Informa Markets has appointed Janice Lee as the new event director for FHA-Food & Beverage and FHA-HoReCa, taking over from Martyn Cox who will be returning to the UK.
In this expanded role, Lee will be event director for both FHA events and HOFEX. She will lead the teams based in both Singapore and Hong Kong to oversee the overall performance and successful execution of both event brands.
She possesses more than 20 years of event management and sales experience with Informa Markets.
Hilton has opened the Conrad Shanghai, the brand’s first foray into the metropolis, located in the heart of People’s Square.
Conrad Shanghai boasts 728 keys across 66 floors, all of which feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Puxi and the Bund. The hotel’s 60 luxury suites, including the Presidential Suite, will have additional access to the Executive Lounge on level 44 which offers exclusive concierge services, workspaces, complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails.
There are five F&B options on-site – the modern French Copper Bistro; Chinese restaurant Enclave Eight with private dining rooms for corporate groups; all-day restaurant Lane 11; Asador Mediterranean Dining & Bar; and the Hu Bar on the 65th floor.
Event planners can make use of the 2,500m2 of function space, spread over a 864m2 ballroom that can accommodate up to 600 guests, 13 meetings rooms, as well as Hu’s Penthouse and Hu’s Atelier spaces on the 64th floor.
After a long day of meetings, corporate guests can also unwind with a dip at Conrad Shanghai’s heated swimming pool, work out at the fitness centre, or relax in the hot whirlpool, sauna and steam rooms.
Pullman Hotels & Resorts has reopened The Ambassador Seoul – A Pullman Hotel after a comprehensive 18-month renovation.
Located in the heart of Seoul, the hotel – which first opened for business in 1955 – offers 269 hotel rooms and 49 residences with views of the Namsan N Tower. Club guests will be able to use the Club Ambassador Lounge, which offers private check-in, check-out services, workspaces, and a happy hour.
The property’s six restaurants and bars have also undergone revamp. These include The King’s, which rose to fame first hotel buffet in South Korea in 1975, returns with its traditional and authentic Korean, Asian and European brasserie-style fare, with upmarket items such as Peking duck and king crab. The Lounge & Bar located on the first floor serves afternoon tea and signature cocktails, while Hao Bin offers traditional and authentic Cantonese cuisine. There’s also 1955 Groceria which boasts fresh produce, charcuterie, hotel-branded products, and takeaway menus.
Leisure facilities include an outdoor swimming pool on the fourth floor, an indoor swimming pool, an indoor golf driving range, a fitness, yoga and Pilates studio, and sauna facilities. Corporate travellers with their families in tow will appreciate the Kids Room.
A standout feature for the meetings and events crowd is the hotel’s Namsan Room, located on the 19th floor, a space adorned with a dome-shaped glass window. It also boasts a connecting room to comfortably accommodate larger groups. There are also five meeting rooms, as well as The Grand Ballroom which can hold up to 400 people.
The hotel is a one-and–a-half hour drive from Incheon International Airport and 50 minutes from Gimpo International Airport.
Seasoned hotelier Julian Wipper has been appointed general manager of New World Millennium Hong Kong Hotel.
The German brings with him 25 years of luxury hospitality experience around the world.
Wipper joins the hotel from JEN Singapore Orchardgateway by Shangri-La where he was general manager for three years, while concurrently serving as regional champion rooms & guest experience for South-east and Australasia hotels.
Vietnam’s Alma Resort is installing 5,634 solar panels on its extensive infrastructure as part of an ambitious solar power project that is expected to reduce the property’s carbon dioxide emissions by up to 72,670 tonnes over a 25-year period and save up to US$16.85 million in electricity bills.
The panels will be mounted on 196 pavilions, two V-shaped towers housing various hotel facilities, and the utility building. Operating at a capacity of 2,480 kilowatts peak, the system will power almost half of the resort’s energy needs, depending on its occupancy rate.
According to a statement from Alma, Vietnam has overtaken Thailand as South-east Asia’s largest solar market with hundreds of solar projects under construction. Alma’s managing director Herbert Laubichler-Pichler believes it will soon be incumbent for five-star resorts across the country to follow suit.
“With the weather we have in Cam Ranh, it makes total sense for us to take advantage of an abundance of sunlight and embrace a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternative to electricity,” said Laubichler-Pichler.
The solar rooftop modules throughout the resort are engineered, implemented and financed by German companies C Melchers (Vietnam), Aschoff Solar and a German financial institution.
The resort will pay for the system in savings made on its electricity bills within the first decade of operation.
“After the costs are taken out to pay for the solar technology, Alma will still save an additional US$1.96 million on electricity within this 10-year timeframe,” Laubichler-Pichler said.
The resort’s solar project is expected to generate 3.83 million kilowatt hours of energy in its first year of operation. Excess solar energy from one part of the system is used by other facilities on the grid.
The resort also launched a mobile app called Alma Resort last year, which allows contactless communication between guests and staff in real-time during the pandemic, and also serves as a sustainable solution with digital menus, resort maps, and more.
S Hotels and Resorts has appointed Bart Callens as the new cluster general manager of SAii Phi Phi Island Village and SAii Laguna Phuket, two five-star resorts in southern Thailand.
Callens has more than 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, with a career spanning four continents – Europe, North America, Africa and Asia – and roles with some of the world’s leading hotel brands. He is also an F&B expert, having led the culinary teams in many major hotels and resorts around the globe, and even a year on a Cunard cruise liner.
He has held leadership roles in South-east Asia for more than a decade.
More than 20 major physical exhibitions and conferences will be taking place in Singapore between February and October this year, underscoring the city’s importance as a business events hub.
This steadily growing number comprises 13 shows returning after postponement or virtual versions, while three debut events hope to break new ground.
Richard Ireland, president, Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS), acknowledged the pandemic’s severe impact on the business events industry and the current critical phase of recovery.
“Despite unprecedented challenges, the success of over 200 pilot events, including the Singapore Airshow, ITAP and Bloomberg New Economy Forum, validates that large-scale events can be run safely in a controlled environment without zoning restrictions,” he said.
“With a strong line-up of events in 2022 such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix, Shangri-La Dialogue and Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), there is a sense of optimism and excitement among the industry that we are on the right track towards a more normalised environment this year.”
Strength in numbers
Singapore’s business events calendar kicked off with the Singapore Airshow 2022, held from February 20-25. The event drew almost 13,000 trade attendees from more than 39 countries/regions, with over 70 per cent of the top 20 global aerospace companies making an appearance.
“We are thrilled that our exhibitors and visitors came together for conversations, and more importantly to collaborate,” said Leck Chet Lam, managing director, Experia, organiser of Singapore Airshow. “We are especially appreciative of returning exhibitors who demonstrated their commitment to the industry.”
Meanwhile, currently ongoing is the 11th edition of BuildTech Asia (BTA) from March 15-17. Held at the Singapore EXPO & MAX Atria, the hybrid event expects to welcome more than 10,000 in-person and online attendees from over 120 physical and virtual exhibitors, and 44 industry associations and partners from 16 participating countries. More than 10 per cent of the physical exhibition features Asian exhibitors, including Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and China.
“BTA can play a pivotal role in helping industry players map out a sustainable business transformation journey, foster new partnerships, and plug into a comprehensive global network of industry experts and peers,” said Chua Wee Phong, chief executive (markets) of Constellar, the organiser.
Also happening this week is the 17th edition of the biennial Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) exhibition and conference being held at Marina Bay Sands from March 16-18. Billed as the first large-scale maritime trade event in South-east Asia, APM will feature six official pavilions with some 7,000 delegates expected to attend in person.
“As a tradeshow serving the maritime industry, where the latest engines and navigational systems often take the spotlight, the opportunity to demonstrate and see the products on display cannot be easily replicated online,” said Yeow Hui Leng, group project director, RX, organiser of APM.
The conference and workshops are free for all attendees. “We hope the learning and networking opportunities offered will help to pivot companies and professionals for a brighter future,” said Yeow.
Moving forward, the Asia Climate Forum will return from April 18-20 under new owner MMI Asia, a subsidiary of Messe München. It will be co-located with CleanEnviro Summit, itself part of SIWW.
Other returnees at press time include Milipol Asia-Pacific (May 18-20); Asia Tech x Singapore (renamed from ConnectTechAsia; May 31 to June 3); Shangri-La Dialogue (June 10-12); Speciality & Fine Food Asia (June 22-24) with new component Speciality Coffee & Tea Asia; World Cities Summit 2022 (July 31 to August 3); OS+H Asia 2022, Seafood Expo 2022 and FHA-Food & Beverage in September; followed by FHA-HoReCa and FLAsia 2022 in October.
New entrants, in the meantime, include Global Health Security Conference 2022 (June 28 to July 1), FIND – Design Fair Asia (September 22-24) and Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (October 26-28).
Fiera Milano is partnering dmg events to launch FIND, pitched as Asia’s biggest Furniture, Interiors and Design Fair of 2022 and anchoring the new Singapore Design Week. This event may fill the vacuum after the long-standing International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS) took a break.
Ernie Koh, Singapore Furniture Industry Council presidential advisor and chairman of IFFS, believes the business events industry will steadily rebound.
“We will keep the industry informed on the next iteration of IFFS when we are ready to share more on a new format which aligns with industry demand and launched with the right conditions in place,” he elaborated.
Work in progress
Although Singapore’s business events industry warmly welcomes the robust roster of slated events, the future of several tradeshows remains uncertain.
For instance, the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) recently announced that it will not proceed with its Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference scheduled from May 8-12, but has indicated it remains “committed to returning to Singapore with a live exhibition in 2023”.
The thrice-postponed IBTM Asia Pacific seems to be another casualty. The event website now states the new show dates will be April 4-5, 2023, although organiser RX has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the postponement.
Despite Singapore’s reopening, observation and inquiries among the trade suggest that foreign participation remains low, as sellers and buyers need certainty when deciding whether to participate. At press time, Singapore hasn’t moved to the endemic stage and measures vacillate to ensure public health safety.
Given slim pickings, it remains to be seen if the Singapore market can sustain similarly-themed tradeshows, even if they position themselves as distinct.
Business events consultant Lloyd Tan commented: “Strategic business models of the pre-Covid era need a rethink and reshape. Covid-19 has opened up many options. Running a physical event post-Covid will be very different in meeting the expectations of exhibitors, conference delegates and trade attendees. These events need remodelling to address attendees’ behavioural pattern changes.
“The trend today is about forging partnerships and alliances to stay on top of the game. If an organiser is not taking this route, then resetting, rethinking and reshaping the business model as the way forward, it will be left behind by competitors.”
SACEOS’ Ireland agrees there is still much work to be done and more clarity needed on the reopening roadmap for the industry.
“That said, the recent announcement of simplified safe management measures (SMM) and plans to reopen our borders inject further confidence that the MICE and events industry can once again be a key contributor and enabler of Singapore’s economy.”
Montgomery Asia’s managing director Christopher McCuin added: “I hope the SMMs can be further relaxed as soon as safely possible to ensure we keep pace with other major global MICE destinations.
“Any rule relaxation should provide all participants with a conducive, fun and engaging environment for doing business, with health and safety remaining a core consideration.”
As Hong Kong grapples with its largest Covid-19 outbreak to date and increasingly stringent travel restrictions, organisers are finding overseas alternatives to hold their global trade fairs this year.
Several large-scale tradeshows that have already made their move out of Hong Kong for 2022 include the Asia Fruit Logistica to Bangkok (November 2-4); APLF-Leather and Materials+ 2022 to Dubai (March 30 to April 1); Cosmoprof Asia to Singapore (November 16-18); and Jewellery & Gem World (September 27-30).
Tradeshow organisers have dubbed some of the moves as special editions, but whether the move will be permanent remains to be seen.
Business Strategies Group’s managing director and UFI regional manager Asia Pacific, Mark Cochrane, stated that Hong Kong’s quarantine restrictions and zero-Covid policy are damaging the city’s future as a regional tradeshow hub.
Although some shows are likely to remain, such as the Art Basel Hong Kong, Cochrane opined that “B2B sourcing shows may not return” as “the outlook for business events in Hong Kong is bleak”.
“Until Covid restrictions are removed, Hong Kong has no chance of hosting significant business events,” Cochrane stated.
Informa Group’s executive vice president commercial development, Michael Duck, agreed: “The quarantine restrictions are very harsh for inbound travellers to Hong Kong. Even when Hong Kong didn’t have that many cases, borders remained closed. Now the city has over 50,000 cases a day, similar to Singapore, but Singapore is more relaxed. If the situation doesn’t improve, business will continue to decline.”
Duck indicated that the year ahead seems “tough” to hold tradeshows in Hong Kong, but it is a different story in the rest of Asia. There are positive signs of business events returning in cities like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta, in countries that have decided to live with the virus.
“The outlook for business events in Asia is largely in the hands of the government. Countries like Thailand and Singapore that are striving to lure business events back will benefit. Overly-cautious, timid governments, will pay a price for their approach,” Cochrane stated.
Hong Kong-based International Conference Consultants’ director, Katerina Tam, shared with TTGmice that the World Sterilization Congress was planned for Hong Kong this year, but organisers have moved the conference to Chile due to the city’s “stringent travelling measures”.
As such, Tam opined that the company does not expect many international travellers heading to Hong Kong this year. As for local events, they have been postponed to 2H2022.
“We are still working on a few international conferences for next year, in the hope that the situation will improve,” she said.
When asked about the tradeshow situation, a spokesperson for Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML), told TTGmice that only a “small number of trade exhibition organisers have decided to hold one-off editions outside of Hong Kong” because of the stringent travel restrictions.
“A majority of recurrent events are staying with Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. For example, the Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong, Art Basel Hong Kong 2022 and Art Central have been postponed to later this year. Retail Asia Conference and Expo 2022, Vegetarian Food Asia 2022, Lohas Expo 2022, Natural & Organic Asia 2022 and Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong will also be held in May to September 2022 as scheduled,” she stated.
The spokesperson added that HML remains confident in Hong Kong, and that “international shows and conferences will return when travel restrictions are relaxed”.
The Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has rolled out a new business events campaign, BElong in Penang, shortly after the announcement of reopening Malaysia’s borders was made.
The campaign’s concept revolves around three key messages – its readiness to receive business events warmly, provide uncompromising hospitality, as well as ensure all safety and hygiene measures are in place for peace of mind.
PCEB’s CEO, Ashwin Gunasekeran, explained that the first two letters BE, which are abbreviations usually associated with business events, also mean ‘belong’, where Penang hopes to provide corporate groups with a sense of belonging.
The goals of the campaign are to maintain destination awareness, and increase destination confidence in Penang being able to hold events safely. This will in turn increase RFPs, as well as bring about more job opportunities to the greater tourism sector, elaborated Ashwin.
PCEB has also expressed that it will continue funding hybrid domestic events in the run-up to international clients and events returning.
The opening of Malaysia’s borders will not jeopardise this support, Ashwin opined, as he indicated that hybrid events will continue to be run in the next few years or so.
Currently, there are 28 domestic conferences confirmed in Penang for this year, with Ashwin adding that the business events calendar was looking “very good” until 2026.
Gold Coast in Australia has unveiled a campaign that brings to life the stories of the destination, while reimagining how the city can attract and host business events.
Entitled The imagination capital of Australia, the campaign is a home-grown initiative to drive post-lockdown recovery of the city’s business events in the areas of health, innovation, education, screen and arts, and sport.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said the first-of-its-kind campaign showcases the Gold Coast’s business events credentials.
“The business events sector is a vital part of our Monday to Friday visitor economy, which prior to the pandemic generated A$570 million (US$411 million) in economic benefit for the city,” O’Callaghan noted.
The campaign will also highlight purpose-built infrastructure to help planners create memorable and extraordinary business events that cannot be easily replicated.
“Where else in the world can you indulge in breakfast on board an ocean cruise to whale watch and then walk straight into your conference at a state-of-the-art venue before watching the sun set from our kilometres of golden beaches? Only on the Gold Coast,” said O’Callaghan.
Destination Gold Coast’s head of business events Selina Sinclair said the campaign recognises the Gold Coast is undergoing an evolution enabled by ideas and innovation.
“Our stories will talk of the Gold Coast’s creative energy, entrepreneurial mindset and future focused thinking.”
The campaign will be launched officially at AIME next week.
