Stop sharing your slides & screens. Start delivering engaging TV-like content equipped with audience interaction features such as polling, Q&A & live chats.
Chicago-based visual conferencing provider has revealed TeeVid Events, an online event platform that enables users to create, produce and broadcast immersive experiences.
The platform features a web studio providing video production tools; multi-channel streaming across major platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, and chat rooms for delegates; and even allowing moderators to select VIPs to have higher control of the floor.
TeeVid wants to help planners deliver engaging TV-like content equipped with audience interaction features such as polling, Q&A and live chats
To increase audience retention and interaction, TeeVid’s producer panel also enables moderators to select attendees that use the hands up feature to participate with the host on the live stage. Moderators can then manage the stage by dragging and dropping participants into a variety of screen layouts.
Event planners meanwhile, are able to easily rebrand the surface, and make use of storyboards.
TeeVid is also able to integrate to any event management software and web event service, enabling vendors to deliver end-to-end solutions to their customers and attendees.
W Hotels has opened its second Australian property in Melbourne, as part of the Collins Arch mixed-use precinct.
The luxury property offers 638m2 of total event space, over six function spaces. The largest, Great Room, is a 426m2 pillarless ballroom with an abundance of natural light and a 4m x 5m LED Wall. It can be further divided into two rooms.
The 294-key hotel also boasts 29 suites, including four WOW Suites, as well as the Extreme WOW Suite on the 15th floor complete with a 40m2 balcony and views of the Yarra River. It is also possible to book the Extreme WOW Suite for more intimate corporate events.
Events can also be held at WARABI, a 30-seater Japanese restaurant that also boasts a private dining room for 10. Other F&B options are all-day restaurant Lollo, and two watering holes – Curious and Culprit.
Other amenities include a fitness facility, an indoor pool with poolside bar and DJ booth, both on level 14.
Marriott International will be growing its Asia-Pacific footprint with plans to open 100 properties across the region this year.
In 2020, the company celebrated its 800th hotel opening in the region, with 75 properties added to its portfolio during the year. Nearly 27,000 rooms were added to the region’s development pipeline in 2020 alone, in addition to the signing of Marriott’s largest branded residences project.
JW Marriott Shanghai Fengxian will mark the group’s 400th hotel in Greater China
Greater China has led the global recovery to date, and the company expects to soon celebrate its 400th hotel in Greater China and its 50th hotel in Shanghai with the opening of JW Marriott Shanghai Fengxian in spring 2021.
The group will also strengthen its luxury portfolio across mainland China, with expected openings in 2021 such as W Changsha, W Xiamen, St. Regis Qingdao and The Ritz-Carlton Reserve Jiuzhaigou.
On the back of strong post-pandemic demand for leisure bookings at Marriott’s properties across mainland China, the company is introducing more additions across its brand portfolio, with the expected opening of Sheraton Mianyan in the Sichuan province, and the anticipated opening of The Westin Nanjing Resort & Spa.
Beyond Greater China, Marriott continues to strengthen its footprint, with several expected brand debuts across Asia-Pacific in 2021. In Japan, W Hotels is expected to debut with the opening of W Osaka, while The Luxury Collection is also slated to debut in Australia with the opening of The Tasman in Hobart. Elsewhere, the Ritz-Carlton brand is expected to celebrate its debut in the Maldives in early summer.
Further expanding the group’s presence in resort destinations, the JW Marriott brand is slated to make its way to Jeju Island in South Korea with the planned opening of JW Marriott Jeju in late 2021. The company’s signature wellness brand, Westin, is also set to debut in one of India’s top beach destinations, Goa, this summer.
To support domestic travel in Japan, the company plans to open six additional Fairfield by Marriott hotels throughout 2021 along Michi-no-Eki roadside stations. Japan expects to have more than 30 Fairfield by Marriott hotels by the end of 2023.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Melbourne is expected to see the opening of the country’s second W Hotel with W Melbourne in spring and the opening of Melbourne Marriott Hotel Docklands in early 2021.
Pan Pacific Hotels Group has appointed industry veteran Jean-Philippe Jacopin as general manager of Parkroyal Collection Pickering.
Jacopin hails from a family of hoteliers, and his thirty-year career has seen him hold senior management positions for some of the world’s leading hospitality brands in Europe and Asia-Pacific.
A 22-year stint with Hilton International took the French national from the UK and Ireland to Japan, South Korea and China before joining Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in Xi’An.
Jacopin went on to manage The Pavilions Hotel Resorts in Thailand for two years and, most recently, was general manager of Orchard Hotel Singapore.
The Westin Jakarta has appointed Samit Ganguly as general manager of the 256-key luxury hotel in Jakarta.
Over the last two decades, Ganguly has held key management roles in various aspects of management and operations of hotels. Prior to joining the team at The Westin Jakarta, he was general manager of Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort.
This assignment marks his return to Marriott International after beginning his journey back in 2012 with The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place as director of sales & marketing, and later as hotel manager.
His journey in the hospitality industry began in 2000 with The Oberoi Grand, Calcutta, soon after he concluded his studies. He then moved to join Hyatt Hotels & Resort Kolkata, then Hyatt Regency Dubai and Galleria in 2007 as director of convention sales.
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is now able to host events at up to 75 per cent capacity per event space, to a maximum of 5,000 attendees, following the implementation of stringent health and safety measures.
MCEC has an approved COVIDSafe Event plan from the Victorian Government, and approved measures include methods to ensure contact tracing, changes to F&B service and physical distancing, as well as preventing attendance at events by delegates from designated red zones.
MCEC found creative ways to make use of their large spaces during this time
Meanwhile, the convention centre’s own VenueSafe Plan includes restricting building access to event attendees only, with no general public access allowed; health check stations at each entry point, including access to regular hand sanitising; frequent routine cleaning and signage prominently displayed to indicate 1.5 metre physical distancing; and training employees on Covid-19 safety and sanitisation protocols.
Peter King, chief executive of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, said MCEC is excited to see the gradual return of events to the venue.
“While we have been innovative throughout the pandemic to ensure continued use of the space, we are thrilled to be able to host exhibitions and other events again,” he said.
Association heads have deployed several methods to ensure continuity during this pandemic, such as adopting new ways to reach out to members, starting an academy to provide education to members, and coming up with projects and content.
These were just some of the best practices and tips shared during the (APAC) Outlook 2021: Preparing Your Association for the New Year webinar on January 20.
Seet: deployed strategies to step up community engagement resulting in a growth in registrations
A speaker, International Coaching Federation’s (Singapore Chapter) president Jada Seet, said the chapter had encouraged members to step up community engagement by volunteering to lead new projects “to create a sense of belonging” and ownership. And to enhance the online experience for members, the chapter created pre-event activities and speed dating after.
Seet shared that the chapter had not been impacted economically as the need for coaching increased and those in the sector had to learn how to adapt and transition from offline to online, while keeping in mind how to increase the human touch and emphasise community through technology during the pandemic.
In fact, the chapter, which relies on membership fees as its revenue model, saw a 40 per cent increase in registrations in 2020.
Meanwhile, Marcel Ewals, director, associations and marketing, MCI Group, pointed out member engagement was the “priority in 2021”, and the answer was to transform traditional top-down committees to be more diverse by including younger members and “outsiders” in building project groups and content.
Ewals said MCI was championing a “self-driven, project-driven and technology-driven strategy to help clients transition to become more interactive and creative to give members value with no face-to-face events”.
Over in India, to prevent Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) members from “incurring huge losses” if they could not transition from offline to online when the country went into lockdown on February 25, the 56-year-old entity took its case to the Supreme Court to prevent the industry from collapsing.
FADA CEO Saharsh Damani described its legal undertaking as a “learning phase” and the biggest challenge was how to make others learn.
By taking a more focused approach and increasing its branding initiatives through social media, Damani said FADA increased webinar attendance 10-fold, and key points discussed were documented in its daily newswire and fleshed out in its newsletter.
Apart from educating members on upcoming trends and government regulations, FADA created an academy, currently offering online courses and is looking at organising one- or two-day physical classroom sessions.
The federation, which has 2,600 Life Members, has tasked itself to speak to 10 members a day and to reach its entire membership at least once, on the telephone or via Zoom.
Calling India’s January 16 vaccination rollout good news and kickstarting 2021 on a good note, Damani “thinks the worse is behind us now”. He forecasts growth starting in April and is optimistic about demand in September/October, the country’s next festive season.
As for Melbourne-based Nick Koerbin, executive director, Association Executive Services, he urged associations to develop and put in place policies on data collection, data security and data privacy.
The 20-year association management veteran foresees the rationalisation and merger of associations as some of those which have been around for a long time will not survive if they do not adapt quickly, accelerate their technology know-how and are not able to manage change.
Koerbin opined future face-to-face events would be smaller and for associations to avoid online event fatigue by setting a very clear agenda and limiting sessions to no more than 45 minutes.
AIME was one of the last tradeshows to be held in 2020 before Covid-19 became a full-blown outbreak
The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) has cancelled its 2021 event, which was scheduled to be hosted both at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and online in March, due to Covid-19 concerns.
Matt Pearce, CEO of event organiser Talk2 Media & Events, shared that the event faced challenges brought about by international and domestic travel restrictions despite healthy interest for the event from exhibitors and buyers.
AIME was one of the last tradeshows to be held in 2020 before Covid-19 became a full-blown outbreak
“As the past year has shown, it’s difficult to predict if border closures will be required to slow the spread of future outbreaks.”
However, he acknowledged that these challenges were not unique to AIME, but one of the many challenges the business events industry is currently facing.
With support from the Melbourne Convention Bureau, AIME has begun contacting attendees, including those who have already registered, to manage existing bookings and arrangements, as well as event refunds.
“As we navigate through these trying times, we remain optimistic that business events will adapt, innovate and emerge stronger than ever,” added Pearce.
AIME’s upcoming event will take place on March 21-23, 2022, with full details to follow in the coming months.
The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) wants to be a part of the national vaccination plan for Covid-19 and will soon propose the idea to relevant authorities to make use of convention centres as Covid-19 vaccination venues.
Its president, Francis Teo, said: “We would like to be part of the solution to get 70 per cent of the population vaccinated to reach the herd immunity threshold and for the recovery of the economy.
MITEC wants to play a part in helping to vaccinate the population; has a space large enough for a drive-through option
“Convention centres as vaccination centres are ideal as it has the space to be (segregated) into waiting areas, vaccination zones and many venues also have ample parking spaces for the public. It would also help relieve the load on public healthcare facilities. The more vaccination centres established, the faster would be the process towards recovery,” he stated.
Mala Dorasamy, director of marketing and sales at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), agreed.
She shared: “We, as well as other industry members, are keen to work with the government to repurpose unused spaces to function as vaccination sites or storage spaces for vaccines, essential equipment and medical supplies. It could reduce the logistical burden on hospitals and healthcare services while helping the centres reduce overhead costs. MITEC also has sufficient space to offer a drive-through option, if required.”
Alan Pryor, general manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, is also supportive of this move.
“This initiative demonstrates the value convention centres bring to the city and its people, beyond its role as a venue provider for events. The Centre is prepared, if called upon, to be a vaccination venue and urge all other venue operators to aid this cause as we band together to battle Covid-19,” Pryor said.
The National Vaccination Plan is scheduled to start in February. Last month, Malaysia’s science, technology and innovation minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said the government has allocated RM2 billion (US$507 million) for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines.
Pre-pandemic, Angkor Wat has drawn a rising tide of Indian tourists due to the deep-rooted historical connections between the two countries
Cambodia and India have agreed to start direct flight connections and promote closer tourism exchanges and cooperation in all areas after the Covid-19 crisis subsides.
The agreement was reached during a meeting last week between Cambodian tourism minister Thong Khon and Indian ambassador to Cambodia, Devyani Uttam Khobragade, the Phnom Penh Post reported.
Pre-pandemic, Angkor Wat has drawn a rising tide of Indian tourists due to the deep-rooted historical connections between the two countries
Khon was quoted by the report as saying that the two countries have a long history of cultural and religious ties, with holy sites across India playing host to hordes of Cambodians on religious tours pre-pandemic.
To foster active tourism cooperation, he urged the Indian government to reschedule religious tour packages after Covid-19 had been stamped out.
Khobragade fully backed a direct air route connecting the two countries as “it will bring a lot of benefits to the tourism sector, considering how young Indians nowadays really like these kinds of tourism tours”.
Khmer Angkor Tour Guide Association president Khieu Thy told The Post that direct flights with India would be a boon for Cambodia.
Ancient Khmer temples remain a major drawcard for Indian visitors, he said, noting how closely related the religions that inspired their construction are with those of India.
“The number of Indian tourists coming to Angkor Wat has increased every year (with the exception of 2020) and this will create more jobs for local people,” Thy said.
An MoU between Cambodia and India that authorises the rights to operate a direct flight was signed back in 2002, according to Secretariat of State for Civil Aviation spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha.
Nearly 1.3 million international tourists visited Cambodia in the first 11 months of last year, down 78.2 per cent as compared to the same period in 2019, according to official data. Indians accounted for 12,869 visitors, marking a 80.2 per cent drop from the 65,077 tallied in the same period in 2019.
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