Bob van den Oord has been named CEO for Langham Hospitality Group, stepping up from his current role as regional vice president – Europe, Middle East and North America from September 1.
Having served as a senior business leader at Langham Hospitality Group for the last 20 years, he will lead the company’s growth, enhance operational efficiencies and develop the guest experience through new partnerships and digital innovations in his new role.
1. Be one with the All Blacks
The All Blacks Experience in Auckland is an immersive journey powered by storytelling that celebrates the legacy of New Zealand’s national rugby team. From interactive exhibits to behind-the-scenes tours, visitors will experience what it feels like to face the team performing the Haka and simulate walking onto the playing field.
2. Films and fantasies
One of Auckland’s premier attractions, Weta Workshop Unleashed is a high-sensory experience for fans of New Zealand’s famous fantasy films. The 90-minute guided tour takes you through a hands-on world of special effects, animatronics and creature design.
3. Chocolatey goodness
Chocolate enthusiasts will love bringing their dream creations to life using locally sourced ingredients and packaged with artwork by New Zealand artists. Chocolate making at the Wellington Chocolate Factory adopts artisan methods from the 18th century, is sustainable, and is made ethically to support cocoa growers.
4. Sustainable stays
Period undies and fragrant shower bombs that clean the water drain at the same time? Five-star boutique hotel Sudima Christchurch City is not only brand new and bold, but it is also blending sustainability with style like few of its competitors. It has great apartment options too.
5. Auckland Bridge adventures
Climb your way to breathtaking panoramic views of the city skyline and traffic whizzing past and below, while learning about the history of the Auckland Bridge. The bridge also offers the Bungy Pod for next-level adventure.
6. Dine like a Maori
Dinner at Hiakai Restaurant in Wellington is unforgettable with sophisticated boundary-pushing cuisine celebrating Maori ingredients and traditional ways of cooking. Guests leave with a newfound appreciation for New Zealand’s culinary heritage, thanks to celebrated Mãori-Samoan chef Monique Fiso.
Espire Hospitality Group has appointed Sanjay Kumar as director of operations and Kunal Sabharwal as director of sales.
With over 15 years of experience in operations management, Kumar will play a crucial role in optimising operations, streamlining processes, and driving overall efficiency within the organisation.
Sabharwal will be responsible for developing and executing strategic sales initiatives and driving revenue growth in his new role.
Amassing over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, he has worked with India’s leading hospitality brands including Accor, Hilton, ITC, Ananta Hotels & Resorts and Radisson.
Mandarin Oriental has named Amanda Hyndman as its new chief people officer, and promoted Francesco Cefalú to the role of chief development officer.
Having been with Mandarin Oriental since 2007, Hyndman will oversee the development of human resources strategies that support the growth of the brand and colleague career development in her new role.
Cefalú, who joined the company in 2016 as regional development director for EMEA, will oversee the development of the group’s pipeline of hotels and residences worldwide.
Phuket Hotels Association is inviting members of the public to take part in its Absolutely Fabulous Online Travel Sale – an online auction with prizes that will fund scholarships for talented young people in Phuket.
This is part of the Phuket Hotels Association Benefit (PHAB) 2023 campaign, a fundraising initiative which also includes PHAB 5, a charity gala dinner at Angsana Laguna Phuket on May 20, 2023.
Bidding in the online auction is open until midday (Thailand time, UTC+7 hrs) on June 15. Participants can bid for five-star stays and exciting experiences generously donated by sponsors in various destinations such as Dubai, Sydney and the Maldives, as well as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui. In addition to hotel stays, the auction includes a range of activities such as yacht charters, golf, tennis, surfing classes and gym memberships.
Proceeds from the auction will sponsor at least 20 hospitality scholarships and internships, exclusively for the benefit of young Phuket residents who would be otherwise unable to fund their education. To date, the association has successfully sponsored over 30 students studying hospitality and tourism in Phuket.
The PHAB 5 online auction is being continually updated with new prizes. Bidders can check back on their progress, make new offers and see what other prizes come up. Visit phab.phukethotelsassociation.com/silent-auction for more details.
Hosted at Angsana Convention & Exhibition Space, PHAB 5 is an upbeat fundraising event supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The evening will commence with welcome cocktails and live music, followed by an international buffet dinner featuring live cooking stations by some of the top chefs from Phuket’s best hotels, and drinks prepared by the island’s most creative mixologists.
Tickets are priced at THB 4,900 (US$143; premium) or THB 5,900 (VIP), with the proceeds also funding the hospitality scholarships.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has teamed up with Worldwide ERC, a global association for professionals engaged in global talent mobility, to co-locate their respective conferences for the Asia-Pacific region.
Taking place from September 19-20, 2023, at the Shangri-La Singapore, each conference will run separately. However, attendees will have access to the content of both programs and gain increased value and networking opportunities during the combined expo hall and social events.
The GBTA APAC Conference 2023-Singapore will bring together the Asia-Pacific business travel community to network, and learn from industry experts and regional thought leaders while benefiting from peer-to-peer education. The event will include main stage sessions, travel buyer roundtables, and breakfast sessions, along with “The Big Idea” interactive session where attendees will collectively tackle a topic important to the industry.
Meanwhile, the Worldwide ERC APAC Regional Summit Singapore will offer delegates the opportunity to benefit from learning and networking sessions with other seasoned mobility professionals and those new to the industry across topics that cover the entire mobility and relocation ecosystem. The only event in the industry to take a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities specific to Asia-Pacific, it will include overviews of the labour market, broad economic implications and immigration trends.
“Serving the needs of companies and their teams in a changing world is a mission shared by GBTA and Worldwide ERC − whether it involves moving people for business travel or for global mobility and relocation. We are very excited to team up with Worldwide ERC to bring greater value to attendees of our individual conferences by creating this broader opportunity for learning and networking through our co-located events in Asia-Pacific,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA.
“We believe that collaboration is the key to driving innovation and progress in the field of global talent mobility and relocation. By co-locating our event with GBTA, we not only will combine our strengths and resources but also expand and deepen our impact in the APAC market. We are grateful for this opportunity and thrilled to witness the results it will yield for our delegates,” said Lynn Shotwell, CEO, Worldwide ERC.
Park Hyatt Jakarta has appointed Christian Wurm as its new general manager.
In his new role, Wurm will be responsible for the overall operation of the hotel, from purchasing and operations to catering and guest experience.
He brings a wealth of experience to the role, and was previously the general manager of Hyatt Regency Hua Hin & The Barai in Thailand.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and the Sarawak government are preparing to host the 54th Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Conference 2023 from October 30 to November 1, 2023.
Supported by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), the conference will be held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, and an expected 800 public health experts, practitioners and industry collaborators from across the world are expected to attend.
The theme for the 54th APACPH Conference is Transcending the New Normal: Strengthening Public Health Through Education, Research and Collaboration. In addition to workshops and symposia, delegates will visit UNIMAS’ Malaria Research Centre and Institute of Health and Community Medicine to tour the facilities. They will also tour the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre.
Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak’s deputy premier and minister for public health, housing and local government, said in a press release: “Public health is extremely important. It goes beyond preventing and responding to diseases – it is about giving everyone access to the right healthcare services and facilities to improve their quality of life and live longer.
“The government has spent decades focusing on the improvement of healthcare and medicine but today, we are facing new challenges that need more research, collaboration and innovation. The 54th APACPH Conference will be at the heart of community and public health education and transform Sarawak into a global hub for public health research and learning.”
One of Sarawak’s biggest challenges is having to meet the public healthcare needs of three million people; concentrated in its urban districts and dispersed throughout the rural areas. Current governmental efforts include forming the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee, building the Sarawak Heart Centre, and investing RM200 million (US$45 million) in the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre. The government is also in talks with the Ministry of Health Malaysia to open a cancer care centre.
Some anticipated impacts from the conference include beefing up action plans to assist higher education institutions to achieve United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and expand their members’ networks at the local and international levels through strategic collaborations.
Amelia Roziman, BESarawak’s CEO said: “The 54th APACPH Conference is a strong event to reflect the importance of purpose-driven business events in sector and community development. We are working with the conference committee to address four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which are Good Health and Well-being; Quality Education; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and Partnerships for the Goals. The legacy that we hope for is that this conference in Sarawak is the key to Malaysia and Asia’s public health developments.”
The 2023 Rotary International Convention will be held in Melbourne from May 27-31, 2023, with over 14,000 delegates from Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East and Australia expected to attend.
The major event is expected to deliver A$91 million (US$60.4 million) to the local economy and will take over the entire Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), with events also to be held at Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne & Olympic Parks and activations around the city.
MCEC will host pre-convention programmes, seated luncheons, breakout sessions and the House of Friendship Exhibit Hall, where attendees can learn about projects making an impact around the world. In addition to the public-facing events, the entire centre will be in use to support the execution of the event, with Rotary support offices, president and president-elect offices located on-site.
“The Rotary International Convention is unlike anything we’ve hosted at MCEC. It’s a major logistical operation, with team members working tirelessly to ensure a seamless experience for conference attendees,” said MCEC chief executive, Natalie O’Brien.
The bid, led by Melbourne Convention Bureau, with support from the Victorian Government and Tourism Australia, will see the event return to Melbourne for the second time, 30 years after the 1993 convention.
Taking place at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore next month (June 13-16, 2023), IAAPA Expo Asia will feature industry leaders from renowned attractions like Shanghai Disney Resort, Water World Ocean Park Hong Kong, Legoland Shanghai Resort, Universal Beijing Resort, Puy du Fou Asia, and Six Flags Qiddiya.
“Knowing we have been without an in-person IAAPA Expo Asia since 2019, we worked hard to select top industry veterans to best mark the return of this premier event,” said June Ko, executive director and vice president of IAAPA Asia Pacific. “Education is a main component for any IAAPA expo and the Singapore programme brings the best of our region together for impactful learning.”
This year’s show pillars focus on technology, innovations and solutions, sustainability and diversity. Speakers during the four-day education conference will discuss the process to create inclusive operations, how to operate a sustainable business, retail and merchandising, and tips for cultivating tomorrow’s workforce.
One key highlight from this year’s event is an all-new CEO Talk, which gives attendees unique access to four of today’s most influential leaders in the attractions business.
Audience members will get to listen in on a casual, unrehearsed conversation that will touch on what it takes to have a successful career in the industry of fun, and how to maintain focus on priorities while building a company culture that lasts.
This panel will be moderated by IAAPA president and CEO Jakob Wahl and features Darrell Metzger, an industry innovator; Wuthichai Luangamornlert, managing director of Siam Park Bangkok; Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ripley Entertainment and chairman of the 2023 IAAPA Board of Directors; and Massimiliano Freddi, founder and CEO of Wonderwood.