TCEB's Kanokporn Damrongkul (centre), with partners at the China Business Forum
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has launched the new 360 Degree Exhibition Success to incentivise exhibition organisers, exhibitors and trade visitors from China.
The new campaign comprises three key elements:
A Bidding Fund Programme element designed to help organisers launch international exhibitions in Thailand, by providing market support and access to industries.
The Exhibiz in Market element is designed to grow new business by giving the national pavilion leader a business platform at exhibitions in Thailand.
The final ASEAN+6 Privilege element assists business missions in bringing trade visitors from ASEAN+6 countries, including China, to Thailand for business meetings during exhibitions held in the Kingdom.
TCEB’s Kanokporn Damrongkul (centre), with partners at the China Business Forum
Kanokporn Damrongkul, TCEB’s director of exhibitions department, said in a statement: “TCEB continues to strengthen our partnership with China and our commitment to promoting sustainable growth of the exhibition industry that benefits both Thailand and the region as a whole. We are optimistic that we can achieve more than 10 per cent growth in terms of exhibitions from China in 2019.”
In 2018, Chinese MICE travellers heading to Thailand grew 40 per cent, making China Thailand’s top source market for the fifth consecutive year.
For exhibitions, China is Thailand’s top source market as well, growing from only 16,000 participants in 2013 to 46,000 participants during 2018, a jump of 187 per cent.
The ICC Sydney Theatre has capacity for some 9,000 guests
First State Super, Australia’s largest industry funds, has secured the naming rights to the ICC Sydney Theatre for a 10-year term since July 8.
The move was announced in a press release, with the new name being confirmed as the First State Super Theatre. There will be no change to the management of the theatre, with the ICC Sydney team still in place as it transitions to a new brand.
The ICC Sydney Theatre has capacity for some 9,000 guests
ICC Sydney chief executive Geoff Donaghy said in a statement: “We are excited to partner with First State Super, an existing equity partner in the ICC Sydney project, to grow and amplify the current and ongoing success of the theatre as one of Sydney’s premier live entertainment venues.”
First State Super provides superannuation, advice and retirement solutions to over 767,000 members around Australia including New South Wales public sector employees and their families.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will invest more than S$50 million (US$37 million) in a major revamp of its SilverKris and KrisFlyer Gold Lounges at Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3).
Renovations will commence in August 2019 and are expected to be completed by mid-2021.
Artist impression of the refurbished lounge (Credit: HBA)
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The project, overseen by hospitality designers Hirsch Bedner Associates, will see an overall 30 per cent increase in space and total customer capacity for the T3 lounges.
Suites and first class customers can look forward to a brand-new Private Room and First Class Lounge. The First Class Lounge will continue to feature a flagship bar, while The Private Room will boast a full-service fine dining section within the lounge.
The Business Class Lounge will be expanded and feature four distinct zones. Customers with a short transit can have a light snack in a relaxed café setting, while those with more time may explore a full selection of Asian and international cuisines in the dining hall, including live stations offering local delights.
A highlight of the new Business Class Lounge will be a full service bar that doubles up as a self-service breakfast station in the mornings. Productivity pods will be available for customers who need a corner to work, and there will also be a rest area with chaise lounges for customers to catch some shut-eye.
The KrisFlyer Gold Lounge will also double in capacity and include dedicated working spaces, as well as larger al fresco seating and dining areas. It will also be equipped with restrooms and showers.
The construction process will be carried out over four phases, during which the lounges will be progressively renovated in sections, starting with the Business Class Lounge, followed by the First Class Lounge and The Private Room, and finally the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge. Customers, in the meantime, will be invited to temporary lounges.
Hilton Malaysia has unveiled its newest meeting package, Changing the Way People Meet, which reinforces the brand’s signature Meet with Purpose Concept.
On top of discounts and complimentary rooms plus upgrades, two categories (Deluxe and Executive) of value-added benefits are available based on event spend. These include 3x Hilton Honor Points, airport limousine transfers, cocktail receptions and more.
Participating hotels are Hilton Kuala Lumpur, Hilton Petaling Jaya, Hilton Kota Kinabalu, Hilton Kuching, DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur, DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka, DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang, and Hilton Garden Inn Puchong.
Booking dates are open from now until September 30, 2019, for event materialisation from now until December 31, 2019.
Amadeus has appointed Nadia Yahiaoui to head Corporations for Asia Pacific.
In her new role, she will focus on increasing Amadeus’ regional footprint by helping Asia-Pacific-based corporations better manage business travel and expense. She will be based in Singapore and report to Arlene Coyle, senior vice president commercial, corporations, travel channels.
Prior to this role, Yahiaou was leading a team in Asia-Pacific whose role is to retain and develop Amadeus’ business relationships with global TMCs. She has also held several global and regional management positions in Amadeus, both in airlines and the travel management companies segments.
Yeoh Soo Hin has been appointed as the pre-opening general manager of 8 Conlay Kempinski Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
He was previously the vice president of finance for Kempinski Asia.
Set to open in 2021 with 260 rooms and 300 suites, the hotel is part of 8 Conlay, an integrated development by lifestyle property developer KSK Land, located between the KLCC area and Golden Triangle. It is currently under construction and will have a four-storey lifestyle retail podium, as well as two towers of branded serviced residences called YOO8 serviced by Kempinski.
Hospitality company, Next Story Group, has opened its fifth Kafnu-branded property in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City.
Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City is an eight-storey building located in Saigon Pearl. It is minutes from District 1 and 2, and a 30-minute drive from Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City
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Members enjoy round the clock access to a range of work spaces including hot desks and private offices, high-speed internet, a soundproof phone booth, and five meeting rooms with video conferencing capabilities.
Spanning 2,440m2, Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City also has a 180m2 event space with multi screens, where members can host product launches, workshops, and other events for up to 150 guests. There are also eight ensuite hotel rooms that ensure members from out of town can rest in.
Members can also keep fit at the Virtual Fitness Studio which offers over 1,500 classes, socialise at Habitat Cocktail Bar, and partake in modern Asian cuisine at Soy Restaurant.
Kafnu members also enjoy access to all Kafnu properties worldwide, located in Taipei, Bengaluru, Hong Kong and Sydney.
Perth Convention Bureau's Gareth Martin; Australian High Commissioner to Singapore Bruce Gosper; Western Australia’s tourism minister Paul Papalia; and Singapore Airlines Edwin Chiang met with corporate travel managers and MICE planners at a Western Australian Networking session yesterday evening
Tourism Western Australia (TWA) has unveiled an A$12 million (US$8.4 million) international marketing offensive that will see the state intensify its promotional efforts in the region’s key markets over the next 13 months to nurture growing tourism traffic from Asia.
TWA also signed a three-year global cooperative marketing agreement with Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Tuesday afternoon to promote both leisure and MICE travel to Western Australia in 10 key international markets including India, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore.
Perth Convention Bureau’s Gareth Martin; Australian High Commissioner to Singapore Bruce Gosper; Western Australia’s tourism minister Paul Papalia; and Singapore Airlines Edwin Chiang met with corporate travel managers and MICE planners at a Western Australian Networking session on Monday evening
The A$5 million agreement, jointly funded by TWA and SIA, will include advertising promotional airfares and travel packages to Western Australia through digital, print and TV channels.
Western Australia’s tourism minister Paul Papalia said at a press conference on Monday that this latest effort was the “biggest international marketing push in the state’s history”, as growing the tourism sector is part of the plan to “boost the economy, create jobs and develop business opportunities”.
He added: “One of the biggest opportunities for Perth and Western Australia at the moment is the MICE market. Coincidentally, there was a boom in mining (years ago), and hotels were built to meet that demand. But that demand shifted from construction to production.
“So all these high-quality, affordable hotels (have the capacity) to host business conferences and conventions. Melbourne and Sydney are much more expensive (in comparison).”
But Papalia acknowledged that Perth was “not that well-known” as a MICE destination, hence the aggressive marketing push.
On top of the new marketing push, Gareth Martin, newly-installed CEO of Perth Convention Bureau, revealed that an incentive for corporate groups has been made available from now until June 30, 2020. Any corporate groups bound for Perth will be given AS$50 per delegate.
Martin also sees this year’s Dreamtime – Tourism Australia’s incentive event – from December 1 to 3 in Perth as a shot in the arm for the destination.
Currently, Perth handles around 280 events per year of varying sizes, something that Martin wants to “grow by 10 per cent in the next two years”.
Stanley Yew, senior event sales executive of Singapore-based event management company Accolade, who attended the TWA trade event on Monday, told TTGmice that there seemed to be “more to do in Perth now, especially after hours”.
He pointed to lobster catching and a lunch cruise close to the city as attractive options for incentive groups, and opined that Perth needed to shout louder about its corporate event possibilities.
Pattaya city's skyline; Pattaya falls under Chonburi Province
Thailand has unveiled plans for a new convention centre on the country’s eastern coast which will help draw events related to high-tech industries.
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya shared that the bureau is conducting a feasibility study for the new-build, which will be located in one of three provinces: Rayong, Chonburi or Chachoengsao.
Pattaya city’s skyline; Pattaya falls under Chonburi Province
Subject to government approval, the future convention centre is scheduled for a March 2020 completion. It will complement two other large convention venues in nearby Pattaya – Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH) at Royal Cliff Beach Hotel and Nong Nooch Garden.
The construction of the convention centre is in line with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) initiative, aimed at transforming the region into a high-tech production base. Presently, the eastern coastal region is developing an aerospace metropolis that comprises U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport as well as aviation related businesses.
Among TCEB’s proposals for the eastern coast to the government is the launch of a regular air show in Thailand in 2023 or 2024 to “boost the area’s reputation as an aero metropolis”, revealed Chiruit.
TCEB is also working on establishing the first TCEB branch and an ASEAN MICE Institute in the region.
The symposium will have an impact on Hear and Say, the paediatric hearing healthcare sector, and Brisbane (pictured) as a city.
A US-headquartered paediatric health symposium has chosen Brisbane as its first-ever Asia-Pacific host city, with 500 global experts set to meet in the city come March 2021.
The successful bid for the AG Bell Global Listening and Spoken Language Symposium was led by economic development board Brisbane Marketing in partnership with Hear and Say, a local non-for-profit providing early intervention services for children with hearing loss.
The symposium will have an impact on Hear and Say, the paediatric hearing healthcare sector, and Brisbane (pictured) as a city.
Hear and Say’s clinical director, Emma Rushbrooke, was one of the first recipients of the Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant. She used the grant to attend the symposium in 2018 and worked with Brisbane Marketing to advocate for Brisbane as a future host city.
Lord Mayor of Brisbane Adrian Schrinner shared in a statement that the three-day symposium would highlight Brisbane and Australia’s world-leading expertise in paediatric hearing and healthcare research while generating over A$890,000 (US$626,204) for the local economy.
“Business events generate an average A$250 million for Brisbane’s economy annually, and each conference that comes to our city facilitates knowledge exchange, partnerships and boosts the local tourism, hospitality and service sectors,” Schrinner said.
“Teaming up with professionals like Rushbrooke to attract international conferences is precisely why the Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant was established and it’s pleasing to see another conference secured through the programme,” he added.
“This conference will significantly boost Hear and Say’s profile, enhancing our reputation as specialists on an international scale, and showcasing our Brisbane HQ as a centre of excellence for paediatric hearing healthcare, research and training,” Rushbrooke said in a statement.
Just 10 minutes from Phuket International Airport on the serene northern coast, this 178-key, Bill Bensley-designed resort offers delegates a quiet, tropical paradise steeped in Phuket’s tin-mining heritage
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
Behind the imposing, Brutalist concrete that defines Zurich’s Oerlikon district lies a surprising secret. While its exterior honours the neighbourhood’s industrial roots, stepping inside Mama Shelter reveals a vibrant, neon-soaked world that is a far cry from its rigid shell
