Wharf Hotels has appointed Christopher Johnson as general manager of Marco Polo Jinjiang.
With 20 years of experience in hospitality industry, Johnson has held senior leadership roles at international hotel brands including Hyatt, Hilton, Four Seasons, InterContinental and Fairmont.
Prior to joining Marco Polo Jinjiang, Johnson was general manager at Millennium Gaea Resort Hualien, Taiwan.
CRYSTAL CRUISES
Ship Crystal Endeavor
Capacity 200
Destinations Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia
Why meet onboard? Crystal Endeavor is a polar class mega-yacht with 100 twin rooms and six different dining venues that come with meeting facilities. This compact but luxurious cruise ship welcomes whole ship charters.
To deliver the best event experience for guests, staff onboard works closely with planners to tailor programmes according to specific requirements and needs.
DREAM CRUISES
Ships Genting Dream, Explorer Dream
Capacity 3,300 (Genting Dream); 1,856 (Explorer Dream)
Destinations Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam (Genting Dream); Australia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Vietnam (Explorer Dream)
Why meet onboard? Built with corporate events in mind, both Genting Dream and Explorer Dream feature the latest business equipment and a selection of indoor and outdoor venues, including the massive Zodiac Theatre.
On Genting Dream, the Zodiac Theatre seats 999 people while on Explorer Dream it seats 830.
An event experience unique to Dream Cruises is Dream Night, a spectacular fireworks display against the night sky as guests celebrate the start or end of their event over champagne and cocktails.
Both ships are packed with activities that are great for corporate teambuilding and incentives. For instance, planners can make magical moments with a private foam
party at Zouk Beach Club onboard Genting Dream, or hold VR/AR arcade game challenges at the ESC Experience Lab onboard Explorer Dream.
C-suite gatherings can be held within The Palace, an ultra luxurious ‘ship within a ship’ area that promises exclusive privileges to VIP guests.
PRINCESS CRUISES
Ships Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess
Capacity 2,670 guests
Destinations Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan
Why meet onboard? Both Sapphire Princess and Diamond Princess are group-friendly, with cabins that can offer either twin beds or a queen at the planner’s request, plus staterooms for three or four sharing guests.
There are also numerous facilities for corporate gatherings. The Princess Theatre can accommodate group sizes of up to 700, while dining functions can be arranged at various dining rooms that can take up to 240 guests in one sitting.
As well, both ships offer a variety of dining experiences and venues, ensuring happy bellies all around. Furthermore, complimentary room service is available for event delegates.
There’s never a dull moment onboard, thanks to plenty of recreational options such as Broadway-style entertainment shows, art auctions, game shows, ballroom dancing classes, and movies under the stars, featuring the latest blockbusters and complimentary popcorn and hotdogs.
Tying all these together is Princess Cruises’ events services support team that will ensure assistance for all onboard programmes as well as group shore excursions.
REGENT SEVEN SEAS
Ship Regent Seven Seas Mariner
Capacity 700
Destinations Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India
Why meet onboard? Spacious conference and meeting rooms for up to 700 people are available onboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner, all armed with state-of-the-art multimedia facilities. Corporates that choose a full charter have the option for corporate branding throughout the ship.
On top of the signature restaurants and casual eateries, the ships feature complimentary in-room dining with free flowing premium wine and spirits – perfect for delegates to wind down after a long day of meetings.
There are also world-class theatrical productions and musicals including performances by the Regent Signature Orchestra.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES
Ships Voyager of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas
Capacity 4,269 guests
Destinations Malaysia and Thailand (Voyager of the Seas); Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam (Quantum of the Seas)
Why meet onboard? Voyager of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas are giants to ride Asia’s waves in 2019/2020, making them perfect for large MICE groups.
Voyager of the Seas offers 1,600 twin cabins and meeting rooms for up to 1,400 people. The largest function space is the elegant La Scala Theatre which, in the evening, is home to Broadway-standard shows.
There are several recreational gems onboard that planners can be weaved easily into a corporate programme. One such facility is the ice skating rink where performances by professional skaters from around the world are held. Outside of scheduled shows, the rink can be used for teambuilding activities or casual meetings for up to 800 pax. Other facilities include a basketball court, rock-climbing wall, miniature golf course and the FlowRider surf simulator.
Quantum of the Seas offers 1,900 twin cabins and meeting facilities for up to 1,400 people. The jewel in its crown is the Two70, an entertainment hub that offers guests multiple experiences throughout the day – a feature that is unique to the Quantum-class ships. With capacity for 615 guests, it is the perfect venue for meetings and seminars, especially when impressive visuals are needed to complement messages.
Thrills are available across the Quantum fleet, from RipCord by iFLY – the first skydiving simulator at sea – to SeaPlex bumper car ring and FlowRider surf simulator, among others.
A spread of 15 restaurants, including the famed Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver and the ultra exclusive Chef’s Table, help planners dish out varied dining experiences.
SILVERSEA CRUISES
Ships Silver Spirit, Silver Muse
Capacity 608 (Silver Spirit); 596 (Silver Muse)
Destinations Singapore and Hong Kong (Silver Spirit); Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam (Silver Muse)
Why meet onboard? Both Silver Spirit and Silver Muse are luxurious all-suite ships with twin-sharing possibilities. Each vessel houses eight restaurants and a theatre that accommodates 320 guests.
Silversea’s team of corporate and incentive planning professionals provides creative solutions to ensure that corporate events take off successfully. The extensive host of event planning resources available onboard ensures that all special activities and services are well customised and arranged, promising delegates an unforgettable experience.
Upon arrival, the butler welcomes guests personally, orientating them to their suites and even offering to unpack their bags.
STAR CRUISES
Ship Star Pisces, Superstar Aquarius, Superstar Gemini
Capacity 1,027 (Star Pisces); 1,511 (Superstar Aquarius); 1,530 (Superstar Gemini)
Destinations Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand
Why meet onboard? Star Cruises liners boast facilities that are on par with world-class hotels, offering corporate groups quality twin-sharing accommodation, fully-equipped work spaces, and a wide variety of teambuilding activities.
Event planners have the flexibility to customise onboard activities with the help of Star Cruises’ in-house planners and event coordinators.
Offering panoramic views of the ocean from a glass-fronted observatory area, the Galaxy of the Stars lounge onboard these ships is ideal for presentations and product launches. With a seating capacity of up to 292 guests, it also serves as a popular party ground where delegates can dance their night away after a day of meetings.
Hot idea
Property buyout allows for corporate branding throughout the venue and privacy for event attendees
Brief
The Asia Pacific Leadership Meeting is held every year by Visa Worldwide to bring its associates from the region together. While the event has been held at the Marina Bay Sands integrated resorts for the past six years, the company decided to switch things up and hosted the 2018 edition at W Singapore – Sentosa Cove on Singapore’s resort island.
For the event from October 24 to November 3, Visa engaged Tricom Events to help deliver it.
Highlights
The Asia Pacific Leadership Meeting enjoyed complete privacy in its venue of choice for the first time with a buyout of W Singapore – Sentosa Cove.
While the full event duration was from October 24 to November 3, including attendee check-ins and check-outs, the hotel was bought out for only three days – October 29 to November 1.
According to hotel spokesperson, Alicia Tan, Visa chose to take this route as the 2018 event involved Visa’s mid- to top-tier management team, and exclusivity was needed.
Tan added: “As this only happens once a year they wanted to take this opportunity to get together and celebrate.”
The hotel is no stranger to venue buyouts and has in place procedures to facilitate it. Customers who had booked its rooms ahead of time for the event period were re-accommodated – with their consent – at sister properties.
The buyout allowed Visa to implement corporate branding in various areas of the hotel, such as at the main entrance, ballroom, pool and lobby. It also made customised F&B offerings possible throughout the event.
Together with Tricom Events, the organising team at Visa and W Singapore – Sentosa Cove’s events, banquet and culinary teams, a myriad of unique dining concepts were created. Examples included a Halloween-themed dinner party aptly titled, Monster Ball, on October 30, and carefully curated menus for lunch at unconventional venues on-site.
The Monster Ball gala dinner featured Halloween-themed sweet treats such as ginger and pumpkin tarts, and Halloween trifles.
Bearing the tight event programme in mind, hotel chefs also customised daily Grab-and-Go lunches executed at a pop-up stall in the lobby.
“This was done to make it convenient (for the attendees) and (to ensure) a space large enough to accommodate the flow of more than 250 delegates,” explained Tan.
The Grab-and-Go lunches were a convenient alternative to sit-down lunch options at The Kitchen Table, SKIRT and WOOBAR.
Challenges
For this event, the hotel faced an issue with limited restaurant capacity at The Kitchen Table and SKIRT.
“As there were more than 250 delegates, both our restaurants were unable to accommodate all of them,” said Tan.
The solution was to convert WOOBAR bar and lounge into a bistro with a buffet line similar to what was served at The Kitchen Table and SKIRT.
Another challenge came in the form of an overcast sky that threatened rain.
Tan said: “The initial plan was to have the Monster Ball gala dinner by the W Lawn, which would have been the perfect venue to culminate the meeting as delegates would be able to enjoy the sunset and a view of the marina. However, as the sky was overcast, the planning committee had to make a tough call to change the venue. The ballroom could not be considered as it would take about three hours for dinner set-up, and meetings only ended at about 18.00.”
The Monster Ball was thus moved to the hotel lobby, spilling into WOOBAR. To facilitate the change in plans, the hotel’s operations team sought help from other back-of-house departments to speed up the turnover. Precise teamwork allowed Visa to commence its gala dinner on time.
Event Asia Pacific Leadership Meeting 2018
Organiser Visa Worldwide
Event company Tricom Events
Venue W Singapore – Sentosa Cove
Date October 24 to November 3, 2018
Attendance 240 people
Current Walmart boss Greg Foran has been appointed as Air New Zealand’s new CEO, a role that he will assume in 1Q2020.
He will take over from CFO Jeff Mcdowall, who was appointed as interim CEO after Christopher Luxon’s resignation in June.
A Kiwi native, Foran is currently president and CEO of Walmart US, a role he took up in 2014. He first joined Walmart International in 2011 where he served in a number of capacities, including as president and CEO of Walmart China, and then president and CEO of Walmart Asia up until he assumed his current role.
Before joining Walmart, Greg held a number of positions with Woolworths in Australia and New Zealand.
Abhimanyu Singh has been appointed general manager of the soon-to-open 318-room Four Points by Sheraton Kuala Lumpur, Chinatown in Malaysia.
Having gained substantial experience in a career span of 15 years, Abhimanyu brings with him a wealth of knowledge in hotel management, administration, and operations.
His career with Marriott International began in 2004 with JW Marriott Mumbai, Juhu and in a short span of time became the hotel’s front desk manager. Over the years, Abhimanyu has also worked with various brands within Marriott International and has played a role in the opening of hotels such as JW Mumbai Sahar, JW Marriott Macau and JW Marriott Pune.
Prior to his move to Malaysia, Abhimanyu was most recently resident manager at JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay in Vietnam.
The Jakarta City Government is planning to make use of FIA Formula E, an electric-powered car race known as EPRIX, as a propelling force to further develop tourism and business events for the Indonesian city.
This comes off the back of the announcement by Jakarta’s governor Anies Baswedan that the city will be hosting EPRIX for the next five years, which will flag off for the first time on June 6, 2020. Aside from showcasing Jakarta’s commitment towards emission-free transportation, the event will also contribute towards the city’s economy.
Speaking during the Indonesia Exhibition Companies Association (IECA) Afternoon Tea in Jakarta last weekend, Edy Junaedi, Jakarta City Government’s director of Tourism and Culture said: “Tourism and business events play an important role in Jakarta’s economy, which will be even more crucial when the central government moves to East Kalimantan. Events like this will then become the (driver of) economic development,” he said.
Currently, tourism contributes around 28 per cent of the city’s total direct revenue of 6.1 trillion rupiah (US$436 million), of which business events contributes 20 per cent.
In terms of marketing, Edy said the office was finalising the formation of the Jakarta Regional Tourism Promotion Board.
“We expect the board will (be launched) this year. Apart from promoting tourism, the board will function as a business events marketer in place of the terminated Jakarta Convention and Exhibition Bureau. The board will support bidding and other marketing programmes,” Edy told the audience – which comprised IECA members and business events stakeholders – that afternoon.
In response to a member of the audience who reminded the regional government on the importance of access, attractions and a 24-hour visitor information centre, Eddy noted: “Jakarta is improving public transport by developing the second phase of the MRT and LRT (local train services).
“We are increasing the budget for the development of Kota Tua (Old City) and Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands), which is part of the (10 New Bali’s). We are also improving the information services at Soekarno-Hatta (International Airport).”
In the meantime, IECA members urged the regional government to step up its efforts to bring business to the city through attendances at global tradeshows.
Hosea Andreas Runkat, IECA’s chairman, lamented: “Jakarta used to be at international shows such as IMEX Frankfurt, but the city stopped attending such shows in the past five years. We need to be at business events shows to grab business.”
Ndang Mawardi, president and CEO of InspiroGroup, compared Jakarta with competing neighbouring destinations of Singapore and Penang, whose governments have eased regulations and provided partial funding for inbound MICE groups.
This year, the regional government’s promotion budget was pegged at 10 billion rupiah, while the proposed budget for next year has been doubled, which bodes well for marketing efforts.
As such, Eddy said that his company has been taking part in various smaller travel marts and business events, though these were smaller than the ones that the now-defunct Jakarta Convention and Exhibition Bureau once took part in. Regardless, he believes this will improve once the tourist board is formed.
Kingsmen Creatives (Kingsmen), a global design and production group, unveiled the world’s first NAX (Nerf Action Xperience) arena, located within the Marina Square shopping mall in Singapore last Friday.
Spanning more than 1,600m2, this attraction was created in partnership with Hasbro, a globally-known play and entertainment company. The four activity zones (Compete, Conquer, Challenge, and Create) in the NAX arena are themed after extreme natural environments to challenge players of all ages. Each zone was designed to enhance skill sets, identify personal strengths, encourage teamwork, and build confidence. The NAX arena also features four rooms – collapsible and able to accommodate 120 pax in total – for event bookings.
Andrew Cheng, group CEO, Kingsmen Creatives called the opening of NAX “an extension of our capabilities”, and is “part of our transformation from a traditional business to a creator of new and unparalleled experiences”.
Kingsmen Creatives first started out as a design company in 1976, where it provided corporate marketing services, project management and exhibition interior production. Today, the group has a network of 21 offices and full-service facilities serving clients globally in aspects ranging from corporate interiors to themed attractions.
He told TTGmice: “As the market continues to evolve, we have to evolve as well. We’ve been designing and building for clients for 43 years. Now, instead of building for clients, we’re building for ourselves. We manage and operate it, and are the master license holder. NAX was two years in the making.”
When asked if the company was moving away from exhibit and event conceptualisation into brick-and-mortar attractions, Anthony Chong, group managing director, Kingsmen Exhibits, shared: “Exhibitions is still our core business, and we’ll still focus by expanding in core markets, while entering new ones. NAX is basically a new revenue channel.”
Both Cheng and Chong are extremely confident in their company’s product, having signed a partnership with Vision High earlier in July to enter the China market – despite just opening in Singapore last week. A NAX arena in Chongqing is in the pipeline, to be located in a mall.
“All of our NAX centres will be in malls,” Chong said, and added that it is the first of many to be rolled out within the next few years. The company is eyeing South Korea and Japan at the moment, which Chong mentioned there was “a lot of interest from”.
“Our new business will have three core areas moving forward – edutainment, such as the Animal Planet travelling exhibition; live events such as pop-up carnivals and festivals; and active play such as NAX,” Cheng concluded.
Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific (ITAP) 2019 – A Hannover Messe event, returns for a second edition from October 22-24 at Singapore EXPO & MAX Atria, with curated learning platforms to inspire attendees’ learning journey with a stepped approach to I4.0 implementation.
Attendees begin their journey through the Gateway to 4.0, which contrasts old-technology exhibits against the new to showcase the transformation and the outcomes of practical applications. With an understanding of I4.0 and its global implications and applications, attendees then deepen their experience at displays by Nanyang Polytechnic and Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre before heading to a discussion area.
Beyond the Gateway are various curated learning platforms on the show floor. They include over 50 Sandbox sessions provide practical learnings based on industry specific challenges, a Dynamic Learning Lab with live demonstrations to highlight the capabilities and applications of autonomous solutions in Intralogistics, and a Research and Technology Zone to activate business collaborations through open innovations with technology providers and seekers.
Organisers Deutsche Messe and SingEx Exhibitions have also planned over 100 guided tours with eight tracks covering 12 industries – Aerospace, Automotive, Food & Beverage, Infrastructure & Facilities/Urban Solutions, Logistics & Supply Chain, Oil & Gas/Energy, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology, and Semiconductor/Electronics & Electrical.
ITAP participants can also look forward to island-wide technical tours to leading R&D centres such as ABB Customer Innovation Center, Advanced Remanufacturing & Technology Centre, Centre of Excellence for Testing, EOS Additive Manufacturing Centre, Flexspeed iSmart, and Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence.
Lim Kok Kiang, assistant managing director, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), said: “Asia holds tremendous growth potential, and Singapore is fortunate to be strategically located at the heart of the region. This allows companies based in Singapore to capture new opportunities to grow. The advent of I4.0 will enable companies to capture such growth prospects in a faster, more efficient way.
“Through Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific, we hope to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information between manufacturers, suppliers and solution providers, to help them form the right partnerships to drive their company transformation forward.”
Research by CWT, the B2B4E travel management platform, shows that business travellers feel that positives outweigh negatives at work (92%) and at home (82%) when travelling for business.
Travellers from the Americas are the most enthusiastic at 94% and 86% respectively, followed by travellers from Asia-Pacific at 93% and 84%, and Europe at 89% and 77%.
“Traveling to a new destination, meeting someone face-to-face for the first time, networking with people that can help you to advance your business as well as your career, and getting out of the work routine are some of the most exciting factors associated to business travel according to our findings,” said Niklas Andréen, executive vice president and chief traveller experience officer at CWT. “It’s important that we recognize the true value that travellers find in their travels, and understand what provides the most positive benefits while on the road.”
CWT’s research also shows that developing trust (39%), getting to know people better (32%), and efficiencies (31%) are the top three benefits of meeting with people in person for travellers worldwide.
European travellers value getting to know people the most (37%), followed by the Americas (36%), and travellers from Asia-Pacific (25%). Europeans also value the efficiencies of meeting people face-to-face the most (34%), followed by travellers from Asia-Pacific (31%), and the Americas (29%).
Bleisure trends
Another perk of traveling for business is the possibility of extending a trip for pleasure. The average number of times in the past 12 months that the respondents have extended their trip is 2.4. Travellers from the Americas took the lead with 2.7 times, followed by 2.4 in Europe, and 2.3 in Asia-Pacific. The average number of days – globally – was 4.3 days.
The research also uncovered that companies are mostly supportive of bleisure travel if employees pay for their personal expenses (76%), especially in Asia-Pacific (79%) and the Americas (77%). Companies in Europe fell short at 70%.
The survey was created by CWT and conducted by Artemis Strategy Group between January 29 and February 9, 2019. Responses were collected from more than 2,700 business travellers who travelled for business four or more times in the previous 12 months.
Respondents were from the Americas (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the US), Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK) and Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, India, Japan, and Singapore).
Starting from 2021, VIV Asia – a feed, livestock, and food management-related international tradeshow – will be held at the IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok, Thailand.
Organised every two years in Bangkok, the move to the larger venue anticipates the ongoing growth of the international exhibition for animal protein production and processing. IMPACT is the third venue to accommodate the exhibition in Thailand.
For the 2019 edition, Bangkok welcomed around 1,200 international exhibitors and more than 45,000 professional visitors. VIV Asia covers the the whole value chain, including a part of downstream meat production and food engineering.
VIV Asia 2021 will be held from March 10-12, 2021.
