Beyond Asia: Switzerland; Germany; and Calgary, Canada

June 27, 2019

Hyatt takes Alila to Europe
Europe will get its first Alila branded resort in La Gruyère, Switzerland, come 2023.

Overlooking a lake, Alila La Gruyère will offer 85 rooms, 27 residences, a golf course and a wellness retreat. It will be located in Pont-la-Ville in the district of La Gruyère, which belongs to the Canton of Fribourg in western Switzerland.

Hyatt, which recently added the brand to its luxury portfolio after acquiring Two Roads Hospitality, announced that an affiliate company has signed a management agreement with Resort 4 SA, owned by Ben Golf Investissements SA, to bring the brand to Europe.

Crystal Interactive expands into Germany
Event tech specialist Crystal Interactive has opened its first office outside the UK, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Crystal Interactive provide smart badges that can connect delegates at events by touching their devices. Their details are then shared to an app with the delegates name, email and other information.

The company added Smart Wearables to its portfolio last year, which already includes Event App, Audience Response App and Event Registration platform.

Since acquiring IML Interactive in 2017, Crystal Interactive said in a statement that the new office in Germany will allow it to extend the services and support it offers to German and other European-based clients.

Calgary to host 2023 World Petroleum Congress
The World Petroleum Council of Canada and Meetings and Conventions Calgary (MCC) have announced that Calgary will be the host city for the 24th World Petroleum Congress come 2023.

The vote came after months of lobbying member countries: Calgary was competing against Baku, Azerbaijan; Astana, Kazakhstan; Dubai, UAE; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Hosting the World Petroleum Congress will benefit Calgary with an estimated CA$65 million (US$49.4 million) economic injection. Over 80 countries will be represented at the event, bringing an estimated 5,000 delegates to the city. The congress will be hosted by both the BMO Centre and Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, and will utilise an estimated 25 hotels.

Wine and dine in private at Txoko

By TTGmice

June 27, 2019

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TXOCOPrivate_Room — Private Room good for 18 pax

Txoko is the newest Spanish restaurant to join Jakarta’s Senopati area, a bustling restaurant hub in the south of the Indonesian city.

The restaurant is owned by Spanish chef Oskar Urzelai – formerly the executive sous chef at Gran Melia Jakarta – and serves up Basque cuisine, tapas and pintxos.

Urzelai’s signature dishes includes the Garlic Prawns Pre-A-Porter, Grilled Octopus with Boletus Cream, Spanish Omelette Lasao, and Lamb Shank with Sweet Potato. Guests can also choose from the 50 handpicked wines from countries such as Spain, France, Australia, Chile and Argentina to pair with their choice of tapas and mains.

Set menus for groups range from IDR225,000++ (US$16++) to IDR445,000++, and includes tapas, main course, dessert and non-alcoholic beverages.

The two-storey restaurant also has a private room on the upper floor that can seat 20 people, and is equipped with a TV for business presentations. The entire second floor can also be closed for private events, and can accommodate 50 to 60 people. The ground floor on the other hand, is a dining area for 40 guests, and is where the open kitchen and bar is located.

A restaurant buyout is possible, with a minimum of one week’s notice, or event planners may choose to just book out the upstairs area alone. Meeting packages and menus can be customised accordingly, and are available upon request.

The restaurant welcomes business events ranging from product launches to theme dinners. With opening hours starting from 08.00 on weekdays, a breakfast meeting can even be conducted as well.

Tasty ideas

By TTGmice

June 27, 2019

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Australia & Hong Kong

AUSTRALIA
Showtime Event Group

Trying to please the masses at a large-scale event no longer needs to be a daunting task, thanks to this inventive idea. Showtime Event Group (SEG) is in the midst of creating a special experience app designed to resolve problems where sometimes food options may be excellent but customers can’t find what they’re looking for, or they miss out on unique experiences because they simply weren’t aware of their existence.

Delegates can receive the app in advance of an event and curate their own experience, for example selecting their choice of food or making time to sit and learn from a craft cheese or winemaker stationed in a corner.

Sweet or savoury? Meat or vegetable? Spice or mild? The options promise exciting possibilities where delegates can say goodbye to missed opportunities because the signage wasn’t visible enough.

Great for: Large-scale events
Capacity: 500 to 5,000 pax
Contact: events@seg.melbourne

HONG KONG
M Yachts

Clink glasses and sample canapes during a get-together while cruising along Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbour, or savour a five-course dinner while sealing that corporate deal.

M Yachts’ private charters are exclusive and offer complete privacy and personalisation, allowing for an intimate time onboard. Each luxury cruiser also comes with a team of highly trained service staff and chef.

Itineraries can be created by the company, or planned by the client. For instance, should the afternoon be balmy, a sumptuous seafood spread can be arranged on a bimini-covered sundeck. Event planners can also arrange for a picnic on an idyllic beach accessible only by boat.

Great for: Entertaining VIP clients, product launch parties, cocktail events, and corporate sit-down dinners
Capacity: Depending on the type and size of yacht chartered, it can comfortably accommodate between two to 40 pax. For larger parties, multiple yachts can be anchored together for a unique dining experience out at sea.
Contact: anita@myachts.team

Indonesia & Malaysia

INDONESIA
Nirvana Roemah Air

This F&B experience in Lombok has set tables floating on water, around five to 10 metres away from the beach. Participants pick up their food and drinks, regardless of whether it’s snacks or a barbecued lunch, and bring it to the floating table to nosh on while standing in the cool water.

They can then work off the lunch by going swimming, canoeing, or snorkelling just a few metres away from the “dining area”. Not only do guests enjoy their lunch break in a different way, event planners also do not have to worry about a post-lunch coma.

Event planners can also build a CSR element into this lunch event by combining it with a coral planting activity.

Great for: Post-meeting lunch, or part of a teambuilding activity
Capacity: 20 to 150 pax
Contact: info@lombokandbeyond.com

MALAYSIA
Elements Kuala Lumpur

Le Petit Chef – also known as The World’s Smallest Chef – is an innovative dining experience featuring a small, animated chef. The animation is projected onto diners’ plates with 3D project mapping technology, and proceeds to “cook” their dishes in front of their eyes. Guests will be treated to a delicious meal and a captivating show filled with sight and sound.

The menu is designed by Michelin-star chef, Jeff Ramsey, who is the youngest chef to be awarded by Michelin when he was serving at the Tapas Molecular Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Tokyo.

Event planners can choose a four- or five-course meal. Corporate buyouts of the experience are possible with advance notice.

While Elements Kuala Lumpur is offering Le Petit Chef until the end of 2019, it is looking to extend this to 2020.

Great for: Off-site dinners for board of directors; VIP conference speakers; incentive groups; client dinners
Capacity: No more than 36 people per session. There are three 1.5-hour sessions from Mondays to Saturdays (18.00, 20.00 and 22.00). On Sundays, there is an additional session at 15.00.
Contact: info@elements.my

Singapore & Thailand

SINGAPORE
Soulful Grains

Soulful Grains, hosted by Rita Danani – a marketing professional by day and cook by night – in a 1970s semi-detached house in the Telok Kurau neighbourhood is an experience offered through cultural food experience company Noshtrekker.

The dishes that Danani serves up are influenced by Indian and Malay flavours, and she provides a wellness and sustainability twist on local favourites. Diners can expect freshly home-baked bread enhanced with turmeric and curry leaves, as well as a healthier version of nasi goreng (fried rice).

Everything that comes from her kitchen is made from scratch, while all the ingredients she uses are sourced and grown by social enterprises in the region (such as Indonesia and Thailand), with speciality in plant-based foods, herbs and spices.

Great for: Incentives; intimate dinners for overseas VIPs; and groups interested in social enterprise, CSR, and wellness
Capacity: Four to eight pax
Contact: reservations@noshtrekker.com

THAILAND
Gong Coffee

This three-hour-long coffee workshop in Ranong is a fascinating experience for groups who are interested in coffee beans grown in Thailand.

A coffee master will be on hand to teach guests the entire process of how a cup of joe is created, from the hand-roasting to grinding and brewing. The coffee master will also make a cup of high-quality java to suit each person’s preference.

In addition to the coffee experience, the workshop venue is also on the same compound as Gong’s Resort, a guesthouse which offers lodging and great local food. Lunch before or after the workshop can be arranged on-site.

Great for: Incentives; groups interested in the coffee-making process and social enterprise
Capacity: One to 50 pax, but the smaller the group the better
Contact: guru@blackricetravel.com

Catch up with Brad Dabbs

By Adelaine Ng

June 26, 2019

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What makes you different in the catering business events industry?
I have been with Showtime since day one and built the business on the foundation that the client is always number one. This to me shouldn’t be any different to what anyone else does. But the constant feedback is that our competitors don’t seem to be the same – which absolutely baffles me! I’m old school hospitality through and through, and have implemented that throughout all our staff training programs.

Was it easy getting into the industry?
Breaking into the industry can be hard for some people as I think they have the wrong idea about what event planning entails. A lot of interns that come through don’t realise how much hard work goes on behind the scenes. They think events are fun and are about arranging flowers and menus.

But for me, coming from a hotel background as an F&B manger, I had a clear understanding how hard this industry can be. I’ve always known that this is where I want to be.

Has the event catering industry changed much in recent years? Are those trends unique to Australia?
So much! It always seems that everyone’s budgets are getting smaller and their dreams are getting bigger.

This is definitely not unique to Australia, as in the current economic climate, a lot of companies have to be careful how much they spend on entertaining staff and clients. For me it is another chance to provide a great service.

What’s been your biggest challenge so far and how did you overcome it?
(I’ve had) heaps of challenges. The biggest thing at the moment is to ensure that we stay true to our passion and our methods as we grow into new venues and introduce lots of new team members to the Showtime family. Great problem to have, but one that we take really seriously.

Have you ever had an outrageous request from a client?
We are always asked for the weird, wild and wacky. Just (recently) we had a koala bear, crocodile, pythons and wallabies at an event. As we work with Melbourne’s best industry partners, there hasn’t been too many we haven’t been able to accommodate.

Some unfortunately, we had to get creative, like when someone wanted a live horse at their event in The State Library. As the library is also a museum and contains Ned Kelly armour along with other priceless artefacts, we settled for two guys dressed in a horse costume!

What projects do you have coming up that excite you the most?
My original baby Showtime Events Centre is getting a serious facelift! We’re working with Heritage Victoria and our landlord to double our size which currently sits 250 guests with an additional floor on the rooftop. We are desperately in need of the space and as a creative project it is amazing to break new ground! Watch this space.

How do you see event catering changing in coming years?
Catering in particular is definitely changing. A decade ago you would have one per cent of the room order a vegetarian meal. Nowadays you have 40 to 50 per cent of the room with a diet that is not just an allergy, but a lifestyle choice. To combat this we need to ensure that our catering options are extensive.

Cambodia’s Song Saa Private Island welcomes new GM

By TTGmice

June 26, 2019

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Experienced luxury hotelier Donald Wong has joined Song Saa Private Island as general manager.

With 17 years of sales and marketing experience under this belt, where Wong’s previous positions include director of global sales for the Pacific at Raffles Hotels & Resorts; and director of sales and marketing for Raffles’ two properties in Cambodia – Le Royal, Phnom Penh and Hotel d’Angkor, Siem Reap.

Wong then joined Aman Resorts in 2006, where he spent time as resident manager of Amankora in Paro, Bhutan, before becoming general manager of sales with Aman Resorts in South Asia and China.

In 2011, he joined The Siam Hotel in Bangkok as director of sales and marketing. He then moved to the The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong in the same capacity, and later re-joined Aman as general manager of Amantaka in Luang Prabang.

Macau rolls out official MICE branding

By Prudence Lui

June 25, 2019

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Ruins-of-St.-Paul's — Ruins of St Pauls in Macau are one of the attractions in the city

For the first time in its history, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) has unveiled an official MICE brand entitled MEET@Macao.

The new branding serves to reposition Macau as a destination that offers more than just gaming, as the government hopes to use non-gaming industries to diversify the local economy.

Ruins of St Pauls in Macau are one of the attractions that delegates can visit when in the city

The brand refresh also promotes the city’s competitiveness when it comes to hosting business events both small and large as well as its compact size, attractions, strategic location, and free port status.

An IPIM spokesman shared: “In the past, we used a series of short-term key messages to communicate with the market. But now, we are in a stronger position to invest in brand activation, and a multi-layer communication strategy, as we review all of our communication channels, online and print.”

As such, Macau’s IPIM website will also undergo a revamp and it will have the new brand elements added to it.

The new branding will focus on all MICE segments in key source markets within Asia, a region seen to possess significant growth potential.

The spokesperson added: “Naturally, source markets within close proximity provide the most immediate potential, however we are investing more efforts into the mid- and longhaul markets as our connectivity with the world is enhanced.”

Sales and marketing efforts are also invested in Europe, and IPIM will have a presence at major tradeshows and events, conduct media promotions, as well as support event bids.

Macau clinches UFI APAC conference

By Prudence Lui

June 25, 2019

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Macau has won hosting rights to the UFI Asia Pacific Conference 2020, which will gather over 300 exhibition leaders from different countries in Macau from March 3-6, 2020.

Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM)’s spokesman said: “By hosting the conference, it will further elevate Macau’s profile and commitment to the development of the exhibition industry.

Macau (pictured) will host the UFI APAC meeting next year

“Delegates will experience firsthand the many new developments that have taken place over the last few years (that has enhanced our) capacity and accessibility for large scale MICE events. Developments like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will improve logistics to move MICE delegations and freight items 24/7.”

IPIM attributed the success due to a collective effort made up of UFI members in Macau, and partners from the Fair & Trade Association, PCOs, official hotels and tour operators.

Currently, the organising committee is looking into trying to enrich the conference programme, for instance, by promoting and organising site visits to the conference and exhibition facilities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

According to a UFI statistics report, Macau is one of the youngest and smallest MICE markets in Asia, but the city has achieved the most in Asia over the past five years.

“Macau’s MICE industry has also grown and matured over this time and as such we have a more knowledgeable and active community ready to engage and support the development of the conference and exhibition market in the region.

“As a party to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau GBA initiative, we are hoping to achieve greater engagement and cooperation with our neighbouring cities and regions with the goal to enhance the regions profile as a global conference and exhibition destination,” concluded the IPIM spokesman

Gareth Martin to lead Perth Convention Bureau

By TTGmice

June 25, 2019

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Perth Convention Bureau (PCB) has confirmed the appointment of Gareth Martin as its new CEO.

Martin has worked with the PCB and its membership for 12 years, most recently as acting CEO following the departure of former CEO Paul Beeson in February after an eight-year stint.

PCB’s chairman Kevin Skipworth said the board welcomed the appointment and were excited about working with Martin towards a renewed long-term strategic plan to transform the Bureau into 2020 and beyond.

Skipworth added that Martin has extensive business event, sales and marketing experience, and has held senior executive roles at PCB including director business development and general manager.

Hyatt aims at upper-midscale gap with new Chinese-centric brand

By TTGmice

June 25, 2019

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Hyatt and BTG Homeinns Hotels Group, which entered into a strategic joint venture in February, have unveiled a new hospitality brand targeting China’s growing but underserved upper-midscale segment.

Developed as an entirely homegrown brand, UrCove (pronounced as “your cove”) will be built specifically to meet Chinese travellers’ preferences. According to both partners, the brand is also envisioned to cater to China’s swelling ranks of ‘road warriors’, as business travellers in the country currently sees limited opportunities to experience comfortable travel especially at the upper-midscale segment.

UrCove will cater to the upper-midscale segment of frequent business travellers

“Given China’s growing economic importance and the phenomenal growth of its middle-class segment, the UrCove brand strengthens our representation in the underserved upper-midscale segment, and we believe that this locally developed brand will advance our commitment to this important market,” said Stephen Ho, president of Greater China, global operations, Hyatt.

“We are one step closer to fulfilling our commitment to elevate the business travel experience of the growing upper-midscale segment,” said David Sun, general manager of BTG Homeinns Hotels Group, chairman & CEO of Homeinns Hotel Group.

UrCove hotels will be located in highly accessible locations in gateway cities, offering functional business space, practical amenities and extensive F&B options. The first two UrCove hotels are expected to open in Shanghai and Beijing by late 2020.

Business travel is changing, technology needs to keep up

By Industry Expert

June 25, 2019

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Corporate travel can be a complex industry. Managing traveller preferences, as well as duty of care obligations, can be an arduous task for companies, which is where travel management companies (TMCs) can add value.

Many business travellers acknowledge that efficient booking processes and easy-to-use tools for communicating with their employers while travelling, are assets that support seamless and productive business journeys. The corporate travel world has transformed in recent years, and technology is expected to play as much of a part in the experience as it does in leisure travel, however I believe we’re still only starting to scratch the surface of where this will take us.

Because of the complexities of the corporate travel industry, it’s been a constant challenge for innovations in technology to keep pace with the leisure sector.

In our 2018 Traveller 360° research report we found that 74% of business travellers said their company had an online system or app for booking travel, with 65% reporting this as being easy to use. The changing needs of the business traveller present an opportunity for TMCs in meeting these needs and expectations throughout their journey, driving innovation.

As well as expectations of a consumer-grade experience when using their corporate Online Booking Tool (OBT), business travellers want mobile access to manage their travel. The level of smartphone adoption in Asia-Pacific is fast dictating the need for travel companies to provide advanced mobile capabilities. We identified this need and are now providing real-time live chat functionality, via the Amex GBT Mobile TM app. This enables travellers to pick up and continue a chat conversation even if they close their app to attend to a call or a meeting.

Technology is hugely important when it comes to travel disruptions. One-in-five travellers reported rescheduling or postponing a business trip due to travel safety concerns and in these instances technology such as live chat can offer immediate support and reassurance.

A 2018 GlobalData report listed the six technology trends for the travel industry as Augmented and Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things, Voice Technology, Wi-Fi connectivity and wearable devices.

AI is particularly interesting as a driver in the evolution of business travel as it is increasingly enabling more personalised services for travellers. While AI is in early stages, we are already using it for trip recommendations in our proprietary online booking tool Neo. This tool analyses travellers’ previous behaviour, also taking into account both patterns of similar travellers and company policy, to make predictive recommendations when our travellers are booking online. TMCs need to continue to invest in this technology until we reach a true point of seamless automation.

AI can help to minimise laborious manual processes, for instance through our Hotel Re-Shop Expert and Air Re-Shop Expert technology, we can automate the constant monitoring of air fares and hotel rates following a booking and trigger a rebooking when a like-for-like booking becomes available at a lower rate or fare.

As the corporate travel industry continues down the path of digitisation, the most important thing is for companies to listen to traveller feedback on what they need to reduce the stress of the business journey. In our 2018 traveller survey, the top words used by many business travellers coming home from a trip were “relief” to be home and “exhausted”. We strive to help travellers be present both physically and mentally so they achieve more optimal business results.

Joanne Sully is the vice-president & regional general manager, Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia, of American Express GBT. She is responsible for developing strategies for Australia and South-east Asia, and is leading efforts to drive business growth and performance while managing the Australia and South-east Asia GBT team, encompassing approximately 500 people.

Beyond Asia: Switzerland; Germany; and Calgary, Canada

Wine and dine in private at Txoko

Tasty ideas

Australia & Hong Kong

Indonesia & Malaysia

Singapore & Thailand

Catch up with Brad Dabbs

Cambodia’s Song Saa Private Island welcomes new GM

Macau rolls out official MICE branding

Macau clinches UFI APAC conference

Gareth Martin to lead Perth Convention Bureau

Hyatt aims at upper-midscale gap with new Chinese-centric brand

Business travel is changing, technology needs to keep up

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