Even though major events are being cancelled in Europe, organisers of IMEX Frankfurt have reiterated their stand that the show will continue to be held on May 12-14, 2020.
Organisers have indicated that attendees are continuing to register and plan for the show slated to be held in two months, and there have been no “substantial impacts” thus far.
IMEX Frankfurt to carry on as planned; last year’s event pictured
Regardless, organisers share that they are in close contact with their German partners, as well as relevant health authorities, and will remain watchful on the situation. IMEX also remains mindful of our duty of care, and consulting with experts on what the appropriate sanitary and health measures.
IMEX is also advocating for the substantial social and economic power of meetings and events, noting that the long-term impact of speculation, hype and over-reaction will be damaging to both the business events industry and local communities.
In the words of Gloria Guevara, president and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council, “containing the spread of unnecessary panic is as important as stopping the virus itself.”
There is no change to the event venue, the Parisian Macao (pictured)
The new date for the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference in Macau has been set for August 27 and 28, 2020, with the Digital Innovation Forum to happen on August 26.
This comes following the postponement of the 15th edition of the conference due to Covid-19, supposed to be held from March 3-6. The venue for the conference remains unchanged, The Parisian Macao.
There is no change to the event venue, the Parisian Macao (pictured)
Registration will be re-open in March all the way through to the opening of the event. Previous registrations will be kept in place for the new August dates – unless UFI receives a request to cancel the registration – which then can be made free of charge. Approximately 300 delegates are expected to attend.
The theme for the conference will remain Thriving in Challenging Times – which was selected well before the Covid-19 outbreak. In addition to the virus issue, the world is in a state of constant change – due to trade wars, slowing global economic growth, and digital disruption – and the exhibition industry faces more challenges than ever.
Most of the speakers from the original programme will remain on the programme. UFI is in the process of confirming the availability of all speakers and the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference website will be updated in due course.
In addition to the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference, there will also be a Digital Innovation Forum (August 26), a meeting of UFI’s Asia/Pacific Chapter, an association committee meeting, and a gathering of the UFI China Club. In addition, after the closing of the conference, there will be post-event tours.
FCM Travel Solutions has appointed Joanne Taylor as director of account management Asia, based in the Singapore regional office.
In this role, Taylor is part of the commercial strategy team and will oversee the full spectrum of account management function across Asia.
She brings with her over 20 years of global procurement, business development and account management experience in the travel and resource sectors.
Prior to joining FCM, Taylor was most recently head of travel and expense management at mining company BHP. She was also a member of BHP’s global enterprise leadership team, where she spearheaded strategic transformational initiatives in travel services, expense management and payment solutions, and was also responsible for optimising travel partnerships and enhancing traveller personalisation.
Before that, she spent time in Rio Tinto and most of her career leading corporate and leisure sales in various airlines including Qantas, Air New Zealand and Japan Airlines.
Ukishima Garden in downtown Naha, Okinawa, has launched a range of stunning boxed meals designed for event attendees, in response to the rising number of South-east Asian and European visitors with dietary needs.
Building on the menu of traditional Okinawan favourites using vegetables and grains, these Japanese bentos are vegan, organic and contain no genetically modified organisms or MSG. The locally-sourced vegetables are from community-supported agriculture programmes, while the rice comes from paddy fields that have been pesticide-free for more than three decades.
All meals are halal- and kosher-certified and suitable for Buddhist vegetarians who cannot consume allium vegetables such as onion, garlic and leek. Chefs can also create gluten-free options and cater to people with specific food allergies upon request.
There are three meal types, all of which are seasonal. The ¥1,300 (US$11.90) box offers taco rice made with speciality island tofu, and two side dishes. The ¥2,300 box includes croquettes made from rice cake flour and millet, eight varieties of vegetables, and meatballs. Diners who purchase the ¥4,000 box will get to nosh on several of the above-mentioned dishes, a hamburger made from millet, vegetable sushi and traditional sweets.
The goodness continues, as every beautifully-presented meal is packaged without single-use plastic, making it a great option for organisers seeking to reduce their carbon footprint.
Pan Pacific Yangon has appointed Cheong Hai Poh as its general manager.
With 30 years of hospitality experience, Cheong was most recently the general manager of operations and asset optimisation at Stamford Land Corporation.
Having started his career as banquet sales manager and F&B trainer at Orchard Hotel Singapore, he has also worked with SHATEC, Star Cruises, Conrad Centennial Singapore, Grand Park City Hall and Grand Copthorne Waterfront.
Virtual meetings emerge an option for some exhibitors
No immediate response from Messe Berlin on refunds
ITB Berlin 2020 was axed five days before showtime
As debate within the industry heats up over Messe Berlin’s sudden decision on Friday evening – or early Saturday morning here in Asia – to axe its Berlin tradeshow, travel and tourism players who have had their sales and marketing plans at the event derailed are determined to carry on with their business activities as much as possible.
The Asian Trails, for instance, will be continuing with sales trips as planned.
Laurent Kuenzle, CEO of Asian Trails, told TTGmice that his team typically conducts pre- and post-event sales trips to “as many of our key clients in Europe as possible”, and their time in Berlin is not limited to just the tradeshow.
“Since my entire team is already in Europe for a week, we will continue with our sales trips as scheduled. We also have some overseas clients who are already in Europe, and we will try to meet them as well if they do not cut their trips short,” Kuenzle said, adding that they are adapting their schedules to the new situation.
Hussein Mohd Said, director of MegaWaterSports Jetski Tours in Langkawi, had just arrived in Berlin when news of the cancellation reached his ears. He intends to use his time in the city to conduct sales visits to local agents who are selling Malaysia.
Singapore tour operator Oriental Travel and Tours will also be keeping to sales meeting plans in the city, and will be relying on instant messaging services to fix appointments, shared co-founder Jasmine Tan.
The Safer Tourism breakfast seminar, co-sponsored by PATA, will proceed as planned on March 5. The event will be led by Peter E Tarlow, a world-renowned speaker and expert specialising in the impact of crime and terrorism on the tourism industry, event and tourism risk management, and tourism and economic development.
PATA CEO Mario Hardy said the cancellation of ITB Berlin “has no direct impact” on his association, as offsite meetings arranged earlier on will continue as planned.
As well, Kempinski Hotels will keep to its planned media breakfast event on March 4 at Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin.
Virtual alternatives
For Vox Group, virtual meet-ups will replace physical meetings. Its chief marketing office, John Boulding, went on social media on Saturday to propose a “face-to-face revival (of impacted business meetings) using Google Hangouts, Skype, Meet, etc.”
At press time, Boulding’s post on LinkedIn suggested that he would on Monday connect with partners Vox Group has appointments with at ITB Berlin, to reconfirm a virtual alternative.
Vox Group’s suggestion on LinkedIn to meet online drew many positive responses
Similarly, COTRI (China Outbound Tourism Research Institute) has also taken to social media to propose webinars to keep conversations going.
Nigel Wong, honorary secretary-general, Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA), agrees that going digital is a safe bet. “We will also encourage our members to focus more on digital marketing as this is an effective way to market, and does not require on-the-ground meetings,” he said.
An announcement that came too late
Industry players appear split in their opinion on whether Messe Berlin did the right thing to cancel the annual tradeshow – the first time it has done so in its 54-year history.
On social media, comments flew in from both sides. Those in support of the organiser’s decision said that it was a painful but responsible thing to do as the well-being of all event participants and Berlin residents were at stake.
Hardy, whose own association had just announced the cancellation of the PATA Annual Summit 2020 in Ras Al Khaimah from March 31 to April 3 out of consideration of the safety and well-being of it members, admitted that the decision on event continuity was a tough one to make.
“What I have learnt in the past few weeks is that the current situation is extremely volatile and dynamic, constantly evolving on a daily basis. Therefore, I do not think there is one simple answer to this question. Each situation needs to be analysed individually as there are a number of external factors in play. Are there a large number of active cases in the area? Are there any restrictions on entry to the destination or necessary quarantine requirements for the traveller on their return? What are people’s sentiments towards travelling or attending an event? Will you be able to gather sufficient attendance? These are just a few questions that we need to consider during the current situation,” he explained.
Wong told TTGmice his organisation was “appreciative of the cancellation in light of the economic factors involved and safety concerns”, but acknowledged that the “cancellation of ITB Berlin is a blow to our European plans”.
Wong said 30 MATTA members were supposed to head to Berlin to engage with the trade and media.
“However, ITB Berlin is not the only European show. There will be other opportunities to promote to the European market. World Travel Mart for instance, is always on MATTA’s itinerary. This is a major show Malaysia will be participating in,” he added.
For those who oppose the cancellation, the common argument is that it runs counter to the travel trade’s persistent messaging that it is still safe to travel.
Luzi Matzig, chairman of Asian Trails, said: “The decision to cancel ITB was wrong. If we, the leaders in tourism, cancel our own industry events, we project a very negative image to our potential customers, tourists whom we would like to visit our own destinations in the future.”
“I believe that the global media hype has blown the Covid-19 problem out of proportion, which is a sorry state of affairs. It will take major recovery campaigns to get travel back to normal once the situation has improved, and I do hope that this will happen sooner rather than later.”
Agreeing, Umberto Cadamuro, COO inbound of Pacto, who was already in Europe when the news broke, said: “Why should tourists travel when stakeholders in the travel industry themselves are not doing so? This is the very negative message that this cancellation has sent (to the public).”
Whether or not Messe Berlin’s decision was right, most industry players agree that the decision to cancel ITB Berlin 2020 should have been made earlier. At just five days to showtime on March 4, many exhibitors and buyers, especially from faraway Asia, were already bound for the show. Sales and marketing materials had, as well, already been shipped up.
Several event planners TTGmice spoke to suggested that a month’s notice of cancellation would be ideal.
Hardy said: “Each situation may be different, but I would say that generally more advanced notice is advisable, preferably at least a month before the event if at all possible.”
Untangling the mess
Sources have told TTGmice that calls and emails to their point of contact at Messe Berlin for ITB Berlin 2020 have mostly gone unanswered. Some concerned participants have taken to Twitter to seek answers on refunds from the ITB team.
In a Twitter post on February 29, ITB Berlin said: “Due to the short notice of cancellation and the large number of exhibitors, we ask for your understanding that we will check these questions internally. This can take from 10 days to two weeks.”
Noorzaleha Baharudin, honorary secretary-general, Malaysia Tourism Council, said: “We now have to work on getting refunds for our flights and hotels on our own. We do not expect Messe Berlin to assist us on this. The hotel we were supposed to stay in is charging us a cancellation fee.”
Similarly, several Indonesian travel operators TTG Asia spoke to said that they now have to shoulder the losses incurred for the tickets and accommodation, as well as time and efforts prepping for the event.
Budi Susanta, corporate general manager, The Ubud Village Resort, who received the news about the cancellation upon his arrival in Munich on Saturday, said: “I consider myself lucky that I’m travelling with my owner so we can rearrange our trip plan and budget on the spot. However, many of the Indonesian delegates are staff whose budget are set before they even left the country. Can you imagine that they now have to switch programmes while they are here? We don’t know whether we can get refunds for our hotels and flights.”
Umberto said that Messe Berlin’s last-minute cancellation of the tradeshow was “unacceptable”.
“(At press time,) we are unable to evaluate our losses since Messe Berlin has so far avoided to address the refund issues,” he said.
Jojo Clemente, president of both Rajah Tours and the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, said the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, which has paid for a country pavilion at ITB Berlin 2020, will be writing to the organiser about refunds.
In a statement, Wishnutama Kusubandio, Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy, said that the first batch of delegates who were participating in the show had arrived in Istanbul, Turkey for transit and were summoned home, while the second batch were scheduled to leave on Sunday.
“However, we respect the decision to cancel the event as protecting the public’s health and prevention measures are priorities (amid) the spread of the coronavirus,” he said. – Additional reporting by S Puvaneswary, Mimi Hudoyo, Pamela Chow and Rosa Ocampo
It's still far from business as usual, but companies in China are doing their best to cope
The Covid-19 outbreak may have sunk MICE business to China in the last two months, but industry players attempt to keep spirits up and remain hopeful with steps being taken to soften the economic blow.
Pacific World China reopened its Shanghai office on February 24 with a few staff members working flexible hours on a rotation basis while a majority continued to work from home.
It’s still far from business as usual, but companies in China are doing their best to cope
According to country manager and newly-elected general-secretary on the SITE China board, Violet Wang, the government-encouraged home quarantine which kicked in a month ago gave employees “rare time” to spend with their families and loved one, as well as the opportunity to “polish their cooking skills”.
On a more serious note she added that employees were “voluntarily picking up other related professional skills like graphic design or learning a language; while the company also organised some conference professional training courses.
Pacific World China has also rolled out a #BringchangewithME campaign, an individual and corporate initiative to “battle” the virus and prevent another outbreak.
“By incorporating illuminating and meaningful environmental and social sustainability elements into event programmes, #BringchangewithME aims to change mindsets and behaviours,” she explained.
Wang commented that while the Covid-19 outbreak had created business risk, it was also an opportunity for the industry to unite.
For instance, Kris Van Goethem, managing director, MICE, leisure and sport, Thomas Cook China, shared that parent company Fosun had bought and donated large quantities of medical supplies – sourced globally – for distribution to hospitals and health workers in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak.
As of February 17, the Fosun Foundation and 30 companies and organisations have jointly donated to medical institutions in Hubei, Chongqing, Wenzhou and other regions with a high incidence of infection some 290,230 masks, 543,206 sets of protective clothing, 13,300 goggles, 146 non-invasive ventilators, and one negative-pressure ambulance.
Similarly, Sarah Keenlyside, CEO, Bespoke Travel Company, revealed to TTGmice one US client asked how it could go about donating to charitable organisations in China.
Bespoke, which has operations in Beijing and Shanghai, has had to implement salary cuts, Keenlyside noted, but the company was also finding ways to help its small team find alternative sources of income. “We are doing our best to cover people as much as possible for now.”
“We had to reduce costs to an extreme degree. We have given up our WeWork offices, are working from home and have cut back on subscription services and cancelled non-essential spending and expenses,” she elaborated,
Ricky Yang, deputy general manager of Guilin-based Easy Tour China believes the virus outbreak will eventually be controlled, but indicated that business for 2020 will be “tough”.
He is banking on the fact that domestic travel will see an explosive growth later in the year, once the virus is under control. This is as Yang forecasted that inbound travel will not recover in the coming three months.
As for how Easy Tour China is coping, Yang shared: “We have some profit from last year kept in reserve which can be used for salary payment this year.”
What is the one narrative you’d love to change about women in the workforce, and why?
I would like to change this perception: “Women are sticklers for details, and micromanagers”, the connotation being “fussy”.
Every organisation needs a balance: visionaries who see beyond the box; and those who put emphasis on details. I believe, the right woman can do both, given the opportunity.
Having said this, I am sure our women colleagues will agree with me – we want to be contributors and not quotas.
Are you able to change that narrative through your work? How?
I feel that our meetings industry is the one industry which has many women leaders. I don’t believe that they are there because they are women; they are there because they are good at what they do.
What community cause are you most passionate about that you can use your professional skills or position to support?
When I was generously given the IMEX Asia Pacific award 2013, I was lucky to be able to use this recognition to work with 11 other winners – men and women from around the world – on our first community project. We donated 22 wheelchairs to the Zhongxin Town Sunshine Home in China.
This has morphed into the ICCA Members Gift of Love (GOL) Project linked with the annual ICCA Congress from 2014 onwards, with in-kind contributions ranging from books to toys, and from shoes to spectacle frames.
As gender equality is for everyone, not just for women, how can Asia’s business events community work together to encourage this?
The keyword is “inclusiveness”, and not just by gender.
I would love to see both sides of the table – organisers and suppliers – giving more importance to universal accessibility for all participants. If the organisers demand universal accessibility in their RFPs, this will lead to the transformation which will not only affect the event, but also the host destination. This is one way how meetings and events can be catalysts for societal impacts.
There are various ways organisations can promote inclusiveness – through transparent recruitment processes, flexible working hours, corporate culture etc.
In all these years, what do you feel are your greatest achievements? I think the greatest achievement is believing that you can do anything. I started as a sales manager – at the lowest level in the company – and am now a managing director of the South-east Asia and Asia-Pacific market, which is the fastest-growing and biggest opportunity for cruise industry. And I get to be a part of leading that. To me, that is an incredible achievement.
But every year, there’s a new achievement. Looking back at my year-and-a-half in Singapore, we’ve brought in a brand-new ship, Spectrum of the Seas, and we’ve launched Quantum of the Seas, which is the largest ship to sail here. We have announced an extended partnership with Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport Group that ensures the continued growth for the company and cruise industry for the region. So that’s another great accomplishment.
What drives you day to day in your professional life?
This industry is very dynamic, so every day usually presents something new and unexpected, such as a new opportunity to interact with different types of people, whether it’s government officials, industry people, consumers who are so excited to be taking their first experience, or a long-time loyal customer who share stories of where he’s been.
What motivates you in terms of your personal growth?
At this stage of my life, career and where I’m at with my family, what is very important is well-rounded well-being. That means good mental health, physical health, eating right and having a great mindset. Keeping the balance of all those things is critically important.
I think at certain stages of your life, it’s all about the career and at another stage, it can be all about the family, but I’m really focused on being able to balance all of those things in a very healthy way.
Who’s in your family now?
Here in Singapore with me are my husband and my three young boys: six, seven and nine. I think that (being) very busy in my personal life also helps me be more successful in my professional life, because I ultimately know how to multitask and make the most of every single second of the day.
How are you using your current position and your business network to improve the lives of the people around you?
At Royal Caribbean, we aspire to give back to the communities that we operate in. Right now, we are taking one of our ships that normally sails in Asia and down to Australia to do a series of charity cruises for the Australian firefighters.
Closer to home here in Singapore, we like to host charity events every year. We partner with organisations that focus on low-income families, the elderly and children. We invite them on board the ship, show them a great time and they get to experience something that maybe they wouldn’t have had a chance to do so before.
A year or so ago, we did an event with some breast cancer survivors where we brought them onboard our cruise, and they did a photoshoot for a calendar that was sold to raise funds for breast cancer survivors. They had a great time along the way.
What role did you play in pushing these initiatives?
I always challenge the team to use our platform to give back. We sit together as a leadership team to talk about what the different organisations and opportunities are that we can support to bring (them) happiness or give people an experience that they didn’t think that they could get on their own.
How has the tourism industry shaped up to provide equal opportunities for everyone?
I’ve always felt that the cruise industry is a very welcoming industry for women. I’ve never felt that there was a glass ceiling. I don’t think I ever saw one, and my advice to women who are starting out in their career is to not define yourself by gender. Define yourself by the ideas, skills and experience that you can bring to the table.
In the tourism industry, everyone’s looking for creative problem solvers, innovative ideas and (employees) with a really interesting or strong point of view.
I think the important thing is to go forward in business with confidence and believe that you have some value to bring to the business situation. I think that’s a great starting point for people who are starting out in their career.
The number of reported cases of Covid-19 in Macau has stabilised, following measures taken by the Macao SAR Government and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) in response to the outbreak, according to a statement released by IPIM.
On January 5, the Macao SAR Government established a cross-departmental team to tackle the expected emergence of the coronavirus in Macau. On January 21, the government set up a coordination centre to fight the epidemic, which remains active to this day.
Macau has announced measures to support businesses and residents to tide over coronavirus impact
A number of measures have been taken to halt the spread of the virus, including stepping up health checks and border controls to stem cross border traffic to and from mainland China, suspension of non-emergency public services, managing distribution of facial masks to ensure citizens have access at cost price, closing of casinos for a 15-day period, and cancellation of all annual Lunar New Year celebrations to limit human-to human transmission of the disease in crowded areas.
The IPIM has also set up a 24-hour hotline ((853) 6210 6655) to provide instant inquiry services and assistance to the convention and exhibition industry, event organisers and MICE visitors.
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau of the Government of Macao SAR provides latest updates through the dedicated website against epidemics on the number of cases, latest news, prevention guidelines and related links.
While there are indications that these measures have curbed the spread of the virus in Macau with no new reported cases since February 4, measures are being taken to assess the impact and speed up recovery efforts.
In the interim, the Macao SAR Government has announced measures to support businesses and residents.
The programme covers five main areas, including reduction of taxes and fees to reduce the burden on businesses and residents, promotion of assistance and interest subsidies for small- and medium-sized enterprises in order to support their survival, by strengthening measures to support vulnerable families, improving training to secure employment, and issuing electronic consumer coupons to encourage and accelerate the economy.
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