Strong corporate demand from domestic enterprises in China’s second- and third-tier cities like Chongqing, Xiamen and Zhuhai is fuelling double-digit growth for Ctrip’s business events sector.
China’s largest online travel agency set up its business travel department in 2006 to cater to growing demand for incentive programmes, senior-level conferences and team travel trips, said Oscar Huang, head, West and South China, Ctrip MICE, adding that the business unit is eyeing leadership position not only in market share, but also in the introduction of new technology and the setting of industry standards.
Chongqing (pictured) is one of the cities in China that is fuelling the corporate sector
“The market is not yet mature. There is an unbalanced supply-demand relationship and the coexistence of various service modes,” Huang noted. Ctrip MICE, he continued, will be looking at offering a one-stop approach and will be driving innovation with the use of technology to cater to this highly customised market segment.
Huang, who is also senior account director, pointed out that the Ctrip MICE website can be used on mobile, PC and Mac platforms, making it convenient, efficient and easy to use.
Meanwhile, Ctrip sister company Qunar – which provides real-time searches and instant comparisons for more than 4,190 online travel agencies, 600 airlines, 1.1 million hotels, and chauffeured car service in 246 cities – is taking baby steps to tap the business events segment.
Its business development director, Yan Zhao, said corporate business transactions so far have been typically conducted “offline”, and based on personal relationships, where Qunar will connect a booker looking for between 30 and 100 air tickets to an airline or wholesaler.
According to Huang, the GBTA reports that China’s business events market is worth a trillion dollars, and Zhao agreed there is potential for the meta-search/hybrid-OTA to pursue the business if the “ROI is high enough”.
“For now, we are focusing on delivering ‘quality and quantity’ low-cost products and services to our current customers who are primarily millennials,” she commented.
An artist impression of Qantas’ First Lounge at Changi Airport
Qantas has announced a multimillion investment for a new First Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport, which will become its fourth port worldwide with this dedicated offering after Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles.
Development of the Singapore First Lounge will begin in April 2019, with the opening scheduled for end-2019.
An artist impression of Qantas’ First Lounge at Changi Airport
Qantas will work with chef Neil Perry and industrial designer David Caon in collaboration with Akin Atelier, to create the lounge. The lounge will offer seating for 240 customers, as well as shower facilities, a cocktail bar, open kitchen, and a la carte dining with Asian-inspired menus.
Meanwhile, the existing Business Lounge, which opened in 2013, will also be expanded. Combined, the First and Business Lounges will offer seating for more than 800 customers.
CEO Alan Joyce announced the investment as part of the Qantas Group’s first quarter trading update, and indicated that the airline’s overall lounge capacity in Singapore would increase by 60 per cent.
“With the return of our A380 service to Singapore we’ve got more passengers transiting through our existing lounge and strong demand for travel in premium cabins,” he revealed.
In addition to Qantas’ investment in Singapore, the airline recently announced the upgrade of its lounges in Tokyo, Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart and Tamworth. A new Melbourne domestic lounge precinct is due to open at the end of October.
Singapore is Qantas’ largest hub outside of Australia, carrying more than 20 per cent of the airline’s widebody fleet. Qantas operates over 50 return services in to and out of Changi Airport each week, while Jetstar Group operates 298 weekly return flights to 26 destinations from Singapore.
Lebuh Armenia, one of the main streets in historical Georgetown, Penang
Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has joined forces with TTGmice to launch a digital contest in conjunction with the BE @ Penang 2018 business events industry conference.
The “Are You A Penang Business Events Guru” contest invites delegates to answer eight questions about Penang as a MICE city, and perfect scorers will stand a chance to redeem economy flights into Penang from any Asia-Pacific city, plus three nights’ accommodation, and a free pass to attend BE @ Penang.
Lebuh Armenia, one of the main streets in historical Georgetown, Penang
Taking place on December 6 and 7, 2018, at the Setia Spice Convention Centre, BE @ Penang expects to welcome 400 delegates from around the world.
The conference will feature 20 experts, including Nina Freysen-Pretorius, president of the International Congress and Convention Association, as the keynote speaker, PCEB’s CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran said.
The contest is now open for participation here: http://bit.ly/2PKH6vF. Contest closes this Friday!
The Upper House – part of Swire Hotels – in partnership with The Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association (HKDSA), has completed a programme that sought to provide vocational experiences for its members and equip them with skills to integrate into society.
Ten members from HKDSA joined the programme which included 18 hours of training, followed by a two-month attachment with the guest experience, restaurant & bar, housekeeping and kitchen departments. In total, 14 representatives from The Upper House formed a dedicated committee to provide guidance for the members, mentoring them through back-of-house operation and guest engagement.
Participants were awarded certifications at the graduation ceremony
Upon completion, a graduation ceremony was held where certificates were awarded to the participants. Two members also gained long-term employment.
This is part of the company’s SD 2030 vision, an initiative to reinforce the company’s commitment to sustainable development. The partnership with HKDSA will continue to be one of the property’s CSR commitments, with new programmes to be announced in 2019.
The 268-key Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore in Singapore’s CBD offers an Executive Boardroom and an outdoor pool terrace for functions, events and meetings.
The Executive Boardroom can cater up to 12 people comfortably. Boasting floor-to-ceiling windows that open out to the city skyline, the space is decked out with the latest technology, and is supported by a dedicated on-site team.
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Outdoor Infinity Pool
Executive Lounge
Boardroom
Full-day meeting packages start from S$65 (US$47) per person, which includes two coffee breaks. At S$85 per person, the package will include one lunch and two coffee breaks. Lastly, at S$105 per person, the package includes one lunch, two coffee breaks, and one-hour-long free-flow alcohol.
Meanwhile, half-day meeting packages start from S$25 per person just for boardroom rental. If one coffee break is included, it’ll cost S$40 per person. A lunch and coffee break would come up to S$70 per person.
All boardroom packages require a minimum booking of four persons.
For larger groups, book an outdoor barbecue package at the pool terrace with two-hour-long unlimited house beers and wines, plus on-site chef service from S$80 per person. With a minimum spend of S$2,500, exclusive usage of The Oakwood Executive Club will also be thrown in.
This package is applicable for a minimum of 20 persons and maximum of 60 persons for a rental period of three hours from 18.00 daily.
All prices are subject to seven per cent GST and 10 per cent service charge.
Hilton has opened the Hilton Manila within Resorts World Manila, marking the brand’s entry into the Philippines.
Hilton Manila offers 357 guestrooms furnished with Hilton’s Serenity bed; a four-point bathroom comprising a vanity area, toilet, and separate bathtub and rain shower; and the Digital Key “direct-to-room” technology, which allows guests to use their smartphone or tablet as their room key for seamless access – a feature exclusively available for Hilton Honors members.
King Guest Room with Pool View
There are three restaurants and two bars on-site, ranging from the New York-inspired Madison Lounge & Bar to modern Shanghainese restaurant Hua Ting. Recreational facilities include a free-form lagoon pool, 24-hour fitness centre.
Event planners can avail six function venues, comprising the 545m2 ballroom with a six-metre crystal-encrusted ceiling which can accommodate up to 600 people for a reception. All venues feature natural daylight and are fully equipped with the latest audiovisual technology.
Laguna Lang Co in Vietnam has appointed Justin Wermers as area director for F&B at Banyan Tree and Angsana Lang Co – the two luxury resorts at the integrated project.
The Dutch national will take charge of operations at the eight dining and lounge outlets at the two properties, all in-room dining, as well as banquets and events.
He has more than 15 years of experience in F&B and hospitality, and comes to Lang Co following stints in the Middle East with InterContinental and, most recently, at the New World Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
Laguna Lang Co is located within an hour’s drive of Danang International Airport. The integrated resort project will soon be expanded over the next few years, where an international-scale casino, more hotels, and real estate components are set to be added.
With its limited room inventory and spacious function rooms, the hotel is set to win the hearts of planners with intimate, high-end gatherings on hand.
Rooms
The property has 55 rooms, including eight suites, all located between levels 53A and 56. My room on Level 56 offered unobstructed views of the city’s iconic landmarks – Kuala Lumpur Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers.
Staying true to Banyan Tree’s roots in spa retreats, my room came with an essential oil burner and fragrant incense sticks, as well as a chromotherapy shower which offers seven colour lighting changes and three shower settings – rain, column or cascade settings, each creating a different sensation on the body.
I found these amenities to be very thoughtful and unique among city hotels.
MICE facilities
There are three spacious and fully-equipped function rooms, spread across the lobby level and level 53. These warmly furnished spaces can accommodate up to 16 people each in boardroom seating.
These are supplemented and complemented by other flexible venues across the hotel. The dining facilities are versatile and can be used for private gatherings.
For instance, Altitude lounge on level 53 offers a private space that opens up to a partial open-air pool area that is perfect for coffee breaks or cocktail parties with live cooking stations.
Also a gem for event planners is Vertigo, said to be the highest hotel rooftop bar in Kuala Lumpur. Perched on level 59, Vertigo charms with breath-taking views of the city skyline. Naturally, this makes it a great venue for hosting VIPs groups or welcome dinners.
Other facilities
Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur houses four dining outlets – Horizon Grill, a seafood and grill restaurant; Vertigo rooftop bar; Altitude wine lounge; and a bakery.
For active business travellers, there is a well equipped, 24-hour gym, as well as an open-air pool.
Not to be missed is the Banyan Tree Spa, an award-winning chain belonging to the hotel brand. This outlet focuses on a non-clinical and holistic approach based on traditional Asian healing therapies. There are four couple treatment rooms which event planners can use for spouse programmes.
Event brief
The Singapore FinTech Festival is the world’s largest gathering of the global financial technology community. It is an event that offers cutting-edge content and high industry impact in terms of collaboration, networking, innovation and talent building in the financial technology space.
The 2017 second edition of this week-long festival attracted some 30,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Festival participants engaged in a series of interwoven events comprising the Global FinTech Hackcelerator, the Innovation Lab Crawl, the FinTech Awards and the Investor Summit.
A three-day conference was held concurrently and focused on nine themes including global market insights, data analytics, technology risk, sustainable fintech and regtech or regulatory technology, among others.
Challenges
Adrian Sng, general manager of SingEx Exhibitions, highlighted two main challenges.
He said: “With the festival attracting such a large number of delegates, catering for delegates’ meals at designated gaps within the conference programme was a challenge. Transport to and from the venue also proved to be challenging, with multiple precinct bodies involved in the coordination of traffic flow for an event of such scale.”
Solutions
The venue operator worked on managing the entire precinct from the start of the event planning process to better manage traffic flow and access to different car parks in the vicinity. Close collaboration with the traffic police, Land Transport Authority as well as transport operators proved crucial for a better site access experience for participants.
As for the catering challenge, Sng commented: “We turned the challenge into a unique experience for all delegates instead by offering all-day dining options involving multiple cuisines. This helped to ease the congestion during key meal times as well as to provide better delegate flow among the exhibits throughout the day.”
Sng added: “Focusing on innovation in event design, the festival weaved a Singapore experience throughout the event platform. From serving a fusion of local food favourites, to being surrounded by locally inspired architecture in our dining and discussion areas, to offering locally designed merchandise, participants had access to not only valuable community insights and networks, but also a glimpse of Singapore as a destination.”
Key takeaways
Staunch support and the strong relationship between the Monetary Authority of Singapore, The Association of Banks in Singapore and SingEx Holdings were instrumental in ensuring the success of the festival, an event spokesperson said.
By organising the event from a user’s standpoint by mapping individual journeys and touch-points from pre-event, onsite, to post-event contributed to the success factors for the event. By enhancing the overall experience of a visitor will potentially translate into prospects for return on participation.
The festival’s unique event design approach enabled participants to immerse in the Singapore experience, and the locally-inspired architecture, showcases and F&B were key highlights that worked well.
The venue’s director of sales, Janice Yee, observed: “Being able to offer a full suite of services and multiple platforms enabled the venue operator to address the customer’s immediate needs. But it did not stop there and also looked ahead to pre-empt, and prepare for, future needs to retain the client.”
The Singapore FinTech Festival 2017 won three awards at this year’s Singapore Tourism Awards organised by the Singapore Tourism Board for Best Business Event, Best Trade Conference Organiser and Best Business Event Service Provider for Jublia, a home-grown event technology start-up.
Event: Singapore FinTech Festival 2017 Organiser: Monetary Authority of Singapore, The Association of Banks in Singapore and SingEx Holdings Venue: Singapore EXPO and MAX Atria Date: November 13 to 17, 2017 Number of participants: 30,000 from more than 115 countries
YPO’s Global Leadership Conference and YPO EDGE returned to Sands Expo and Convention Centre in 2018
Event brief
This year, the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) returned to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands (MBS) – the only Asian city and the only venue to host YPO more than once – with a double bill: the Global Leadership Conference (GLC) and flagship event YPO EDGE.
YPO’s Global Leadership Conference and YPO EDGE returned to Sands Expo and Convention Centre in 2018
The occasion brought upsized ambitions. These included 2,800 young leaders in attendance and a line-up of high-profile speakers, such as Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as the founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, and former tennis champion Billie Jean King.
Challenges
To facilitate a series of plenary and concurrent sessions, discussion forums and networking functions, the integrated resort had to provide a combination of large and intimate spaces within a single venue.
“YPO needs a location where there is a hospitality venue that is big enough, but also offers quality and intimacy,” said Terry O’Connor, YPO EDGE 2018 host city chair and former regional chair of South-east Asia.
Feeding the delegates well was another crucial task, as they hailed from more than 90 countries and had diverse dietary requests.
Furthermore, the 2018 GLC and YPO EDGE conference was YPO’s first green meeting, putting the ISO 20121-certified venue and its expert team to the test. On top of these, the YPO delegation also comprised visiting spouses and partners, who were looking forward to a memorable experience at the iconic venue.
Solution
The Roselle-Simpor ballroom was transformed into an experiential Venture Marketplace of businesses, products and services. At the same time, networking events, private gatherings and breakout sessions were hosted at smaller, alternative venues with a touch of exclusivity.
These included private dining rooms of celebrity chef restaurants such as Adrift by David Myers, CUT by Wolfgang Puck and Osteria Mozza; the recently revamped 24-hour hotel lounge, Renku; the new LAVO Italian Restaurant & Rooftop Bar; and individual meeting rooms in the convention centre.
To elevate the culinary experience, MBS’ banquet team curated special menus with more than 20 varieties of food per meal, with separate counters and buffet lines set up for those with specific dietary requirements, treating delegates to a selection of local and international food.
At least five meals were served daily, including Happy Hour drinks and canapés every evening. The most impressive F&B setup was at the Venture Marketplace, which presented a seafood bar of fresh oysters, crab legs, prawns and more.
Other personal touches included a dedicated check-in counter for YPO attendees, YPO- and MBS-branded welcome amenities and gifts, as well as a YPO-branded pagoda in the Tower 1 lobby that served as a photo-worthy backdrop for delegates.
During their stay, delegates and their partners were invited to a private brand showcase at the Louis Vuitton Island Maison at The Shoppes. Participants were also treated to TWG Tea canapés and ferried around the mall with a dedicated buggy service.
To meet its sustainability requests, MBS’ MICE team worked with the event organiser to incorporate several green event initiatives, such as using water dispensers instead of plastic bottles; recycling plastics, glass and paper where possible; as well as diverting leftover food away from landfills using onsite food waste digesters.
YPO also produced more than 2,800 recyclable registration bags, which included reusable water tumblers. At the end of the event, the organisers collected and recycled approximately 700 bags and achieved an overall event waste diversion rate of 75 per cent.
Key takeaways
Having previously hosted YPO in 2012, MBS had the advantage of familiarity with YPO’s needs, enabling the venue’s team to make suitable recommendations and work in partnership with the organisation’s planning team.
Mike Lee, vice president of sales at MBS, reflected: “Our partnership with YPO was formed years ago, and to have the group return to our integrated resort for their 2018 event is akin to welcoming an old friend home.
“For that reason, some of MBS’ senior management – including myself – were personally involved in the planning process with YPO. We were excited to work together again to push the event’s boundaries of creativity and build on the success of its 2012 edition.”
Event: Young Presidents’ Organization Global Leadership Conference and YPO EDGE Organiser: Young Presidents’ Organization Venue: Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre Date: March 5-9, 2018 Number of participants: 2,800
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.
