South Korea removes pre-departure tests for international arrivals

September 5, 2022

South-Korea_Deoksugung-palace-City-Hall — Travellers to South Korea no longer need to do pre-departure Covid tests; Deoksugung Palace pictured

South Korea has lifted the pre-departure Covid-test requirement for inbound travellers starting September 3.

The new rule came after a state infectious disease advisory committee recommended the government scrap the mandatory pre-travel PCR tests for international arrivals.

Travellers to South Korea no longer need to do pre-departure Covid tests; Deoksugung Palace pictured

Previously, those inbound were required to show a negative result within 48 hours of their PCR tests or within 24 hours of their rapid antigen tests to enter the country.

Travellers are still required to take a PCR test within the first 24 hours of their arrival in South Korea and upload the test result on a Q-code website.

The government will also introduce the retooled Covid-19 vaccines known to be more effective for the more dominant BA.5 Omicron variant later this year – those aged 60 and over, or with underlying health conditions, will be prioritised for inoculation.

Confidence in Australia’s MICE industry rises steadily; outlook positive

By TTGmice

September 5, 2022

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AIME-Welcome-Event-1 — AIME 2022 Welcome Event pictured

New research undertaken by Tourism Australia’s specialist business events unit indicates a strong outlook for Australia’s business events industry and positive interim outcomes out of the recently-launched Business Events Australia global brand campaign.

The 2022 Business Events Consumer Demand Project delivers insights into the factors influencing decision makers when choosing a destination for events, including how Australia is perceived and the impact Covid-19 has had on the decision-making process.

Decision-makers are seriously considering Australia for their next business events; AIME 2022 Welcome Event pictured

Tourism Australia executive general manager of commercial and Business Events Australia, Robin Mack, said the results of the research found that decision-makers are feeling increasingly confident with travelling and running events abroad, and many are expecting the number, size, and budget for events to be equal to, or greater than pre-pandemic levels.

“It’s fantastic to see that decision-makers remain optimistic about the future of events and that there is a strong intention to visit Australia for an event over the next two years,” Mack said.

“Among incentive decision-makers, Australia is the global leader in consideration, and we have experienced significant increases in appeal and intent over the last 12 months. For association decision-makers, Australia is considered an appealing destination with several positive attributes, including being ranked number one in the world for our quality of business events facilities.”

“Throughout the pandemic, we have worked hard to maintain Australia’s presence internationally and optimally position Australia as a business events destination for reopening. The research confirms our strategy to invest in marketing during the pandemic has worked and we anticipate Australia’s business events industry will benefit as a result,” Mack said.

The research also confirmed a strong performance of the new Business Events Australia brand campaign, recently launched to capitalise on the reopening momentum and position Australia as a global leader in business events.

“After only two months in market, over one in two target customers recall seeing the advertising and 87 per cent of those stating they had already taken positive steps in relation to planning a business event in Australia as a result of the campaign.”

“Among decision-makers in the incentive sector, 92 per cent of decision makers found the campaign appealing and 90 per cent said the campaign increased their likelihood of holding an incentive event in Australia; while for the association sector, 86 per cent of decision makers found the campaign appealing and 80 per cent said the campaign increased their likelihood of holding an association event in Australia.”

“The creative strategy is designed to be highly unique and speak to distinct drivers of each sector, and this research confirms the approach is successful in achieving cut through and driving demand across both incentive and association sectors,” Mack said.

The research is part of Tourism Australia’s broader strategy to bolster Australia’s business events industry and fast-track recovery as it emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The research surveyed 159 association decision-makers from three of Australia’s key markets and 399 corporate decision-makers from nine key markets from May to June 2022.

IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific 2022 reveals Knowledge Sessions

By TTGmice

September 5, 2022

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CONFERENCE2-640 — A conference in session at a previous edition of IT&CM Asia

The organiser of IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific, TTG Asia Media, has released more information on the show’s Knowledge Sessions.

The three-day in-person event will be held from September 20-22, 2022, in Bangkok, while the virtual networking event will happen from September 20-28, 2022.

A conference in session at a previous edition of IT&CM Asia

The Opening Keynote on September 20 has been titled Onwards and upwards, which will address how the travel industry will bring valuable lessons from the pandemic into the future.

The following day on September 21, the first MICE Seminar will be hosted by ICCA from 09.30 to 10.30. Here, the topic of talent management and organisational changes will be addressed, and how the business events industry is dealing with a huge talent and skill crisis.

There will also be a CTW Conference happening after from 11.00 to 12.00 titled Vision of value in business travel, which will talk about the management of travel expenses in the midst of rising travel costs.

On September 22, MICE Seminar 22 will be hosted by IAPCO, and it will discuss Covid’s impact on the meetings of the future, and how conferences have changed over these two years.

This will be followed by another CTW Conference, this time addressing the topic of sustainability and its impact on business travel, and how suppliers can contribute to the meeting of objectives.

Sheraton Manila Hotel turns co-working area into an events space

By Rosa Ocampo

September 5, 2022

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The Sheraton Manila Hotel has converted its Collab co-working area into an events space, and launched it recently in conjunction with the 120^th-anniversary celebration of The American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines.

The 1,000m²space complements Sheraton Manila’s other business events facilities. In total, the hotel boats 1,760m² of total event space across 15 function spaces, where the largest can comfortably hold 780 pax.

Collab event space. Photo: Sheraton Manila Hotel Facebook

“We saw much more opportunity in creating a modern, eclectic and versatile meeting space…. We are very optimistic about (the business events prospects for) 4Q2022 and 2023,” said Bruce Winton, Marriott International’s multi-property vice president Philippines.

He cited AmCham’s 120^th-anniversary celebration as an example of what can be done at Collab. An exhibition and symposium titled MICE is NICE was held on the second floor, dinner and entertainment on the ground floor, and networking throughout the space with business leaders and corporate decision makers.

MICE organizers favoured the rising number of business event venues like Collab in metro Manila as they address the shortage of suitable venues and prepare for the increase in demand for such spaces.

As Michelle de Ocampo-Ballesteros, CEO of Ex-Link Events, said: “MICE in the Philippines is slowly pickng up. There is a higher demand for face-to-face events”.

Currently, most are either domestic or hybrid events, but is hopeful for the future as other markets in Asia are gradually gaining confidence in attending business events overseas.

Rebuilding MICE tourism, one event at a time

By Gerardine Donough-Tan

September 5, 2022

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PDMF 2022

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Event brief
The PATA Destination Marketing Forum (PDMF) gathers destination travel professionals for inspiring and insightful discussions on marketing and managing tourism growth to lesser-known destinations.

The 2022 edition had to signal that global tourism is ready for a robust recovery, said Paul Pruangkarn, PATA chief of staff. “With travellers keen to explore and destinations ready to open, our conference programme focused on key issues facing destination marketing and management in post-pandemic recovery.”

“By bringing together such a diverse group of travel industry experts, we are convening both the public and private sector to share destination marketing best practices to support the sustainable recovery of the travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region,” said PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera.

With Building Back Sustainably through Cultural Heritage and Community-based Tourism being the theme, lead partner, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), proposed Songkhla as host destination.

“TCEB bid for the event with creative ideas so that travel industry delegates and media could enjoy a new destination experience. The content was based on localised experiences to meet the needs of travelling millennials,” said Supawan Teerarat, TCEB vice president – MICE capabilities and innovation.

Event highlights 
PDMF 2022 brought together 326 delegates from 22 destinations. Full-day technical tours saw participants travelling by road or over water to visit heritage attractions and local communities to understand and sample their way of life.

Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) and the Event Management Association Songkhla organised and managed the three tours. With community-based tourism (CBT) as the overarching theme, one group visited Songkhla Lake and Nod-Na-Lae Learning Center to experience local life and the Tha Hin community’s tourism offerings.

Another group’s Nature Meets Culture excursion combined a tour of the artefact-rich Folklore Museum with Koh Yo for a taste of the community’s lifestyle and food. The third group took in ancient temples, Singora Fortress and explored Songkhla Old Town on foot to understand its candidacy to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The conference at International Convention Center (ICC), Hat Yai featured 23 speakers and 11 topics covering best practices in destination marketing, including effective digital strategies and content marketing campaigns; quality over quantity in business events; gastronomic tourism; and creative CBT engagement.

Also popular, though not part of the official programme, was sponsor Steller’s cocktail party at The Library. Guests enjoyed fancy drink concoctions, while waiters juggled liquor bottles.

Challenges 
PATA first announced PDMF in May, but as entry policies during the course of the year kept changing, organisers had to keep communicating them to all registered delegates.

Pruangkarn added: “We were committed to ensuring the safety of delegates and wanted to restore confidence that events can happen again. As this was our first large-scale event since the pandemic began, finding a balance between health and safety procedures and (producing) a seamless, engaging and enjoyable event programme was a big challenge.”

While TCEB liaised with PATA in Bangkok, planning and coordination at the local level were entrusted to partner organisations such as Prince of Songkha University (PSU) and its unit, Songkhla Convention & Exhibition Bureau (SCEB) and DASTA. The Tourism Authority of Thailand also helped.

SCEB oversaw the organisation of the event, collaborating with other sectors in Songkhla province – government, private, academic and local communities – for the successful staging of PDMF. SCEB also coordinated with the PATA and TCEB working committees.

Liaison officers and volunteers were recruited from PSU and three other universities in Songkhla. Delegates appreciated their enthusiastic assistance, especially given language limitations.

PDMF also adopted TCEB’s carbon footprint model and tool, where delegates contributed USD10 each to the offset programme to help balance out the carbon footprint of PDMF 2022, thus achieving its net-zero carbon event target.

Event PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2022
Organiser Pacific Asia Travel Association
Venue International Convention Center, Hat Yai
Dates August 3-4, 2022
Attendance 326 local and international delegates

New Zealand toasts international symposium win

By TTGmice

September 5, 2022

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NZ_vineyard-Alistair-Guthrie_640 — Christchurch is a rising star in cool climate wine production

New Zealand has won the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium (ICCWS) for 2026, with an estimated 500 wine specialists from around the world expected to meet in Christchurch.

The conference will take place at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and include pre- and post-touring options of the country’s world-class wine-growing regions, delivering an estimated NZ$1.1 million (US$669,713) to New Zealand’s economy.

Christchurch is a rising star in cool climate wine production

The ICCWS covers all aspects of cool climate winemaking, from vine to glass to consumer, and provides delegates with a platform to discuss the latest research, exchange information and network with other wine producers, and taste some spectacular examples of the wines from the host country.

Leading representatives from New Zealand’s grape and wine industries will deliver a conference themed around Pure Innovation, sharing cutting-edge technology and the latest research and sustainability initiatives in the wine industry.

The bid was led by the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology, which has successfully hosted ICCWS twice previously.

The bid was supported by Plant and Food, Bragato Research Institute, Lincoln University and Auckland University, as well as Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team, ChristchurchNZ, and Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre.

BCD Travel promotes Andrew Yeo to MD Australia and Singapore

By TTGmice

September 5, 2022

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Travel management company BCD Travel has appointed Andrew Yeo to the role of managing director Australia and Singapore.

In this newly-created role, Yeo will take on complete commercial, operational and financial responsibility for BCD’s activities in Australia and Singapore, leveraging synergies between these driver markets to ensure long-term, sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

The seasoned corporate travel veteran brings over 15 years of industry experience and deep knowledge in strategic planning, service delivery and performance solutions. In his most recent role with BCD as vice president of strategic initiatives, Yeo was instrumental in driving some of the company’s most significant acquisitions in Asia Pacific.

Yeo is based in Singapore and will report to Greg O’Neil, president for Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa & Global Network, as a member of O’Neil’s regional executive team.

Gran Melia Jakarta adds new MICE venue

By TTGmice

September 5, 2022

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Jimbaran_Venue_-_Cabaret_Style_640 — Jimbaran venue

Gran Melia Jakarta has unveiled a brand new Jimbaran event venue and meeting space.

The 375m² space can comfortably accommodate events ranging from 32 to 300 guests and boasts a 3.5-metre ceiling height. The pre-function foyer features an additional 215m² of space that can cater to up to 120 guests.

Other venue features include a private VIP lounge and a designated indoor smoking area, and the space has been equipped with a state-of-the-art audio-visual system and energy-efficient lighting.

Meanwhile, the new function space’s luxurious interior includes custom-made carpet designs, and floor-to-ceiling windows to make the most of the natural light.

Create MICE magic in Thailand

By TTGmice

September 5, 2022

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Let the magic of Thailand elevate your business events

Brought to you by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau

Thailand’s magic is a MICE planner’s formula for success – a special enchanting blend found only in the Land of Smiles where the dynamic mix of creative soul, traditional charm, urban sophistication, business efficiency and invigorating recreation converge.

Business events and activities in Thailand are now made even more remarkable with the adoption of new cultural ideas, enhanced sustainability capabilities and international industry standards.

Let the magic of Thailand elevate your corporate events and help you achieve breakthrough results for your business.

To master the magic of MICE in the Kingdom, start by working with our professionals, who have made Thailand one of the world’s top business destinations. Rest assured that our events also adhere to the highest operational and international standards such as the Thailand MICE Venue Standards, ASEAN MICE Venue Standards and Thailand Sustainable Event Management Standard.

Thailand's MICE magic

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Deploy the many innovative solutions that we have developed to simplify MICE management and rejuvenate the delegate experience.

With Thailand’s economic potential magnified by the development of the Eastern Economic Corridor and strong investments in future-forward industries – from medical & wellness; biotech & green tech; robotics; aviation to logistics – to power the region into the future, new business opportunities will also present themselves to business delegates, as easily as with a wave of a magic wand.

Thailand’s magic also comes alive through the culture of our local communities and made more widely accessible to corporate partners with our Thailand’s 7 MICE Magnificent Themes and 10 MICE cities.

With the Kingdom’s adoption of the Bio-Circular-Green model for sustainable economic development, our MICE workforce has also come up with green initiatives with outstanding eco-friendly outcomes.

After the deals are sealed, the magic of Thailand as a top bleisure destination will continue to manifest itself across a dazzling diversity of destinations and attractions too.

Throughout your time in Thailand – from your event venue to your idyllic getaway – you will recognise a certain graceful hospitality and finesse among the people you encounter too. Understated but unmistakable, it can only be described as heartfelt Thai-ness.

Master the magic of MICE in Thailand.

Discover how Thailand can help you find business success here.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts appoints Lori Strasberg as new VP marketing

By TTGmice

September 1, 2022

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Lori Strasberg has been appointed Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ senior vice president of marketing, reporting to Cheryl Williams, chief revenue officer.

In her new role, she will work with the brand’s global marketing and loyalty teams to deliver new e-commerce initiatives, cooperative hotel marketing programmes, like-minded brand partnerships, and exclusive bank card rate programmes to contribute to the brand’s development and revenue goals.

With more than 20 years of multi-disciplinary experience in hotel and loyalty marketing, Strasberg joins Preferred Hotels & Resorts from Marriott International where she was vice president of Marriott Bonvoy Member Marketing.

South Korea removes pre-departure tests for international arrivals

Confidence in Australia’s MICE industry rises steadily; outlook positive

IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific 2022 reveals Knowledge Sessions

Sheraton Manila Hotel turns co-working area into an events space

Rebuilding MICE tourism, one event at a time

New Zealand toasts international symposium win

BCD Travel promotes Andrew Yeo to MD Australia and Singapore

Gran Melia Jakarta adds new MICE venue

Create MICE magic in Thailand

Preferred Hotels & Resorts appoints Lori Strasberg as new VP marketing

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