Sands Resorts Macao has launched 2021 More Than Just Meetings offer.
It is available for booking from now until June 30, 2021, for stays until December 31, 2021.
Under the offer, event organisers will be able to enjoy five per cent discount on the master bill; one complimentary room for every 25 rooms booked; one complimentary room upgrade for every 25 rooms booked; 15 per cent discount on gondola rides and 50 per cent discount on Eiffel Tower experience; and up to 50 per cent discount on selected in-house entertainment.
Event planners can enjoy the above offers when reserving over 201 rooms on a minimum of one of the nights within their stay period.
Smaller events that require fewer rooms will also have the opportunity to enjoy two benefits for 25 to 100 rooms booked daily; up to four benefits for 151 to 200 rooms booked on minimum of one of the nights.
More Than Just Meetings is available at Sands Resorts Macao hotels including The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao, Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Conrad Macao, Sheraton Grand Macao and The St. Regis Macao.
In addition, Sands Resorts Macao has launched Sands SafeStay, a comprehensive programme of cleanliness and disinfection measures that ensure the safety of guests throughout its integrated resorts from arrival to check-in and check-out and departure, combatting the risk of the Covid-19 virus.
As a further guarantee, if a booked group cannot travel to Macau due to restrictions arising from the Covid-19, event organisers can reschedule within one year without incurring cancellation charges (up until 30 days before arrival date).
With mass gatherings still restricted in Singapore over the upcoming Chinese New Year period, events specialist Chab Lab has developed two unique entertainment options for companies looking to ring in the Year of the Ox with their colleagues and business partners.
Chab Lab will bring the traditional Lion Dance to the targeted audience virtually. Using Augmented Reality (AR) technology, a corporate branded Lion Dance can come alive on smartphone. Guests can also interact with the Lion Dance via smartphones.
Corporate clients also have the option to deliver a Lo Hei kit to each and every participant of the digital event. Guests will receive an individual Yu Sheng set, and a mass Lo Hei session will be conducted via an online conferencing tool to close off the celebrations.
IATA Travel Pass enables Emirates passengers to create a 'digital passport'
Emirates has partnered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to trial the IATA Travel Pass – a mobile app to help passengers securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for Covid-19 testing or vaccine information.
The app enables Emirates passengers to create a ‘digital passport’ to verify that their pre-travel test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination. They will also be able to share the test and vaccination certificates with authorities and airlines to facilitate travel. Travellers will also be able to manage their travel documentation digitally on the app.
The IATA Travel Pass enables Emirates passengers to create a ‘digital passport’
Prior to a full roll-out, Emirates will implement phase one in Dubai for the validation of Covid-19 PCR tests before departure. In this initial phase, expected to begin in April, Emirates customers travelling from Dubai will be able to share their Covid-19 test status directly with the airline before reaching the airport through the app, which will then auto-populate the details on the check-in system.
Within the app, the integrated registry of travel requirements will also enable passengers to find accurate information on travel and entry requirements for all destinations regardless of where they are travelling from.
It will also include a registry of testing and eventually vaccination centres – making it more convenient for passengers to find testing centres and labs at their departure location which meet the standards for testing and vaccination requirements of their destination. The platform will then enable authorised labs and test centres to securely send test results or vaccination certificates to passengers.
Nick Careen, IATA senior vice president for airport, passenger, cargo and security, said: “This is the first step in making international travel during the pandemic as convenient as possible giving people the confidence that they are meeting all Covid-19 entry requirements by governments.
“As borders re-open, IATA Travel Pass will be further enhanced with more capabilities to meet all governments testing or vaccination verification requirements and Emirates customers will be among the first to have these services.”
New Zealand has won hosting rights for the International Coral Reef Society’s Symposium, a major global conference on coral reefs highlighting the plight of the South Pacific to the rest of the world.
It will be held in mid-2025 in Auckland at the New Zealand International Convention Centre. Around 2,500 scientists, environmental managers, conservationists are expected to attend, contributing NZ$6 million (US$4.3 million) to the economy.
Coral reefs in Fiji
Coral reefs are a vital part of marine ecosystems but are being destroyed by global warming and ocean acidification, as well as more localised threats such as agricultural run-off, poor fishing practices and coastal development.
The prediction for coral reefs around the world is bleak and many could be completely gone in just a few decades. This loss will not only have massive implications for marine biodiversity, but socio-economic impacts for those countries and regions that depend heavily on coral reefs, such as New Zealand’s neighbours in the South Pacific.
Tourism New Zealand and the Auckland Convention Bureau worked alongside Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Auckland and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Fijian office to secure the event.
Michael Sweet, corresponding secretary of the International Coral Reef Society reflected on why the New Zealand bid was a success, beating out other nations like Italy.
“We were particularly impressed by the inclusivity of the New Zealand approach in identifying the importance of Māori culture and the natural environment and also the partnership with the Pacific.”
Tourism New Zealand’s global manager business Events Lisa Gardiner added: “It’s a real boost for the sector as we head into 2021 that we’ve got a number of great conferences in the pipeline. We are forging ahead to keep New Zealand an attractive place to host business events so the industry can keep staff employed and keep these high-value visitors coming to New Zealand.”
SIA said the new online portal will also be able to house digital health passes that show a passenger's Covid-19 status.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
All Singapore Airlines (SIA) passengers flying outbound from Singapore and Indonesia (bound for Singapore) will be able to book pre-departure polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and serology tests as part of a trial service.
The pre-departure test service – conducted in partnership with Collinson – is currently available to Singapore Airlines and SilkAir passengers departing from Singapore, Jakarta and Medan, as part of its pilot test phase. The pilot will run until mid-March, and there are plans to expand this service to more cities in the SIA and SilkAir network over the next few months if it is successful.
The new portal will also house a digital health pass that will display a passenger’s Covid-19 status
With pre-departure testing becoming a mandatory requirement for more countries, this new service allows SIA customers to book their test appointments on an online booking portal after making their flight bookings.
Customers can make an appointment for a pre-departure test with their preferred in-city clinic from a given list of testing facilities. Upon completion of their test, customers will automatically receive notification of their test results within 36 hours through the same portal, which if negative, can be presented upon check-in at the airport.
These test results will come with a QR code that enables airport check-in staff and Singapore immigration authorities to verify under the new digital health verification process that SIA is piloting with the International Air Transport Association. The portal will also be able to house digital Covid-19 status.
Todd Handcock, Asia-Pacific president of Collinson Group, said this will enable the safe reopening of key routes for travellers.
“While there’s optimism that the roll-out of vaccines will help bring an end to the pandemic, there remains a complex road ahead. In order to restore confidence in travel, the implementation of safe and robust testing protocols remains key,” he added.
Luxury hotel brand Cordis has opened its fifth outpost in Sci-Tech City, an integrated complex in Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province.
Meeting options within span four meeting rooms, a 600m2 pillarless ballroom, and a business centre for corporate events and business travellers.
Cordis Hangzhou, Sci-Tech City
1 of 4
The 600m2 pillarless grand ballroom is six metres in height and can accommodate up to 300 guests, and it can be further divided into three individual spaces. Meanwhile, the other four meeting rooms feature natural lighting and an unblocked city view.
There are 186 rooms and suites, starting from the 36m2 Superior Room, right up to the 190m2 Presidential Suite with its own living room, dining area, and kitchen. Regardless of category, all rooms come with floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as Cordis’ signature Dream Bed.
Facilities include a heated 25m-long indoor swimming pool, 24-hour gym, the Chuan Spa, two restaurants, and a bar. For business guests with their families in tow, the hotel also offers a Cordis’ kids programme to keep them entertained throughout their stay.
PCMA Convening Leaders 2021 took on a hybrid format; the physical version at Marina Bay Sands pictured
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a sobering reminder that association bodies need to shed their inflexibility and fear of change, in order to better provide for their community members.
Speaking at the PCMA Convening Leaders forum last week, Martin Sirk, international advisor at Global Association Hubs Partnership, expressed that the pandemic “exposed the rigidity of the association model”.
PCMA Convening Leaders 2021 took on a hybrid format; the physical version at Marina Bay Sands pictured
He elaborated: “Covid-19 exposed a lot: governance, inflexibility, and the rigid and conservative systems (in associations). It’s very difficult to have any experimentation.”
Another “weakness” that was revealed is the lack of a “true presence around the world” for associations with a global scope, pointed out Tommy Goodwin, CEO, Miller Wenhold Association Management.
Goodwin stated that because of this lack of regional or local influence, many associations have been “unable to mitigate risks around the world and unable to capitalise on opportunities”.
“You would need a presence on the ground in strategic markets and various regions. Have regional managing directors in different parts of the world to sense what is happening and create benefits for members. You could even empower local chapters or volunteers to be your voice around the world – you’d want to make sure (your message) from Singapore is a scream, not a whisper, by the time it reaches Washington DC,” he explained.
This should serve as a wake-up call for associations to step up and become the true movers and shakers that some communities need during the global crisis.
Goodwin said: “Associations can help bridge the gaps that have been left behind by many governments and private corporations.” He further suggested that the industry could scale back its operations to a regional and local level.
Meanwhile, Sirk asserted that the existing “specialist monopoly” model should be dissolved, allowing for more complex and new meeting solutions, as well as partnerships.
Particularly in the Asia Pacific, the use of digital and social platforms can significantly improve the standing and effectiveness of associations, especially among the younger generation.
Shirlena Soh, president, Association of Biomedical Laboratory Professionals Singapore, shared: “The use of digital and social media platforms is very minimal. Most associations are not as professionally run like those in the US or Europe. Digital is very important to engage the younger population who can rejuvenate the association.”
Jeanette Stanton has been appointed events project manager for Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA).
She will be re-joining BEIA on February 15, 2021, following six years as marketing and business events services manager with Auckland Convention Bureau.
Previously, Stanton was instrumental in developing and managing key events such as MEETINGS and the industry annual conference as part of the BEIA team (then known as Conventions and Incentives New Zealand).
Current MCO restrictions insufficient to stem Covid spread, say tourism players; women walking past closed shops during lockdown in Kuala Lumpur pictured
The latest stimulus package (known as PERMAI) unveiled by Malaysian prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, on Monday evening (January 18), was a let down for the business events industry.
Under the package, the wage subsidy programme would be extended for one month to all employers regardless of the business sector. They stand to receive a wage subsidy of RM600 (US$148) for each employee earning less than RM4,000.
Malaysia is undergoing its second MCO; two women walking past shuttered stores in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers’ (MACEOS) president, Francis Teo, said that this sum “was not enough”. Overall, the PERMAI package did not provide a significant financial stimulus package” for the beleaguered industry.
Instead, MACEOS proposes a wage subsidy of 50 per cent for those earning up to RM6,000 for three months to mitigate the cascading impact even after operations resume at the end of the movement control order (MCO). Eligible employers must also prove 80 per cent or more decline in revenue or income compared to January 2020.
Teo stressed: “A one-size-fits-all wage subsidy does not work here. The business events industry has suffered terrible losses, close to 90 per cent loss in revenue, equivalent to RM2.3 billion since the first MCO started in March 2020 in Malaysia. Many will be on the brink of winding up if a stronger financial package is not provided.”
He also added that the 10 per cent electricity bill discount offered to six specific business sectors – including convention centres – was not going to be of much help since the industry was not allowed to operate during the MCO anyway.
At this point, Teo related that many industry players are struggling to stay afloat by deploying strategies such as salary cuts work from home arrangements, and taking unpaid leave.
“We are cutting operations costs as much as possible. There is nothing else we can skimp on,” Teo said, adding that a solid financial aid programme directed at the business events industry was sorely needed.
Commissioned studies to understand developing health-related situations around the world, as well as commitment by global authorities to stop international flights should future infections surface may allow the travel and tourism industry to better prepare for imminent pandemics, advised two global infectious diseases experts at last week’s PCMA Convening Leaders 2021 conference.
The event took on an online/offline hybrid format, with the live segment hosted at Marina Bay Sands Singapore, with support from the Singapore Tourism Board. Safe Management Measures for MICE Events, which includes Antigen Rapid Tests, zoning arrangements for attendees and safe distancing, was implemented.
Paul Tambyah (left) and Peter Doherty (centre) shared their expert views on the panel, We Have Vaccines. Are We Back To Normal Yet?, at PCMA Convening Leaders 2021 on January 14
Paul Tambyah, president-elect of the International Society of Infectious Diseases, said: “We depended on science and international organisations like the World Health Organisation (for information), but the (travel and tourism) industry needs to start commissioning their own studies. It is key to know what is going on around the world. You need to be aware of what’s happening in a farm in China, in Mexico or somewhere in West Africa.”
Joining the panel via live-stream from Melbourne, Peter Doherty, Nobel Laureate Professor and patron of the Doherty Institute, urged the travel and tourism industry to lobby national authorities to have a global agreement to “stop passenger planes right away” should a similar spate of infection flares up locally or “in any country across the planet”.
Doing so could limit the pandemic to a smaller scale and reduce economic damage, he remarked.
“We have been operating over the years on the influenza mantra, that you can’t stop the flu virus. But we stopped the planes in the skies for Covid-19 and we stopped the spread. So this can be done,” Doherty said.
Tambyah and Doherty believe in continued hygiene precaution even as vaccines are available
Both medical experts are optimistic about the vaccine developments, saying that it could help the world return to normalcy.
Tambyah noted that the new mRNA technology allows vaccine manufacturers to produce vaccine within weeks. “The people who make these biotech vaccines say they can produce within four to six weeks, even if there is a new strain of Covid going around, maybe Covid-21 or Covid-22,” he said.
In comparison, the flu vaccine is produced through a “tedious process” that could take months.
When asked if it was therefore safe for the world to resume travels, Doherty referenced the case of passengers who were infected onboard a September 2020 flight from Dubai to New Zealand. All the infected passengers were in aisle seats close to the index case.
“We see the same pattern with influenza. The virus doesn’t go through the air; they (inflect) people who are close by. I’d suggest getting a window seat,” he said.
With or without vaccines and imminent pandemics, Tambyah said people would have to get used to the idea of mask-wearing.
Doherty agrees that continued social distancing, mask-wearing and frequent hand-washing are wise even as people got inoculated, but said that past experiences show that people throw caution to the wind as soon as a bacterial outbreak is over.
While Tambyah acknowledged that it would be hard to sustain the current level of social distancing for a long time to come, he suggested that the pandemic could forever change the way people socialise and interact.
Citing an example, he said: “In restaurants you tend not to sit so closely to other people as you would at a bar. Maybe the way we interact is going to change. We are going to do more business interactions over three- or five-course meals, which isn’t such a bad idea.”
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