Next Story Group hires Christopher Ely (above) as vice president of business development and asset management
International hospitality group Next Story Group has appointed Christopher Ely as vice president of business development and asset management.
Based in Singapore, Ely joins the Asia-Pacific leadership team in rolling out Next Story Group’s strategy for sustainable growth. He will be responsible for developing and executing Next Story Group’s regional development plans, in line with its Vision 2025 goals.
Next Story Group hires Christopher Ely (above) as vice president of business development and asset management
“This latest appointment reflects Next Story Group’s focus on driving strategic growth across key markets in Asia-Pacific. Chris is a great complement to our leadership team and brings with him extensive hospitality experience and proven expertise across various markets,” said Darren Edmonstone, CEO, Next Hotels & Resorts.
Before joining Next Story Group, Ely most recently served as senior vice president of asset management and strategic advisory at Jones Lang Lasalle Hotels and Hospitality Group, where he oversaw numerous luxury and midscale resorts and hotels in and around the region, with a key focus in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives and Seychelles.
Prior to that, he was the corporate director of planning and support – Asia-Pacific for Outrigger Resorts and spent a decade with Jumeriah Group in the operations and development team. In addition to that, he took on other roles, including hotel manager of Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai and general manager of Jumeirah Dhevanafushi in the Maldives.
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas has appointed two new general managers for its two properties in Vietnam.
Placed at the helm of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is Andrew Whiffen, whose most recent roles were resort manager and general manager of Soneva Kiri Thailand and Soneva Jani Maldives respectively.
From left: Andrew Whiffen, Dominic Scoles
Whiffen brings with him over 30 years of hospitality experience having commenced his career in culinary arts, working his way up to the executive chef position, then later transitioning into hotel operations overseeing F&B operations.
He also cut his teeth at several hotels around the world including Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados, Marco Polo Niccolo in Chengdu, and Raffles Hotel in Dubai.
Meanwhile, Dominic Scoles has moved from the Maldives to join Six Senses Con Dao as general manager.
Scoles has more than a decade of experience working in the high-end hospitality sector. He opened his first hotel at 24 as director of nightlife for W Hotels, and has since been a part of five hotel openings.
In the role of director of F&B, he headed up luxury properties in the US, Mexico, Turks & Caicos and the Maldives, with several hotel brands such as Como, St Regis and W Hotels.
Forbes Travel Guide, a global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas, has appointed Mark Simmons to the role of senior vice president, partner services – Asia-Pacific.
Based in Hong Kong and Singapore, Simmons is responsible for driving Forbes Travel Guide’s strategic objectives within Asia-Pacific, which includes developing the company’s support services clientele.
A British and Australian national, Simmons possesses more than 25 years of luxury hospitality experience. He has held senior-level positions for leading hospitality brands in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Previous roles include director of sales, Asia-Pacific, Accor; area managing director, Asia-Pacific, Preferred Hotel Group; vice president sales and marketing, Asia-Pacific, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts; and area sales and marketing head, Swiss-Belhotel International Asia.
Simmons was also previously owner and director of Delivering Asia, a hospitality sales and marketing company, and a member of The Delivering Group.
Sailing out to sea presents a unique concept for business meetings and gatherings, but on such trips, shore excursions can hold equal weight in determining the success of the event.
At the second Asian MICE Cruise Conference on September 24, Naresh Rawal, vice president, sales – India and South Asia, Genting Cruise Lines, stressed: “Land tours play a very important role. The experiences on board the ship are important, but we also try to (create) experiences off the ship.”
For example, Genting Dream offers food trails through Malacca while World Dream holds cultural immersion and handicraft tours at Japanese ports. When a ship docks for only a few hours, the cruise liner may go the extra mile to bring local experiences on board for guests.
“One of our ships was in Australia, which is known for its fresh local produce. We brought local produce on board for our guests and called it a ‘farm to ship’ experience,” shared Rawal.
Corporate groups which desire something extra special can also consider chartering a private cruise, which allows full customisation down to the interior decorations and porting duration.
“People have a dream about what certain destinations are, and it’s up to cruise lines to fulfil that dream. For example, Phuket comes alive at night, so there’s no point in porting there from 09.00 to 17.00. You have to customise these things by changing the itinerary and getting creative,” said Steve Bloss, co-founder and president, Worldwide Cruise Associates.
For groups cruising on a scheduled route, Rawal and Bloss advised against taking shore excursions through a third-party ground operator that is likely to be unfamiliar with the ship’s schedule, as the ship will not wait for latecomers.
Bloss opined that the selection of ports of call determine whether corporate groups take up cruising. He said: “Companies are trying to inspire people to (cruise) and going to the same old places isn’t an answer anymore.
“Expedition cruises to places like the Galapagos Islands and the Antarctica are becoming very popular, especially with senior management – people who have been cruising for years. (Companies have to) be creative, even if it means considering some products that are a little more expensive.”
Watch the full session from the Asian MICE Cruise Conference below:
Hot idea A thematic concept revolving around local flavour allows guests a chance to experience the host destination
Event brief
Commonly dubbed “the TED of travel”, the Skift Forum debuted its Asia edition in Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) Equarius Hotel on May 27, 2019. The event gathered more than 400 travel executives – almost half of whom were vice president-level and above, hailing from more than 40 countries – for a day of TED-style talks and deep-dive discussions.
Its opening ceremony was a more intimate affair, held on the evening of May 26 in the resort’s S.E.A. Aquarium for invited partners.
Event highlights
The Ocean Gallery in S.E.A. Aquarium was an awe-inspiring venue that set the tone for a memorable event. The opening ceremony treated attendees to a show of resplendence, as marine animals swam gracefully before the guests amid dinner and conversation.
Notable features of the reception included sashimi and shaved-ice live stations, and dishes specially curated by RWS’ three celebrity chef restaurants: Syun, Forest and Feng Shui Inn. The most memorable scene of the night was the two divers that emerged in the aquarium flourishing a Skift Forum Asia banner.
Meanwhile, the main forum set tongues wagging with its eye-catching set designs that recreated traditional scenes of Singapore. The RWS team placed a tuk-tuk at the event foyer, where delegates could help themselves to ice popsicles; as well as a seating area resembling a neighbourhood coffee shop stocked with local snacks of yesteryears. This area also doubled up as a unique spot for networking, hot-desking, refreshments and photo opportunities.
For lunch, RWS’ specialists developed a thematic concept, Flavours of Asia. On top of specialities from Syun, Forest, and Feng Shui Inn, the buffet line-up also featured quintessential Singaporean dishes like kueh pie tee, bak kut teh, claypot rice and teh tarik, served from live stations dressed like rustic ‘kampung’ huts.
“As most of the forum’s attendees were from abroad, RWS mapped and planned customised appetising menus to showcase our award-winning dining experiences and exciting cuisines from around the world,” explained an RWS spokesperson. On top of this culinary experience, the resort also ensured its commitment to sustainability by avoiding the use of disposable tableware and cutlery, replacing these with tableware and glassware.
Challenges
One of the key challenges that the venue faced was turning around the S.E.A. Aquarium’s Ocean Gallery in time for the opening ceremony, as the attraction was still receiving guests on the day.
“With the team’s strong on-ground coordination, extra effort was taken to ensure guests were aware of the attraction’s early closure, so that there was adequate time to prepare the Ocean Gallery for the opening event,” said the spokesperson.
Additionally, installation of the forum’s unique decorations at the Equarius Hotel Ballroom proved to be a massive undertaking. In particular, an eight-man team was needed to transport and position the 700kg tuk-tuk.
To ensure a smooth event from start to finish, RWS’ MICE specialists began video conference calls across time zones with the organiser from as early as October 2018.
Discussions with the Skift team, based in New York, were crucial in providing comprehensive concept decks encompassing strategic event direction right down to minute details.
Event Skift Forum Asia Organiser Skift Event company Resorts World Sentosa in-house team Venue Resorts World Sentosa Equarius Hotel Date May 26-27, 2019 Attendance 400 people
Fireworks over the pool deck is a highlight onboard Genting Dream ships
It was in 1993 when Asia got its first whiff of a sea cruise industry through the launch of Star Cruises, a business division of the Genting Group – itself an experienced leisure and hospitality operator behind the popular Genting Highlands Resort, now known as Resorts World Genting.
Lankapuri Star Aquarius was the first Star Cruises ship to set sail from Singapore, bound for destinations in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Fireworks over the pool deck is a highlight onboard Genting Dream ships
Michael Goh, head of international sales, Genting Cruise Lines, recalled that it was a time “when there was virtually no cruise industry in Asia to speak of”.
“We have witnessed the market evolve and, as the region grew more sophisticated in their understanding of the cruise product, we have seen demand in the business events market expand as well,” said Goh.
Other cruise lines soon sailed into the fertile Asian region, providing expanded cruising opportunities for both leisure and business event buyers.
Royal Caribbean International made its Asian foray in December 1995 with the Sun Viking, a small ship serving mainly European and North American cruisers looking for a Far East travel experience. It was only in 2007 that the Rhapsody of the Seas was deployed with the Asian cruiser in mind, offering short cruises that matched with the demographic’s vacation pattern.
Italian cruise line, Costa Cruises, entered Asia 13 years ago, noted Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Group Asia, and right away worked to introduce cruise culture to Asians while conveying an Italian lifestyle and holiday experience through unique partnerships with Juventus for football fans; Bvlgari, Max Mara, Ferragamo and other Italian brands for fashion lovers; local entertainment companies for drama productions; and more.
Evolving meetings, evolving ships While cruising was once regarded as a vacation option, the evolution of business event needs have created a new market for cruise lines. Long gone are the days when corporate gatherings are limited to the confines of meeting rooms. As meeting attendees seek new ways to be engaged, meeting planners are pushed to deliver memorable events through the use of unique venues, outstanding entertainment and new interaction formats.
And cruise companies are responding with hardware changes to their ships.
Royal Caribbean International today boast an “innovative fleet that comes with first-at-sea amenities and activities (that) can be converted for multiple uses such as entertainment shows, relaxation or sports activities and corporate events”, noted Mona Foo, head of Sales, Royal Caribbean Cruises (Asia).
Hardware highlights include an ice skating rink; skydiving and surfing simulators; SeaPlex indoor sports space for bumper car rides and basketball; Two70 high-tech entertainment venue, North Star elevated glass capsule; Zip Line, Ultimate Abyss (a 10-storey-high slide; making it the tallest slide at sea); and Central Park. These add dimensions of fun to teambuilding and incentive programmes, and even solemn conferences.
Genting Cruise Lines’s new ships are outfitted with more meeting rooms and larger, flexible events space.
“For example, our theatre is a flexible venue for a variety of activities. Its high-tech sound system and lighting effects can inject excitement and entertainment into an event,” said Goh.
“As each of our ships is truly a floating, integrated resort at sea, we provide much more versatility than most land-based event venues, with the added bonus of being able to bring guests to a variety of exciting destinations throughout Asia.”
Zanetti observed that corporate clients are paying greater attention to sustainability, security, return on investment in event spend, among others.
He said: “These trends are in our favour. In terms of sustainability, the soon-to-launch Costa Smeralda (October 2019 for the European market) is the first cruise ship for the international market to be fuelled 100 per cent by liquefied natural petrol.”
He added that “while some cruise companies charge for entertainment and onboard activities, Costa offers a cost/value advantage with its all-inclusive package that includes meals, entertainment, sports facilities, meeting space, audiovisual equipment and accommodation”.
“Furthermore, authentic Italian hospitality and signature activities like the Venetian Carnival and Italian Night set Costa apart from its competitors,” he said.
Outside of Asia, Costa has seen some unusual corporate charters. Zanetti pointed to the Eastern Economic Forum’s use of Costa neoRomantica and Costa Venezia in 2018 and 2019, respectively, as accommodation for delegates of the annual event in Vladivostok, Russia.
Deeper trade engagement
Marketing communications have changed too, to tackle a different target audience.
Genting Cruise Lines’ sales and marketing efforts are aimed at event and marketing companies, corporate human resource officers and “internal influencers to introduce the concept of MICE at sea”, moving beyond a travel agent-only focus, explained Goh.
Foo recalled that the cruise line’s initial business events tagline, To mix business with pleasure, just add water, has since evolved to today’s Iconic Ships, Incredible Events to “highlight its brand distinction more strongly as the cruise line adds larger ships with more unique amenities to its fleet”.
However, these cruise representatives acknowledged that they still have their work cut out for them in Asia.
Zanetti said: “Many planners are still unfamiliar with cruise ships, the facilities, capabilities, and the cost and value advantages we offer. Education is needed and it will take time before cruise ships become the top choice for them.”
Goh, too, feels that more industry education is needed. He pointed to “misconception and misinformation on safety, costs and boredom” as causes of planners’ resistance.
In hopes of getting planners to “step out of their comfort zone” and try doing things differently, Foo said Royal Caribbean International is positioning its cruises as a “one-stop” MICE solution that is “great value for money”.
Rising above the noise While having multiple cruise companies singing the same tune about the advantages of MICE cruises can more strongly reinforce the message among planners, that has also made the marketplace rather noisy.
To stand out from the crowd, cruise companies say they are differentiating themselves from competitors with hardware and software.
Royal Caribbean International identified several key initiatives that will position the cruise line as the “leading brand for the most innovative offerings for MICE groups that will appeal to the audience of today and tomorrow,” quipped Foo.
The initiatives include Private Destinations, such as the Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas which opened in May; Royal Amplification, a programme to revamp 10 ships over four years, to give them new features and services; Digital Innovations, which sees the combination of different technologies to improve the cruising experience; and Project Icon Class, the company’s first foray into liquid natural gas (LNG) to build new, more efficient vessels that use clean fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
At Genting Cruise Lines, its three cruise brands – Crystal, Dream Cruises and Star Cruises – are clearly defined and its rich expertise, gained from over 25 years of managing cruises and over 50 years of delivering hospitality through Genting Group, is emphasised.
Meanwhile, Costa continues to uphold its unique Italian culture positioning to “set our brand apart from the others”, said Zanetti.
Dusit International has appointed Thomas Weber as general manager of Dusit Thani Maldives.
The Swiss national brings with him more than 25 years of international experience leading pre-opening and operational hotels for brands such as Sun International, Hilton, Mövenpick, and The Leela.
His experience has taken him to seven different countries, including Hong Kong, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Kenya, Switzerland and the Maldives.
Prior to joining Dusit International, he held the position of regional general manager Maldives for the five-star Diamonds Thudufushi Resort and Athuruga Resort, both under the Planhotel Hospitality Group. He was also involved in the pre-opening of Sandies Bathala, a new resort with 70 rooms and overwater villas.
Over the course of his career, he has also served as general manager of Mövenpick Resort Al Nawras, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Mövenpick Hotel & Spa, Bangalore India; and Oberwaid Kurhotel & Privatklinik, St Gallen Switzerland, among others.
Teddy Susanto Wiryawan has joined Alila Villas Koh Russey as general manager, moving to Cambodia from his most recent appointment as general manager of Alila Jakarta.
The Bali native has over 20 years of experience in five-star luxury hotels, such as Como Hotels & Resorts, Ritz Carlton, Grand Hyatt and Shangri-La, across destinations spanning Bali, Bhutan, Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore and London.
Wiryawan has also demonstrated his leadership at luxury properties in Turks & Caicos Islands, leading the pre-opening of Sailrock Resort and running the Como Parrot Cay.
US-based Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has reported a 150 per cent leap in corporate passenger numbers in Asia for 2019 year-to-date, compared to 2018, as a result of stronger business event bookings.
Henry Yu, director, Asia for Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and U River Cruises, described the growth as “phenomenal”.
The company’s Asian operation is relatively young, having been established in the region only in 2014, while the US headquarters had pioneered the river cruise concept in 1976.
The Asian office made up quickly for lost time, generating an average annual sales growth of 30 per cent from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan for its luxurious river cruises across the world, noted Yu.
“Thailand and South Korea have caught up in the last two years,” he added, but pointed out that the majority of Uniworld’s Asia growth is still driven by the leisure market. On the business events front, the Asian office “works very closely” with regional trade partners and private organisations to drive brand and product awareness.
Yu explained that sales and marketing support is given to travel agency partners, with him and his team stepping in to provide customised packages and comprehensive sales presentations to the end-customer when partners are pitching for event projects.
For the Uniworld cruise line, popular sailings among the Asian corporate clientele are Castles along the Rhine (Basel to Amsterdam, down River Rhine) and Enchanting Danube (Budapest to Passau/Munich Airport, down River Danube).
He explained: “They are a hit with Asian corporate for several reasons. One, they come with easy gateways. Budget is priority for corporates. A friendly and popular gateway can reduce air ticket cost while providing a good variety of airlines to use.
“Two, these itineraries use Super Ship (SS) Antoinette and Super Ship (SS) Maria Theresa. Super ships come with greater capacity to accommodate larger groups and have several onboard venues for meeting use.
“Third, these itineraries leverage the sterling reputation of River Rhine and River Danube – both well-known European rivers.”
While the company’s river cruises tend to be lengthy affairs – onwards of eight days, Yu said itineraries can be adjusted to suit time-starved corporate groups.
“Requests for shorter itineraries, approximately four-day/three-night, are very common when it comes to corporate events due to budget and time limitation. We can adjust the programme to match clients’ requirement.
“Both Uniworld and U River Cruises can break their regular eight-day/seven-night itinerary into two sectors. For instance, Enchanting Danube can be spilt into one sector covering Budapest to Vienna (four-day/three-night) and another covering Vienna to Passau/Munich Airport (five-day/four-night). Our trade partner will usually arrange a pre-extension of one night in Budapest to make both sectors even (in duration).”
While Uniworld cruises are positioned as a crème de la crème of luxury river cruises, Yu said U is a perfect option for fun, activity-driven corporate teambuilding and corporate social events.
U is stylish and offers immersive onboard and land experiences that are longer in duration. The current fleet is made up of two 120-pax matte black ships – The A and The B, with the latter scheduled for a relaunch in 2020 along with three new programmes down River Rhine and Danube.
Watch the full session from the Asian MICE Cruise Conference below:
Unique experiences are gaining favour among event planners; hot air ballooning over Nam Song river in Vang vieng, Laos
Some South-east Asian event specialists are observing a rise in personalised and focused corporate event programmes, which they project will take centrestage in inbound MICE business next year.
Chris Vethaviyasar, client services director with Singapore-based The DMC Collective, said clients from Europe, India and Asia are sending smaller groups of 20 to 150 attendees to South-east Asia now, all demanding for “out-of-the box incentive ideas offering a wow factor”.
Unique experiences are gaining favour among event planners; hot air ballooning over Nam Song river in Vang Vieng, Laos pictured
New destinations that can deliver memorable experiences are favoured by corporate clients of Indonesia’s My Duta Tour, said managing director Budijanto Ardiansjah, who added that MICE cruises are now being considered as a new way of rewarding top performers.
The rise in preference for unique, memorable events has prompted Resorts World Genting to focus on growing its inbound MICE business through customised experiences.
When asked for an indication of 2020 event budgets, event specialists are split in their observations.
Vethaviyasar noted that current client spend has risen only slightly. For the year ahead, he expects clients with smaller budgets – startups and SMEs – to be drawn more to “emerging destinations such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar” where hotel are flexible with rate negotiations.
“Being relatively unheard of, these destinations will also win clients over with customised activities that cannot be found on Google,” he added.
Budijanto, who has offices in Jakarta and Bandung, shared that corporate event budgets for 2020 are up as much as 20 per cent, and clients are desiring incentive destinations farther away, such as Australia and the Middle East.
Painting a different picture, Winston Teh, sales manager, Sunway International Hotels & Resorts, foresees reduced budgets for gala dinners and teambuilding activities, especially among SMEs that are affected by the US-China trade war.
“However, there are no signs of MNCs cutting costs,” Teh said, adding that there have been enquiries from Europe on South-east Asia, “which is seen to be an exotic destination that is also affordable”.
“It is still too early to tell if these enquiries will materialise into bookings though,” he said.
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