,896 jobs to come online. The secured events target exceeded 111 per cent, while other economic returns exceeded 196 per cent.

Furthermore, Sarawak has been successful in international bidding, securing 100 per cent of all bids. These will come with a projected total economic impact of RM179.4 million and over 14,000 job opportunities on the horizon, making FY2022 the most successful bidding year in the last two years.

FY2022 marked the business events industry’s third year in executing the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030. One of the industry’s objectives is to align with the PCDS 2030 by focusing on securing sustainable, legacy-driven business events from the six priority economic sectors and seven enabler sectors. The six priority sectors are manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, forestry, mining and services) and the seven enabler sectors are digital transformation, innovation, education & human capital, basic infrastructure, utilities, transport and renewable energy).

BESarawak’s chairman, Abang Abdul Karim Abang Openg, said in a press release: “We stayed on track in securing events of key interests aligned with the Sarawak Government’s objectives of stimulating economic and social growth, while growing our core business, optimising costs and opportunities and strengthening Sarawak’s stakeholder collaborations and talent pool to boost industry competence. Through business events, Sarawak is laying the foundation for sustainable development with the intention of leaving a transformative impact on local communities for years to come.”

Interprefy takes AI speech translation solution to global AI summit

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Regional Tourism NZ welcomes Mat Woods to the board

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Destination Queenstown chief executive Mat Woods has been appointed to the board of Regional Tourism New Zealand with immediate effect.

Representing Queenstown and all the South Island regions, Woods will work alongside other regions on nationally significant issues, such as shaping the evolution of the visitor economy.

He was previously the chair of Lake Wānaka Tourism, and is currently on the board of Snow Sports NZ.

Bali’s Alila Manggis appoints new GM

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Hyatt Hotels Corporation has named Ratih Handayani as general manager of Alila Manggis in Bali.

Bringing a wealth of experience to her new role, she previously served as an independent hospitality consultant since 2020, contributing her expertise to Triloka Architects in Bali.

Prior to that, she was general manager at the Cabochon Hotel & Residence in Bangkok.

Ian Di Tullio joins Minor Hotels as chief commercial officer

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Minor Hotels has appointed Ian Di Tullio as the company’s new chief commercial officer, who joins the Bangkok-based group from his most recent position as chief commercial officer Europe at Accor.

Di Tullio brings to Minor Hotels a deep expertise in loyalty, analytics, customer engagement and digital, having overseen ground-breaking innovations in customer loyalty, digital marketing and distribution during previous roles at Accor, Qatar Airways and Air Canada.

Fluent in English, French and Italian, he also has extensive global management experience with large multinational organisations.

UFI chooses Hong Kong for 2025 Global Congress

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UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has revealed that its 92nd UFI Global Congress will be held in Hong Kong.

Hosted by AsiaWorld- Expo, the congress will include activations throughout the Greater Bay Area. The event is open to more than 50,000 industry professionals globally, who work for UFI member companies, and offers opportunities to gain insight into topics of strategic interest, learn about new trends, and discuss the challenges facing the exhibition industry.

AsiaWorld-Expo will be the host for the event

In UFI’s 100-year history, Hong Kong has hosted the UFI Congress once before, in the year 2000.

UFI president, Michael Duck, said: “The UFI Global Congress will conclude a multi-year tour through the world’s leading exhibition markets in 2025 – after the USA in 2023 and Germany in 2024, Hong Kong will take the global UFI community to Greater China. We will also be able to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of AsiaWorld-Expo together with our hosts.”

CEO of AsiaWorld-Expo, Irene Chan, added: “Located at the heart of China’s fast-growing Greater Bay Area, AsiaWorld-Expo is the perfect showcase of the synergies and rich potential of this vibrant market. 2025 is also a landmark year for witnessing another major milestone in the region’s growth: the ongoing development of SKYCITY, where AWE is situated, and where new cross-border facilities are taking shape. As a well-established MICE destination that is constantly adding new value to its market position, AsiaWorld-Expo looks forward to providing an exceptional EXPOtainment experience to global visitors and helping them unlock the enormous potential for business in the region.”

The UFI Global Congress takes place in November every year in tradeshow destinations around the world. Following this year’s Congress in Las Vegas (November 1-4, 2023), the event will move on to Cologne, Germany, where it will take place from November 17-20, 2024.

Kyushu presents new events venue

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Macau in the spotlight

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