Accor and Singapore’s Fragrance Group will open Novotel Devonport in Tasmania’s north-west in 4Q2022. This will be the fifth hotel in Australia under their collaboration.
The 187-room hotel overlooking the Mersey River will feature a restaurant and bar, 24-hour room service and fitness centre, and a meeting room for up to 20 delegates. It is located nearby the Spirit of Tasmania terminal and with direct access to the paranaple convention centre.
Guestroom
Accor Pacific’s chief executive officer Sarah Derry said: “The presence of this popular international brand will expose Devonport and the greater northern Tasmania region to a broader market and contribute to the region’s ability to attract major conferences, events and groups.”
Novotel Devonport will be tailored to suit both business and leisure travellers, and will fill the gap as a quality accommodation option – something previously lacking in this city despite being a major gateway for tourism and trade.
Fragrance Group’s chief executive officer James Koh said: “We are excited to further develop our partnership with Accor and deliver Novotel Devonport, which will be an elevated addition to north Tasmania’s tourism offering. The city of Devonport is on the precipice of a significant tourism boom, with additional major infrastructure works underway to further enhance the destination. Novotel Devonport is a celebration of innovative interior design, thoughtful detail and, importantly for this location, will provide a great culinary experience for guests and the local community.”
Leading experts and industry players are set to convene in person at the International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2022 from September 5-9, 2022, at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore.
IBEW runs from September 5-9, 2022, with the tentpole IBEW Conference and BEX Asia trade exhibition, from September 6-8, 2022.
A previous edition of BEX Asia
This year, BEX Asia is expected to showcase some 200 brands and solutions from over 20 countries, and host more than 10,000 professionals and decision makers from Singapore and beyond. It will feature a wide range of solutions for the built environment including HVAC, robotics systems, building materials, energy management, IoT sensors, and digitalisation.
A array of tech and digital companies like Autodesk, Cupix and Hitachi Asia will be featuring their latest technologies and solutions. Other well-known names in the built environment sector who will be present include Camfil Singapore, Daikin Airconditioning Singapore, Nippon Paint, Singapore Polytechnic, Wavin Singapore, Ministry of Clean, Procore Technologies and Schindler Lifts (Singapore).
Meanwhile, the IBEW Conference will feature a line-up of over 65 industry leaders and experts such as Moshe Safdie, founder of Safdie Architects, and Pierre-Eric Saint-Andre, chairman & CEO, Bouygues Bâtiment International. Seminars will cover three core pillars, Sustainability & Green Economy, Technology & Innovation and Leadership & Future Growth.
The conference will also bring together some 400 CEOs and senior management for a by invite-only CEOs in Conversation on September 8. Themed Leading Together, Co-creating Success, this session will see leaders from Building and Construction Authority, Ong&Ong, Keppel Land, Obayashi Singapore and McKinsey & Company discussing and sharing what the built environment firms can do collectively to accelerate growth.
Tan: a lot of opportunities for digital enhancement in live events
As the business events industry returns to in-person formats, Singapore-headquartered Jublia – which sets itself up as the first hybrid event platform that focuses on audience engagement through a data-driven process – has chosen to align itself with live events.
Tan Kuan Yan, CEO & co-founder of Jublia, believes that the return to live events – largely offline and inherently more complex to manage – does not mean that all digital and tech enhancements should be disregarded, but instead, integrated into live events to improve and add value to them.
Tan: a lot of opportunities for digital enhancement in live events
This is because no matter how advanced technology becomes, it will never replace live events.
“Event tech providers increasingly need to align themselves with either side of the industry (virtual or live) or risk diluting their efforts,” he added.
In this transition back to live events, Jublia activated its DigitaLIVE masterplan to improve its platform with tracking metrics and data-driven processes to furnish better, tangible insights to event organisers. This is in addition to the business matching, pre-event engagement, event navigation and other capabilities that the platform already provides.
“The forced digitisation of events during the pandemic left the industry with much exposure and awareness in tracking metrics. The DigitaLIVE campaign heightens awareness (for event planners) as to how (we can) improve aspects of their live event. Digital tools serve to empower the live event, and not replace it,” Tan said.
Tan recalled a period of “intense pivot” for Jublia’s technology capabilities in the first six months of the event industry disruption. It ensured Jublia’s business continuity amid event postponements and cancellations, and led to the birth of the company’s Secure, Anticipate, and Future-proof Event planning process at the start of 2021. This process allows clients to organise events with more certainty, as Jublia’s Engagement Hub is able to handle last minute swaps from live to virtual and vice versa.
Audience engagement on Jublia’s platform
“We provided this service at no extra cost amid the uncertain regulatory climate, which also assured our clients that our Engagement Hub is flexible and adaptable to any type of event,” said Tan. A client who organised AntwerpXL in late 2021 benefitted from this process, as they had to hastily switch from a live format to virtual at the very last minute.
Despite constant enhancements to its event management platform, Jublia has maintained its pricing base since it started operations about a decade ago.
Jublia’s constant push for innovation allowed the company to more than double its headcount during the pandemic.
Tan said: “We are mindful that Jublia is not at the centre of the event tech universe, and have to work collaboratively with others. We constantly look outside our domain at factors that can have an impact on our engagement.”
For instance, Jublia compiled its top learning points on registration – a vital part of any event – into an e-book, Orchestrating Registration to Infinity and Beyond to help organisers improve the process.
Agenda discovery on Jublia’s platform
Moreover, in addition to the recent release of Jublia App 3.0, the company has in the pipeline two more event tech releases before 2022 is up.
The first is Scan, a retrieval platform that helps to collect data on qualified leads to help event organisers quantify and measure their event’s success. The second is AI Maps, which can render and route through multi-hall venues, providing navigation convenience to attendees and smoother venue management for organisers.
“I hope providers like us can bring collaboration to the next level for the betterment of the industry. There is no platform that can perform well in all aspects. This will ensure organisers don’t have to choose technology based on their convenience, but based on specialisation and performance towards attendees’ experiences,” Tan concluded.
JW Marriott has expanded in China with the opening of JW Marriott Hotel Changsha.
The first JW Marriott property in Hunan province offers dedicated venues for social and business gatherings, including a 650m2 pillarless Grand Ballroom good for 500 guests and its exclusive 229m2 foyer.
A smaller ballroom, the Sixth Capital Junior Ballroom, with simulated soft natural lighting, is ideal for smaller events. A separate VIP room and five multifunctional meeting rooms meanwhile, features integrated conferencing technologies.
JW Marriott Hotel Changsha features 287 guestrooms, including 14 suites with floor-to-ceiling windows that open out to the historic Xiang River and the skyline of Changsha.
Recreational facilities include a 24-hour fitness centre, an indoor heated pools, and spa, all located on the 33rd floor. Business travellers with their families in tow can benefit from the Family by JW programme that offers a dedicated kids’ area and kids’ menu.
There are also five F&B venues on-site, ranging from the signature restaurant Hao Yu which offers local Xiang dishes and Cantonese cuisine, to the Japanese teppanyaki restaurant Ginza Onodera from Tokyo.
InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Vietnam has appointed Mauro Zanusso as its new executive chef.
In this role, Mauro will oversee the resort’s restaurants, bars and lounges, and manage the resort’s catering and in-room dining functions.
Zanusso has over 20 years of experience in fine-dining restaurants and five-star hotels around the world, from Italy to the UK, India, Brazil, Egypt, US, Japan and China. The Italian sharpened his knives with luxury hotel brands such as Four Seasons, St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton, and he served as executive chef of The St. Regis Shenzhen and The Ritz-Carlton Xi’an in China.
Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium has appointed Michiel de Kleer as general manager.
The Dutch national brings with him more than 20 years of hospitality experience, having worked with properties such as Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, and Crowne Plaza Changi Airport. Prior to his latest appointment, Michiel’s most recent role was general manager at Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road.
De Kleer joined IHG in September 2013 as executive assistant manager with Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park before moving to Crowne Plaza Changi Airport in the same capacity in February 2016.
David Castaño has been appointed general manager of Milaidhoo Maldives.
The Spanaird brings with him a wealth of experience, having worked in resorts located in Bhutan, Cook Islands, Tanzania, Chile, and New Zealand.
Castaño’s most recent hospitality experience includes a focus on achieving accolades through meeting high standards of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World brand globally.
Heavy investments in large-scale event bids to drive recovery
Leisure developments are giving Australia an edge in winning business events
Stakeholders cite uneven Covid regulations worldwide and slow airlift recovery as obstacles
Branagh: upwards trajectory in business events choosing Queensland. Photo: Rachel AJ Lee
Since relaxing its pandemic-related rules and border restrictions, Australian states have welcomed an influx of in-person business events and corporate groups, and are busy chalking up future congress and association bid wins.
For now, large-scale events are leading the recovery of international gatherings.
In New South Wales (NSW), in May, the state hosted 55 media from 11 countries for a number of familiarisation programmes as well as the Australian Tourism Exchange 2022, among other massive events, signalling that it is ready to welcome back business events and incentive trips.
To date, Business Events Sydney (BESydney) has secured 98 future business events scheduled to be hosted in NSW between 2022 and 2029, shared Destination NSW’s CEO Steve Cox.
The wins are backed by the multi-million-dollar Business Events Industry Support package rolled out in October 2021, designed to incentivise business event organisers to contract and hold business events in Sydney.
“Complementing this support for business events is our major investment in signature sporting and cultural events such as the 10 World Cups, Vivid Sydney and in 2023, Sydney WorldPride. We will work with BESydney to leverage our investment in sporting and cultural events like these to enhance Sydney and NSW’s appeal for the business event market, and to boost delegate numbers,” Cox elaborated.
In the same vein, Tracey Cinavas-Prosser, CEO of Destination Perth, said the Western Australian city is also leveraging upcoming sporting events, like the pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Aston Villa on July 23 and the year-end cricket test matches, to raise the region’s profile as a business events destination that can handle large-scale events.
Cinavas-Prosser underlined that “leisure and MICE go hand in hand”, and often business and association meetings would also require a fun-packed social pre/post-programme.
Domestic market leverage
When asked how the business events industry survived during the pandemic, Tourism & Events Queensland’s group executive marketing, Michael Branagh, told TTGmice: “Fortunately, the Australian domestic market has really gravitated towards Queensland, and we’ve seen a really strong growth and demand for business events in terms of incentives.”
“Previously, corporations that took their teams to international destinations for events are now more focused on keeping local in the short term. For instance, they could have gone to Thailand or Hawaii for their business summit, but the uncertainty (of travelling) and their low risk tolerance means they are holding their backlog of events in Australia now,” he elaborated.
Domestic activity has helped Queensland’s suppliers improve their products and experiences, and put the state in a prime position to welcome international guests.
Now as Queensland gears up its international marketing efforts, the team is discovering a challenge in selling to an audience that “already knows Queensland and its great beaches”.
For example, the Singapore audience is “very familiar with Queensland”, so the tourism body has to keep reminding them of everything they love about Queensland, as well as present new experiences, products and ways of exploring beyond Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Aside from India, Singapore is a market Queensland is watching closely, with Branagh indicating there was “very strong interest in business events and incentives” emanating from the city-state.
Call for normality
Despite her optimism for the future, Cinavas-Prosser called for greater consistency in Covid-19 border restrictions across the globe.
“We need the whole world to have confidence that this is not going away (in the near future). We have to learn to adapt like we have to any illness over the years, move on, and return to normal lives,” she opined.
For Cox, recovery is challenged by lacking airlift, something he considers “a crucial element in the rebuilding of international visitation to NSW”.
To speed this along, the NSW government announced a A$60 million (US$40.4 million) Aviation Attraction Fund to accelerate the state’s recovery by providing support to airlines to drive demand and increase capacity to levels prior to Covid-19.
When asked about NSW’s target markets, Cox shared: “Singapore, China, South Korea, India, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have traditionally been in the top 10 markets for NSW. We expect these will continue to be core markets over the next 10 years. However, NSW cannot rely solely on traditional markets. Indonesia and Malaysia, currently just outside the top 10, have potential to grow in volume and value.”
Forward event bookings for Kuala Lumpur's (pictured) hotels and venues are looking healthy
The business events industry in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, is seeing brighter days ahead, although pre-pandemic levels of events will take more time to achieve, stakeholders indicate.
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s general manager, Alan Pryor, shared: “We expect international business events to go up by 20 per cent in 2023 as we are currently recording a continuous upwards trend in events beyond 2022. This will grow further as global economic recovery progressively improves.”
Forward event bookings for Kuala Lumpur’s (pictured) hotels and venues are looking healthy
The Centre has seen a significant increase in demand for in-person events, with up to 127 global meetings (51 conventions and 76 exhibitions) booked at the venue from this year up to 2024.
In 2Q2022, the Centre is slated to host about 300 in-person events, 66 per cent of which are domestic, 20 per cent international and the rest regional.
However, Pryor expects business evens to return to near 2019 levels only in 2024.
He pointed out: “While the demand for in-person events is strong, safety concerns around international travel remain. (Moreover), companies are in recovery mode and are operating at lower budget so business travel is kept to a minimal due to the price hike in flight tickets and accommodation.
“All these combined with other global issues such as the war in Europe act as deterrents to business events’ recovery.”
For Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur’s general manager, Michael Delargy, bookings for corporate events for events in 2H2022 started rolling in from May this year.
He noticed that lead times for small and midscale events have also become shorter, and due to the current high demand for event spaces, event organisers are less inclined to negotiate prices as their priority is to secure their preferred venue.
At press time, regional and international bookings for venue spaces at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur were predominantly from Singapore and India.
Delargy also opined that for the hotel to reach 2019 levels for business events, travel restrictions had to be lifted globally.
Over at The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur, Sheryl Lim, executive assistant manager – sales & marketing, told TTGmice: “Forward business remains strong in 3Q2022 and 4Q2022. We are also seeing some conversions from neighbouring countries to hold their business events at our property.”
Describing how demands and expectations from business organisers have changed compared to pre-pandemic times, Lim shared: “Most event organisers now look for specially curated menu offerings to elevate the dining experience. Organisers are also looking for immediate responses when it comes to proposals and availability. Most conversions we’ve had come from immediate responses.
“WhatsApp has also become the main channel of communication for many organisers who wish to get all details including availability before entering the contracting stage.”
Meanwhile for Pryor, he noticed that sustainability has moved beyond a trend to become a demand.
He observed: “This year, major exhibitions like Food & Hotel Malaysia placed sustainability as a priority in the way the show was organised, managed and delivered.”
To help event organisers better manage their sustainability goals, the Centre has put in place measures such as installing an AI-powered system to track type and quantity of food waste, so that the Centre’s chefs can be more efficient in managing food and production costs, and lessen food wastage.
The organiser of IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific, TTG Asia Media, has opened registrations for buyers.
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 pre-pandemic IT&CM Asia in action
While all buyer registrations are complimentary, a confirmation fee is applicable for all hosted buyers. The hosted buyer programme is open to eligible business events, association, and corporate buyers from across the globe, and privileges include transport reimbursement and accommodation.
In-person buyers will be entitled to arrange up to 24 face-to-face Scheduled Meets opportunities (both in-person and remotely). They will also be invited to join in the social functions, and network over food and drinks.
There will also be panel discussions, knowledge sessions, and showcases to inform buyers of the latest developments and product updates.
Buyers attending in-person can also stand a chance to earn cash incentives and prizes by completing event missions.
Virtual buyers meanwhile, will be able to take part in networking sessions and business card exchanges to expand their networks and contacts.
In addition, Brand Showcase Presentations from participating business events destinations, suppliers and corporate brands; Knowledge Sessions with the hottest topics this year; as well as the Buyer Procurement Showcases; will be available online.
There will also be several Live Hosted Sessions By Brands, where virtual participants will be able to take part in interactive games, and win attractive prizes. A digital certificate of participation will be provided upon the event’s conclusion.
Lynette Tey, event manager of TTG Events, shared: “This year’s show aims to deliver a brand new format like never before, differentiating IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific 2022 hybrid from any other experience as our industry continues to evolve to stay versatile.”
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.
De Kleer joined IHG in September 2013 as executive assistant manager with Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park before moving to Crowne Plaza Changi Airport in the same capacity in February 2016.
Castaño’s most recent hospitality experience includes a focus on achieving accolades through meeting high standards of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World brand globally.
