Yogendran Devarajan has been named general manager at Elysium Resort Penang, scheduled to open in April 2024 in Batu Ferringhi Penang.
He has 16 years of experience in the hospitality industry and was recently operations and business development manager of Arenaa Hotels Group.
Accor has appointed David Young as chief sustainability officer and director of ESG for Accor Pacific.
In his new role, Young will lead the implementation of Accor’s ESG and sustainability agenda across its 400 hotels, apartments and resorts in the region.
He has extensive ESG, commercial and operational experience in the travel industry in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the UK, and was previously the executive manager of sustainability and ESG at the Qantas Group.
1. Provide ample lead time
For international bookings to China, we encourage travellers to book four to six weeks ahead of their travel date to ensure that the desired flights are available. At present, international capacity stands at around 20 per cent compared to 2019 level.
China-based airlines however, have the added advantage of staffing up quicker than international airlines as the former did not make many employee cuts during the pandemic.
Last-minute bookings will result in high prices of tickets, and preferred flights and connections will be even hard to match up in this climate.
According to Mckinsey’s report published earlier this year, if mainland China follows Hong Kong’s demand recovery, international air passengers will hit four million per month by April 2023. The number represents international passengers’ traffic from/to China. The recovery rate compares to 2019 monthly |average level would be around 40 per cent then.
2. Longer processing times for visas
Most Chinese embassies and visa centres around the globe are now open and accepting applications. At present, visa application lead time for those travelling into China takes three to four weeks. Only business travellers and visiting family are valid reasons to visit, but tourism visas should resume soon.
As for the outbound visa travel from China, travellers should also make their appointments early for applications. For US visa applications, the earliest appointment date is now July 2023 for applications made in Shanghai and Guangzhou. For German visas, no quota is available until after April 2023. For Singapore and Japan, visa applications are normal as long as all required documentation is presented. However, we are seeing much longer processing times as compared to pre-Covid.
3. Check bookings closely
Several hotels have shuttered permanently, or in the throes of renovation, so it is best to check ahead of time and confirm your reservation if bookings are not made through official channels, such as OTAs.
If travelling domestically in China, rail travel continues to be a reliable option. In the last three years, more train stations have been built, and stops have increased. When travelling by rail, double check the tickets for the correct train station are booked.
However, with domestic airfares lower than pre-Covid levels, it is possible flying may be cheaper on some routes.
4. Engage a TMC to help
A travel management company will be your best bet for smooth travel into China at this current point in time. Not only will they will be able to provide a wealth of information about new flight schedules and availability, they will also provide updated information for hotel and rail travel.
As China goes into a period of travel recovery over the next six to nine months, more changes are expected. A TMC would be able to help companies navigate these challenges and ensure business trips are not wasted trips.
Although the number of event activities in Indonesia has surpassed that of the pre-pandemic era at 23,000 events in 2022, the overall gross turnover is still far below that of 2018-2019.
This information was part of The Dynamics of the Event industry Indonesia 2022-2023 survey done by The Indonesian Event Industry Council (IVENDO). The survey also revealed that the revenue was 534 billion rupiah (US$34.6 million), much lower than that of the pre-pandemic era which was between 97 and 121 trillion rupiah.
The survey was conducted in 25 provinces, with 247 respondents comprising organisers, event suppliers and production houses, where 34 per cent handled 32 events last year, and another 24 per cent handled 12 events.
In terms of value, 58 per cent of the events were worth between 10 and 50 million rupiah, and only 10 per cent had a value of one billion rupiah per event.
As for the types of events, government activities dominated in 2021, with events in 2022 starting to balance out, comprising the government (13 per cent), association events (12 per cent), state-owned companies (12 per cent), and corporate meetings (14 per cent). The survey also noted that 19 per cent of respondents created new events.
The types of events also varied, including Meetings (14.8 per cent), Exhibitions (12.1 per cent), Incentives (11.6 per cent), Entertainment (11.6 per cent), Festivals (9.8 per cent), Conventions (8.2 per cent), Training (8.04 per cent), Sport (5.4 per cent), and others (18.4 per cent).
At a recent press event in Jakarta, Mulkan Kamaludin, chairman of IVENDO, said: “What’s interesting is that 17 per cent of respondents got their business from fellow event organisers. This cooperation system helped to overcome capital challenges, (because) during the pandemic, many organisers were forced to sell assets in order to survive.”
Overall, business event players (64 per cent) are optimistic that the situation will improve in 2023.
Buoyed by this optimism, the annual Indonesia Professional Organizer Summit (IPOS) will return in person after a two-year hiatus. Themed Baku Dapa, which means meeting face to face, the event will be held from May 16-18 at The Sultan Hotel & Residence Jakarta.
It is expected to attract 100 corporate and government buyers, as well as 50 sellers from hotels, venues, tourist attractions and related suppliers.
Harry D Nugraha, IPOS’ founder, said that this was a sign that the events industry was recovering.
“With many new venues and destinations that sprung up (during the pandemic), events’ stakeholders also need to get up to date,” he added.
IVENDO is also planning to roll out a proposal to the government for a National Event Worker’s Day during the Baku Dapa event.
Capella Hotels and Resorts has named Marc von Arnim as general manager of Capella Sydney.
With over 20 years in the hospitality industry and various senior leadership positions, he will spearhead all pre-opening efforts for Capella Sydney, including recruitment and training, operations and curating experiences.
Before joining Capella Hotel Group, he was general manager of Park Hyatt Sydney.
Merlin Entertainments has appointed Susan Ang as the new divisional director for Asia-Pacific, Midway, effective April 1.
With over 25 years of global experience in the tourism industry, Ang will lead the overall management, regional strategies and financial responsibilities for Merlin’s 32 attractions across region, including Merlin’s 22 attractions across Asia and 10 attractions in Australia and New Zealand.
She will be based in Singapore, with regular visits to the region, including Australia, New Zealand and China.
A total of 3,000 delegates from Taiwan’s F&B company, WOW Prime Corporation, will be making their way to Malaysia this year for their incentive trip, generating an estimated economic impact of RM57.9 million (US$13.1 million).
Supported by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), delegates will have staggered arrivals from now until September 28, 2023.
The participants of WOWprime Corporation Company Incentive Trip 2023 will be treated to a five-star resort stay at Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson, the resort that laid claim to two Guinness World Records with its unique features.
The incentive trip will also include a Melaka Historical Tour to visit cultural sites, as well as a night market experience at Alor Street; shopping at duty-free Genting Premium Outlets and Genting Sky Avenue Complex; other local experiences; and photoshoots at Chinatown, Kwai Chai Hong, Saloma Link bridge, KLCC and National Palace.
Abdul Khani Daud, CEO of MyCEB, said that welcoming WOWprime augurs well with Malaysia’s target to welcome 114,000 corporate meetings and incentive participants for 2023.
Over 60,000 trade visitors from 120 countries, and 2,700 exhibitors from over 40 countries, will be converging in Bangkok this May for THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2022.
Happening from May 23-27, 2023, the trade fair at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani will feature 11 tradeshows segments under one roof, encompassing 11 trends and six special shows, with a focus on innovative blueprints of the future.
Country pavilions from France, Hungary, Sri Lanka, the UK and Western Australia will debut at the event, and organisers will be launching a brand new HORECA experience for the food service sector. The platform merges innovations, functionalities and sustainability and industry players can speak to exhibitors to help identify solutions to grow their businesses.
Other events include the Future Food Market will showcase emerging breakthroughs in alternative products such as plant-based protein, through live demonstrations, talks, presentations, and panel discussions.
The Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge is also back for the ninth time, where more than 700 professional and aspiring international chefs are vying for four awards in 19 categories. This year’s focus will be on Asian culinary skills and cuisines.
Australian event management company Arinex has started their 50th-anniversary celebrations this week in Cairns, kicking off a bumper week of business event activities which will showcase the destination’s capability to host sustainable meetings, conferences and incentives.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland partnership and events general manager Rosie Douglas said: “Hosting Arinex highlights the importance of business events to the Cairns economy and the Arinex passion for sustainability strongly ties in with our destination’s push to reduce the carbon footprint of events.
“As Australia’s first certified carbon neutral event company, Arinex wants to offset their event and delegates will join the first tree planting in critically endangered Mabi rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands as part of our Reforest Carbon Offsetting program for business events.”
Earlier this month, Cairns hosted the Strata Community Association Queensland annual conference. In the coming months, Cairns will be hosting the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists National Convention, and the Australian Banana Industry Congress at the Cairns Convention Centre.
“Strategic conferences like these during the shoulder season help to build the capacity and profile of our local industries while bringing in delegates who tend to spend twice as much as a leisure visitor and often return for a holiday with their family,” said Douglas.
Cairns Convention Centre’s general manager Janet Hamilton is positive about the upcoming events for Cairns, as the venue completes its A$176 million (US$117 million) expansion.
Douglas added that the region would also be hosting event planners from Korea and Japan for a four-day education programme showcasing the destination from March 30. Then on March 31, Cairns will be hosting the Business Events Cairns and Great Barrier Reef Conference.
“With business events returning we want to ensure our industry is armed with the latest insights into how our region can capitalise on opportunities for international and national events,” Douglas said.
Event brief
MICECON 2023 is the largest gathering of business events professionals in the Philippines.
Organisers wanted to show how bayanihan (a spirit of communal unity and cooperation) can help elevate business events, which is something they incorporated from the very beginning. When bidding for MICECON back in 2019, the City of Davao institutionalised business events by passing an ordinance ensuring the promotion of the sector through a close partnership between the local government unit and private stakeholders.
It was carried through to the national level with the Department of Tourism, its marketing arm Tourism Promotions Board, and private sector stakeholders such as the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers, all of whom lent their support to MICECON 2023.
Event highlights
The conference was themed MICEConverge: Blaze New Trails, where global speakers and panellists included former PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera, and C-suite executives from organisations including Society for Sustainable Tourism and Development, TripZilla, and Pathwayz Group.
MICECON 2023 deviated from staid conferences with creative innovations., where normally serious topics received a side serving of fun. Daily sub-themes Celebrating Nature, Diversity, and Travel and Technology, were repeated in the venues and daily dress code, inevitably rousing full audience participation.
Fun workshops included a workshop on easy glam makeup by the education manager from MAC Cosmetics Philippines; and another workshop on how to power dress using Philippine textile weaves – abundant in Mindanao’s indigenous communities – with fashion-forward designs.
At the airport, aside from a traditional welcome performance, there was also a surprise flash mob made up of young dancers and singers who entertained the delegates.
Also integrated into the conference was the Philippine MICE Youth Challenge, which, as the name explains, is helping to train leaders of tomorrow, and providing them with a chance to compete in the Asia MICE Youth Challenge of the AFECA (Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations)
Lastly, the CSR portion of the conference took delegates to the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, where delegates learnt more about the preservation of the critically-endangered species.
And as decided by an evaluation panel. MICECON 2024 will be held in Clark, Pampanga.
Challenges
A challenge for the government was how they could introduce the city of Davao, the largest city of Mindanao island, in three days.
As part of the conference, a marketplace with 66 local exhibitors was set up. Fam tours also included visits to Davao’s growing cachet of new hotels, resorts and attractions, as well as lesser-known destinations Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur.
The event menu also featured exotic fruits that Davao is renowned for, such as mangosteen, rambutans, and pomelos. Fresh seafood, such as the giant yellow fish tuna, was also sought after to provide visitors with an authentic taste of the city.
Mindanao’s rich heritage, spread across 11 indigenous tribes, was also the focus of entertainment numbers, costumes and decorations.
The result, as participants attested to, was a conference brimming with timely topics interspersed with laid-back fun and entertainment, and the varied colourful attractions of the destination shining through.
Event Philippine M.I.C.E. Conference (MICECON) 2023
Organiser City Government of Davao
Venue SMX Convention Center Davao
Dates March 1-3, 2023
Attendance Over 600
