Asia's business events is most likely to recover faster than other continents, experts predict
Asia’s business events industry has the potential to rebound faster than other continents, but being able to conduct business safely is important, highlighted panellists at the Global MICE Situation in the Time of the Pandemic webinar for Philippine business events stakeholders.
Green shoots can already be seen, according to UFI’s Asia Pacific regional manager Mark Cochrane. He related the example of China, which had zero exhibitions in February, is “slowly, and cautiously getting back into business”.
Asia’s business events sector is most likely to recover faster than other continents, experts predict
Although international travel is at a standstill, China’s massive economy has presented a lot of potential for domestic activities, Cochrane noted.
Noor Ahmad Hamid, ICCA’s regional director Asia Pacific, agreed, and pointed out that business events are starting to begin in smaller Chinese cities such as Qingdao, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xiamen.
Some domestic activity is also happening in parts of Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia, as well as New Zealand – which is slowly easing local travel restrictions – and Australia, according to Noor.
Cochrane added that Asian countries with domestic markets such as South Korea and Japan will open up first, while Hong Kong and Singapore will take longer as these cities rely primarily on foreign participation.
Asian destinations are observed to be on the path to recovery, with Singapore and Thailand announcing recovery packages and Hong Kong offering rental-free venues. These moves bode well for the exhibition sector.
“We have to tell governments that MICE is important for economic growth, and they have to open up,” said Noor, highlighting that it was important for local stakeholders to come together to push for it as well.
Jennifer Glynn, SITE president, pointed out that incentive travel “will come back regionally”, but will likely be with tighter budgets due to weak corporate performance during the Covid-19 crisis. As such, incentive groups will favour destinations closer to home.
To help planners stick to the budget, Glynn suggested that a programme to remote regions, emerging destinations, or the countryside would work, since a majority of incentive programmes usually number from 25 to 50 people.
Coffee breaks and cocktail events need to be rethinked to adhere to social distancing measures
Attendees of business events held within hotels can expect different formats around dining and social functions as gatherings are once again allowed.
Taking into consideration physical distancing needs and heightened hygiene and safety measures, buffet lines will have to give way to pre-packed food boxes or served set meals, hoteliers told TTGmice.
Coffee breaks and cocktail events need to be rethinked to adhere to social distancing measures
Tim Alpe, Ovolo Group’s chief operating officer, Hong Kong and Indonesia, noted that buffet dinners would likely be less popular among event planners, and set menus would be offered instead.
“We will also use larger event spaces for smaller events to ensure the appropriate distance between tables,” Alpe added.
Frequency and size of social functions during events, such as coffee breaks, will have to be kept to a minimum.
Javier Pardo, vice president of operations for Avani Hotels & Resorts, said coffee breaks at his properties in the near-term would probably be “shielded or served from behind a Plexiglass screen by a certified kitchen team to reduce contamination”.
There will be markings on the floor to help delegates adhere to social distancing.
Over at Accor, Kerry Healy, vice president sales Asia-Pacific, predicts “staggered break times for smaller groups or more use of outdoor space to provide the opportunity for fresh air”.
“We also think that cocktail events will see stricter handling of food items with less sharing plates and more individually-served items. There will also be greater use of local ingredients and freshly-sourced produce as people are looking to support their domestic markets even more,” she added.
The new requirements around dining formats will necessitate greater empathy and flexibility from venues, opined Alpe, who said his properties may lower or even get rid of minimum spending for smaller events, as a way to encourage gatherings with fewer people.
Charles Yap, Onyx Hospitality Group’s vice president, marketing communications, said a collaborative approach between hotel representatives and meeting planners would be taken for discussions on preferred dining formats as well as safety and hygiene enhancements, “such as capacity guidance, seating layouts and the deployment of protective shields on food presentation area”.
Even though hoteliers expect to see smaller meetings, reduced banqueting and conferencing demand in the coming months, they are confident that the sector will eventually rebound once travel restrictions are lifted.
Healy said: “We are confident that when it’s safe to do so, people will return to meetings, events and conferences because these are essential to teambuilding, to celebrating, and to creating a corporate culture.”
“It is in our human nature to meet, interact and reunite,” remarked Yap, adding that he is anticipating increased demand for hybrid events which combine physical meetings and video conferencing.
“Venues with superior technology and connectivity will be more sought after than older establishments (which have not renovated),” Yap noted.
For this reason, Onyx is making use of this downtime to renovate all the meeting and event venues at Amari Watergate Bangkok, as part of a larger refurbishment programme that includes guestrooms and the water, plumbing, air-conditioning and boiler systems for the entire building.
The business events industry has been through it all: financial crisis, terrorist attacks, and SARS, so what is the reference point for planning post-Covid-19? Is there one?
The truth is that each of these events caused panic, huge uncertainty, and each was described – with some justification – as unprecedented. But we recovered. Remember that, even as you look at the awful news each day: we came back. People learned to adapt to new circumstances, businesses invested and grew, and the world continued to turn. That will be the case this time too, however hard to think that way when the news coming at us each day is so bleak.
Rewards and incentives will make a comeback, but will take on a different meaning in a post-Covid world
A lot of what we took for granted – even simple things like going out to dinner, going for a walk – have been taken from us, and this is forcing us all to consider what really matters, what defines our lives and our happiness. As the peak of this virus passes, and some of the things that have gone are restored, we will need to have a new understanding of what we mean by “incentive” as well.
I suspect that will evolve over time, as different companies and industries start up again, and different possibilities emerge to reward and incentivise staff, clients, and other stakeholders.
The one thing I am absolutely certain about is that we will see a return in demand for rewards and incentives. It will be up to those of us who work in the industry to understand how much things have changed, and adapt our ideas to the new, evolving post-Covid world.
Just as we did after 9/11 and SARS, we will ensure we have in place the measures to make any incentive, especially travel, not just safe and rewarding, but appropriate. That word appropriate is going to be front and centre for this industry.
With so many communities and small businesses hit by Covid-19, it may be that we work with some of those communities or towns and their businesses so that incentive travel has a double impact, on attendees, yet also on those who desperately need the business to start their lives again.
That may involve more local travel, to support local communities and put money in local pockets and show solidarity with customers or suppliers. That would not be a bad thing at all.
Too often, we think travel has to be exotic and long-distance, but I have always marvelled at how many people in Australia would just love to come to a Greek island, and how many Greeks who live on these islands have always wanted to go to Australia. Maybe that is one other positive lesson to come from all this: we have so much that is beautiful and inspirational all around us. We should learn to enjoy it and appreciate it more than we have in the past.
The sudden shutdown of travel and business also has a profound effect on the natural environment, and I don’t think that is lost on people. I expect that we will see more awareness of the need and opportunity for travel to have a different environmental impact, maybe even a positive one, as the world opens up again. That, certainly, is on our minds, and I think many companies will welcome an approach that draws positive lessons from all this.
Even the word “incentive” will most certainly have a slightly new meaning, for some considerable time to come. Many businesses will want to find ways to thank customers and suppliers and other stakeholders who have stood by them, who did not demand refunds or even monthly payments.
One way of thinking about “incentive” may simply be “thank you for standing by us when we needed you”. That is a powerful and valuable message to send. Loyalty in business is everything. There are many ways to send that message, but it will need to be tailored to post-Covid-19 budgets, markets, and sensitivities.
But how will it work, post-Covid-19? Will people even want to travel, or will they be too afraid?
The short answer is that yes, people will want to travel, but only if their fears are eased, only if they can be certain that the risks are minuscule. Just as we worked with all our travel partners on new security measures post-9/11 – and the list of those precautions was a very long and diverse one – we will do the same after Covid-19.
We will need to ensure that all health guidelines are met and exceeded, so people will know that they are as safe, maybe even safer, on a planned and tightly managed incentive trip than they would be at home.
That means a lot more than a few masks and a pamphlet on social distancing. It means knowing everything we can and controlling everything we can, from seating in a restaurant to the cleaning and sanitising in a hotel, and a hundred other details. This would hold true until the eradication of Covid-19 though the effects will reshape an enduring way of living.
It may feel a bit premature to say these things right now, obviously, but we are certainly thinking and preparing for that day, because it will come, and probably sooner than we expect. Even now, even in these tough days, we need to be planning. We need to be ready. Our clients will need us more than ever when this is over and our contribution will be an integral element in the recovery of business, client interaction and reshaping the incentive and travel industry.
Damion Breust is currently the senior vice president, commercial at Andria Mitsakos Public Relations. For more than 25 years, Breust has created incentives and events in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Africa, South America and the US. He has led teams at such global organisations as Barclays Bank, ANA Hotel, The Park Lane Hotel, BI Worldwide, and Sabre (formerly Abacus). He left a CEO role in Australia overseeing global incentive and travel operations to relocate to Athens, Greece, but remains a chapter co-president of SITE (Society of Incentive Travel Experts) ANZ.
A PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) straw poll on the biggest concerns when planning a digital event shows 77 per cent of respondents picking user experience and engagement, and 52 per cent picking content strategy, creation and delivery.
Conducted during its Pivot Your Event from Live to Virtual webinar on May 13, 50 per cent of respondents also said it was “somewhat likely” for planned events not to be cancelled, but become virtual or hybrid events instead.
Ensuring a smooth delivery of an online event is one concern in the pool of many during this period of virtual meetings
During the webinar, a meeting planner from the financial sector shared that the focus this year was on virtual events, embracing them and how to get better at delivering them.
She advises to keep things simple for live events and “test, test, test and test again” what is being done on the platform, be it the Q&A or live poll function.
“The more you do on the platform and if the content is great, the more likely people stay. And do not assume the easiest platform is easy for all,” she pointed out.
Another Asian meeting planner who said its executives have been meeting virtually the last few months to keep the business running, sees technology taking precedence this year, and they are “eating into unused travel budgets”.
In managing a virtual or hybrid strategy meetings management programme this year will require meeting planners to think differently, according to Justin Choy, managing director, Hong Kong, Creative Technology (CT), Asia Pacific.
Choy commented that the price to stage a virtual meeting “is actually not a direct function of the number of participants anymore”, but “a direct function of the complexity of the visual environment”. Hence, planners should consider enhancing content, use animation, etc.
For events on a tight budget, Choy advised: “Instead of doing 10 things with mediocrity, I strongly believe in focusing on doing one or two things really well.”
To assist those who are less-tech savvy, CT offers a package where a user simply plugs in the power and Internet, with the CT event technology production staff remotely controlling everything else.
Malaysian event technology company, Evenesis, has introduced a new technology that will help business owners ensure that social distancing and mass gathering guidelines are adhered to during the country’s Movement Control Order.
Named EveStance, the solution can be modified accordingly should more government rules emerge later.
Yusno: Deploying EveStance is an easier way to ensure people adhere to social distancing
No additional hardware investment or installation is required, as this solution can be activated using contact-less and done remotely over cloud capability. EveStance will tap onto existing and pre-owned IP cameras and CCTVs installed in retail shops, restaurants, event spaces and offices.
Yusno Yunos, founder and CEO of Evenesis, shared that the solution makes use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, and “works in real-time by detecting objects”, where the objects can be categorised as people or a group of people.
“It calculates the distance between people and will alert the relevant authorities if they have breached the one- or two-meter guideline. Any violations detected by the solution will command an auto-trigger alert through e-mail, and/or Whatsapp,” he elaborated.
The software can even determine the distance between people, and the number of people detected in the drawn areas.
The company is currently allowing a five-day free trial for one camera per business/company.
Informa Markets has decided to resume FHA-HoReCa in 2022 from May 10-13.
The location of the event, Singapore EXPO & MAX Atria, will remain the same. FHA-HoReCa, initially set for July 13-16 this year, is an expansion from one of Asia’s longest-running food and hospitality biennial trade event in the region, Food&HotelAsia (FHA).
FHA-HoReCa will make its comeback in 2022; a previous edition pictured
Martyn Cox, event director, hospitality, food & beverage – Singapore, Informa Markets, said the decision to cancel was a tough one to make, and promised that they will “take this extra time to develop the next edition of FHA-HoReCa into one that will more than makeup for its absence this year”.
“It is heartening to see positive signs that recovery has started in some domestic markets, however, it will be a while longer before a full rebound of the international hospitality and tourism sectors can materialise,” he added.
During this period, Informa Markets will be working closely with key partners to create alternative ways for the community to connect, explore business opportunities, and gain access to content during this time.
The FHA team will contact all exhibitors, visitors and partners to discuss and plan for their future participation in FHA-HoReCa 2022.
FHA-HoReCa’s sister show, FHA-Food & Beverage, will be held from March 2-5, 2021 at the Singapore Expo as planned.
Brooklyn Historical Society is one of New York City’s cultural institutions that can double up as a one-of-a-kind event space
NYC & Company puts together virtual resources
NYC’s Conventions and Visitors Bureau, NYC & Company, has put together a list of virtual site inspection resources featuring venues and hotels across the city, for event planners to plan ahead.
Bringing together photographs, virtual and video tours and other details on a wide range of venues, the list features purpose-built business event venues such as The Javits Centre, as well as unconventional spaces, such as the Yankee Stadium and American Museum of Natural History.
A selection of hotels are also available, ranging from the Andaz Wall Street which offers a total of 975m2 of meeting space, to the 733-key InterContinental New York Barclays and its 460m2 Grand Ballroom.
Germany’s lobby for exhibitions to resume successful
German authorities have given the green light for states to resume trade shows and exhibitions, according to a press statement from UFI.
The go-ahead attests to the association’s reasoning that exhibitions and tradeshows should be allowed to resume on a different schedule from other large-scale gatherings, because of their economic impact and organisers’ ability to control movement of delegates.
Thus far, the state authorities at North-Rhine Westphalia, home to state capital Düsseldorf and the city of Cologne, have agreed to allow such business events to return from May 30. The go-ahead is subject to conditions, including limits on attendee numbers and the following of authorised health and safety procedures.
World Routes and IATA Slot Conference to emphasise aviation recovery
For 2020, both World Routes and the IATA Slot Conference intend to bring together players in the hard-hit aviation sector to layout recovery plans.
The two events are set to be held within the span of one week, with World Routes slated for November 14-16 in Milan, and the IATA Slot Conference scheduled for November 17-20 in Barcelona.
Laura Maughan, head-worldwide airport slots, IATA, hoped that both events will help promote much-needed recovery in air travel.
“We hope by November these events will provide a chance for the aviation sector to focus on the rebuilding of their schedules and destinations for 2021 and help stimulate services that will support global recovery and enable economies … to see improvement in air travel,” she commented.
Each year, airlines, airports and tourism authorities come together at World Routes to explore new routes and services, while airlines and airport coordinators attend the IATA Slots Conference to secure flight slots and nail down schedules for the year ahead.
Singapore’s business meetings and live events sectors have taken a significant hit from the pandemic, with companies experiencing debilitating financial losses, according to a recent survey by the #SaveEventsSG movement.
The survey of more than 170 event organisers and suppliers, conducted earlier this month, revealed that 70 per cent of event businesses in Singapore have experienced a 90 per cent drop in revenue.
#SaveEventsSG spotlights the dire situation Singapore’s event organisers and suppliers are in, and they are petitioning to obtain more government support
As a result, a series of cost-cutting measures are already taking place across the industry, including staff pay cuts of between 20 and 30 per cent (according to 68 per cent of respondents), and no-pay leave (38 per cent).
While many event professionals are eager to get back to business, the future of Singapore’s event industry remains unclear.
More than 62 per cent of respondents (107) stated they will be forced to close their doors without further government assistance to cover manpower costs.
Fifty-six per cent of respondents also expect revenue projections for 2021 to plummet by more than 90 per cent, while 30 per cent anticipate a decline of more than 75 per cent.
The #SaveEventsSG survey follows a petition, launched in April, for increased aid under the government’s Covid-19 Job Support Scheme (JSS).
See: even when circuit breaker measures are eased, Singapore’s events industry will continue to suffer
“We just want to keep the lights on,” said Lumina Live managing director, David See, a co-founder of the #SaveEventsSG campaign.
“Our industry is among the hardest hit and, even when circuit breaker measures are eased, we will continue to suffer,” he said.
The #SaveEventsSG petition has attracted more than 15,000 signatures and, together with the survey data, See says the industry’s plight continues to gain momentum.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers (SACEOS) is advocating for the broader events industry.
At a recent Extraordinary General Meeting, held virtually on May 5, the association revised its constitution to include live events professionals.
In a letter to members following the meeting, president Aloysius Arlando said the change will allow SACEOS to “explore new instruments and initiatives to enable the expanded MICE industry to grow and prosper for the future”.
Arlando added that the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and Enterprise Singapore (ESG), as well as the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) are all “well-aware of the critical need to help our industry survive” and that a robust events ecosystem will be needed to kickstart Singapore’s recovery.
In addition to the #SaveEventsSG initiative, ESG recently commissioned SACEOS to conduct an industry-wide survey to assess the impact of Covid-19.
The findings of both surveys have been submitted to the government, primarily MTI and Ministry of Finance, for review of relief measures for the business and live events industry.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, STB has unveiled a series of measures to assist meeting and event professionals. This includes income relief for self-employed individuals and access to temporary bridging loans.
A recently-launched S$20 million (US$14.1 million) Marketing Partnership Programme also provides online training, marketing support, and tools for business innovation to help companies in the tourism and business events sectors plan for recovery.
Patina Maldives, Fari Islands has appointed Marco Den Ouden as general manager, and Simone Broekhaar as director of sales & marketing.
In his new role, Ouden will prepare for the property’s launch in 1Q2021. He brings over 20 years of global experience in the luxury hospitality industry, four of which were spent with the Alila group, leading teams as general manager across three of their properties in Asia.
From left: Marco Den Ouden and Simone Broekhaar
Prior to joining Patina, he was general manager of Soneva Jani, Maldives. Other previous roles include working as an F&B hospitality consultant for the Les Amis Group, international general manager of Jin Jiang Hotel in Chengdu, and general manager of Huvafen Fushi by Per AQUUM, Maldives.
Similarly, Broekhaar holds over two decades of experience in the luxury hospitality scene.
She joins Patina Maldives from her role as director of sales & marketing of Capella Ubud, Bali, where she led a team of nine.
Prior to this, she was the regional director of sales & marketing for COMO Hotels & Resorts, Bali, where she oversaw the marketing activities for three properties – COMO Uma Ubud, COMO Shambhala Estate, and COMO Canggu.
She has previously held positions at The Datai, Langkawi and The Chedi, Muscat, as well as with international brands such as Swissôtel.
Patina Maldives, Fari Islands will be the first launch under Patina Hotels & Resorts, a new lifestyle brand by Capella Hotel Group.
ICCA, IMEX, PCMA, and SITE, recognised as the business events industry’s biggest associations and trendsetters, will lend their expertise as content partners to the Dress Down For Inspiration (DDFI) Learning Festival at this year’s IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific.
Held on September 22, DDFI will kick off the three-day doublebill event’s knowledge segment through four parallel themes, each helmed by one of the content partners.
Themes will run concurrently over three hours – across different locations at Bangkok Convention Centre – from 09.00 – 12.00.
DDFI attendees are encouraged to come dressed in smart casuals for an interactive and unrestricted learning experience
Open to all delegates, DDFI features interactive workshop-style sessions centred on a variety of curated case studies and inspiring stories by personalities and brands passionate about Community and Sustainability; Innovation and Enterprise; Professional Advancement and Well-Being; and Mentorship and Future Leaders.
Organiser TTG Events and the four content partners are also exploring added pre- and/or post-event excursions to local business featured in these sessions as part of a cultural immersion objective.
And true to its name, DDFI attendees are invited to ditch the corporate wear and come dressed down in their smart casual attire for a thematic, interactive and unrestricted inspiring learning experience.
Noor Ahmad Hamid, regional director (APAC) with ICCA, which leads the Professional Advancement and Well-Being theme, said: “Investment in professional advancement is crucial for future success. Our most prized assets are people, and it is important for their operating environment to be balanced and secured. Ensuring their well-being contributes not only to productivity and quality, but creativity – the next currency in the business world.”
Karen Bolinger, managing director APAC with PCMA, the content lead for the Innovation and Enterprise track, commented: “DDFI presents an optimal opportunity for us to engage our audience by improving their event growth and ROI, through provocative event programming on how enterprising innovations are reimagining their operating environment.”
Pádraic Gilligan, chief marketing officer of SITE, which designs the Community and Sustainability theme, remarked: “Community is our raison d’être. To connect, learn and shape the incentive travel industry together. We’ll also be delivering insights on Sustainability – a key focus for SITE and global businesses – in areas of stakeholder relationships, business ethics, resource conservation and waste emission to ensure our net contribution mitigates negative impacts.”
Dale Hudson, knowledge & events director at IMEX, which leads the Mentorship and Future Leaders theme, said: “Companies are constantly on the lookout for new talent. It is important for potential employers to learn how to establish their own unique brand. We are excited about delivering this education track as it resonates with our passion for inspiring the new generation of Future Leaders in shaping their careers in the events industry – through expert insights and connections from industry leaders at IT&CMA.”
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Damion Breust is currently the senior vice president, commercial at Andria Mitsakos Public Relations. For more than 25 years, Breust has created incentives and events in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Africa, South America and the US. He has led teams at such global organisations as Barclays Bank, ANA Hotel, The Park Lane Hotel, BI Worldwide, and Sabre (formerly Abacus). He left a CEO role in Australia overseeing global incentive and travel operations to relocate to Athens, Greece, but remains a chapter co-president of SITE (Society of Incentive Travel Experts) ANZ.
