Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has acquired San Francisco-based WhereTo, an enterprise travel platform and technology company that simplifies and improves business travel planning for corporations.
WhereTo pulls in content from dozens of sources and uses artificial intelligence-based algorithms to guide users to the optimal trip options within policy, factoring in criteria like traffic conditions, travel deals, and personal preferences.
A screenshot from the WhereTo website
This acquisition follows on the heels of several other technology-based businesses that FCTG has acquired or invested since the beginning of the year, including TPConnects and Shep Travel.
FCTG plans to integrate the WhereTo offering into products and services offered across both its FCM Travel Solutions and Corporate Traveller brands globally.
“The need to provide our customers with an advanced digital platform that accentuates the blended service model we offer is further heightened with the Covid-19 pandemic,” said FCTG chief experience officer John Morhous.
“We look forward to leveraging the WhereTo technology within our existing products to help expose the complex duty of care requirements we’ll be facing as global travel restrictions are lifted, in line with the ‘design & control’ of user experiences which underpin the strategies of the FCM Travel Solutions and Corporate Traveller brands.”
Informa Markets has released new details for ConnecTechAsia2020, the first virtual Infocomm, Media and Technology event held in partnership with Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), from September 29 to October 1, 2020.
The event will feature some 200 exhibitors, several of which are taking part for the first time such as AT&T, SPTel, Qualcomm, ServiceNow, StarHub and Verizon. Other bellwethers who will showcase the latest 5G technologies and enterprise solutions include Amazon Web Services, Grass Valley, Huawei, KTSat, Roland, Sony and SingTel Satellite.
A mock-up of a virtual booth at ConnecTechAsia
There will also be six group pavilions bringing with them companies from the European Union, France, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Israel, South Korea and Ontario, Canada are also taking part.
Aside from a showfloor, the event will host more than 220 conference sessions addressing the latest industry trends and challenges featuring top industry figures such as IBM Asia Pacific’s general manager Brenda Harvey, and Rolls Royce’s president Southeast Asia, Pacific and South Korea, Bicky Bhangu.
ConnecTechAsia2020 will feature new entrants SatelliteAsia and TechXLR8 Asia staging their respective exhibitions and conferences. Inaugural Asian editions of AccelerateHER and Elevating Founders, will also be key highlights of this year’s event, bringing with them the big names from the women-in-tech and start-up worlds.
More than 10,000 attendees expected to connect to the virtual event.
The event’s four virtual exhibition halls will allow companies to set up customisable virtual booths, with live presentations and real-time interaction with buyers. Furthermore, the exhibitor metrics dashboard will give them real-time data and insight into their customers’ behaviour by capturing multiple touchpoints and providing a multi-dimensional view of a visitors’ journey, allowing for more effective outreach and follow-up.
Networking opportunities have also been enhanced through an AI business matching platform. Attendees will receive personalised meeting suggestions based on their interests and profile. On a consolidated dashboard, visitors can view connections, find out who is interested in setting up a meeting with them and arrange for one-to-one video meets via virtual meeting rooms.
Conference delegates will have the full benefits and experience of a live conference, which includes live keynotes, Q&A sessions and breakout rooms. Content will also be available on-demand 24/7 for delegates based in different time zones.
After the live event, ConnecTechAsia2020 will turn into a 24/7, 365-day interactive marketplace, allowing exhibitors and buyers to continue to connect and communicate on the same platform.
Most events will return as in-person events, but a high portion will be hybrid events.
Digital trends will accelerate.
IATA reports that passenger numbers in 2020 will drop by 55 per cent, to 2006 levels, and may not recover to 2019 levels until 2024. STR predicts that USA hotel RevPar is unlikely to return to 2019 levels before 2023.
As the crisis is unprecedented and still evolving, the MICE recovery period remains uncertain but full recovery seems unlikely before 2024. The pace and level of the recovery will vary by region and segment. Recovery will be in stages. We can expect a long transition before the New Normal.
Digital trends will accelerate, and when events return, a high portion will be hybridised
On July 30, UNWTO reported that 40 per cent of destinations have eased travel restrictions. On the same day, WHO issued guidelines for resuming travel saying travel bans cannot be indefinite.
We are now in a Transition Phase where economic activity is resuming in a world inclusive of Covid-19. This phase will last until widespread vaccination, probably not before 2022 when the New Normal without the virus begins.
Lockdown
The relates primarily to March through May after the Covid-19 pandemic was announced spurring a global lockdown. This led to the closure of borders and most economic activity. In many countries, non-essential activities ceased for up to four months.
Past crises were confined to smaller segments of the world. Not this time.
On April 6, WHO reported that 96 per cent of all worldwide destinations had introduced travel restrictions. IATA reported a 94 per cent drop in air traffic for April 2020. Venues across the world shut down with many converted into a quarantine centre, testing centre or temporary hospital.
Transition
June marked widescale relaxations in restrictions allowing domestic market activity in many countries. In the same month, some destinations began opening up to regional markets.
The reopening is not just of countries that have suppressed Covid-19 but also those with high active cases and so with the risks of second waves of infections and re-imposition of lockdowns.
Europe leads the opening with 41 nations, 20 in the Americas, 13 in Africa, 10 in Asia-Pacific, and three in the Middle East. Of the 87 countries to ease travel restrictions, four completely lifted all travel restrictions – Albania, Maldives, Serbia and Tanzania.
Meanwhile, 115 destinations including Australia, Canada and India continue to keep their borders completely closed.
For China and US, countries with strong domestic bases are leading the recovery pack with weekly hotel occupancies of up to 55 per cent and 48 per cent respectively in late July. STR is reporting other regions at barely 20 per cent.
MICE sector recovery is led by domestic events. Protocols include contactless registration, thermal scanning, face masks, elevated hygiene and social distancing. Social distancing is easier to handle with exhibitions than conferences. With the virus under control, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Germany are leading the return of large-scale events with exhibitions.
Many events have turned to virtual or hybrid formats in the short term. The importance of digitisation and flexibility of venues has escalated. Multi-location events where in-person events in different regional locations connect online to form a larger global event are growing. This is appealing in the current phase as attendees lack confidence for travel and large gatherings.
Can the MICE industry do more in transition knowing the risks of second waves of infections and re-imposition of lockdowns?
The New Normal
This once-in-a-century pandemic has challenged us to completely re-evaluate how we think, live and work. It is having a dramatic impact on geopolitics, technology and social attitudes. Technology has proven fundamental to coping with this disruption.
There is a strong relationship between the unemployment rate and tourism. Hence, at some point, consumer behaviour will be dependent on economic, not health factors. After borders are wide open and consumer confidence in safe travel has returned, economics will influence demand.
There will be significant shifts in the MICE industry in the post-Covid-19 era. Some will be structural. Some will be temporary. Some are already in place.
In-person interaction remains powerful and unlikely to be replaced by virtual events in a dominant way. Most events will return as in-person events, but a high portion will be hybrid events.
Digital trends will accelerate. Consumer exhibitions will embrace virtual event formats more readily than trade exhibitions. Many meetings will not fully return to pre-Covid-19 levels.
Venue offers will include in-person, hybrid or virtual options with enhanced technology infrastructure and flexible rooms. Virtual tours for venues will be the norm. Virtual event software will improve at a rapid pace. New accreditations and quality standards on hygiene will be normal.
Solutions for crowd monitoring, electrostatic sprayers to disinfect surfaces in function rooms and public spaces, automated self-cleaning machines for escalators, and enhanced air filtration systems for ventilation will be promoted as safety features at many venues.
Venues will need to assess both “hardware” and “software” readiness for this New Normal.
Even after a vaccine is found, it may take a year or more before worldwide vaccination and the confidence for mass travel returns. A consensus is emerging that the virus will be here for a while and the world has to figure out how to live with it.
Rod Kamleshwaran is a partner at GainingEdge, and leads the Convention & Exhibition Centre Development advisory team. His expertise is in the development and asset management of hospitality assets – convention & exhibition centres, hotels, and casino integrated resorts. A specialist in mixed-use developments, Kamleshwaran has advised government and private sector clients on projects with a completion value exceeding US$20 billion.
HKTB and hotels have come together to stimulate small event demand with promotional offers. Photo by Hong Kong Tourism Board
Predictions of intense post-pandemic competition across the region has prompted the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to set aside a war chest worth an estimated HK$88 million (US$11.4 million) to promote business events in the 2020/2021 financial year, according to a HKTB spokesperson.
To ensure the destination stays top of mind, HKTB is tapping onto the local business events community’s network to bring together leaders from universities, chambers of commerce as well as professional and trade associations in the city to serve as ambassadors under the new HK MICE Champion Club.
HKTB and hotels have come together to stimulate small event demand with promotional offers. Photo by Hong Kong Tourism Board
Additionally, the tourism authority plans to persuade overseas organisations in its own international network to consider Hong Kong for future conventions.
Investment in protecting Hong Kong’s exhibitions industry is also made, with HKTB partnering the Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) to host an international conference for key global exhibition players this December.
Furthermore, it will scale up event collaboration with UFI to drive home the branding of Hong Kong as the trade fair capital of Asia. Rounding up its efforts to lure new exhibitions for 1Q2021, HKTB has plans to send business missions to the Greater Bay Area.
Thought has also been given to easing the financial burden of inbound event players when they attend tradeshows abroad to market their services. Relief measures, including as a full waiver of participation fees as well as flight and hotel subsidies, have been introduced.
But with the state of recovery different across markets, HKTB has adopted a flexible approach in planning its recovery measures. It is now tracking various source markets, monitoring their number of confirmed cases, air capacity recovery, as well as lockdown and border control measures.
A stream of support
HKTB’s MeetON@HongKong campaign that targets event organisers, planners, trade associations and corporations within the city state as well as across the globe has earned the backing of some 80 hotels.
These properties are offering complimentary meeting and dining packages to small event groups as part of the campaign. By reserving a minimum of 10 guestrooms for two or more nights back-to-back, groups stand to enjoy either a complimentary meeting or dining package.
Additionally, groups with at least 10 delegates can enjoy offers at key city attractions.
Hoteliers looking to score speedier business recovery can tap on HKTB’s Special Funding Support for Small-sized Corporate Meeting and Convention Groups for Hotels. Set to be launched when source markets are ready to travel to Hong Kong, the scheme will be open to more than 300 licensed hotels, which will benefit from financial assistance for their promotional packages.
Meanwhile, HKTB’s Bidding Fund will continue to serve as a channel of financial assistance for events facing cancellation or having its host city changed. The fund will also support local industry players looking to bid for events happening in the future.
Flights-wise, flag carrier Cathay Pacific is planning a series of perks and promotions for passengers travelling for business events, including a free flight for every 16th passenger in a party of 20 or more, and an additional 10kg luggage allowance. A check-in counter will also be set aside at Hong Kong International Airport for event groups.
Changing face of incentives
As HKTB expects future incentive programmes to involve shorter trips, with groups leaning towards activities with a corporate social responsibility (CSR) or wellness focus, it has developed several relevant activities to appeal to planners. They include cultural and eco-tours around Tai O fishing village, having dim sum in the dark, and a CSR workshop on sustainable development.
Itineraries demanding a wellness slant can choose from guided forest bathing tours, tea pairing sessions, and yoga classes set against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour.
Groups seeking a full-day programme can opt for the Around-the-Clock Party itinerary, to enjoy Hong Kong from dusk to dawn. The itinerary features a party atop a vintage, open-top tram, and bar hopping.
Concurrently, tour operators are gearing up for recovery with activities and tours tailored to meet social distancing requirements and safety measures.
For instance, 360 Holidays – the tour operator arm of Lantau Island attraction operator Ngong Ping 360 – is looking to promote nature and wellness elements in its tours. Guests will be able to take in views of the scenic Ngong Ping area aboard the Ngong Ping cable car, as well as make a stop at the heritage-rich Tai O, on the western side of Lantau Island.
Meanwhile, Lamma Rainbow Tour Services is offering a Rainbow Lamma Tour, tailored for groups of 20 or more. A highlight is the walking tour around Lamma Island, which is the birthplace of popular actor Chow Yun Fat. The tour includes a visit to a local family that will teach delegates how to make traditional Hakka herbal tea pudding; a meal at renowned Rainbow Seafood Restaurant; and a trip aboard the Rainbow Star Cruise back to Victoria Harbour. Onboard the cruise, delegates will get to enjoy the A Symphony of Lights show, set against the Hong Kong skyline.
Making it safe for customers
Other tourism suppliers in the destination are using the downtime to enhance their health and sanitation procedures to ensure customers can return with confidence.
AsiaWorld-Expo, for instance, brought in CLeanTech disinfection installations – devices that use a natural botanical disinfection solution, as well as air sanitising and purifying technology. It also ushered in Intelligent Sterilisation Robots (ISRs). Featuring ultraviolet light sterilisers, 360-degree disinfecting air spray and air filtration, the robots will be deployed throughout the venue. The ISRs were previously used to disinfect the enclosed temporary Covid-19 test centre within the Expo.
Meanwhile, transportation provider Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings is also taking the heightened concerns surrounding sanitation seriously. Recently, a sanitation product called Germagic was applied by qualified technicians at Kwoon Chung’s depots across the New Territories and Lantau Island.
Currently, the enhanced cleaning services are being carried out on vehicles across its fleet that ply the border between mainland China and Hong Kong.
Pacific World Hong Kong will begin to cease operations from September 14, and move towards a complete closure of the office by November this year.
Pacific World Hong Kong will close down come November
In a letter to its business partners, Pacific World Hong Kong explained that the decision was a result of Covid-19 disruptions to the “global tourism industry in the past few months”.
Pacific World Hong Kong also expressed its continued faith in the industry, stating: “Fundamentally, the global economy will rebound. Today’s reduced travel budgets and cancelled meetings and events are tomorrow’s pent up demand and people will continue to meet for business events again.”
The company’s global operations elsewhere will remain. In Asia, it maintains offices in China, Singapore, Thailand and India, among many others.
Singapore has been reselected to host the 110th Lions Clubs International Convention in 2028.
The congress was originally slated for June 26-30 this year and would have been its first time in Singapore, but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2028 edition – which will coincide with the 70th anniversary of Lions Clubs in Singapore – is expected to attract around 20,000 foreign delegates and generate more than S$58 million (US$42 million) in tourism receipts.
Singapore’s MBS is the partner hotel for the Lions Clubs International Convention in 2028
The event will be jointly hosted by Marina Bay Sands (MBS), the Lions Clubs of Singapore and the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau under the Singapore Tourism Board.
During their visit, Lions Club members will participate in the International Parade of Nations, a half-day walk around the city with a cultural theme unique to the host destination. The parade will see participants dressed in their national costumes accompanied by marching bands from local schools, and parade floats.
Lions International has a global membership of more than 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries and geographic areas, including Lions Clubs of Singapore, which has 94 Clubs and more than 2,300 members.
In 2028, attendees of the convention will be treated to a very different Singapore. The country is slated to welcome new nature and wildlife-themed attractions at Mandai precinct, an integrated tourism development at Jurong Lake District, and refreshed offerings on Sentosa island.
By then, MBS, the event’s partner hotel, is also expected to have completed a suite of new developments such as a 15,000-seat entertainment arena, a fourth hotel tower and additional MICE spaces.
Royal Caribbean Group has named former Pennsylvania secretary of health, Calvin Johnson, as global head of public health and chief medical officer.
In this newly-created role, Johnson will lead the group’s global health and wellness policy, manage its public health and clinical practice, and determine the strategic plans and operations of its global healthcare organisation.
He will also collaborate with the Healthy Sail Panel – a joint safety task force formed by Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line – to ensure the company establishes and implements its protocols and recommendations.
Johnson, most recently principal at Altre Strategic Solutions Group, is the former chief medical officer for Corizon Health, then the largest provider of correctional health care in the US, and for Temple University Health System.
He served as secretary of health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2003-2008 and was medical director for the New York City Department of Health from 1998-1999.
Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore has launched a state-of-the-art hybrid event broadcast studio at its Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
Designed to accommodate a live studio audience with a maximum capacity of 50 persons at any one time, the hybrid broadcast studio – which offers broadcast-quality live-streaming capabilities and hologram functionalities – will help event planners looking to produce hybrid meetings.
MBS' hybrid event broadcast studio
1 of 4
“Hybrid meetings will help enable the return of large-scale events in a virtual manner amid the Covid-19 situation and we want to set the stage for these shows by providing planners with a suite of useful and innovative solutions which are relevant for the times,” said Paul Town, senior vice president of resort operations, MBS.
The studio’s centrepiece is a three-dimensional stage fitted with an immersive backdrop and floor that can be reconfigured. Replacing the conventional green screen backdrop are two six-metre by four-metre right-angled LED walls which can show high-resolution 360-degree visuals, while a plexiglass LED floor to display floor projections.
The three-dimensional stage is designed to provide presenters with a better perspective of their surroundings, helping them to visualise and deliver their presentations in a more immersive environment. Stage lighting systems can be customised, designed and operated to fit an event’s needs. The studio is also able to beam someone from a different part of the world ‘live’ into Singapore through a holographic presence.
MBS currently offers three virtual conferencing options – full virtual webcasting and live streaming events; hybrid events with in-person and online audiences; and hybrid events with holographic telepresence. Clients can also look forward to an enhanced suite of event tech capabilities incorporating Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Extended Reality (XR) solutions.
Earlier in July, MBS soft-launched the hybrid broadcast studio in collaboration with PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association), where attendees of the inaugural PCMA Asia Pacific Community Conversations were afforded a preview of the studio’s capabilities. For example, the virtual kick-off session’s welcome address demonstrated to attendees how holographic telepresence could be used in a hybrid event setting by beaming in one of the presenters onto the set.
MBS has also partnered PCMA and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to launch PCMA’s Digital Event Strategist (DES) accreditation to a select group of international clients.
In addition, over 30 sales and MICE team members will be undergoing PCMA’s DES certification, as part of the integrated resort’s continuous focus on staff training. The course will arm the team with the requisite skills, knowledge and proficiency to help clients conceptualise, plan and co-create new hybrid meeting and event designs.
“As the event landscape continues to evolve, event planners will place greater emphasis on building digital events into their next meeting strategy. Future conversations will revolve around effective programme augmentation to drive the client’s brand value and online presence. We aim to future-proof our MICE team to better navigate this ever-evolving landscape, together with our clients and partners,” said Ong Wee Min, vice president of conventions & exhibitions, MBS.
Business event specialist, Innogen, has rolled out what is said to be Malaysia’s first locally-developed digital platform that will support the current hunger for virtual exhibitions and events.
Named InnVirtual, the platform is built for exhibitions, conferences and events. It will be made available globally.
Event clients are provided with expert technical support
InnVirtual promises a customised platform for each event, with seamless implementation and a user-friendly interface; the support of professional advisors who will guide exhibitors in addressing creative and technical concerns; and maximum efficiency in the administration and upkeep of the virtual platform to ensure hassle-free, up-to-date content.
Going beyond live streaming, InnVirtual also allows in-person attendees to experience the event in real life and presents opportunities for creative collaboration. The partnership allows venues to showcase food, performances and service excellence.
Richard Wong, managing director of Innogen, said: “As much as we are impacted by the pandemic ourselves, we felt a sense of responsibility towards the whole industry that has supported the company. (We wanted) to make full use of our expertise and knowledge of more than 20 years in moving forward towards the digital age. InnVirtual is the product of that”.
“The economic and business climate demands for such change. Our stakeholders, including partners and industry players, need to embrace digital transformation now,” Wong added.
He describes InnVirtual as “the perfect platform for its time” and will provide the industry a growth opportunity during times of adversity.
“We are now in the age of experience which means that every event, no matter how small, needs to become an immersive experience. The new generation that is sophisticated and tech savvy will settle for nothing less,” he stated.
In addition to launching the new platform, Innogen teams are undergoing “aggressive” retraining to ensure that “the digital experience is as close as possible to the experience of attending a physical exhibition or any kind of events including entertainment, education, annual general meetings”.
Qatar Airways becomes sole international airline to service five major Australian cities, with flights resuming to Adelaide
Qatar Airways will be resuming its services to Adelaide with twice-weekly flights, starting from August 16, 2020.
The South Australian capital will become the airline’s fifth destination in Australia to resume flights, bringing the total number of passenger flights operated by Qatar Airways per week to Australia to 23.
Qatar Airways becomes sole international airline to service five major Australian cities, with flights resuming to Adelaide
The Middle Eastern airline currently operates three weekly flights to Brisbane, four weekly flights to Perth, daily flights to Melbourne, and daily flights to Sydney.
The twice-weekly service to Adelaide will be operated by the airline’s fuel-efficient Airbus A350-900, offering 36 seats in business class and 247 seats in economy class.
The airline recently made the decision to ground its fleet of Airbus A380s, and instead operate its full fleet of Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft, as they are more environmentally and commercially sustainable.
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
Behind the imposing, Brutalist concrete that defines Zurich’s Oerlikon district lies a surprising secret. While its exterior honours the neighbourhood’s industrial roots, stepping inside Mama Shelter reveals a vibrant, neon-soaked world that is a far cry from its rigid shell
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
Rod Kamleshwaran is a partner at GainingEdge, and leads the Convention & Exhibition Centre Development advisory team. His expertise is in the development and asset management of hospitality assets – convention & exhibition centres, hotels, and casino integrated resorts. A specialist in mixed-use developments, Kamleshwaran has advised government and private sector clients on projects with a completion value exceeding US$20 billion.
