Destination Gold Coast has appointed Fion Huang to the newly-created position of senior business development manager – Asia.
Huang will be responsible for securing new conference and incentive business for the Gold Coast, working closely with corporate and incentive clients within Greater China and South East Asia.
In her new position, Huang will be regularly in-market and responsible for initiating representation at international tradeshows, sales missions, fam programmes and other key marketing activities in China and South-east Asia.
Huang joins the business events team with over seven years’ experience in business development, marketing and communication roles in China.
Prior to her relocation to the Gold Coast, she worked in similar positions for a number of international hotels in China, such as the Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai and Park Hyatt Shanghai.
Royal Caribbean Cruises’ (RCL) head of sales – Asia Pacific, Josh Wen, will be expanding his role to cover Singapore trade sales.
Wen, who has been with Royal Caribbean for 3.5 years, will now handle a total of 15 markets in the region for trade sales, including Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Wen takes over the Singapore role from Mona Foo, head of business development, who will now focus on corporate sales and operations in Asia.
He was previously in trade strategy and management with the fast-moving consumer goods industry.
X2 Resorts – part of BHMA Hotels & Resorts portfolio – has appointed a new cluster general manager, Steve Lockhart, for X2 Pattaya Oceanphere and X2 Vibe Pattaya Seaphere.
He moves to Pattaya from X2 Kui Buri, where he was general manager.
The Belfast-born hotelier brings almost two decades of experience to the table. His career has taken him to destinations like Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, China, Laos and Malaysia.
Prior to joining BHMA Hotels & Resorts, Lockhart’s previous positions in Thailand have included management roles at Novotel Bangkok Siam Square, Vie Hotel Bangkok MGallery by Sofitel, and V Villas Hua Hin MGallery by Sofitel.
Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Thai Airways International (TG) have unveiled their first joint campaign for the year, ASEAN MaxiMICE, targeted at business events travellers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore.
Under ASEAN MaxiMICE, privileges are offered to groups across three tiers – Silver for 40-99 pax, Gold for 100-149 pax, and Platinum for 150 pax and more. Privileges include a dedicated immigration lane, cultural performances, additional baggage allowance, pre-assigned group seating, and BTS Card for skytrain travel, among others. To qualify, groups must arrive in Thailand on a TG flight, and stay for at least two nights.
TCEB’s Nooch and TG’s general manager Singapore, Nivat Chantarachoti
When asked about support for South-east Asia’s other regional markets Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV), Nooch Homrossukhon, TCEB’s director of meetings and incentives department, told TTGmice: “These are emerging markets, and have different needs and preferences when it comes to doing MICE business in Thailand. We need to conduct more marketing activities and develop closer relationships to understand their requirements and expectations.”
She, however, highlighted that Vietnam and Cambodia have “huge potential”, and this campaign or a similar one may be expanded to include other South-east Asian markets in the future.
For now, Nooch targets at least a five per cent increase each in business events travellers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore.
As TCEB has only one representative in Singapore, Nooch pointed out that the bureau would be “relying pretty much on TG’s support in the other three countries”, where the airline would help promote the campaign both online and offline.
In 2018, South-east Asian business travellers to Thailand grew 58 per cent. From the region, the four largest markets are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Arrivals from these markets collectively grew 30 per cent and accounted for 68 per cent of all South-east Asian business travellers. For the fiscal year October 2017-September 2018, Thailand welcomed almost 1.3 million MICE visitors.
Similarly for TG, Asia is the airline’s fastest growing market, contributing more than 50 per cent of TG’s overall revenue, shared Siriphong Mangkalee, regional director ASEAN.
Applications for ASEAN MaxiMICE are open from February 1 until August 31, 2019, with travel to be completed by September 30, 2019.
Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has rolled out a new online system for Penang’s industry players to submit data on events taking place in the city.
Named Vision Insight, the system was initiated and developed by PCEB. Data collected will be analysed by PCEB for its annual Business Events industry review.
Vision Insight’s homepage
Touted as the first of its kind in Malaysia for business events, the online portal is accessible on Google Chrome through https://visioninsight.my/and requires a registered email and password.
Aside from providing information for analysis, Ashwin Gunasekeran, CEO of PCEB, added that the online portal also “works as an archive for industry players to conveniently track the type of meetings and events that are being held at their hotel or venue”.
In the past, PCEB’s in-house researcher had to manually monitor the progress and gather data from industry partners.
“Data collection plays a crucial role in directing the vision and mission of business events in Penang, and I believe this initiative will benefit Team Penang and continue to put us in the forefront of the global industry,” expressed Yeoh Soon Hin, Penang state exco for tourism development, heritage, culture & arts.
Jakarta is gearing up to host a new international B2B travel mart for the business events sector.
Named Indonesia International MICE Expo (IIME), the event will take place on May 2 and 3 at The Kasablanka in Jakarta. IIME is expected to attract 100 sellers, 100 hosted buyers (both local and international), and 1,000 trade visitors.
The Kasablanka will be the event venue for IIME
IIME is the brainchild of Alcor MICE – the owner of The Kasablanka hall – in collaboration with RajaMICE, with the aim of supporting the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts to grow the country’s business events industry.
Jim Tehusijarana, director of Alcor Prime (holding company of Alcor MICE), said: “The number of business events travellers to Indonesia may not be as many as leisure travellers, but the length of visit and the amount of money spent by business events travellers is (appealing). The government is committed to increasing (the arrival numbers of such) quality visitors, and has set a target of two million corporate travellers to Indonesia in 2019.”
There is still much room for growth for the business events sector in Indonesia, he opined, adding that IIME could trigger the advancement of the industry by providing inspiration to event planners.
Panca Sarungu, founder of RajaMice as well as chairman of IIME’s organising committee, shared: “The number of hosted buyers may be small (compared to other regional MICE marts), but we ensure that these buyers are the ones (who can bring) hundreds of delegates or incentive groups to Indonesia.”
Buyers and trade visitors selected by the committee will mostly come from corporations that engage in banking, manufacturing, insurance, and business events, Panca added. The number of international buyers will be around 30 to 50 people.
Besides having a B2B meeting component, IIME will also include business events clinics, networking sessions, as well as site inspections and post tour programmes for buyers.
Business events groups heading to Vietnam’s Halong Bay from July onwards can now hold events inside Trinh Nu Cave.
Also known as the Virgin Cave, Bhaya Cruises has obtained special authorisation from Halong City authorities to host events in the space which was previously off-limits to visitors. The company is currently the only cruise operator granted access to the ancient grotto, which is one of 72 that dot the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Party set up on the beach
As part of the project, Bhaya Cruises has renovated and improved the area by creating a wooden gangway and stairs that weave through the cave, enabling easy access. A platform area has been created inside, as well as gentle lighting and bar area, with a generator installed to provide electricity. The small beach to the entrance and the larger beach at the exit have also been extensively cleaned.
The cave provides a flexible space for events for about 200 people. Tables and chairs, stages and other arrangements can be set up on the beach and inside the cave, making it ideal for gala dinners, teambuilding and special events.
Set-up on the sundeck in the midst of Halong Bay
Armand Cheveux, Bhaya Cruises’ director of marketing, said: “Located in the heart of Halong Bay, yet still away from the more jam-packed areas, Trinh Nu cave amazes all with its spellbinding natural beauty and rich geological, ecological and historical records.”
Operating four product lines, the Au Co and Bhaya Classic are most suited for incentive groups, thanks to the cabin capacity of 15 to 32 rooms and up to 250 passenger occupancy during an overnight programme.
Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has signed a co-marketing agreement with Marriott International to drive international corporate meetings to the country.
It is the first time both organisations are collaborating to conduct joint marketing initiatives.
The partnership will utilise the network of both parties – KTO’s 32 overseas branch offices and Marriott Global Sales Office situated in 70 cities across the world
As part of the agreement, KTO will be participating in Marriott’s overseas roadshows and exhibitions, and carry out programmes for key decision makers. KTO also has plans to expand the partnership with other hotel chains should this prove to be a success.
“The corporate meetings market is a blue-ocean of opportunities that have long been concealed by incentive travel and international conferences. Seoul being a hub for multinational companies in North-east Asia, we believe that there is a greater chance to successfully develop this market,” said Cheolbom Park, KTO corporate meetings & incentive team director.
Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center opens
The largest combined resort and convention centre in Aurora, Colorado, US, has opened a 10-minute drive away from Denver International Airport.
The resort features 1,501 guestrooms – including 114 well-appointed suites – and amenities such as a spa and salon, fitness centre, indoor and outdoor pools, eight dining options and a 900-inch viewing screen in the Mountain Pass Sports Bar.
Meeting planners can avail the 45,150m2 of exhibition, meeting, pre-function and outdoor spaces, which includes the 1,858m2 Aurora Patio and the 16,260m2 Exhibit Hall.
IBTM Arabia and ICCA Middle East host MICE Knowledge Platform IBTM Arabia has announced details of the Knowledge Programme for its 2019 event, which will take place at Jumeirah Etihad Towers from March 25-27.
New this year is a MICE Knowledge Platform – two specially tailored sessions in association with ICCA Middle East.
The first session, Business approaches across cultures, will bring together panel members from across the MENA region to debate the cultural factors influencing how businesses communicate, cooperate and succeed.
In the second session, association and convention bureau panellists will explore international perceptions of the Middle East and investigate, how companies and destinations can be client focussed in our ever-changing business environment.
American Express M&E rolls out Meetings Express platform
American Express Meetings & Events (M&E) has launched the Meetings Express platform.
The platform provides users with a single global interface for sourcing small, simple, and recurring meetings. It is supported by selected third-party technology providers in different regions.
Users can work with these providers – Groupize in North America, MeetingsBooker.com in the UK and Nordics, Bizmeeting in France, meetago in Germany and iVvy in Australia – directly through this single interface. Each has been vetted to ensure they combine the right hotels, venues and meetings’ spaces with the best possible user experience.
Meetings Express connects to American Express M&E’s centralised data platform, Meetings Insights, and integrates with American Express M&E’s reporting and management tools, providing customers with broader insights across their meetings portfolio.
Singapore-headquartered Capella Hotel Group has opened the Capella Sanya – styled by architects Jean-Michel Gathy and Bill Bensley – on China’s tropical island of Hainan.
The beachfront resort boasts 190 rooms, suites and villas. Room sizes range from the 88m2 oceanfront or garden rooms, up to the one-to-four bedroom pool villas measuring from 170-816m2.
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The four-bedroom Oceanfront Pool Villa is the largest residence of the resort, and comes complete with its own swimming pool, jacuzzi, outdoor bar, massage pavilion, sunken lawn, barbecue pavilion, garage, kitchen and staff accommodation.
Health and wellness facilities on-site include a gym with its own private 125m2 heated lap pool, two tennis courts, and a 4,020m2 Auriga Wellness spa complex complete with Hainan’s first Moroccan bath and Snow Cabin.
There are four dining options as well, ranging from the Chinese fine-dining restaurant Lan Ting, to the tropical pool and beach restaurant The Dempsey.
For events and meetings, the resort offers over 2,000m2 of meeting and function facilities, including a 646m2 ballroom that can cater to up to 520 guests. There’s also several indoor and outdoor venues such as the 255m2 Romance Lawn.
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.
