SFF and SWITCH part ways

October 19, 2022

SFF_SWITCH_2019 — Opening act at the SFF x SWITCH Conference in 2019. Photo: SFF Facebook

The Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) and Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SWITCH), co-located since 2019, will be running as two separate events this year.

SFF will be held from November 2-4 at Singapore EXPO, while SWITCH is from October 25-28 at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) Convention Centre.

Opening act at the SFF x SWITCH Conference in 2019. Photo: SFF Facebook

Organisers of the respective events, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Elevandi, and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), said the event was merged as SFF x SWITCH in 2019 and 2020 to synergise activities across FinTech and Deep Tech. In 2021, SFF and SWITCH ran virtual editions in the same week, with some physical components held at separate locations, pulling in about 60,000 participants from 160 countries.

“This year, the two events will be held separately within consecutive weeks, to extend the showcase of opportunities in the tech ecosystem and its emerging areas. Tech leaders and ecosystem players will be able to stretch their experience and unlock synergies between cross-cutting areas in both events across the two weeks,” they said in a joint reply to TTGmice.

The physical SFF this year aims to bring together like-minded individuals for knowledge-sharing, networking and partnerships. These include global and knowledge plenaries, a public-private strategic dialogue, and TED-talk style sharing by 50 selected founders.

Returning highlights include the exhibition, Innovation Lab Crawl, Global FinTech Hackcelerator and FinTech Awards.

Meanwhile, Cindy Ngiam, EnterpriseSG’s director SWITCH, shared: “The SWITCH 2022 flagship event continues to deepen our focus on collaboration in deep tech innovation, gathering the Global-Asia innovation ecosystem in Singapore to bring cutting-edge solutions to the world.”

The innovation-centric content will span three main stages in RWS – SWITCH Beyond, SWITCH Global, and SLINGSHOT at the SWITCH Grand Stage.

There will also be thought-leadership and market-access sessions, masterclasses, an exhibition at the Global Pavilion, as well as seven regional tech partner events that will be attending SWITCH for the first time.

New Sabre survey reveals shifting shape of corporate travel

By TTGmice

October 19, 2022

corporate-travel-640 — Corporate travel agents and TMCs across APAC outline the new trends in the corporate travel landscape, and how they are adjusting their business models to adapt to them

An increase in bookings, a switch to low-cost carriers, and a focus on new technology are the results of a fresh survey of corporate travel agents and TMCs in Asia-Pacific, according to technology provider Sabre Corporation.

Respondents from 21 countries pointed to a growing need for the corporate travel industry to tailor service offerings for new workforce realities, such as remote and blended working arrangements, while embracing technology to capitalise on, and drive, ongoing recovery.

Corporate travel agents and TMCs across APAC outline the new trends in the corporate travel landscape, and how they are adjusting their business models to adapt to them

Key findings include:

The majority of corporate travel agents (84%) have changed their business priorities as a result of the pandemic, and are now focused on optimising costs and efficiencies, while meeting customer and business demands with fewer employees.

Four-fifths of respondents have adopted new technological solutions to manage Covid-19 related risk over the past two years. And, of those who have not, 42% plan to do so within the next two years. The most popular solutions are travel risk management tools, automated workflows and virtual payment tools.

Half of the agents said a rise in internal corporate travel, to bring remote workers together, will create recovery opportunities, while 45% said emerging corporate travel markets are important for growth.

There is strong optimism in the market, with 82% saying they expect a return to pre-pandemic corporate travel levels, and 15% expecting a boom greater than pre-Covid-19, within the next 12 months.

More than two-thirds of respondents have seen an increase in bookings in the three months to August. Most are reporting an increase of not more than 30% but there’s a notable 14% with an increase of more than 50%.

Meanwhile, 55% say company Covid-19-related travel restrictions are easing, and 38% say total travel spend is increasing.

Cost remains a key consideration. More than two-thirds have seen a moderate or significant increase in bookings with low-cost carriers. The trend is most prevalent in North Asia where there’s been a 42% switch from full-service carriers to LCCs.

Corporate travellers also place a high priority on information, flexibility, and hygiene. However, companies are also turning their attention to sustainability as one of the key personalization priorities for corporate travel.

IBTM World 2022 reveals first keynote speaker

By TTGmice

October 19, 2022

IBTM-Accelerate-stage-640 — IBTM World’s Knowledge Programme will include a packed schedule of sessions on connections, business, careers, brands and experiences; IBTM 2021 pictured

Salesforce event lead Gareth Kelly has been confirmed as the first keynote speaker for IBTM World 2022, taking place at Fira, Barcelona, later this year from November 29 to December 1.

As senior director and head of strategic events Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Kelly is also responsible for overseeing EMEA at its Dreamforce event. The 2022 event welcomed 150,000 attendees, both in person and on its digital platform Salesforce+, representing over 100 countries, and showcased innovations that turned its audience of attendees into fans.

IBTM World’s Knowledge Programme will include a packed schedule of sessions on connections, business, careers, brands and experiences; IBTM 2021 pictured

During his session, Kelly will explore how Salesforce uses its events to bring better business results and create meaningful cultural experiences for businesses.

Additional expert speakers confirmed for IBTM World include Tom Roach, vice president brand strategy at Jellyfish, who will present a talk entitled In a World of Change, what won’t? The 7 Principles of Effective Brand-Building Creativity. During his segment, Roach will address that although marketers are fascinated with change and the technology that is driving it, there is something more important that never changes: the human brain – the hardware that all this new technology runs on.

Next, Despoina Zachariadou, lead immersive UX Designer, creative technologist VR/AR, and creative director at Jack Morton Worldwide will give the lowdown on the metaverse and why it matters.

Adolfo Pahissa Lopez, who leads the experience design team as head of creativity for technology trend forecasters at NTT DATA Europe & LATAM, will then investigate why it is vital to adapt and meet the expectations of Gen Z in order to survive and thrive in today’s market.

On IBTM World’s Accelerate Stage, which showcases interactive discussion, new ideas and inspirational short talks, Grant Dudson, creative director at Chorus, will be present to discuss event technology past and future.

Cairns Convention Centre supports turtle rehabilition

By TTGmice

October 19, 2022

Turtle_640 — A recovering turtle at the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre

The Cairns Convention Centre has partnered with the non-profit organisation Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CRTC) to sponsor the rehabilitation of Sharon, an injured turtle.

Sharon was found at Mission Beach and had been floating for such a long period of time that she had full-thickness sunburn through her entire shell.

A recovering turtle at the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre

Cairns Convention Centre’s general manager, Janet Hamilton, said: “CTRC does such an incredible job in the region looking after injured and sick turtles and not only did we want to promote their work we wanted to get involved ourselves.”

“Sponsoring Sharon is a great opportunity to help our local marine life and showcase event legacy opportunities for clients hosting events in Cairns. Events have an opportunity to create a lasting impact on our local environment and marine life when they come to our region, and we wanted to show them first-hand an organisation that they can get involved with.”

CTRC is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, research, and release of sick and injured marine turtles. The centre comprises an Intensive Care Unit, Turtle Rehabilitation Centre and, an educational display for visitors to experience.

The organisation has helped nurse hundreds of sick and injured reptiles back to health over the past 20 years, releasing them back onto the Great Barrier Reef after an extended period of rehabilitation. Upon release, turtles will also have a non-invasive satellite tracker attached to them to monitor their health profile and movements for research.

MCEC expands online reach with Tiktok and Pinterest

By TTGmice

October 19, 2022

melbconventioncentre_640_v2 — A screenshot from MCEC's Tiktok page

Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has launched two new social media accounts, TikTok and Pinterest.

TikTok will provide educational content, and illustrate the scale and versatility of MCEC’s spaces, while Pinterest will work valuable visual tool to promote creative collaboration and showcase the creativity of MCEC’s events and exhibitions.

The launch of these new channels is part of MCEC’s wider digital transformation and opportunity to showcase the venue’s unconventional event ideas and installations.

With over seven million monthly active users on both platforms in Australia, MCEC is the first Australian convention centre to launch accounts on both platforms, adding to its existing Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts.

MCEC’s head of marketing, Liz Kozmevski, said that the channels will help customers with event planning ideas, and gather up-to-date information on the possibilities of hosting an event at the venue.

“Our research shows that Pinterest and TikTok are channels customers are using in the very early stages of event planning. We want to help them when they’re developing their event concepts and provide useful tips along the way”.

Hang out at The Intan in Singapore

By Rachel AJ Lee

October 19, 2022

Intan-private-dinner-640 — The Intan Private Dining Experience

The Intan is a private home-turned-museum in the Joo Chiat area that houses an impressive collection of artefacts and antiques belonging to the Peranakan (Straits Chinese) culture.

The attraction recently rolled out two experiences targeted at corporates, The Intan Private Dining Experience, and Wellness @ The Intan.

The Intan Private Dining Experience starts from S$180 (US$127) per pax, and can accommodate up to a maximum of 30 individuals. Come hungry, for the seven-course meal will include dishes such as babi pongteh (pork belly braised in fermented soyabean paste), ngoh hiang (meat rolls), and otak (a spicy fish cake grilled and wrapped in banana leaf). The meal finishes with an ice-cold bowl of chendol, shaved ice with pandan jelly, coconut milk, and gula melaka (palm sugar).

The experience also includes a tour of the museum with owner Alvin Yapp and a closer look at its treasures, as well as a walk around Geylang Serai Market to learn more about the ingredients used in traditional Peranakan cooking.

Yapp has also unveiled a Wellness @ The Intan experience, which is good for up to eight individuals at S$300 per person.

In addition to a tour of the museum with Yapp, the whole experience revolves around allowing corporates to enjoy a Sound Bath onsite. Conducted by an expert, a Sound Bath is a meditative experience where participants are “bathed” in sound waves produced by various sources, including healing instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, percussion, chimes, rattles, tuning forks, or the human voice.

Among the benefits are relaxation, an increased sense of well-being, expanded awareness, and access to inner visionary experience.

Rajeev Paul helms The Residence Bintan

By TTGmice

October 19, 2022

Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts has appointed Rajeev Paul as general manager of The Residence Bintan.

Paul has over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, and his career has spanned all of Asia from Bhutan to Bintan including the Middle East across some of the world’s leading hotel brands with Oberoi, Six Senses, Alila and Aman.

A part of the pre-opening team, Paul joined Cenizaro Hotels and Resorts in 2017 as The Residence Bintan’s hotel operations manager. He was soon appointed acting general manager in 2021.

Chris Peak joins BEIA as events manager

By TTGmice

October 19, 2022

Chris Peak will join Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) as events manager on October 25, taking over from Jen Henshaw.

He will be responsible for organising BEIA’s key events including the annual MEETINGS exhibition.

Originally from the UK, Peak has been with PCO The Conference Company in Auckland for the past eight years. Prior to that, he was based in Queenstown, New Zealand for six years with AJ Hackett Bungy.

ChristchurchNZ welcomes new business development manager

By TTGmice

October 19, 2022

ChristchurchNZ Business Events has appointed Jeanette Henshaw to the new role of business development manager – New Zealand.

She starts in her new Auckland-based role on October 31, 2022.

Henshaw joins ChristchurchNZ from Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) where she has been responsible for delivering MEETINGS and conference events. Previously, she was with Auckland Convention Bureau for six years as marketing and business events services manager.

Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach unveils senior leadership team

By TTGmice

October 18, 2022

Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach in Thailand has announced the executive management team ahead of its grand opening in 4Q2022.

Back row from left: Thanate Likhittumrongkawin, Alexis Movio, Ranjeet Rajebhosale, Vincenzo Gatti, Kriengkrai Chongkhanpond; front row from left: Anna Rhee, Dollarpapat Sookmuang, Sunny Yu

Leading the team is Ranjeet Rajebhosale as general manager, who has amassed 28 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He was previously general manager of Hyatt Regency Liberation Square Chongqing, China.

Anna Rhee is executive assistant manager – rooms, and has been with Hyatt for more than 23 years. Her most recent position was with Hyatt Regency Nha Trang in Vietnam where she served on the pre-opening team.

New director of sales & marketing Sunny Yu joins the team after over a decade with IHG where she held roles in loyalty marketing, global sales effectiveness and commercial marketing. In addition, she is in her fifth year serving as president of the Thailand Chapter of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International.

Overseeing the hotel’s restaurants, bars and lounges is director of food & beverage Alexis Movio. A dynamic F&B professional, he has worked in some of Asia’s most luxurious hotels and resorts.

Vincenzo Gatti is the resort’s executive chef. Gatti has worked in the top kitchens of Europe and Asia for two decades, as well as in Asia. He has extensive experience of Hyatt and its brands, having worked at Park Hyatt Guangzhou, Grand Hyatt Seoul and Hyatt Regency Hua Hin in the past six years.

Thanate Likhittumrongkawin joins the team as director of finance. He has worked with brands including JW Marriott and W Hotels before joining Hyatt Regency Phuket.

Dollarpapat Sookmuang is the director of human resources, and joins Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach from Park Hyatt Maldives, while Kriengkrai Chongkhanpond, director of engineering, most recently worked on the launch of Hyatt Regency Koh Samui.