Accor has opened two brands under one hotel roof – Mercure & ibis – on Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 24, 100 metres from the BTS SkyTrain Phrom Phong station.
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Mercure Bangkok Sukhumvit 24
ibis Bangkok Sukhumvit 24
The midscale Mercure Bangkok Sukhumvit 24 will feature 201 rooms and suites, an all-day dining restaurant, rooftop swimming pool, fitness centre and meeting facilities. Guests staying on the executive floor will enjoy access to the Executive Lounge for complimentary refreshments throughout the day.
Meanwhile, economy brand ibis Bangkok Sukhumvit 24 has 300 rooms, and offer the ibis ‘Mission 15’ promise, which provides guests with prompt service and support by the hotel team within 15 minutes at any time during their stay.
New event venue opens in Antalya
A new congress and exhibition centre has opened in Antalya, Turkey – the NEST International Convention Centre.
Situated along the Mediterranean coastline, the new-build offers 14,864m2 of indoor meeting space with another 5,017m2 outdoors. Both floors include foyers and main halls, as well as workshops accessible for trucks and heavy machinery. In addition, a 3GB fibre-optic connection runs throughout the building, as well as a kitchen which can serve 5,000 for a sit-down gala dinner.
NEST will also sport 2,973m2 of solar panels on the roof, as a step towards more sustainable meetings.
PPHG goes to Toronto
Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) has added a Toronto hotel to its list of properties, with the rebranding of The Westin Prince Hotel.
Located in North East Toronto, the hotel offers 409 guestrooms and suites, with many overlooking the six hectares of greenery surrounding the hotel and the cityscape.
Amenities on-site include Katsura Japanese restaurant; Seasons, the all-day diner; an outdoor heated pool; a tennis court; and a fitness centre with a whirlpool.
Pan Pacific Toronto also features more than 2,780m2 of meeting spaces including 18 meeting rooms and a ballroom which can hold up to 700 guests. Events are possible on the greens outdoors.
Pan Pacific Toronto is the fifth hotel for PPHG in North America, joining other hotels in Vancouver, Whistler in British Columbia and Seattle.
AIDS conference to meet in London in 2021
ExCeL London and the London Convention Bureau have announced that London has been selected as the host city for the 2021 European AIDS Conference (EACS).
Organised by the European AIDS Clinical Society, the 18th edition of the event will be held at ExCeL London, October 27-30 .
EACS is the latest medical association to have chosen London and ExCeL for events between 2021 and 2025. Others include the European Society of Cardiology, International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, and the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
Sanjay Bhagani, president-elect of the European AIDS Clinical Society and consultant physician at Royal Free Hospital in London, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the 18th European HIV Conference in London in 2021. The UK has made great progress in achieving and surpassing the UNAIDS targets for the Fast-track strategy for eliminating AIDS as a major Global Health threat by 2030. This will be a unique opportunity to share our experience and advances in science with partners and colleagues across Europe and globally and learn from each other. London will provide a truly multi-cultural experience for all our delegates.”
TTGmice will be taking a long-awaited break from December 12 after a very fruitful year. We’ll be back on January 7, 2020, and we look forward to continue to bring you the most breaking news in the business events scene.
The entire TTG Asia Media team wishes all readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The business events industry in Indonesia has gone through numerous ups and downs in the last decade, with the biggest obstacle facing stakeholders created by the country’s very own government.
Budi Tirtawisata, chairman of the Indonesia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (INACEB), said: “The root of the problem is the Tourism Law, whereby tourism is identified as a leisure activity, while business events are identified as a type of business and not a market segment.”
Gedung Sate, a historical landmark in Bandung
It resulted in the government focusing its strategy and budget squarely on the development of leisure travel, and neglecting the needs of the business events industry, he lamented.
In 2014, the Ministry of Tourism made a decision to scrap the directorate of MICE, sending shock waves through the country’s business events community.
Hosea Andreas Runkat, chairman of Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association (IECA), recalled feelings of abandonment among his peers. Without government backing, Indonesia lost lost power in bidding for international events. He described the situation as being worse than the crippling 2008 global financial crisis.
Ketut Jaman, managing director of Melali MICE, recalled that the hurt was made more severe when the central government went on to ban government bodies from holding meetings in hotels as part of an austerity drive. Between 2014 and 2016, Melali MICE saw a 50 per cent decline in the number of government business events in Bali.
Instead of wallowing in despair, Indonesia’s business events players took over the reins to steer business back on path as well as they could.
INACEB submitted a letter of recommendation in September with a short-, medium, and long-term plan to the Minister of State Secretary. It sought to ensure that the MICE sector has a proportional position in the government and be allocated a sufficient budget.
“We understand that revising the law will take time. But as the current government is focused on getting more revenue than arrival numbers, (we want to show that) business events is a means to achieve the target,” Budi said.
While the long-term plan is obtaining a revision of the law to classify business events as a market segment, the medium-term plan involved reactivating the Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) to promote both leisure and business segments. The short-term recommendation, was the call for the Ministry of Tourism to appoint a deputy to be in charge of business events, Budi revealed.
On a positive note, Andreas pointed out that Indonesia’s MICE industry has been able to thrive despite having to face an uphill climb. He said that the emergence of various world-class convention centres and event venues opening across the country – such as Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in 2011 and Indonesian Convention Exhibition in Tangerang, Banten in 2015 – was living proof of Indonesia’s MICE success.
Another achievement that Andreas indicated was ICCA’s recognition of Indonesia’s new MICE cities such as Bandung, Yogyakarta and Surakarta.
He said: “In the ICCA Statistics Report, these cities were ranked far below Jakarta and Bali. However, it (their inclusion in the report) proves that the MICE industry there has grown.”
Andreas also noted that many foreign PEOs have opened, or are opening, offices in Indonesia, attracted by the country’s trade potential. He believes that their presence will provide learning opportunities for local exhibition players.
“These PEOs will bring what they have in their home countries to Indonesia. I expect them to create new events to inspire us,” he opined.
Despite the lack government support, Susilowani (Susi) Daud, president director of PACTO Convex, said Indonesia’s status as a business events destination is regarded positively in the global marketplace. She credited the country’s economic and political stability as well as safety for this reputation.
Industry players agree that the road ahead remains an arduous one until the government comes around.
They, however, remain optimistic and believe that a better business climate is on the horizon as the government starts to value tourism revenue over tourism arrivals for the next five years.
The positive shift is partly due to the successful hosting of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting, which attracted 34,000 participants from 189 countries to Bali last year. The event drew the attention of the central government and allowed it to realise that business events can bring substantial economic impact.
Hong Kong’s hospitality and tourism industry has taken a beating as social unrest continues, and while hoteliers don’t think that business in 1Q2020 will pick up anytime soon, they have indicated their willingness to hold, or slightly increase, their rates for 2Q2020.
According to Wharf Hotels, president, Jennifer Cronin, the city continues to be a major global business hub and is still very important regionally – evident from the recent Alibaba Hong Kong listing, reportedly the world’s biggest stock offering this year.
Despite political tensions, hoteliers in Hong Kong remain cautiously hopeful that business will slowly but surely return to the destination
She added that throughout the RFP process for 2020, corporate accounts and procurement managers “remain relatively optimistic” that “regular travel patterns to Hong Kong will bounce back”.
“Our corporate accounts also understand that with the CPI increases there will be some minor increases in our corporate rates for 2020. Also, our hotels are not in the main affected areas of protest activity, hence it is business as usual.
“We will therefore moderately increase our rates for 2020 after reviewing the performance and expectation from our corporate accounts, as these are based on the volumes and travel pattens, together with market intelligence,” Cronin elaborated.
Cronin shared that Wharf Hotels have group bookings confirmed for 2020, although enquiries for 1Q2020 has softened.
“Some customers for 1Q2020 are taking a wait-and-see approach before they commit, although major events such as Rugby Sevens in April 2020 have announced they are proceeding,” she said.
Elsewhere in the city, sales managers from a homegrown hotel chain who declined to be named, cited that the first quarter is typically a low season for business travel, and therefore, rates will be slightly raised – albeit below 10 per cent – for 2Q2020 given the usual peak season.
Holiday Inn Golden Mile’s general manager Gerhard Aicher, who expects a challenging year ahead due to the ongoing situation, said rates for the year ahead will be impacted but gave no clear indication how.
Meanwhile, Destination China’s general manager, Gunther Homerlain commented: “What we are seeing for 2H2020, are that rates are unrealistically high, but short-term rates are based on a we-will-take-anything attitude. Hotels are desperate for business now, and are throwing out all sorts of crazy rates; this is very unrealistic, and driven more by owners and revenue manager than market information and experience.”
Homerlain noted that if troubles stop now, within six to eight months, business might return to normal, but this normal will be in mid-summer which is traditionally slow business season anyway. Hence, he opined that corporate market will not pick up until 3Q or 4Q2020.
A similar sense of cautious hope has also been adopted by CWT’s general manager South-east Asia and Hong Kong, Sim Kian Peng. He said: “For 2020, companies are in a wait-and-see mode, but given Hong Kong’s importance as a business destination, there is a high degree of hope that tensions will de-escalate.”
Regardless, Aicher said that the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has their work cut out for them to bring cancelled events back to the city in 2020.
“(A lot of) support for the MICE sector, to compete with other destinations and reestablish confidence in the Hong Kong market, will also be crucial,” he opined.
BE@Penang 2019 and ICCA Asia Pacific Summit 2019 featured memorable local acts throughout their programme, keeping to Penang's promise to offer authentic destination experiences for event delegates
Two of South-east Asia’s strongest markets for corporate meetings and incentives are said to have potential for further growth, provided the region’s events service providers are able to identify trends and capitalise on them, according to two market opinion leaders who spoke at the fourth BE@Penang conference organised by the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB).
Speaking during the session titled, Market Digest: Insight & Trends, last Thursday, Prashant Yadav, CEO of Liberty International India, shared that South-east Asia was a natural favourite among Indian event organisers because it is a medium-haul destination. However, to keep them coming, regional CVBs and inbound events agents must be more creative in marketing their destinations.
BE@Penang 2019 and ICCA Asia Pacific Summit 2019 featured memorable local acts throughout their programme, keeping to Penang’s promise to offer authentic destination experiences for event delegates
One of the misconceptions about Indian MICE groups that must go was the belief that Indians want only Indian cuisine while on their travels.
Prashant said: “There is a growing number of Indians who are willing to try local food when overseas.”
Further illustrating his point, he said 15 per cent of his corporate clients today avoided “Indian food of any kind” when overseas, and he predicted this number to grow to become 40 to 50 per cent within the next decade.
Prashant added that while Indian clients have done their events at major South-east Asian cities, most were willing to return to the destination if inbound specialists could offer memorable experiences that cannot be found themselves.
He also tipped the audience off to a growing desire among Indian corporates for “interactive and participatory” corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.
As for the UK market, Ross Barker, commercial director of the meetings portfolio for Northstar Travel Media UK, shared that event organisers in Asia to seriously look at digital protection and hire the services of pedigree technology providers with a reliable track record to support events. He explained that corporate groups from the UK pay particular attention to digital breaches and delegate data protection.
In addition, he emphasised a growing trend in the UK for personalisation of events for a multi-generational audience. Such events has to allow human connections and cultural enrichment for attendees in destinations they visit.
Sustainable meeting venues are also no longer trendy, but a necessity for UK event owners.
Against a backdrop of Brexit uncertainty, Barker said longhaul travel for UK meeting and incentive groups have remained buoyant. Referencing the Meetings & Incentive Travel 2016 & 2018 Trends & Spends report, he pointed out that the number of business events groups and participants to longhaul destinations from the UK had increased in 2018 against 2016. The report found 574 business events groups in 2018 with a total of 57,849 participants, compared with 247 groups with 22,239 participants in 2016.
Average group size in 2018 was 101 delegates compared with 90 in 2016 while the length of stay over both periods remained at three nights.
The Meetings Show 2019 survey further revealed that over 36 per cent of UK buyers identified South-east Asia, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as future destinations for their meetings, events and incentives. Meanwhile, 55 per cent of those surveyed said they were planning events in longhaul destinations over the next 12 months.
It is the first time a legacy impact study is being done
Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) has commissioned a study to measure the long-term impact of business events.
The study will be conducted by two major universities in Sarawak – UCSI University Sarawak and Universiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak – with GainingEdge as a project consultant.
It is the first time a legacy impact study is being done
Research has started in May and involves 5,000 delegates from 12 national and international conferences held in Sarawak this year and which fall under the government’s key focus areas.
Amelia Roziman, COO at BESarawak, shared: “The study will help us determine how business event legacies contribute to the socio-economic development of the state and for us to (present) the case of business events to the state government. Ultimately, the study will also assist us in attracting more business events to Sarawak.”
She added that the methodology and outcomes of the study will be revealed at IMEX Frankfurt next year.
BESarawak is pioneering this project in an area where there are no models, or previous studies, to adopt. Amelia added that they are also “experimenting with what works and what doesn’t as we go along”.
Three years after the opening of the Setia SPICE Penang event complex, which includes the Setia SPICE Convention Centre, the Malaysian developer has finally picked the Amari brand to manage its onsite business-class hotel which is set for an August 2020 opening.
During an exclusive hard hat tour of the property last Friday – whose structure is now complete and tiling work has started on its sprawling lobby – Koe Peng Kang, senior executive vice president of developer S P Setia, told TTGmice that the hotel will be a four- to five-star product with 453 keys spread across three room types – a lead-in category, executive suites and a presidential suite.
S P Setia’s Koe Peng Kang explains his plans for the upcoming Amari-branded business hotel
The lead-in category will be “a comfortable and stylish space that will please business travellers” and priced around RM340 (US$82) a night, which Koe said would be competitive with hotels located in the area.
Although the hotel will have a ground level connection with the Setia SPICE Convention Centre, as well as via a rooftop garden on the fourth floor, it will come with its own collection of event spaces. Four meeting rooms and two function areas, an executive lounge with a further two meeting rooms, and a co-working space in the lobby have been confirmed.
According to Koe, these event spaces will complement Setia SPICE Convention Centre and can support breakout room requirements and social activities.
“Should corporate groups need an exclusive venue for special celebrations, we offer the Sky Bar on our topmost floor, level 25. A spiral staircase will lead to an intimate space above,” he said.
The Sky Bar promises stunning views of Penang and the unique rooftop events space at Setia SPICE Convention Centre
A “baba nonya design” vibe will feature strongly across the hotel in the city that is rich in Peranakan heritage, revealed Koe who added that local artworks will be used extensively.
“The hotel is part of our blueprint right from the start, and we are happy that it is shaping up for an opening. The convention centre has been popular for events, and having a connected hotel will help event groups.
“While we have these many rooms, I expect we will still need to work closely with hotels in the vicinity to handle overflow from large-sized events. We will happily do that because our priority is to bring big events into Penang,” said Koe.
THAI’s Nond Kalinta and TCEB’s Vichaya Soonthornsaratoon at the launch ceremony
Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has partnered with Thai Airways (THAI) and THAI Smile Airways to launch an APAC MaxiMICE campaign for the next fiscal year (October 2019 to September 2020).
The APAC MaxiMICE campaign consists of three levels – Silver, Gold and Platinum – for groups of 40 to 500 tourists from the 15 APAC countries travelling to Thailand on THAI and THAI Smile flights, and who stay in the Kingdom for at least two nights.
From left: THAI’s Nond Kalinta and TCEB’s Vichaya Soonthornsaratoon at the launch ceremony
Under the campaign, certain privileges will also be offered, for instance, special airfare, complimentary air tickets, additional five kilograms of baggage allowance, priority boarding, pre-assigned group seating, special advanced group check-in, onboard announcement and customised seat covers. Other privileges include the VIP fast track or MICE lane at Suvarnabhumi Airport and cultural performances.
The 15 Asia-Pacific countries included in the campaign are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and India.
Reservations under the campaign can be made from now until August 31, 2020 for travel beginning on January 1, 2020 until September 30, 2020.
Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, TCEB’s president, said that this campaign aims to expand the market segment and corporate market in Asia-Pacific countries, which is the primary market for Thailand’s MICE industry.
Earlier in 2019, TCEB collaborated with THAI to launch ASEAN MaxiMICE campaign for four South-east Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. This earlier campaign attracted over 1,000 MICE tourists to Thailand; generating 73 million baht.
“TCEB will hold the Thailand MICE roadshow to boost this campaign in Australian and Chinese markets in February and March 2020, with fam trips organised to destinations in THAI and THAI Smile’s route network. Furthermore, the Thailand Incentive and Meeting Exchange (TIME) 2020 will be organised with the goal of positioning Thailand as the main MICE destination for the APAC region,” added Chiruit.
TCEB expects the new APAC MaxiMICE campaign to bring approximately 15,000 APAC MICE tourists to Thailand.
In fiscal year 2019 (October 2018-September 2019), 1.2 million MICE tourists from APAC headed to Thailand, equivalent to a 91.2 per cent of the entire MICE inbound.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has announced further enhancements and perks to My Millennium – its guest reward programme that was launched in March 2019 – for corporate travellers and travel agent bookers.
As of today, MHR’s Central Reservation System (CRS) are able to accept My Millennium membership numbers from corporate travellers who book with the hotel via a Global Distribution Systems (GDS).
Club Deluxe Room in Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Singapore
Separately, MHR will now award corporate bookings with My Millennium points when travel agents’ book for their customers and update My Millennium membership numbers on the respective GDS systems.
“We have long standing relationships with our TMC partners and we wanted to provide this enhancement as a step to further strengthen our partnership and grow the share of corporate business by awarding loyalty benefits through this channel,” said Saurabh Prakash, group vice president, digital marketing, loyalty & distribution.
The awarding of My Millennium points for corporate rates is a step for MHR to further grow market share in the corporate market. The MHR sales team will also engage key procurement contacts in their corporate accounts in support of agreed rates and programmes. Supplier relations contacts at MHR’s TMC partners will also be updated.
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.
Two of South-east Asia’s strongest markets for corporate meetings and incentives are said to have potential for further growth, provided the region’s events service providers are able to identify trends and capitalise on them, according to two market opinion leaders who spoke at the fourth BE@Penang conference organised by the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB).
Speaking during the session titled, Market Digest: Insight & Trends, last Thursday, Prashant Yadav, CEO of Liberty International India, shared that South-east Asia was a natural favourite among Indian event organisers because it is a medium-haul destination. However, to keep them coming, regional CVBs and inbound events agents must be more creative in marketing their destinations.
One of the misconceptions about Indian MICE groups that must go was the belief that Indians want only Indian cuisine while on their travels.
Prashant said: “There is a growing number of Indians who are willing to try local food when overseas.”
Further illustrating his point, he said 15 per cent of his corporate clients today avoided “Indian food of any kind” when overseas, and he predicted this number to grow to become 40 to 50 per cent within the next decade.
Prashant added that while Indian clients have done their events at major South-east Asian cities, most were willing to return to the destination if inbound specialists could offer memorable experiences that cannot be found themselves.
He also tipped the audience off to a growing desire among Indian corporates for “interactive and participatory” corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.
As for the UK market, Ross Barker, commercial director of the meetings portfolio for Northstar Travel Media UK, shared that event organisers in Asia to seriously look at digital protection and hire the services of pedigree technology providers with a reliable track record to support events. He explained that corporate groups from the UK pay particular attention to digital breaches and delegate data protection.
In addition, he emphasised a growing trend in the UK for personalisation of events for a multi-generational audience. Such events has to allow human connections and cultural enrichment for attendees in destinations they visit.
Sustainable meeting venues are also no longer trendy, but a necessity for UK event owners.
Against a backdrop of Brexit uncertainty, Barker said longhaul travel for UK meeting and incentive groups have remained buoyant. Referencing the Meetings & Incentive Travel 2016 & 2018 Trends & Spends report, he pointed out that the number of business events groups and participants to longhaul destinations from the UK had increased in 2018 against 2016. The report found 574 business events groups in 2018 with a total of 57,849 participants, compared with 247 groups with 22,239 participants in 2016.
Average group size in 2018 was 101 delegates compared with 90 in 2016 while the length of stay over both periods remained at three nights.
The Meetings Show 2019 survey further revealed that over 36 per cent of UK buyers identified South-east Asia, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as future destinations for their meetings, events and incentives. Meanwhile, 55 per cent of those surveyed said they were planning events in longhaul destinations over the next 12 months.