Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas has appointed Peter Wagner as resort manager.
Reporting to the general manager, Wagner is responsible for handling daily operations, upholding service quality and increasing guest satisfaction.
With two decades of hospitality experience honed in destinations throughout the globe, the German moved to Malaysia from Six Senses Samui where he was director of rooms. Prior to that, Wagner was based in Vietnam as rooms division manager at Anantara Mui Ne.
Hong Kong’s iconic Peak Tram now presents brand-new visitor experiences that begin right from the entrance, following the completion of its HK$799 million (US$101.8 million) revamp.
Five experience zones at the entrance keep visitors entertained while they are waiting to board. They include the Eye of Infinity sculpture erected in place of the attraction’s former water fountain, haulage display, a replica of the first generation tram, and a hyperreal immersive environment to inspire visitors to learn and protect biodiversity found at The Peak.
The upgraded Central and Peak terminals feature expanded air-controlled, covered queuing and waiting areas for up to 1,300 people.
The revamp includes an upgraded fleet of sixth generation tramcars manufactured in Switzerland. These vehicles are bigger, with 210 seats, reducing passenger waiting time by over 70 per cent. The new fleet adds 22 downhill-facing seats to capacity as well as ample space for wheelchairs or baby strollers.
Ceiling skylight allows more natural light into the cabins.
With these renewed experiences, a ride on the Peak Tram now costs a pricier HK$88 for an adult round-trip ticket.
For more information, visit the www.thepeak.com.hk
Brought to you by Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau
Purposeful travel has risen in importance among consumers over the last two years of tourism disruption, which sees travellers being more determined than ever to ensure that their post-lockdown trips are enriching.
In a recent American Express Travel: Global Travel Trends report, 62 per cent of respondents said they want to be thoughtful about their future trips. A majority (81 per cent) want to travel to destinations where they can immerse in local culture while 78 per cent want to have a positive impact on the community they are visiting. Top activities deemed to leave a positive impact on the local community include visiting heritage sites and museums, attending cultural tours, and patronising small businesses.
This desire translates into how people travel for business and shapes their expectations of the event programme.
Here in Tokyo, where rich traditions and culture hold strong and influence the city’s ultramodern developments and lifestyle, a variety of unique venues offer event delegates the opportunity to appreciate Japan as a destination while fulfilling their need to interact with and support the local community.
Kanda Myoujin Shrine
Japan’s many religious sites are revered by worshippers and admired by travellers from near and far. Beyond the aesthetic values of Japanese shrines and temples, these architectures also underline Japan’s strong spiritual roots.
Kanda Myoujin Shrine, built 1,300 years ago, offers a storied link between past and present. Believed by locals to have once protected the whole of Edo – ancient Tokyo – from harm, the shrine continues to draw reverence today. Shrine visitors pray here for business prosperity and good luck – an aspect that will resonate with visiting corporate groups.
Planners can host their events on site, at the EDOCCO (Edo Culture Complex), Myoujin Kaikan, and the outdoor grounds of the shrine. EDOCCO itself comprises a range of spaces. EDOCCO Kanda Myoujin Hall is the largest event space, spanning 466m2 and offering capacity for 250 guests in a standing reception or 120 pax seated. EDOCCO Studio, outfitted with a stage, can take 150 guests in a stand-up setting or 100 seated.
Within Myoujin Kaikan are two function spaces – Sai Room and Yui Room – for events of varied sizes.
The grounds of the shrine can accommodate 150 standing guests.
kudan house
Japan’s early interaction with communities beyond her borders had resulted in interesting architectural influences that remain well preserved today. kudan house, a Spanish-style villa in central Tokyo that dates back to 1927, is an attractive example.
Retaining old world charms alongside modern conveniences, kudan house offers a mix of Japanese and western-style function rooms that are great for small corporate gatherings. These are located across three levels and a basement. The Japanese-style Room, for instance can take 20 pax and is suitable for strategy meetings.
For a Japanese touch, planners can host VIP receptions in the tearoom on the second floor as well as in the Japanese garden on the ground floor, a perfect venue for groups desiring mental rejuvenation in an outdoor, scenic setting.
kudan house is normally a members-only business salon where corporate members host negotiations and meetings, but thanks to its status as a unique venue, it can be privately hired in its entirety for business events.
COREDO Muromachi Terrace
No visitor to Tokyo would miss the many gleaming skyscrapers and futuristic spaces that stand as testimony to the city’s continuous pursuit of ultramodern developments.
A welcome reception in the heart of Tokyo’s Nihonbashi commercial quarters offers delegates an opportunity to appreciate the city’s modernity and buzz, and reflect on the benefits of pursuing lofty goals.
COREDO Muromachi Terrace is unique as it blends indoor spaces with open sections. A 500m2 semi-sheltered plaza out front can be hired for workshops, hands-on activities, promotional events and other events. This space can accommodate 250 guests in a standing arrangement.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Art is the bridge between people and societies; it conveys ideas and experiences and breaks down barriers – much like business events.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo is an artwork in itself – a light-filled structure of glass, steel and concrete that features lofty galleries and interesting spaces. It reopened in 2019, after a three-year closure for renovations that gifted it with new hardware like upgraded air-conditioning and energy-efficient lighting as well as new furniture and clearly marked routes.
In this sophisticated space, planners can curate presentations, awards ceremonies or networking parties. The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo offers a 200-seat auditorium, the Entrance Hall that takes both seated and standing functions, and two training rooms. Outdoor venues are available in the form of the Sunken Garden and the Water and Stone Promenade for 600 and 300 pax standing, respectively.
In consideration of safe distancing needs at events, venues featured here may specify different capacity allowance.
Easy access to unique venues
Planners keen to utilise these outstanding venues, or any of the other memorable facilities across Tokyo can expect quality guidance and assistance.
The Unique Venues One-Stop Service Desk was established in 2018 to serve as a convenient service point for planners, and it underscores Tokyo’s ability to deliver on business event expectations.
Experienced staff provide free support for planners from start to end, recommending venues to suit a client’s requirements, coordinating site inspections, and acting as the go-between with specialist companies involved in event organisation.
To learn more about the city’s wide-ranging unique venues, visit Unique Venues Tokyo.
Travellers will be allowed to enter Japan on non-guided package tours from September 7, as the country further eases border restrictions. The daily entry cap will also expand from the current 20,000 to 50,000 people.
In making the announcement on August 31, prime minister Fumio Kishida said the intention is to encourage travellers to visit Japan.
In June, the government began to allow limited numbers to return, subject to strict rules such as being part of a package tour with a guide.
Japan had only 353,119 foreign visitors last year compared to the record 31.9 million in 2019.
Last week, Kishida said Japan would scrap the pre-arrival Covid-19 testing requirement for travellers who have received three vaccine doses.
However, travellers to Japan still require entry visas. Japan’s border is currently open to Japanese nationals and those with long-term and pre-issued tourism visas. It ceased visa waivers for applicable passports during the pandemic.
Malaysia and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on August 29 – during the Malaysia Business Events Week in Kuala Lumpur – in a bid to build more business connections and engagement between the two countries.
The three signatories include the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), Malaysian Association Of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS), and Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association (IECA-Asperapi).
MyCEB’s CEO, Abdul Khani Daud explained that the purpose of the MoC is to establish a framework for strategic collaboration between business events stakeholders.
Areas of cooperation include marketing and promotions; sharing leads, programmes, knowledge and advice; developing standards; as well as training and education to upgrade the skills of industry players through seminars and workshops.
Abdul Khani added that the MoC will help “position both countries as preferred business events destinations” to the international market.
Later this year, IECA-Asperapi members are set to meet with MACEOS members in Kuala Lumpur to network and look into ways they can collaborate further. MACEOS will reciprocate with a visit to Jakarta next year.
As China is still closed and longhaul business events have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, it is an opportune time to leverage on the markets of neighbouring countries – Indonesia is a huge market to tap, said Francis Teo, president, MACEOS.
While this is the first MoC signed with another country, Abdul Khani intends to extend similar collaboration with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and India next year to create more B2B opportunities which will also contribute to the quicker recovery of Malaysia’s business events industry.
Although event planners in Malaysia readily adopted events technology to organise virtual and hybrid meetings during the pandemic, usage of the metaverse has not gained much traction, said industry experts during a forum at the Malaysia Business Events Week (MBEW).
Speaking at a forum entitled Making Events Tech Adapt (META)-verse at MBEW – organised by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau and held in Kuala Lumpur – Yusno Yunos, CEO & founder of Evenesis opined that the metaverse will one day become a part and parcel of our daily lives.
Yusno, who is also the vice-president of innovation at the Malaysian Association Of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS), further called on event planners in Malaysia to learn more about metaverse, and how this technology can be applied to business events. Aside from enhancing delegates’ experience, he opined that the metaverse will help planners further their ROIs.
This comes as global investments in the metaverse are growing significantly, hence Yusno opined it will one day become mainstream in business events. Event organisers who do not embrace the technology will not be able to attract the younger generation of audiences who are looking for immersive experiences, he cautioned.
This view is supported by Bloomberg, which estimates that investments into the metaverse will reach US$800 million by 2024.
To help manage costs of adopting the metaverse, Yusno also suggested that event venues and PCOs should collaborate with technology companies.
Another speaker, Fariz Hanapiah, creative director at Experiential Design Team, meanwhile, added that it was important to target the right audience if players do choose to use the metaverse when running events.
He elaborated that a younger audience that has been exposed to immersive online gaming might find it easy and natural to navigate a metaverse avatar, but the same cannot be said for Gen X audiences.
Other challenges include the lack of awareness by event organisers as to how to make use of the metaverse to further engagement.
Forum moderator, Harpreet Singh Maan, CEO & founder of Blocklime and ACCESS Blockchain Association of Malaysia, shared that blockchain-based events that make use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse are growing in the US, China, Japan and Korea, all to amplify a delegate’s experience.
However, this adoption of metaverse has not yet taken off in South-east Asia, even though large-scale hybrid events take place regularly.
A new A$35 million (US$24 million) music venue is set to rise within Sunshine Coast’s Aura master-planned estate, giving the destination fresh capacity for events with up to 2,500 people.
Led by The Comiskey Group, the new venue will include indoor and outdoor dining, six bars, gaming room or function spaces. Scheduled to open in 2024, the venue is said to be “the crowning jewel of Aura’s premium entertainment hub in the city centre”.
“Equipped with first-rate entertainment facilities currently unseen in the region, the venue will boast a world-class PA and lighting system, band room, mezzanine level and the capacity to host over 2,500 patrons,” the company said in a press release.
“Intent on further cementing the Sunshine Coast’s reputation as a live music hub, the new venue presents the unique opportunity for local, interstate and international artists to bring their tours to the bustling community.”
The Comiskey Group, a Queensland based entertainment, hospitality and construction business, owns a portfolio of properties such as Eatons Hill Hotel and Sandstone Point Hotel, and is known for bringing world-class artists to perform in its venues.
Tokyo has added five unique venues to its roster, increasing the total number of sites for special business events in the Japanese capital to 73.
The new venues are Umewaka Noh Academy Hall, Garden Shinkiba Factory, Shibuya Tsutaya (QFront), Sumida Aquarium and Yumenoshima Park Archery Field.
At Umewaka Noh Academy Hall, near Shinjuku, organisers can hold business events related to Noh, a classical dance drama dating from the 14th century. Up to 300 pax can watch a Noh performance, browse costume exhibits or listen to a lecture introducing Noh. Alternatively, the historic space can be reserved for concerts or fashion shows.
The Garden Shinkiba Factory, which opened in May 2021 on Tokyo’s bayside, is a studio with high ceilings and floor space of 1,300m2, making it ideal for product exhibitions or tradeshows. The studio can accommodate 1,500 pax standing or 750 seated while each of the two VIP rooms can accommodate 15 pax seated. There is also a lounge and terrace.
Shibuya Tsutaya (QFront), located at Shibuya’s world-famous scramble crossing, has two event spaces: the rooftop, for large-scale events such as fashion shows, and the indoor floors for small-scale seminars or workshops.
At Sumida Aquarium, which houses 7,000 creatures across two floors, event customisation is possible such as illuminating the aquarium when a floor is reserved. The larger floor accommodates 200 pax standing or 20 pax seated. As this facility is located in the same complex as Tokyo Skytree and within walking distance of cultural centre Asakusa, events here could be easily combined with sightseeing and other activities, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
A legacy venue of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Yumenoshima Park Archery Field can be used for sporting or non-sporting events. Organisers can choose demonstrations, experiences and lessons in archery or use the venue for shooting commercials or staged entertainment.
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and representatives of its conventions department recently hosted a networking luncheon for event planners and associations, at the Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong.
During the luncheon, TCEB presented to attendees Thailand’s ability in dealing with the pandemic, the various entry measures and regulations, and the eventual easing of restrictions and opening of the country.
The presentation also provided updates regarding Convene Plus BCG Scheme, TCEB’s event subsidy scheme. The recently-curated support scheme includes Bid Assistance, Convention Planning Service, Promotion and Marketing Support, Financial Support, and Bonus Subventions.
Sarawak Tourism Board will host the convention of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) from September 20-23, and utilise the opportunity to showcase the Malaysian destination’s cultural experiences, food, music and handicraft.
The event for about 500 member travel agents will be held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching.
Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, minister of tourism, creative industry and performing arts Sarawak, said during a press conference last week that Sarawak is a relatively new destination for the Indian market, and the convention will boost the destination’s visibility in India.
“Malaysia has seen consistent growth in tourist arrivals throughout pre-pandemic years. TAFI’s convention is a great opportunity for us to enhance Sarawak’s visibility in India and make Sarawak next destination of choice for tourism and business events in the Indian market,” said the minister.
While Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highland are already popular with the Indian market, Tourism Malaysia is working to raise the profile of lesser known Malaysian destinations among Indian trade partners and travellers.
TAFI is known to take its conventions to locations that not popular in the Indian market. Doing so allows the event to help create awareness about the destination.
The 2022 convention will bear the theme, Build Back Better, and is the first meeting for members in four years.
Attendees can expect to enjoy a tribal-inspired theme that showcases the best of local culture and food.
Zainuddin Abdul Wahab, Tourism Malaysia’s director general said: “The resumption of scheduled international flights from India has been timely in promoting Malaysia to Indian travellers. Hence, we anticipate Indian arrivals to rise 30 per cent above pre-pandemic levels this year.”
Malaysia recorded 735,309 Indian tourist arrivals in 2019, a growth of 15 per cent over the previous year.