ASEAN-wide travel bubble in the works
TTG Conversations: Five questions with Geoff Donaghy, ICC Sydney
With business events disrupted for almost a full year, country governments are now realising the deep and wide implications on their economy and society, from GDP impact and job losses to tremors through the many supply chains that travel and events touch.
In this new episode of TTG Conversations: Five questions video series, Geoff Donaghy, CEO of the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney as well as director of convention centres, ASM Global – Asia Pacific, discusses how the MICE crisis has emphasised the industry’s role in economic contributions and community advancement, what venue operators can do to contribute to business events recovery, and how ICC Sydney is supporting local and regional communities despite business challenges.
Asia-Pacific countries ink world’s largest trade pact
Fifteen Asia-Pacific ministers signed a massive free trade deal on November 15, as part of the four-day ASEAN summit, held virtually.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), first proposed in 2012, brings together the 10 ASEAN economies, as well as China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.
RCEP builds on existing free trade deals among member countries. It will broaden and deepen economic links across the Asia-Pacific, ease trade in goods and services, facilitate the flow of foreign investments, and enhance protections in areas such as e-commerce and intellectual property.
The agreement will also eliminate tariffs for at least 92 per cent of goods, with additional preferential market access for exports. The flow of goods will also be faster.
More companies will be able to provide services in the region, with foreign shareholding limits raised for at least 50 subsectors including professional services, telecommunications and financial services. Businesses will also find it easier to navigate and integrate into regional value chains.
The RCEP will come into force when six ASEAN countries and three non-ASEAN countries have ratified it.
Terms of the deal were agreed upon by the 15 RCEP countries last year. However, this resulted in India’s pullout, who was worried that the elimination of tariffs would open its markets to a flood of imports that could harm local producers. Other countries have reiterated the door remains open to India.
According to The Straits Times, Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, said: “The RCEP is a major step forward for the world, at a time when multilateralism is losing ground and global growth is slowing.”
“It signals our collective commitment to maintaining open and connected supply chains, and to promoting freer trade and closer interdependence especially in the face of Covid-19 when countries are turning inwards and are under protectionist pressures,” he said.
In the same article, Asean secretary-general Lim Jock Hoi told The Straits Times that the RCEP will ensure markets are kept open, and provide much-needed certainty and stability for businesses as they cope with the Covid-19 crisis.
“The signing of the RCEP agreement at this time… is a demonstration of the region’s strong commitment to open, inclusive, and rules-based multilateralism and confidence of the contribution of trade to post-pandemic recovery efforts,” he said.
SMX Convention Center opens new facility in Olongapo City
SMX Convention Center, the largest privately-owned meeting and convention facility in the Philippines, unveiled its first managed venue in the north, the Olongapo City Convention Center.
The 2,130m2 Olongapo City Convention Center is located on the fourth level of the SM City Olongapo Central in Olongapo City, one hour and 15 minutes away from Clark International Airport.
The convention centre can accommodate 2,400 guests in a regular setting and no less than 1,900 guests in the new normal. It offers five flexible function rooms, seven meeting rooms, six kitchens or preparation rooms, one car lift, two freight lifts, and one passenger lift.
Owned by the Olongapo City Government, opening the venue now helps to build market confidence for when business events are allowed to restart,” said SMX Convention Center vice president-general manager Agnes Pacis.
Pacis also told TTGmice that the Olongapo City Convention Center “has been in the pipeline before the pandemic started to augment the need for venue spaces in the north”.
With hybrid meetings the way forward, domestic prospects includes corporate and government agency meetings, seminars with high-profile speakers, hospitality colleges with special courses, as well as church organisations.
To entice planners to hold hybrid events in its venues, aside from increasing its Internet bandwidth, she revealed that SMX is in the process of “acquiring additional software for virtual meetings to accommodate over 1,000 participants simultaneously”.
Current repurpose projects at SMX include film shoots, satellite kitchens for small catering businesses, co-working spaces, exam centres for professional certification, and fulfilment and packaging centres for e-commerce.
In addition to Olongapo City, SMX Convention Center also has a presence in Pasay, Taguig, Bacolod, Davao, Cebu and Mandaluyong.
Event experts devise ways to improve audience engagement online
Conference and event organisers are thinking on their feet to evolve audience engagement – through bite-sized events and non-traditional speakers – as event attendees tire of basic Zoom meetings.
The shift is happening as virtual-only events give way to more hybrid events in the region, encouraging optimism for the return of physical meetings.
“I think hybrid is here to stay and I think every virtual conference will have a physical element,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder and editor of Singapore-based Web In Travel.
“I definitely see bite-sized events throughout the year, so you don’t have to have the big one, but just the tentpole and have it spread out with smaller, intimate gatherings throughout the year, so that there’s continuous engagement, whether with your customers or target audience,” she continued.
Yeoh was speaking on trends in the corporate meetings sector as part of a deep dive breakout at PCMA’s Convening Asia Pacific – Global Recovery Forum this week. She said she also sees potential in the growth of watch parties that allow small communities to gather and be part of much larger events.
“Just as the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore organised a watch party of the US elections for more than 100 people, if you can’t get together in an industry room, why don’t you organise small client parties and watch an event together?” Yeoh proposed.
Meantime, Hong Kong-based technology keynote speaker James Bennet, director of Creative Technologies APAC for Project Worldwide, told PCMA conference participants the industry as a whole needs to move on from just watching livestreams, and limiting audiences’ online engagement to Q&As and conducting polls.
“They’re a necessary piece of the puzzle but I don’t think they’re the answer to anything,” he said, before continuing to demonstrate from his remote location in real-time, how a global audience can be immersed in 360 experiences like being onstage at an Elton John concert, or importing a six-foot robot into your room using a QR code.
However with digital, Yeoh said the onus is on individual participants to make the most of technology to create new connections for networking. “I don’t think we can be passive and that applies even in the physical world. But if you’re active, the virtual world really gives you a lot more connection points than the physical world so it’s up to you to make use of all those connection points to build your relationships,” she said.
PCMA’s Convening Asia Pacific – Global Recovery Forum featured topics and speakers considered non-traditional for the industry, such as a disruptive entrepreneur for its welcome keynote and heads of advertising companies, in response to feedback on the changing needs of business events tourism players.
“It’s the type of stuff we need to start thinking about and leaning towards, not more of the same,” said PCMA Asia Pacific’s managing director Karen Bolinger.
The forum was attended by more than 500 participants in 20 countries in a hybrid event filmed from ICC Sydney, with 46 per cent of attendees engaging with PCMA for the first time.
Hilton welcomes meetings and events back with EventReady
Hilton has globally rolled out EventReady with CleanStay, its meeting and events programme designed to help organisers create event experiences that are clean, flexible, safe and socially responsible.
With EventReady, Hilton has identified 10 “high-touch” areas in its event spaces where disinfection efforts have been enhanced, such as door handles and the podium. Hilton has also added room seals for both guest and meeting rooms to signify that no one else has entered the space after it has been thoroughly cleaned.
“It’s all about the touchpoints and mitigating risk, reducing the moments people need to touch before we clean. What we are trying to do is to keep it simple, because we all know that if we make it too complicated, it’s not going to happen,” said Herman Ehrlich, general manager of Conrad Bangkok.
One part of the EventReady programme comprises the Hilton EventReady Playbook, an interactive resource which covers the spectrum from pre-event attendee communications to hybrid meeting solutions; alongside health and wellness considerations to creative networking ideas.
The second part is the Local Pages, an additional information document tailored to each country’s climate and hygiene standards, the hotel or resort size and layout, and volume of event space being used.
In Singapore for example, Hilton Singapore works closely with Singapore Tourism Board to ensure its Local Pages provides specific, up-to-date information as restrictions are lifted and group numbers are increased, shared Peter Webster, regional general manager, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos & Cambodia at Hilton.
When asked how the demand for corporate meetings was like at the moment for Hilton Singapore, Webster revealed there has been a “week-on-week increase in demand”. He added that the hotel has seen “a large number of domestic meetings”, and that international enquiries were coming in for 2Q2021 onwards.
“I am quietly confident that next year will be a good year because of all the pent-up demand. There’s nothing quite like meeting in-person to make decisions or conduct trainings; it’ll come back with a vengeance next year,” he opined.
It is not only the Singapore market that has noticed an uptick in momentum.
Paul Hutton, vice president, operations, South East Asia, Hilton, told TTGmice: “This month alone, our properties across South-east Asia have seen a 30 per cent increase in leads from June, of which 50 per cent are leads for social events such as weddings and celebrations. Of the 524 leads for meetings and events across South-east Asia, over 300 are leads generated in our key markets – Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand – an encouraging sign that the MICE and events industry in the region is gradually making headway with recovery.”
EventReady was built upon Hilton’s CleanStay programme launched earlier this year, which are standards and procedures for hotel cleanliness and disinfection developed in conjunction with Lysol & Dettol maker RB, and Mayo Clinic. – Additional reporting by Anne Somanas
Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok ready to welcome guests
Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok in Bangkok’s Sindhorn Village has opened its next phase with 285 rooms and suites.
Meeting planners may avail the five flexible venues with a total space of 268m2 indoors on floor two, and an outdoor garden venue at 435m2. Each event space also boasts natural daylight and an outdoor balcony.
The lead-in guestroom category, the Grand Deluxe Room, is the largest in this category in Bangkok, at 66m2. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood all rooms with natural light and provide views of the city, park and the verdant gardens. Each room also has its own private balcony seating.
Specific room categories provide guests with exclusive access to the rooftop Executive Club Lounge, offering complimentary breakfast, all-day refreshments, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails.
This latest opening phase also boasts the 25m-long saltwater infinity swimming pool, and Sindhorn Wellness by Resense – with its hammam and thermal area, sauna, starry-sky steam room, cold room, micro-salt inhalation room, rasul mud room, experience showers and infrared tepidarium relaxation beds. These facilities join the boutique fitness, yoga and Pilates studios, which had opened earlier.
Meanwhile, F&B venues include the Lobby Lounge; all-day restaurant Flourish; Loukjaan by Saneh Jaan; and the Firefly Bar.
Indonesia readies for a new era of MICE
Indonesia has been paving the way for a business events recovery as the world awakens from the Covid-19 slumber, establishing health and safety protocols, plugging the critical role of business events in economic stimulation, and pushing on with destination developments.
In a one-hour panel discussion on November 19 from 13.30 to 14.30 (GMT +8), Indonesia’s influential business events industry leaders will spill details on how the country is reviving its MICE industry and the many opportunities available to organisers to deliver an exciting and successful business event.
Panellists include Rizki Handayani, deputy minister for tourism product and events, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia; Hosea Andreas Runkat, vice chairman for venue, Indonesia Convention & Exhibition Bureau; Ratna Ning, vice president, Pacto Convex Niagatama; and Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana, executive director, Bali Tourism Promotion Board.
The event, to be broadcasted live during IT&CMA Virtual 2020, is branded under Travel Spark by TTG Asia Media, a new initiative to support trade players in their efforts to spark off travel and events desire, and speed up business recovery.
Registration is now open.
Angeline van den Broecke elected to ICCA Board of Directors
The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s director of global business development & marketing, Angeline van den Broecke, has been elected to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Board of Directors representing the Venue Sector, at the 59th ICCA General Assembly.
On her new role at ICCA, van den Broecke said in a staetment: “I am committed to driving collective momentum to pioneer business and economic recovery to keep our industry transforming and transacting, and to contribute and grow ICCA’s engagement platform across our industry supply chain and to strengthen ICCA’s membership so we can deliver more value to members.
“Of great relevance to me is for venues to be vocal and demonstrate the value they provide as social and economic drivers, we need to communicate the value of venues as important infrastructure assets to cities and communities. We need to keep our venues operating and delivering business events and ascertain what relevant information and support we can share as a sector to advance our recovery and progressive transformation.”.
Her key areas of expertise are in global business development and acquisition, strategic marketing and organisational and destination growth initiatives as well as partnership and alliance engagement models, having worked extensively in both the public and private sector.
Taking the world by virtual force
What was the inspiration for merging ILTM’s many events into a single World Tour? How will the new show aim to target different markets?
ILTM World Tour – access all areas will compensate for the postponed ILTM events in 2020 and provide an environment for international luxury travel brands and regional buyer communities to virtually meet to connect and build their businesses.
While we know that virtual events will never replace our love to meet and share stories in person, we know that right now, what counts the most is getting business lined up for 2021. We cannot predict the timing of when growth will come back, but we can be ready for whenever it happens.
What details can you reveal about the format and content of this event?
We have created something very different – a world tour that will take place for four hours a day, for three days over three weeks, (covering) three buyer source regions. It all starts with the sunrise in Asia Pacific; follows the sun north to Europe, Middle East and Africa; then finally crosses the Atlantic to both North and South America.
With some 2,000 participants, each event is a refined version of the annual ILTM in that region so we have given suppliers the opportunity to pick one, two or all three weeks. The ILTM World Tour is representative of the world of ILTM’s portfolio of events, so the content will reflect that. It will also be available to all participants, so they can choose when they want to watch it during the three days of each week across three weeks.
There will be content included with keynote sessions announced each day. We want them to be a surprise to those registered so I’m not going to give away too much right now.
As much of international travel is still difficult at this time, what lessons are you learning about the ILTM and luxury travel community through the past months?
2020 has been a tough year for everyone. The luxury travel industry has suffered as a result of the unprecedented events, and it has meant adapting their business strategies. With target markets shifting as some borders remain closed, we want the ILTM World Tour to open up opportunities for all participants, as well as to bring people together, uniting through shared experiences and business, whilst we plan for our return.
The ILTM World Tour is about offering all of the regions of the world – (places) where we would have had an ILTM event this year – an alternative opportunity to meet together. It doesn’t replace (attending) an ILTM in any of these countries, but we know by the response to it that the world’s luxury travel industry needed an event to happen this year, and this is the biggest we could create virtually.
But we don’t expect anyone to sit in front of a screen for hours on end. With short days and regular breaks, this is as much about self-care as it is business. It cannot replace face-to-face, but it can pave the way for a stronger 2021.
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South-east Asian leaders have agreed to take steps towards the establishment of an ASEAN travel corridor arrangement framework to facilitate essential business travel within the region.
Such an arrangement would necessitate the development of a common set of safety measures to safeguard public health in the face of Covid-19, noted the leaders in a joint statement issued at the 37th ASEAN Summit, which took place on November 12 and was hosted virtually by Vietnam.
Travellers will also be required to strictly abide by the prevailing public health regulations stipulated by the authorities of the receiving countries.
The ASEAN Coordinating Council, supported by the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies, has been tasked to coordinate and oversee the development of an ASEAN travel corridor arrangement framework.
This plan will build upon existing bilateral travel corridors set up between individual ASEAN member states, as well as those established with partners outside the region, said the regional grouping in a statement.
For instance, Singapore has already established green lanes with ten countries, including ASEAN members Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Vietnam.
The leaders further added that they do not preclude the application of the framework to other categories of travel in the future.
Indonesian president Joko Widodo is pushing for the regional travel bubble to come into effect by early 2021, according to Bloomberg.
Earlier in June, Indonesia had proposed the move, which was backed by Thailand and Malaysia, but other countries have not signalled their support for the arrangement, said the report.
Indonesia is battling the largest coronavirus outbreak in South-east Asia, having recorded 463,007 infections and 15,148 deaths as of Saturday. This month, the country entered its first recession since the 1998 Asian financial crisis, after two successive quarters of economic shrinkage.