A previous edition of the Young Talents Escoffier competition
Singapore will be hosting the Young Talents Escoffier (YTE) Asia Competition 2023 from April 25-28 at the Singapore Expo, in partnership with FHA-Food & Beverage.
Organised by Disciples Escoffier Asia, YTE Asia will be hosted by Singapore, with effect from 2023. Previously held in Hong Kong in 2017 and 2018, and Bali in 2022, the 2023 edition will also be the first time the competition will be hosted in Singapore.
A previous edition of the Young Talents Escoffier competition
Chefs below 25, and Escoffier presidents, hailing from 13 countries (Australia, Tahiti, New Caledonia, China, Macau, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore), are expected to participate in the event next year.
Previous Singaporean alumni are Koh Han Jie, current head chef of Ce Soir and Under der Linden; and Neo Jun Hao, current head chef of HUE restaurant.
Koh was the winner of the 2017 YTE Asia, and champion of the 2018 YTE World competition in Zurich; while Neo won the 2018 YTE Asia, and took second place at the 2019 YTE World competition in Bordeaux.
The Mazda Motor Corporation has unveiled a newly-renovated museum at its Hiroshima headquarters to mark a century of operations.
The facility showcases the history of Mazda, from its early days in the 1920s when it produced cork to its shift into manufacturing two- and three-wheeled vehicles and eventual evolution to become a general automobile manufacturer.
Mazda Museum
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Exhibits cover the company’s expansion to become a national and global brand, as well as its move into motorsports and efforts towards achieving greater human-centric design. There are also displays outlining the company’s vision for the next 100 years and its plans to reduce its environmental impact and promote sustainability.
A key component of Hiroshima City’s industrial tourism, the renewed space is designed to attract motoring enthusiasts and business events groups interested in learning from this giant of Japanese manufacturing. Visitors can discover how Mazda approached Japan’s iconic style of manufacturing (monotsukuri), combined traditional craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology over time and developed global business practices.
More than 50 full-size vintage and iconic models from the past 100 years bring Mazda’s operational timeline to life, along with displays of special engines and other car parts. A special exhibit features a full-size model of the Mazda 787B, which became the first Japanese motorsport car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1991.
Another highlight of the museum is the introduction to the mixed model production assembly line, where Mazda uses scheduled sequential production to increase efficiency. Visitors can walk through the factory floor on a raised platform that provides a real-time, birds-eye view of the staff and their operations.
Alongside the renewal, Mazda has also launched a virtual museum that introduces exhibits via a guided online tour. Users can follow the story of Mazda via detailed explanations and immersive drone footage of the facility.
Outrigger Resorts & Hotels has appointed Rory Campbell as director of sales and marketing and Michael Gaarde-Nielsen as general manager for Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort.
In his new role, Campbell will be responsible for the development and implementation of internal and external sales and marketing strategies and related plans to maximise the resort’s revenue market share and optimise profitability for all source markets.
From left: Rory Campbell and Michael Gaarde-Nielsen
He was recently area director of sales and marketing for the former Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach and Outrigger Koh Samui Beach Resorts.
Gaarde-Nielsen has extensive resort leadership experience in Europe, the Middle East and South-east Asia, and will be responsible for all aspects of Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort operations.
He was previously general manager at Centara Hotels and Resorts in Phuket and Krabi.
Event brief
Organisers dmg events and Fiera Milano sought to make the event a meeting point for the future of design. Fiera Milano, the first Italian PEO to set up its regional headquarters in Singapore, saw FIND as a channel for companies to expand their business beyond Europe. As a debut event, FIND had to make its mark. With that in mind, they teamed up with Dubai-headquartered dmg events, which organises more than 80 events worldwide.
“We worked hard to bring a broad variety of products from regional and international brands that would showcase a mix of innovative designs across furniture, lighting, textiles, bath, kitchen and more,” said Marcus Magee, vice president – Asia, dmg events.
The organisers also secured support from the Italian Trade Agency for the Italian Design Futures as the centrestage for panel discussions on sustainability, craftsmanship and design in the post-pandemic era, with leading Italian brands displayed concentrically.
Aside from Singapore, international exhibitors from Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam were also brought in to showcase their products on the global stage.
Event highlights
The circular Italian Design Futures Capsule featured exhibits such as bespoke faucets manufactured from high-purity 3D print metal, a wide assortment of paint varieties, intriguing wood and fabric furniture, lighting and glass ornaments.
Other stands included fittings, 3D renderings, laminates, furniture and fabrics, wall coverings, Czech crystal and glassware that piqued the curiosity and generated much discussion between visitors and exhibitors.
Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), the organiser of the three-decade-long International Furniture Fair Singapore until 2019, presented Urban Living Showcase, its vision for the local furniture industry. Housed under the artistic, reusable cardboard dome structure were collections from the Design Innovation Programme which promoted new urban living concepts and innovative designs for urban lifestyles around the world.
Meanwhile, the large EMERGE @ FIND space afforded good exposure to young South-east Asian designers, some of whom presented interesting takes on sustainability in recycled materials for furniture and accessories.
Visitors on the showfloor. Photo: Gerardine Donough-Tan
Challenges
While dmg events is a leading event organiser with some of the biggest events in the energy sector, it is less well-known in the design world. “This meant some companies and organisations were hesitant to invest, and instead chose to wait and see how the first edition went,” said Magee.
Nevertheless, the team worked hard to secure leading world designers like Paola Navone to speak at the FIND Global Summit, and attracted more than 250 companies, brands, product designers, distributors and retailers to exhibit their exquisite collections at FIND.
As the event was happening before the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, this meant that travel to Singapore and accommodations were more expensive, which deterred a number of foreign participants. Despite that, 21 per cent of the total attendance were overseas visitors.
While some displays had copious space, the popular SFIC section was congested at times as visitors had to manoeuvre around the creative arrangement of exhibits.
Event FIND – Design Fair Asia Organisers dmg events and Fiera Milano Venue Sands Expo and Convention Centre Date September 22-24, 2022 Attendance 12,347, including exhibitors and speakers
Amex GBT aims to power economic, social and environmental progress through travel
American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) has been awarded a platinum EcoVadis medal for its environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.
Platinum status is the highest accolade awarded by EcoVadis and this places Amex GBT among the top one per cent of independently assessed companies across the world.
Amex GBT aims to power economic, social and environmental progress through travel
EcoVadis is a provider of business sustainability ratings with a global network of more than 100,000 rated companies across many industries. A rating is derived from an evaluation of non-financial management systems, including environmental, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement practices. The independent evaluation methodology is based on global standards and guided by the international scientific community.
The EcoVadis platinum medal rounds off a year of ESG initiatives for Amex GBT. In June, Amex GBT with Shell and Accenture launched Avelia, one of the world’s first blockchain-powered book-and-claim digital platforms for sustainable aviation fuel. In October, Amex GBT became the first travel management company to join the World Economic Forum.
Avelia = American Express Meetings and Events – a division of Amex GBT – has also signed the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) pledge, a joint commitment across the events industry to achieve the targets laid out in the Paris Climate Accord. The NZCE pledge, which has the support of UNFCCC Secretariat (United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change), was launched at the UN climate summit COP26 in Glasgow in 2021.
The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) will co-organise the world’s first green travel mart from March 29 to April 2, 2023 in Silang, Cavite, the Philippines.
The International Ecotourism Travel Mart (IETM) is a historic assembly and world festival that pushes ecotourism for the good of the environment and local community. It is co-presented by the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN) and the International School for Sustainable Tourism (ISST).
Gabor: IETM’s goal is protecting the natural environment while uplifting local community welfare
The event is expected to attract buyers and sellers of ecotourism packages from at least 21 countries; companies specialising in ecotourism-related and sustainability-advancing products; participants, speakers and panellists for IETM’s two-day forum and certificate course; and the general public.
Masaru Takayama, president of AEN, said the event would offer attendees a great opportunity to learn and network across cultures.
IETM participants will also gain crucial information through resource speakers on best practices involving ASEAN heritage parks and protected sites, including their experiences on the pathway to recovery after two years of pandemic.
Mina Gabor, chair and president of ISST, stated that ACB’s vital contribution to IETM fast-tracks the event’s goal of protecting the natural environment while uplifting local community welfare.
Mundita Lim, ACB executive director, added that the event “elevates tourism as a leader in promoting the balance between economic development and harnessing nature as a means to overcome current challenges”.
“With IETM 2023, we hope to help jumpstart sustainable economic recovery in the region with the promotion of a greener and biodiversity-conscious tourism industry. We see opportunities for greater participation of local communities, empowerment of local cultures, and enhancing windows for sustainability and continuity,” said Lim.
Responses point to strong traditional travel risk management practices but reveal shortcomings in support for future work trends
More than three-quarters of business travellers say their employer treats traveller health, safety and security as a priority, but only 36% of travellers say their employer unconditionally takes care of their safety and security when working remotely, according to a recent BCD Travel survey conducted earlier in August.
The survey of 674 business travellers worldwide aimed to examine travel risk management and the traveller experience, as well as a variety of measures that may improve the health, safety and security of business travellers on the road.
Responses point to strong traditional travel risk management practices but reveal shortcomings in support for future work trends
According to the survey respondents, companies are doing reasonably well supporting traditional travel risk management, but there’s a lack of support for newer workforce behaviours, specifically remote work and bleisure travel.
Some 64% of travellers do not know if they are covered by their organisation’s travel security and medical support if they extend their business trip for leisure purposes.
“This survey shows the growing need for a mindset shift from travel risk management to people risk management,” said Mike Janssen, global chief operating officer and chief commercial officer for BCD Travel. “Today’s duty of care policies have to address the realities of hybrid or work-from-anywhere workforces as well as the changing values around traveller well-being.”
A separate BCD survey in March on corporate travel programme priorities among travel buyers placed traveller well-being as the second priority behind duty of care. Although some business traveller respondents from the most recent traveller survey in August said their employers provide post-trip support, such as personal time off (13%), requests for feedback post-trip (11%), or follow-up with on-trip security or medical incidents (10%), 39% said they receive no support. An additional 16% said they don’t know if there is such support.
Other survey highlights include:
75% of travellers rarely or never feel unsafe during a business trip. Of the 23% who sometimes or regularly feel unsafe, a slightly higher percentage of men than women feel unsafe, and an even higher percentage of non-binary/non-conforming travellers feel unsafe.
When travellers do feel unsafe, it is most often when walking in the streets (44%), driving in an unfamiliar location (43%), or using public transportation (40%). Travellers are less likely to feel unsafe at a restaurant (6%) or in a hotel room (6%).
The main actions travellers take to support their own safety include separating their hotel room key from its envelope (50%), taking a taxi or ride-hailing service instead of public transportation (46%), and checking the fire escape route at their hotel (40%).
The top support measures from their organisations that travellers say make them feel safe and secure on a trip are travel alerts and security notifications (61%), a central contact in case of an emergency (53%), pre-trip destination security information (51%), and clear instructions on what to do in an emergency (44%).
People well-being needs to be the top priority at any company. Otherwise, employers risk damaging an employee’s physical and mental health and decreasing job satisfaction, which could lead to talent loss. People who do not feel safe and cared for are unlikely to stay. This can cause reputational damage, rising costs and negatively impact company performance. Managing employee risks correctly, on the contrary, will give organisations an edge in talent recruitment and retention.
Travel buyers can better address duty of care by not only creating and maintaining an effective travel risk management program but by making the programme and policies accessible and part of a culture that promotes health, safety and security. Some of the areas that risk management should address, include hybrid workforces, political unrest, work-from-anywhere policies; and traveller wellness.
MCB has helped to ensure a pipeline of future events and long-term certainty for Victoria’s visitor economy and its business events supply chain; Flinders Street Station in Melbourne pictured
Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) has achieved a 33 per cent increase in economic contribution from secured business events in the 2021/2022 financial year over the previous year.
Economic contribution for the state reached A$203 million (US$136 million) from 110 events secured up until 2028, which is expected to bring over 53,200 visitors to the state and fill over 90,300 room nights. This means that the business events sector is the highest-yielding sector in Victoria’s visitor economy.
MCB has helped to ensure a pipeline of future events and long-term certainty for Victoria’s visitor economy and its business events supply chain; Flinders Street Station in Melbourne pictured
Speaking at the company’s Annual General Meeting, MCB CEO Julia Swanson, said: “We set an ambitious agenda to reaffirm Melbourne’s position as a global leader in business events resulting in significant bid wins across the year and implemented innovative programs to ensure a solid calendar of events to re-open with.”
One of the key highlights was the Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event 2022, the first international tradeshow since Australian international borders reopened that brought together international and local buyers to access 225 exhibitors from around the world.
She added: “The National Business Events Program contributed significantly to the overall success of this strong pipeline of future events and demonstrates the ongoing commitment and passion of the MCB team to deliver impactful outcomes in supporting our sector through its recovery.”
FitCorp’s workshops present participants with ways to release stress, while increase productivity on an individual and team level. Photo: FitCorp Group
Thailand-based corporate wellness company FitCorp’s believes that teambuilding programmes of the future should cater to all levels in a company’s hierarchy, as it believes that the meaning and approach to teambuilding has changed post-lockdown.
General manager of Fitcorp Group, Niels Steeman, opined: “The corporate world has seen an immense shift in how we communicate with each other, and the principles of teambuilding have changed from a primarily offline environment to a hybrid/online environment.
FitCorp’s workshops present participants with ways to release stress, while increase productivity on an individual and team level. Photo: FitCorp Group
“Remote working is here to stay, and this impacts how we are building teams. Engagement, retention, and performance in stressful situations will become the new norm for teambuilding.”
As such, Steeman stressed that companies should plan for teambuilding events that offer “educational value” and that focus on all levels of hierarchy in a company, as “relaxing pods, games rooms and healthy snacks no longer serve a purpose in this changing climate”.
For instance, one of FitCorp’s offerings, The Business Athlete, is aimed at groups ranging from two to 200, and the programme is tailored to hit home with everyone, from the senior executives right down to junior staff.
Typically running for half a day, the workshop includes short workouts, interactive sessions and team-based activities, all of which help participants develop essential habits that help them perform under pressure; demonstrate the sustainable benefits of a healthy lifestyle both at work and at home; as well as communicate empathy and care for each other’s wellbeing, mental health and success.
Prior to the event, participants are required to answer a series of specific questions anonymously, and identify the pain points they have. These pain points will then be addressed during the seminar by Fitcorp’s team of performance coaches, fitness trainers, and corporate wellness specialists.
Meanwhile, for companies with team members spread all over the globe, FitCorp offers a virtual education and wellness offering titled V-Well.
“This cost-effective virtual wellness programme is based on measurable needs and outcomes to increase engagement, confidence, motivation, morale, well-being, productivity and mental health to ensure teams stay well, engaged and perform well,” he explained.
When asked what qualifies as a successful teambuilding event, Steeman indicated that it has to be “sustainable” and “deliver something employees, clients and stakeholders can take home and apply for better performance, health and energy management”.
Companies are keen on running teambuilding programmes post-lockdown because they wish to keep their retention rates as high as possible amid retrenchment and business uncertainty, Steeman observed.
“Retention is the key word for many companies. Moreover, with the hybrid model more common, drawing a line between life and work is even more vague. Working from home increases the feeling of being more plugged in, and this has had an effect on stress levels and mental health. Stress is one of the leading factors of high staff turnover.
“The drive in keeping teams in place has never been as important as it is now,” he said.
One of the new dishes from the menu, the miso-glazed king salmon
International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), managed by ASM Global, has released its low-carbon Menu Collection for next year.
Developed by its in-house team of culinary experts, the collection allows event organisers to make more sustainable and diverse food choices across six core menus.
One of the new dishes from the menu, miso-glazed king salmon
Dishes will be created with fresh and seasonal produce – procured from more than 130 local producers across the supply chain – that has been reviewed to estimate the carbon footprint associated with the farming, harvesting, production, and transportation of ingredients.
ICC Sydney CEO and group director – convention centres, ASM Global (APAC), Geoff Donaghy, said in a press release that the new menu boasts 186 low-carbon options across an entire day, and caters to all event formats and delegate palates. It also complements the venue’s 100 per cent local wine list.
“As part of our ASM Global ACTS schedule of activities and as a signatory to both the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia’s Sustainable Events 2030 Pledge and Joint Meetings Industry Council’s Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge, we are building on our Feeding Your Performance culinary philosophy, which has sustainability at its core.
“ICC Sydney’s new menu gives event organisers the opportunity to make a positive contribution to our planet, as well as our suppliers, as we continue to add more First Nations businesses to our supply chain,” Donaghy added.
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
The five-star property excels in backing its expansive facilities with seamless service and personalised attention, setting the benchmark for luxury in Bangkok.
