The Galle Face Hotel in Colombo now has a new resident manager and head of sales & marketing.
Gaffoor (leftmost) and McDougall (second from left), together with other new appointments at Galle Face Hotel
Mubarak Gaffoor is the hotel’s resident manager, overseeing operational departments including the rooms division and F&B.
Gaffoor has been a part of the Galle Face Hotel family since 2014 when he joined as a director of sales, before being promoted to director of group sales & marketing.
Narelle McDougall is the new head of sales & marketing for the Galle Face Hotel and Ceylon Hotel Corporation (CHC), overseeing sales and marketing, revenue and reservations, catering sales and public relations.
McDougall has had years of experience in the region including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Maldives with leading brands such as InterContinental, Le Méridien and Anantara.
Hilton has appointed Etienne Dalançon as general manager of Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, a 122-villa resort set to open in the summer of 2019.
Dalançon joined the Hilton team in 2018, and earlier at Hyatt Hotels Corporate where he held roles as general manager of opening projects as well as various senior positions including sales and marketing.
With more than 20 years of experience in various roles within the hospitality industry, Dalançon has worked across multiple geographies including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo as well as in his native France.
ICC Sydney is Australia’s first fully-integrated harbourside convention, exhibition and entertainment venue and has already established itself as one of the world’s most sought-after venues.
Critical to ICC Sydney’s success has been its people and since its opening, the venue’s 1,700+ person team has hosted a diverse calendar of 1,500+ events and welcomed more than two million visitors. It has also achieved phenomenal delegate and client satisfaction ratings of 99% and 97% respectively in 2018.
As a result of the performance of its people and its focus on innovation as an organisation, ICC Sydney has garnered strong industry praise and acknowledgement across all facets of the business.
Feeding performance with culinary excellence
Underpinning ICC Sydney’s achievements has been its commitment to forging new ways of delivering for clients. This includes its award-winning Feeding Your Performance (FYP) culinary philosophy which sees the ICC Sydney team source the best, peak-of-season produce from local farmers to fuel the bodies and minds of delegates.
Originally focused on delivering ‘smart menus’, FYP has evolved to celebrate and support local farmers and showcase the very best regional produce on the global stage while also providing financial security, employment and growth opportunities for regional communities.
The program has been embedded throughout ICC Sydney’s operations and in 2018, FYP was heralded as a ‘blueprint for innovation’ by the prestigious University of Technology Sydney.
Cultivating a lasting legacy
ICC Sydney is also forging connections for its clients and community via a unique multi-streamed Legacy Program. This Australian-first initiative connects the world’s visiting minds, industry leaders and delegates with the region’s talented and local networks through five diverse streams – Innovators & Entrepreneurs, Generation Next, First Australians, Sustainable Events and Creative Industries.
Each stream provides clients with an opportunity to engage with locals in a number of ways – from direct exposure to Sydney’s network of entrepreneurs and startups and fostering the next generation of thought leaders via student engagement, to working with local Aboriginal businesses, engaging new talent for event performances and much more.
Formalising a commitment to Australia’s First Nations
Building on the venue’s work to drive greater engagement with, and acknowledgement of, Australia’s First Nations people, ICC Sydney became the first convention centre in Australia to launch a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) last year.
Setting a precedent for the industry, this initiative bolsters ICC Sydney’s ongoing commitment to recognise and celebrate the cultures, practices and traditions of Australia’s First Nations within the venue and the events it hosts.
Underpinned by technology
At ICC Sydney, event success is also fostered via the team’s dedication to continuously elevating experiences for clients through customised technology solutions. Today, the venue is more equipped than ever thanks to recent investments in additional industry-leading audio visual, production and ICT equipment.
As a result, clients have access to the most up-to-date technology in the industry, upgraded in-house digital facilities including a Digital Media Suite (DMS) and full in-house audio visual (AV) and production service. This is all supported by a team who know exactly how to bring the power of equipment to life and deliver the ‘wow’ factor.
Book your experience today
To experience ICC Sydney and the best of Sydney, book your next event today.
Email address: sales@iccsydney.com | Contact number: +61 2 9215 7100
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has created a new MICE Intelligence & Innovation department and unveiled the three-year MICE Intelligence & Innovation Strategic Plan (2019-2021).
One of the new initiatives is a MICE Intelligence & Resource Center on its website, which will allow all target groups – entrepreneurs, businessmen, students and the public – to jointly foster MICE business through data.
TCEB’s Supawan Teerarat
According to TCEB, in the past governments mainly supported budgets to develop personnel, venues and win more MICE events. However, financial support on its own cannot meet customer needs and ensure sustainable growth of the MICE business.
In addition to financing, many countries are now designing strategies to support the industry through other means, including Thailand which is moving from the role of general information provider to offering more insightful information to allow operators to come up with concrete business plans through data analytics and artificial intelligence, TCEB said.
The bureau hence initiated the MICE Intelligence & Innovation Department to promote the adoption of innovations and data for MICE development with particular emphasis on creating innovations based on the real demands of entrepreneurs.
Part of its three-year plan is to better support event organisers and suppliers, TCEB will roll out the Paperless MICE Lane Request to welcome VIPs at the airports; online financial support request; chatbot help desk; and MICE permit advisor.
With a view to develop MICE Supply, TCEB has three projects: the MICE Online Standard Assessment, which allows entrepreneurs to apply for MICE standard certificates; MICE Career Portal; and MICE Digital Learning Platform.
There are two projects geared towards enhancing efficiency of events, including a mobile application to accommodate the organisers; and event traffic analytics to assess visitors via video.
Another focus area is to connect MICE supply and demand. This encompasses five projects, namely the event opportunities portal which compiles names and information on events for bidding; a crowd funding platform to support event organisation; a marketplace for visitors’ registration or exhibitor bookings; an event discovery platform; and an e-commerce marketplace for MICE products and services to create business opportunities pre and post
events.
Finally, there will be a MICE Intelligence & Resource Center, a database for assistance in creating innovations.
Nine association heads and members from Singapore’s tourism and hospitality scene will next month convene for an inaugural panel, named the SG Tourism Leaders Forum (STLF).
Organised by the PATA Singapore Chapter, the STLF will feature three Power Panel Sessions as well as a networking lunch. Participating associations include PATA, SACEOS, Singapore Hotel Association, Orchard Road Business Association, Singapore Retailers Association, Restaurant Association of Singapore and Cruise Lines International Association.
Wong: Singapore’s tourism industry should work as one to face business challenges
Also speaking in the panels are the NTUC Hospitality & Consumer Business Cluster and the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore. The Singapore Tourism Board will also speak at the forum.
“In an increasingly challenging business environment, we must avoid working in silos. Instead, we should leverage our collective synergy as Team SG to achieve the ‘power of one’,” expressed Wong Soon-Hwa, chairman, PATA Singapore Chapter.
He told TTG Asia that the need for such a forum has been a long time coming, especially with new disruptors and developments rising in Singapore’s tourism landscape.
The forum will also serve as an opportunity for PATA members and other tourism change-makers in Singapore to “renew ties and make new connections across the industry”, said Wong.
STLF will take place on March 6 from 08.30 to 14.00 at the Stephen Riady Auditorium @ NTUC, 1 Marina Boulevard. Interested association members are advised to contact their association for an official invitation and registration access. More information can be found at sgtourismleadersforum.com.
New York City - amazing sunset over manhattan with Queensboro bridge
Thanks to an increase in direct flight connections and destination awareness, the US is gaining traction among Singaporean business travellers.
In October last year, New York City’s official destination marketing organisation, NYC & Company, set up shop in Singapore – a move that has helped bring the US onto the radar of MICE organisers here, remarked James Wong, sales & marketing manager (MICE), Farmosa Holiday Tour.
Sunset over manhattan with Queensboro bridge in the foreground
He explained: “The US has been quiet for the past few years, but now with NYC & Company’s office in Singapore, at least the we can learn more about the new things New York City has to offer, and have someone to approach if we have questions.”
Vivian Lee, general manager of Euro-Asia Holidays, observed that the Singapore market has held a perception of the US as an inaccessible and expensive destination.
Now, with the growing roster of flight connections to the US, Euro-Asia Holidays can now offer a diverse range of airline options such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates, she said.
However, she added that corporate groups are still slow to warm up to US travel, which can be costly especially involving headcount in the hundreds.
“If tourism organisations like NYC & Company can come to us with more incentives, exclusive (benefits) or value-added services for corporate groups, it would definitely help,” said Lee.
Wong said that more time is needed for the US to grow onto the corporate market, as well as more activities and places of interest that can be incorporated into meeting, incentive or bleisure itineraries.
Makiko Matsuda Healy, managing director, tourism market development, NYC & Company, shared that there is currently a convention development team in the city that can help MICE organisers with tasks such as site inspections, as well as MICE agents to pitch New York City to the client.
This week, NYC & Company embarked on its first South-east Asia trade mission, making stops in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Manila, where the organisation will conduct training and networking sessions between travel agents and NYC & Company partners, namely Hudson Yards, The Museum of Modern Art, Tour America and Wyndham Garden Brooklyn Sunset Park Hotel New York.
BSD junction, floating castle area night aerial photo
Alcor MICE will launch a new venue in Indonesia’s Alam Sutera come December, expected to fill the gap for medium-scale spaces in Tangerang, a satellite city on the western border of Jakarta.
The new venue – with a total area of around 10,000 m2 – will comprise a main hall (6,000 m2) and a smaller 1,000m2 hall that can be divided into six rooms.
BSD junction, floating castle area in Serpong, Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia
Jim Tehusijarana, director of Alcor MICE, said that the corporate need for event spaces in the Tangerang Regency area as well as the neighbouring industrial area of Jakarta is quite high. “We are targeting the corporate meetings, events and weddings,” he said.
Tehusijarana added: “Being an industrial area, Tangerang needs space for companies to exhibit their products on a small scale. There is the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), but the space is too big for them. We want to fill that gap by providing medium-scale spaces although it is also quite flexible for larger events.”
The new hall venue will have specifications similar to another of Alor MICE’s venues, The Kasablanka Hall.
While the latter is located on the top floor of Kota Kasablanka Mall, the new venue will be on the ground floor of Alam Sutera Mall, simplifying logistics as well as guest access.
The new venue is in proximity to Tangerang’s entertainment and gastronomical hub, as well as many of the city’s tourist sites and golf courses. There are several shopping malls near the venue, including Mall of Alam Sutera Hotel, which is to be built with a link to the venue.
The new venue is less than an hour’s drive from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Hotels in the vicinity of the venue in Serpong District, Tangerang include JHL Solitaire Gading Serpong a D Varee Collection, Mercure Serpong Alam Sutera, Atria Hotel Gading Serpong, Soll Marina Hotel, Ara Hotel Gading Serpong.
Alcor MICE is the management company of The Kasablanka Hall, Upper Room and Bekasi Convention Center.
No less than 97% of Indian business travellers and 95% of Chinese business travellers surveyed by Airplus base their hotel booking decisions on reviews at least occasionally.
Overall, of the 2,180 business travellers from 24 countries surveyed by the provider of corporate travel management solutions, 28% choose their hotel based on guest reviews. A further 58% are guided by reviews at least some of the time.
Nearly 100 per cent of Chinese and Indian respondents based business booking decisions on reviews at least from time to time
Many travellers regard reviews as having a high degree of credibility, AirPlus observed. Some 27% by-and-large trust reviews, while 66% trust them at least sometimes.
However, the extent of that trust in reviews differs from country to country. While 57% of Indian business travellers always trust reviews, the figure for the Netherlands is only 10%.
“Companies ought to share their business travel experiences and make reviews about hotel bookings, for instance, available to employees,” Yael Klein, marketing director of AirPlus, advised.
Reviews by a company’s own employees provide an opportunity to back up internal travel perceptions. Employees trust reviews by colleagues and comply with corporate policy by booking hotels preferred by the company.
Addressing travel managers, Klein suggested: “Why don’t you check whether the provider of your hotel booking tool offers review opportunities? Should this not be the case, a corporate link to a public review platform could be set up.
“The feared migration has not occurred within the context of subsequent booking processes. Instead, employees obtain information from a very wide range of sources, but ultimately bookings are made in the companies’ own systems.”
The beachfront Amari Pattaya Hotel is rolling out an early bird offer for its new meeting and event spaces.Come mid-April, the hotel will launch a brand-new ballroom, events lawn, pool and meeting facilities.
The 620m2 ballroom is suitable for large-scale MICE events and weddings, with a capacity for up to 1,000 guests. The 1,000m2 event lawn is ideal for open-air film screenings, weddings, weekend farmer’s markets and pop-up events.
Bookings that are paid for before March 31 will be entitled to a 20 per cent discount.
Dubai: W Dubai – The Palm opens in Jumeirah
W Dubai – The Palm has opened on a man-made island in Dubai, the Palm Jumeirah. The 350-key hotel offers over 2,000m2 of events space, including a 1,215m2 Great Room with an oval shape and rotating walls that let in (or block out) the Arabian sun. The Green Room serves as a holding area for events and weddings.
A highlight at the hotel are the multiple pools that sit in a wave-like pattern in the centre of the Escape to form the W brand’s iconic Wet Deck experience directly facing a beach. Facilities include a spa – with 10 treatment rooms, a steam room, sauna, “experiential showers”, a hammam and a couples’ suite – and fitness centre. There are six F&B concepts at the hotel, including by renowned chefs Massimo Bottura and Akira Back. SoBe (short for South Beach) is an adults-only rooftop bar inspired by Miami vibes.”
Nairobi: First Africa Protected Areas Congress to take place in November
The first Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) was announced at Nairobi National Park’s historic Ivory Burning Site. Set to take place from November 18 to 23, APAC 2019 was conceived as a way to position Africa’s protected areas within the goals of economic and community well being as well as seek commitment from African governments to integrate protected areas in the African Union’s agenda 2063 strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the entire continent.
The congress is expected to attract more than 2,000 delegates who will deliberate on homegrown ways to secure a sustainable future for Africa’s protected areas, people and biodiversity while showcasing homegrown examples of practical, innovative, sustainable and replicable solutions that harmonise conservation and sustainable human development.
“Today we launch the Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC), the first ever continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens, and interest groups to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature and promoting sustainable development. This landmark forum organised by the World Commission on Protected Areas and the International Union for Conservation of Nature provides us with a platform for holding honest discussions on the future we want for our protected areas and seek solutions to the persistent and emerging problems” said tourism and wildlife principal secretary Margaret Mwakima.
Rome: First patisserie-themed boutique hotel opens
The First Roma Dolce – by The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts, a new patisserie-themed boutique hotel, is set to open its doors in March 2019. Situated on Via del Corso in Rome, the hotel is housed within a classic 19th-century building designed by Giuseppe Valadier, known for creating the elliptical design of Piazza del Popolo.
The boutique hotel will be home to 23 suites and guestrooms, with views of the bustling Via del Corso and amenities including in-room fitness equipment. Guests will be welcomed by homemade pastries in their room upon check in, to be enjoyed as they peruse the pastry-inspired books in their room.
A patisserie-style restaurant will serve sweet treats from the pasticceria during the summer, while offering gourmet experiences such as chocolate tastings in winter. The restaurant will also serve a classic English afternoon tea, alongside an all-day dining menu of light cuisine.
Other highlights include specialist services such as a personal shopping consultant who will be on hand to assist guests with purchases.
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
The five-star property excels in backing its expansive facilities with seamless service and personalised attention, setting the benchmark for luxury in Bangkok.
Gaffoor (leftmost) and McDougall (second from left), together with other new appointments at Galle Face Hotel
The beachfront Amari Pattaya Hotel is rolling out an early bird offer for its new meeting and event spaces.Come mid-April, the hotel will launch a brand-new ballroom, events lawn, pool and meeting facilities.
The 620m2 ballroom is suitable for large-scale MICE events and weddings, with a capacity for up to 1,000 guests. The 1,000m2 event lawn is ideal for open-air film screenings, weddings, weekend farmer’s markets and pop-up events.
Bookings that are paid for before March 31 will be entitled to a 20 per cent discount.