Western Australia gets multi-million-dollar boost for event industry
The government of Western Australia has handed down its 2022-23 State Budget, announcing an increase of A$31 million (US$21.8 million) in funding for tourism events.
This includes A$20 million for a new Major Events Fund, of which A$5 million has been allocated for hosting business events.
The latest financial injection comes in addition to the A$15 million Reconnect WA package announced in December 2021.
The boost in funding comes at a pivotal time for Western Australia’s business events industry, which is poised to experience a significant period of growth and recovery following the reopening of state borders and renewed appetite for travel from business event delegates.
Business Events Perth chair Bradley Woods said the additional funding recognised the important role that business events played in strengthening and diversifying the state’s economy, and the support that was needed to revive the sector after a significant disruption.
“The impact of Covid-19 on the business events industry has resulted in a massive hit, in terms of real losses and future business confidence, so this funding boost is well timed as we continue our efforts to secure lucrative business events to re-energise and rebuild the many venues and small businesses that are still struggling two years into this pandemic,” Woods said.
Tourism minister Roger Cook said the increased funding would maximise opportunities for the state, securing lucrative business events not just for their tourism impact, but also as a platform for economic diversification, presenting an opportunity to promote Western Australian expertise to the world.
“This is the next stage in turbo-charging Western Australia’s economic transition after the successful management of Covid-19 for more than two years,” Cook remarked.
“A revived programme of business events will help to create an economic legacy beyond the value of initial tourism expenditure – helping us build towards a bigger, better Western Australia.”
South-east Asian transport ministers align commitment to air travel recovery
Transport ministers from seven South-east Asian countries have pledged to rebuild and restore air travel through various measures including mutual recognition of Covid-19 health certificates and the development of a single ASEAN aviation market.
The commitment is shared by the ministers of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia and Brunei.
According to Singapore broadsheet The Straits Times, a joint statement by the ministers also pointed to efforts such as harmonised aviation-related public health and safety measures, aligned sustainable practices, and improved air connectivity between South-east Asia and other regions.
Training and capacity building will also be promoted to support recovery and growth of the civil aviation sector and the well-being of its workers.
Marriott International expands positive travel opportunities for guests
Marriott International has expanded its Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy programme, from just 15 pilot hotels to nearly 100 hotels and resorts now across more than 50 destinations across Asia-Pacific, providing even more opportunities for travellers to turn their vacations into meaningful travel that connects with local communities and the environment.
According to Bart Buiring, chief sales and marketing officer, APAC, Marriott International, the programme expansion was driven by positive response from hotels and guests.
“Apart from this, the pandemic has shifted the way people travel – to have a positive impact on countries and to blend working trips with leisure,” he added.
According to the 2022 American Express Travel Global Survey, people are now more intentional about where they spend their money, and impact travel is resonating across all demographics.
Buiring said Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy programme stands out from other similar programmes with the “truly grassroots efforts by our hotels”.
“We asked them to structure their activities on three key pillars – environmental protection, community engagement and marine conservation – and branding all experiences through a loyalty programme in a creative and curative manner,” he said.
Targeting corporate travellers and the leisure travel market, the foundation of the programme is synonymous with people wanting to reconnect with each other; it also helps connect member guests with local experts and NGOs at the destinations they visit, while promoting and deepening cultural understanding. These experiences are available for non-members as well.
The programme has the support of travel planners, agents and meeting planners, shared Buiring.
At present, Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy programme offers meaningful experiences in many destinations – Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, India, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and the Maldives. Guests can choose to plant mangrove seeds in the forests of Langkawi to restore the wetlands, joining a temple preservation in India to mitigate the destructive effects of sandstorms on its façade, and more.
IHG appoints development representative in Korea
IHG Hotels & Resorts announced Danny Ha as development representative for Korea, where Ha will support the strategic growth of IHG brands in the country and focus on building long and trusted relationships with owners.
Ha brings 25 years of experience in hospitality strategy and planning, brand development, contract negotiation and conversions, pre-opening and project management in Korea, having ran his own hotel consulting practice where he represented owners in various capacities. He was also an owner’s representative for high profile projects of brands such as JW Marriott and IHG InterContinental and Holiday Inn & Suites.
Ha is excited to join the IHG team at such an opportune time as travel and hospitality rallies with the reopening of borders and looks forward to developing win-win strategic partnerships with owners, as well as unlocking the potential of IHG’s brands in Korea.
Maldives gets more serious about business events
The Maldives is repackaging herself as more than just a honeymoon destination, with a real push into the business events market.
At the Arabian Travel Market last week, Thoyyib Mohamed, managing director at Maldives Tourism, told TTGmice the destination is “reimagining the MICE concept” by offering boardrooms on the beach, out-of-the-box locations for meetings, and sustainable incentives surrounded by nature.
He said: “People always think of the Maldives as a luxury or honeymoon destination and we want to change this perception. It’s a safe haven with many islands and no crowds. We’re well connected regionally and business people can bring their families to combine business with leisure.”
The initiative, branded as Redefining MICE, was launched recently in India, where Mohamed said it was well received. Maldives Tourism will also attend IMEX Frankfurt later this month.
A promotional video has been produced to convey the concept.
Fathimath Afra, chief marketing officer at Tourism Maldives, said: “People ask what facilities and equipment we have for large groups. You can convert the beach into a boardroom and we have many resorts with multiple restaurants, bars and cafes that can be converted into meeting rooms. We have very unique venues with a more relaxed concept.”
In addition, Maldives Tourism is developing a homestay scheme across its multiple local islands. The archipelago comprises 1,190 islands, of which 200 are inhabited. A total of 160 resorts also dot the islands, with five new island resorts slated to open in the next six months.
Mohamed said: “We have a very rich culture, history and religion, and many local islands. We wanted to give locals the opportunity to have a piece of the tourism profit.”
He added that many houses have one or two spare rooms that are ideal for visitors wanting to get an authentic taste of local life.
The scheme is currently in its infancy, with only one house registered. However, Afra said it would be developed over the coming months along with a series of local experiences.
AMEX GBT marks a year of ESG progress; beefs up Neo capabilities
American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) has published its annual environmental, social and governance (ESG) report for 2021, documenting the company’s achievements and commitments in sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), and governance standards.
Key highlights from 2021 include launching a partnership with Shell Aviation to scale up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production and deployment; signing the World Economic Forum Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative to accelerate the supply and use of SAF; unveiling new carbon reporting and mitigation products and services; collaborating with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council to help set the industry standard for green hotels; and launching an employee resource group dedicated to sustainability.
AMEX GBT also increased its goal of utilising diverse suppliers across the strategic sourcing portfolio; committed to the protection of children children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism; deepened its relationship with UNICEF USA to help displaced children continue their education; and raised tens of thousands of dollars through events such as a World Children’s Day annual fundraiser, India Covid-19 emergency response, Haiti earthquake and Afghanistan evacuation responses, and donations from suppliers and vendors.
Evan Konwiser, executive vice president, AMEX GBT, said: “Our ESG report shows how we are working to meet ambitious targets, that we recognise our responsibility as an industry leader to work with customers and partners to help build a responsible, sustainable future that includes all the benefits of travel.
“These endeavours are vital as we believe travel is a force for good, powering progress across economic, social and environmental planes. As it helps bring down barriers and builds understanding, it propels trade and commerce while connecting communities globally.”
Meanwhile, the latest release of Neo, Amex GBT’s proprietary online booking tool also includes new functionalities to contribute to the company’s ESG goals for diversity and sustainability. With more countries offering a third gender option on passports, travellers are now able to present their preferred gender and match this information in booking tools and airline records.
Companies using the Neo online booking tool can choose to either remove the name prefix from traveller profiles, or include the new neutral choice, Mx. The booking tool also features a non-binary option alongside male and female in the gender selection field.
A new CO2 sort has also been added to the booking tool to help users quickly surface the travel option with the lowest carbon footprint.
Geo Connect Asia 2022 returns to an in-person setting
Geo Connect Asia (GCA), the geospatial and location intelligence industry tradeshow and conference for South-east Asia, will adopt a physical version this year.
Themed Geospatial & Location Intelligence Solutions for Asia – Underground, Land & Sea to Sky, GCA 2022 will run from June 1 to 2, 2022 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore.
The event will be held alongside two complementary industry profiles – Digital Construction Asia (DCA) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Asia. It will comprise a virtual component where participants can schedule meetings, meet exhibitors and watch the live streaming conference online for virtual delegates.
The conference will offer over 10 fireside chats featuring more than 60 industry speakers, panellists and moderators who will address topics such as the possible impact of the metaverse, and the use of drones for goods.
GCA 2022 is also curating three expert stage programmes – DCA Masterclass, UAV Asia, and Digital Underground Connect. These programmes, with limited seating capacity, will act as deep-dive classes for participants to expand their knowledge of the latest geospatial challenges and solutions.
The 1,200m2 showfloor will feature the Geo Market Place with companies showcasing geospatial technologies (such as Trimble, 3D Target, Planet), digital construction (such as Mogul, Screening Eagle, Vizzio), and UAV (such as Wingtra, AECA, masterscan). There will also be a theatre to facilitate a non-stop and free-to-attend series of Tech Talks on the same subject matters.
GCA 2022 is expected to host more than 50 leading companies from around the world and attract 2,500 professional visitors and delegates.
Geelong’s new venue to be managed by MCEC operator
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust will operate the future Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCEC), set to open in 2026.
GCEC will be developed on the Geelong Waterfront precinct as part of the Geelong City Deal – a partnership between the Australian and Victorian governments, together with the City of Greater Geelong.
The A$294 million (US$204 million) project includes the construction of a purpose-built convention and exhibition centre, incorporating a 1,000-seat plenary venue and at least 3,700m2 of flexible event space to allow large and small events to run concurrently.
The centre will be a major driver of jobs and economic growth for the City of Greater Geelong and surrounding areas, supporting 600 jobs during construction and an additional 270 ongoing jobs through its operation.
The Trust currently manages the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and will manage both GCEC and MCEC to leverage expertise and opportunities to collaborate.
It has reiterated its commitment to working closely with the local community, businesses and key stakeholders in Geelong and the wider Bellarine region to secure as many local jobs, produce and supply chains as possible in the centre’s ongoing operation.
Hybrid meetings: embracing innovation is key to unlocking post crisis growth
The unprecedented pandemic has turned our lives around completely and there were, and still are many norms we must get used to. Everything changed overnight – work went remote, while activities such as shopping, entertainment, and even getting basic medications went online. Everyone became heavily dependent on technology.
Undeniably, the pandemic has presented an unprecedented challenge to the entire MICE sector and the segment has been forced to adapt. The nature of MICE events itself involves the interaction between people, and the involvement in having to form as many connections as possible. Unfortunately, due to safe distancing measures, large-scale events were all cancelled and we were only limited to going out in pairs.
As a result, many resorted to virtual conferences, while some have shifted towards a hybrid of both physical and digital means.
The physical presence, sense of belonging and the building of trusted relationships when meeting in person is irreplaceable. As countries and economies open up and restrictions are lifted, face-to-face events, with the opportunity for in-person networking and an atmosphere that is difficult to replicate online will flourish.
However, next level hybrid MICE concepts such as multi-location hubs featuring speakers and attendees in physical locations as well as those dialing in virtually will be popular. This allows event planners to harness the benefits of in-person meetings along with the scale and huge savings of virtual events.
Prioritising innovation today is the key to unlocking post-crisis growth. Venues will be expected to offer the option for virtual and hybrid events with enhanced technological infrastructure and flexible rooms.
Event planners and delegates will have higher expectations of events in a post-pandemic world in terms of cleanliness, safety, hygiene and of course experience.
Flexibility and an ability to deftly navigate between the digital and physical realms will help define the new normal.
Beyond getting back to where we were, we want to break new ground and establish a new level of experience that we can provide for our customers. After all, why return to normal when we can return fully entrenched in a winning position?
Paul Er is the vice president, sales, Asia at Millennium Hotels and Resorts. He is armed with 34 years of sales and marketing experience, and cut his teeth at some of the most reputable organisations such as American Express and Hilton Hotels. He was previously regional director at Marriott International where he handled global sales and oversaw South-east Asia’s US$400 million enterprise business.
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