Alexis Rodriguez has been appointed general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place.
Rodriguez brings with him 18 years of experience in luxury hotels, and in his new role, he will lead his team to ensure the embodiment of The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards.
Previously the general manager of JW Marriott Zhengzhou, he is also able to communicate in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Galician, among others.
The state of Adelaide has been chosen as the host city for Dreamtime 2023, Business Events Australia announced over the weekend.
Scheduled for November 7-10, the showcase will be the first Dreamtime held since 2019 due to the global pandemic and will provide business events planners and media with the opportunity to experience why there’s nothing like Australia for business events.
The Dreamtime programme includes a destination showcase, dedicated media event, business session and networking opportunities to allow maximum engagement between Australian industry and international business events buyers and media.
Tourism Australia’s managing director, Phillipa Harrison, said: “Dreamtime 2023 is a valuable part of our distribution activity to bring qualified planners and media to Australia to experience the wealth of new products available and our world-class event delivery.
“Like so many of our destinations, Adelaide has undergone unprecedented infrastructure development, welcoming new products such as Sofitel Adelaide, Adelaide Oval Hotel and Eos by SkyCity and the Southern Ocean Lodge, which will reopen later this year.”
Tourism Australia’s executive general manager of commercial & Business Events Australia, Robin Mack said the event has a strong record of securing future incentive business for Australia, driving real business outcomes for the industry.
“Even with the disruption of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Dreamtime 2019 delivered solid results for Australia, generating 36 business leads in three months, worth A$97 million (US$67.1 million),” he said.
Prior to the pandemic, the business events sector was a key contributor to the visitor economy, attracting nearly 1.1 million arrivals, and spending A$4.5 billion for the year ending December 31, 2019.
A carbon offset programme for business events and online hubs designed to make sustainable and accessible travel easy to access, and updates to Cairns Convention Centre were among the updates provided by Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef at AIME 2023.
Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef’s general manager Rosie Douglas said the new partnership with Reforest will assist event planners in calculating their event’s high-level carbon footprint and offset it through a localised tree planting and revegetation program in endangered Mabi rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands.
Other offset options include making a partial contribution, or offering delegates an opportunity to contribute to the programme toward the event.
Earlier this month, Tourism Tropical North Queensland also launched a Sustainable Travel Hub that showcased interactive conservation projects, immersive cultural experiences and eco-certified operators such as the Quicksilver Group and Pullman Reef Hotel Casino. This will help event planners and delegates understand the value the region places on the environment and community.
Douglas added: “To celebrate 2023 being named the Year of Accessible Tourism in Queensland we have also launched an accessibility widget so the destination website can be viewed in various modes including ADHD-friendly with reduced distractions and blindness mode that is compatible with a screen reader.”
Janet Hamilton, general manager of Cairns Convention Centre, also in attendance at AIME, was eager to provide updates on the venue’s 10,500m2 expansion. Costing A$176 million (US$121 million), a full reopening has been scheduled for May 2023.
“Our first event in the new expansion will be the Queensland Legislative Assembly, meeting for the sixth regional sitting of the Queensland Parliament, May 9-11,” Hamilton said.
The Cairns Convention Centre expansion includes a large undercover, tropically planted forecourt, and an expanded main entry lobby on the entry levels. The Mezzanine level will have a 410-seat plenary lecture space that can be divided into two spaces, three 110-seat meeting rooms, and exhibition space for up to 30 display booths. The brand-new third level includes a 500-seat banquet room with a large adjoining pre-function space and an external terrace with views over Trinity Inlet.
Attendees of the BestCities Global Alliance held in Vancouver, Canada, in December 2022 pledged to prioritise legacy in future bid strategies, raised money for a local non-profit, and learnt how to measure the impact of business events on destinations and associations.
Central to the three-day Global Forum was highlighting the impact that small and local businesses can have on tourism. The programme featured a presentation of the Conference Legacy Impact Study conducted by Destination Vancouver and Capilano University’s Centre for Tourism Research, which found that delegates who visit local businesses are more likely to find value in their conference and return to the host destination as tourists.
“Each conference in every destination will have unique legacies and outcomes of their own,” said Michael Drake, director of sales, meetings & conventions, Canada & international at Destination Vancouver. “With more than half of the outcomes identified as non-economic, partnering with the destination will improve the desired outcomes for all stakeholders involved.”
Another milestone at the Global Forum was 12 participants signing up for BestCities Madrid Challenge with a pledge to build legacy into their bid strategies for future events. Launched in 2021, the initiative identifies ways to support associations and destinations as they centre impact and sustainability in conference and event planning.
“The impact that meetings have on local communities in a host destination is invaluable, spanning knowledge exchange, talent acquisition, inclusion, academic research, and new business opportunities,” said Lesley Williams, managing director of BestCities Global Alliance.
Partners and associations took immediate steps toward positive change by participating in “Engage for Good”, a Forum activity that raised funds for Ocean Wise Seafood, a non-profit focused on ocean conservation. Throughout their time in Vancouver, delegates earned points for conference activities such as taking public transport and engaging with the attendee app. At the close of the conference, delegates had earned the equivalent of CAD$2,500 (US$2,492), all of which was donated to Ocean Wise Seafood.
The next Global Forum will take place January 18-21, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia.
The Ritz-Carlton has unveiled a newly-elevated experience at The Ritz-Carlton Club across its Asia-Pacific hotels, following a successful launch in China last summer.
The Ritz-Carlton Club’s refreshed offerings are to meet the evolving needs of today’s luxury travellers, whereas the next generation of luxury travellers will tend to will combine business and leisure travel, seek one-of-a-kind moments, and look for purpose-led experiences.
For example, The Club Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore invites guests to share their personal memories by designing a customised postcard to send to loved ones with a Ritz-Carlton stamp. At The Ritz-Carlton, Perth, sommelier Camila Luzzi invites guests to discover a Western Australian wine, sharing hidden gems and pours of exceptional quality from local cellars, while guests at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong can come together with family to tuck into their favourite movies in a bonfire-themed room.
The Ritz-Carlton Club will continue to offer five meals including breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, hors d’oeuvres and cordials, with menus evoking the local culinary narratives of the destination.
A traditional Jamu experience, wellness drink and ancient ritual integral to Javanese culture will served during afternoon tea at The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place, while guests will be able to savour to a traditional lunch bento box at The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo,.
In the evening, guests are invited to taste authentic seasonal ingredients unique to each destination, or, as with The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa, an original Okinawa Sunset cocktail.
“We are seeing an even greater shift towards guests seeking experiences that inspire them and help bring balance into their lives through the discovery of fresh perspectives, new ideas, and local connections,” said Jennie Toh, vice president, brand marketing and management, Asia Pacific, Marriott International.
“The launch of elevated experiences at The Ritz-Carlton Club gives us the perfect opportunity to reconnect with our guests, giving them a unique window into each destination’s culture through enhanced offerings and experiences.”
Beverley Parker will be taking on an additional role at ASM Global Asia Pacific as the group’s new director of marketing on March 1, 2023.
A sales and marketing industry leader, the Australian has more than 30 years’ of experience in tourism, events and hospitality.
Parker will combine her new role with her current position as director of business development at ICC Sydney.
AUSTRALLA
Melbourne
Melbourne’s momentum for events is translating into a solid calendar for bookings this year, thanks partly to a successful AIME event in 2022 that effectively played a key role in kickstarting the industry.
“I think 2023 will definitely be strong. We (currently) have 60 events on the books for 2023, said Julia Swanson, Melbourne Convention Bureau’s CEO. Major events include the Rotary International Convention, the largest convention of its nature held in Melbourne with some 17,000 delegates from over 200 countries.
What’s also helped MCB’s success story is the fact that some 70 per cent of its business comes from the associations sector, which Swanson said has been a steady market as US and Europe reopened months before other markets.
“There are still a lot of associations, corporate and incentives making decisions for 2023 and 2024. But we are definitely on a very strong upward trajectory. I believe we have A$386 million worth of bids underway for events through to 2028. That is an incredibly strong pipeline,” she added.
The positive outlook is echoed by what local event planners like Georgie Stayches, chief engagement officer at Fetching Events & Communications, are seeing.
“(For us), 2022 has been one of the biggest years we’ve probably had in 13 years of business and 2023 is already shaping up to be just as big, if not bigger,” said Stayches.
“Business has come back with a vengeance, which brings its own challenges but it’s certainly (looking) very healthy.”
Stayches also observed that the industry’s staffing and service standards issues have improved in recent months, although the much shorter lead times for bookings could stay for a while.
“I had an event confirmed last week for next week. My gut feeling is this is not necessarily (just) a Covid thing where people need to feel safe as the event gets closer. I think people’s behaviours have changed, whether it’s how they eat out or book their holidays. That 12-month planning cycle has gone out the window,” she added. – Adelaine Ng
Sydney
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) is forecasting a significant year with a number of confirmed events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup, World Pride Festival, and South by Southwest tech conference.
This comes off the back of a strong 2022 that saw the city host more than 30 global meetings, including the 20th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering that welcomed 900 delegates from 70 countries.
Sydney also announced last November it won 14 bids in two months, with a combined direct expenditure of A$40 million, adding to Sydney’s business events pipeline through to 2029 with 85 global and national events.
“That said, there are still a number of markets to recover,” said Kristian Nicholls, executive general manager client engagement, BESydney.
“The global association market is strong and it will be a record year for us (but) the global corporate and incentive market is still in recovery so it’s definitely a transition year for Sydney,” he continued.
Sydney is also establishing three innovation precincts in technology, medical and health, and a “brand new city being built around our new airport that will be opening end-2026,” added Nicholls.
But while Sydney is starting to see markets out of South-east Asia return, it is India that has emerged.
“The international market is nowhere what it used to be, but the first to come back in any sort of volume is the incentive market out of India,” said Matthew Talbot, director of sales and marketing, Hyatt Regency Sydney. “In 2019, we would get one or two Indian groups in a quarter but now we’re talking every other week. We’re also getting a lot more enquiries from Singapore.”
Talbot also said the hotel has forecast to still rely on the domestic market for the first six months of 2023 before seeing a more buoyant return of international business. – Adelaine Ng
INDONESIA
Bali
Business event players in Bali are all smiles thanks to the promising outlook for 2023.
Oriol Montal, general manager of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali & Bali International Convention Centre, said that the property has received a similar number of business leads for 2023 when compared to 2019, with bookings from December 2022 to March 2023 looking “strong”.
Similarly, Vincent Guironnet, general manager of The Apurva Kempinski Bali, told TTGmice that demand from corporate incentives from South-east Asia and Australia have increased.
Melali MICE is also reporting similar positive signs, where the company handled 25 events in 2022, a 25 per cent increase from 2019.
“This will generate higher revenues and profit margins, which is a sign that the business has fully returned to pre-Covid levels,” said I Ketut Jaman, Managing Director of Melali MICE.
And with China’s reopening, Ketut projects that Chinese business travellers will dominate arrivals to Bali in 2023.
However, the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Centre will be focusing on the domestic market – comprising MNCs in Jakarta and association meetings – for 2023, as seat capacity is still an issue, stated the centre’s president director Riyanthi Handayani.
Jeanie Anawangwulan, CEO of JP Pro Bali, concurred, pointing out that domestic opportunities will be even greater because 2023 is when political parties will hold many events. “We have mapped out at least 132 events that will happen in 2023,” she said. – Tiara Maharani
Jakarta
Jakarta’s business event players are confident that the industry will continue to grow and recover strongly in 2023.
The optimism is based on data from the Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association (IECA), where the number of exhibitions held in 2H2022 – which was when permits were issued – totalled 168.
For Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), the venue is 70 per cent booked up until October 2023, said Hosea Andreas Runkat, chairman of the IECA and director of JCC.
Things are also looking up for Alcor MICE, and event sizes are getting bigger with an average of 500 to 3,000 pax, said Jim Tehusijarana, director of holding company Alcor Prime. In 2H2022, Alcor MICE was averaging four events every month.
Jakarta will also play host to several events such as the FIFA U-20 World Cup, and ASEAN-related events as Indonesia is ASEAN chairman in 2023.
AI Nyoman Sarya, vice president operations Singgasana Hotels & Resort, is confident that business in 2023 will improve by 30 per cent when compared to 2022.
For Reza Abdullah, president director & CEO of Royalindo Convention International, said that 2023 will be more interesting as the market will not be dominated by government events like 2022, which means that there are “opportunities to reap better profits”. – Tiara Maharani
JAPAN
Tokyo
Business events specialists in Tokyo are juggling multiple RFPs that have swept in as soon as reopening signs emerged for Japan in August, with interest and enquiries surging after entry barriers were lifted on October 11.
Shinichi Sawa, secretariat of DMO Roppongi and a representative of Grand Hyatt Tokyo, said his hotel has been getting a daily average of 10 RFPs since the reopening date was announced in September, and international meetings, conventions and incentives have resumed very swiftly.
The intense demand for Tokyo is no surprise, opined Shota Fukami, a travel consultant with DMC Beauty of Japan (BOJ), as the capital region is often the first destination that comes to mind when companies consider Japan for their events.
“Many DMCs, not just ours, are very busy responding to client requests and enquiries,” Fukami said, adding that the bulk of RFPs received by BOJ come from the US and Europe, with some from Hong Kong.
TAS Co., a Tokyo-based DMC, is working on confirming several projects with Indonesian clients that were postponed during the pandemic; these are likely to take place in 2023.
As halal facilities are easily accessible in major cities like Tokyo, TAS Co.’s sales and marketing officer, Agusta Dwi Lawriko Ridzwan, said the destination is a hot favourite among his Indonesian clients.
Fukami noted that present demand is blurring the lines between off-peak and peak travel seasons, creating a valuable opportunity for DMCs to demonstrate Tokyo’s year-round appeal.
While the peak seasons for inbound travel used to be March and April in spring, and October and November in autumn, events have returned since August 2022.
Fukami believes that it is up to DMCs to create itineraries across seasons to encourage clients to hold their events outside of peak periods.
“Offering a variety of itineraries different from what clients were used to pre-pandemic also creates a chance for us to introduce lesser-known areas in Tokyo.
“Most foreigners are not familiar with the regions beyond the Tokyo city centre. They may not have heard of places like Tama region or Hachioji city, so we can promote experiences in these areas and change their perception of the Tokyo metropolis as a MICE destination,” he said.
Fukami’s observations coincide with Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau’s move to play up business-events-ready destinations across Greater Tokyo.
Yuka Murata, representative of Business Events Tokyo, told TTGmice: “There is more than just the familiar city centre of Tokyo for events. There is so much to do and experience across Tokyo.
“By educating planners on the versatility of the Tokyo Metropolis, we will not only inspire programmes to offer more variety, but also encourage longer stays in the city, and drive more tourism revenue deeper into the surrounding communities.” – Karen Yue
Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS) has appointed Steven Chua as its chief executive officer.
Chua has amassed 30 years of experience and expertise in the hospitality and tourism industry. His forte in grooming and developing talents for the industry was evident during his time at Temasek Polytechnic and SHATEC.
In his tenure at Sentosa Development Corporation, he led in the development of Tourism Academy @ Sentosa to upgrade visitor experience on the resort. He was previously president & CEO of SHATEC, and established SHATEC Institutes Macau.
Accor has announced changes to its senior operations leadership team to bring increased expertise and focus to Accor’s operations across Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Fiji.
Scott Boyes has been appointed senior vice president hotel operations, Pacific North. Having worked in Accor operations for 28 years, he will be responsible for hotels under management agreements in the newly designated Pacific North region, which will include New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Northern Territory.
Adrian Williams has been named senior vice president hotel operations, Pacific South, and will be responsible for Accor’s Premium, Midscale and Economy hotels in the newly designated Pacific South region. He has over 30 years of hotel operations and senior leadership experience.
Danesh Bamji is the new vice president franchise, Pacific. He will leverage Accor’s brand, marketing, sales, customer engagement, digital and loyalty strategies as well as the delivery of Accor’s systems, tools and resources.
Marcus Hanna has been appointed vice president operations Pacific, Sofitel, MGallery and Emblem. He has over 18 years of experience with Accor, and his most recent role was as managing director for Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford.
The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) and the International Federation of Exhibition & Event Services (IFES) have signed a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding.
At their most recent meeting held in Dubai, the IAPCO Council unanimously agreed to a new collaboration with IFES, the first of its kind for both associations. The collaboration will see experts from both organisations share knowledge and educational content through industry events, seminars and webinars, visibility via online recognition and business development opportunities.
Ori Lahav, IAPCO president, commented: “Many IAPCO member client events require exhibition and stand builds for their global business and professional events. Knowing and having immediate access to the most appropriate and trustworthy partners to work with just makes sense.
“This new MoU enables IAPCO and IFES members to have more direct contact, build upon their respective expertise and provide added value across the board to the clients they serve.”
With a membership retention rate of just under 100 per cent over the past two years, a growing number of new membership applications and continued support from global partners, IAPCO continues to focus its attention on providing added value and new services to its members.
“As we enter our fourth decade as an association, I am proud of this new collaboration between IAPCO and IFES, as a manifestation of the IFES motto of sharing knowledge. We look forward to a long and beneficial partnership with IAPCO and its members, through which we will be able to support our respective members by generating more business together,” said Philippe Beille, IFES president.