BestCities Global Alliance, a network of 12 international convention bureaus, has launched a range of client financial benefits, in partnership with payment solution company Meeting Escrow.
A world first for a multi-destination alliance, the three-year strategic collaboration will offer BestCities’ clients a new portfolio of secure payment, foreign currency budget protection to lock in today’s exchange rate; and VAT reclaim services for business event clients globally.
BestCities’ clients will benefit from secure payment for their events, as well as foreign currency budget protection, via the partnership
BestCities’ clients that sign on with Meeting Escrow will also receive a 50 per cent discount on their annual fees for the first three years, a savings that is exclusive to the Alliance.
The partnership aims to address key challenges faced by clients when planning events globally across currencies. These challenges range from varying exchanges rates, which can have a significant impact on client budgets, to mounting administration costs and time involved in VAT reclaim processes.
Paul Vallee, managing director at BestCities Global Alliance, said in a statement: “This important partnership with Meeting Escrow provides tangible benefits to clients by providing solutions to common financial issues that associations face when meeting around the world.”
The Meeting Escrow partnership is the first by BestCities since it announced a new strategic plan and enhancement of the Alliance’s offering earlier this year, ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2020.
The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) has launched a new Congress Certification Program (CCP) for the business events industry.
The three-day training programme aims to equip conference and meeting planners with the necessary tools and processes in executing a successful conference.
New certification made available for Malaysia’s business events sector
The first CCP will be held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from March 18-20, at Hotel No 5, and is HRDF claimable.
Winnee Lim, chairperson for MACEOS education & training committee, said that the CCP is accredited by the Events Industry Council and carries 14.5 Continuing Education credits. This will enable participants to apply for the Certified Meeting Professional credential.
The CCP is part of a series of MACEOS’ newly developed professional education programme that will be launched this year. Other programmes in the pipeline are the Exhibition Management Program and Total Event Management.
Lim added that the association hopes aims to “train about 300 participants by 2020 under the three new programmes”.
According to Vincent Lim, president of MACEOS, the organisation has been spearheading initiatives to strengthen the education and training programmes offered so as to create a pool of talents for the business events industry.
He added: “By building the supply of workforce, it will then help to attract more business events effectively. This will sustainably increase Malaysia’s business events market share and contributes to the economic growth.”
Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai’s Sea Front Suite
Dubai: Mandarin Oriental makes Middle Eastern debut
Mandarin Oriental has opened the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai, its first property in the Middle East.
The Jeffrey Wilkes-designed property offers 256 rooms including 78 suites, most of which come with private balconies and terraces. Recreational facilities include six restaurants and bars, a spa with nine treatment rooms, fitness centre, and five outdoor pools including one infinity pool on the sixth floor.
Event planners may avail the property’s extensive events facilities comprising a 650m2 glass-walled ballroom with beachfront terrace which can seat 360 guests; four meeting rooms; and a 400m2 multipurpose space that can hold up to 200 guests.
Rome: IAPCO’s roads will lead to Rome
The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) Annual Meeting will be held in Rome in 2021.
The bid for the event was led by a team made up of Ega Worldwide Congress and Events, AIM Group International and OIC Group.
Cristina Aru, partner and board member with Ega Worldwide Congress and Events said: “Rome hosted the IAPCO Annual Meeting in 1976: they were pioneer times for the meetings industry and for our new-born profession.
“Of course, many things have developed since then and we will be sharing with our colleagues a real ‘Roman Experience’ from the historic to the modern era.”
Mathias Posch, president of IAPCO said: “We were delighted to award the hosting of the Annual Meeting to team Rome, and the host of the associated Council Meeting to Florence. The bid document was well prepared, researched and reflected exactly what was required to host our showcase event.”
Hamburg: Planners to benefit from new online city tour
Germany’s second largest city Hamburg has developed a new online resource Hamburg – Gateway to the World of Tomorrow, designed to give meeting professionals an insight into the city’s hosting potential innovative and sustainable business events.
Produced by the Hamburg Convention Bureau, the resource highlights the city’s future-focused economic clusters, including logistics, maritime industries, aerospace, medicine, the life sciences, media and IT as well as renewable energies.
Cmbodia’s first Courtyard by Marriott-branded property has opened its doors in Phrom Pomh.
Offering a total of 186 keys, Courtyard by Marriott Phnom Penh’s guestrooms and suites overlook the city and the river. A Lobby Lounge, adjacent to the Terrace, offers spaces to work, dine and relax with free Wi-Fi, beverages and snacks. Select guests can also enjoy access to an Executive Lounge.
Courtyard by Marriott Phnom Penh
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Other facilities include all-day dining restaurant The Mekong, two meeting rooms, and on the 20th floor is the 24-hour fitness centre, outdoor poo, and rooftop bar.
The hotel is located on the corner of Streets 214 and 63, close to the Royal Palace and Wat Phnom temple.
Royal Caribbean Cruises (Asia) has expanded its MICE department’s reach this year beyond corporate companies in Singapore to other South-east Asia’s emerging cruise markets like Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Angie Stephen, Royal Caribbean’s managing director, Asia Pacific, said: “There is a lot of potential for growth in emerging markets such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia especially from verticals such as multi-level marketing companies and insurance. The cruise market for corporate meetings and incentives is more mature in Singapore, as we have been developing it since our Asia-Pacific office in Singapore was set up 11 years ago.
Spectrum of the Seas
“Many corporate companies don’t realise that they needn’t pay extra for meeting spaces, audio visual equipment, meals, entertainment and a variety of activities on-board. It is all included in the package price.”
She said business events currently make up a small percentage of the total overall business, which is largely driven by leisure. She added: “Popular cruises are three- to five-night cruise experiences out of Singapore, but corporate organisers also like to minimise time out of the office and minimise travel times.”
Currently, group sizes for corporate groups on Royal Caribbean International from this region range from 50 to 400 people.
This May will see a new liner deployed to Asia, Spectrum of the Seas, which is purpose-built for the Asian market. The ship will offer three-, four- and nine-night sailings.
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas will homeport in Singapore for six months from November with four- and five-night sailings within the region.
“We’ll be educating the corporate sector and meeting planners on both these ships as well as others through site inspections, online training, sales tool kits and our meeting planners guide,” said Stephen.
This year’s Selangor International Business Summit 2019 (SIBS) is expected to be the largest event to date for the Malaysian state, generating a transaction value of RM194.6 million (US$47.7 million).
Now into its third year, the summit will be held in October at Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre. The event is expected to host more than 700 booths from over 40 countries, and receive 30,000 trade visitors.
Teng: SIBS 2019’s impact will be far-reaching
A new component, Selangor R&D and Innovation Expo, focusing on research and development and innovation in the technology, electric and electronic, IT and digital economy will be added to this year’s line-up. The organiser, Invest Selangor, is targeting 150 exhibitors for this component alone.
Other components of the four-day event will be the Selangor International Expo 2019; Selangor-ASEAN Business Conference 2019; and Selangor Smart City and Digital Economy Convention.
In addition, the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCEC) will be hosting its 9th Malaysia-China Entrepreneurs Conference on October 12. The parallel conference to SIBS 2019 will look at the efforts of enhancing and strengthening the bilateral trade between Malaysia and China. It is expected to attract more than 1,000 delegates.
Teng Chang Khim, Selangor State’s executive councillor for investment, industry & commerce and small & medium enterprise, shared at a press conference: “Selangor International Business Summit provides the avenue as not only the gateway into the Malaysian market but more importantly, continues to serve as a springboard to tap into the broader ASEAN market, home for over 600 million consumers and more than 200 of the world’s largest companies.”
He confidently added that SIBS 2019 will “bring tremendous impact in term of providing an avenue for the business community to find additional opportunities and markets”.
New highlights for IT&CM China and CTW China 2019 attendees
The 13th edition of IT&CM China and CTW China 2019 will feature a redesigned programme with additional formats that centres on helping both buyers and exhibitors obtain more business leads.
The additional format includes an enhanced Exhibition Walk-About, a newly-created Meet-The-Corporates and an improved Brand Presentation Showcase. All these are in addition to one-on-one business appointments.
New highlights for IT&CM China and CTW China 2019 attendees
Targeted at association buyers, the Exhibition Walk-About comprise four one-hour guided sessions to featured destination pavilions and booths. Each guided session is kept small, allowing featured exhibitors the opportunity to efficiently make quick introductions and connections within a short time. By the end of the show, featured exhibitors would have met all attending association buyers.
Meet-The-Corporates fulfils a similar objective for IT&CM China exhibitors wanting to meet attending corporate travel managers/procurement buyers from CTW China via a speed-dating format. Exhibitors go round tabled groups of corporate buyers to exchange business cards and make simple introductions. Sessions are organised to allow exhibitors to meet all attending CTW China buyers within two one-hour sessions.
Exhibitors with more to share can take advantage of 20-minute Brand Showcase Presentation slots open to all buyers and media. Previously limited to just destination brands as part of the Association Day programme, these sessions are for any participating exhibitor to supplement their publicity and brand outreach efforts. These presentations will also replace media briefing sessions.
“These initiatives acknowledge that procurement potential takes time to cultivate. Some exhibitors just want to be placed in the radar of potential buyers, while buyers may seek options for future consideration. These new formats address the need for establishing valuable connections even if there is no immediate business agenda. In addition, they add variety to the buyers’ programme,” explained Darren Ng, managing director of TTG Asia Media.
Another new segment, the Power Hackathon Luncheons will be a platform for brands to tap on start-ups and tech enterprises to solve their business challenges within 24 hours. Sponsoring brands will share and announce their challenges during the first day’s luncheon, with solutions presented by participating solution providers on the second day’s lunch.
In addition to the luncheons on both days, delegates will also be able to meet these emerging solution players at the dedicated MICE Innovation Hub to explore fresh solutions created specifically to solve industry challenges and better understand and gain insights to the latest travel trends. The concept of innovation is further aligned to the “Sustainability Through Innovation” theme of this year’s keynote.
Next, IT&CM China exhibitors can now pre-schedule appointments with CTW China buyers earlier during the PSA phase. More business appointment slots will also be created to allow CTW China buyers time to meet both IT&CM China as well as CTW China exhibitors.
Lastly, there will be a new Say Hi To Everyone segment. Formatted as an interactive ice-breaker, and modelled after the CTW Meet-Your-Peers session, this segment will give attendees the platform to identify potential delegate profiles they want to meet across both events ahead of exhibition days.
IT&CM China 2019 and CTW China 2019 will be held from March 19-21 in Shanghai.
Paragliding from Bob's Peak in Queenstown, New Zealand
New Zealand’s Queenstown has won a bid to host the 9th annual International Adventure Conference, which will bring leading tourism researchers to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time in December 2020.
The win is the result of a successful collaboration with Queenstown Convention Bureau and Tourism New Zealand Business Events, and was presented by Susan Houge Mackenzie on behalf of her team from the University of Otago, Queenstown Resort College, and the Otago Polytechnic Institute of Sport and Adventure.
Paragliding from Bob’s Peak in Queenstown, New Zealand
“Queenstown’s global reputation as an adventure tourism hub made it a stand-out choice for the Adventure Tourism Research Association (ATRA),” Houge said.
She added that the conference will focus on bringing academics and practitioners together to share their challenges and innovations, foster connections, and identify synergies. It will also have a strong emphasis on sustainable development goals and how adventure tourism can support and work to meet these at both an international and local level.
“Our aim is to ensure symbiotic benefits for the local community and international delegates. We hope local practitioners and policy makers will benefit from international perspectives and expertise, and our international delegates in turn want to learn about Queenstown’s unique approaches to adventure tourism,” she added.
Queenstown Convention Bureau business development Director, Kiran Nambiar, said the event was “significant” and a “great win for the region and its business events industry”, and will go beyond the economic value of hosting high-value visitors to the region.
“It also fosters and grows the expertise and knowledge within our community and allows us to share insights with our international peers,” said Nambiar.
The Gold Coast in Australia has reported a positive upward trend in association meetings, with latest figures revealing a 19 per cent increase for the past year until June 30, 2018.
Data compiled for the Queensland Business Events Survey indicated that 313 associations met on the Gold Coast in the last financial year, up significantly from the 263 conferences recorded in the previous 12 months.
Gold Coast
Associations which recently selected the Gold Coast to host their conference include the Australian Archaeological Association (400 delegates in 2019); National Franchise Convention (500 delegates in 2019); 9th World Rett Syndrome Congress (350 delegates in 2020); and 28th World Congress for Medical Law (400 delegates in 2022).
The positive results look set to continue, with conferences confirmed in recent months representing an estimated economic impact of over A$3.5 million (US$2.5 million) for the Gold Coast.
Anna Case, executive director of Gold Coast Business Events, pointed out that the destination’s diverse offerings, professional meeting venues and warm hospitality makes an appealing case to associations.
Centara Hotels & Resorts is expanding its beach club and bistro concept, Coast, to more resort locations in Thailand, with Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi the latest addition.
Exclusive to the upper-upscale Centara Grand brand, Coast Beach Club and Bistro is a social dining and lounge concept with four beachfront locations currently operating in Koh Samui, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Phuket.
Coast Beach Club
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Coast beach clubs feature zones, including a raw bar serving local seafood and poke bowls, a seafood grill to cook the “catch of the day”, an Italian pizza oven, and a casual bar area serving cocktails, fine wines, fresh juices and tapas plates. Guests can also enjoy DJ entertainment after the sun sets.
Under Centara’s Coast for Groups concept, meeting planners have an array of options, including beachfront barbecues, buffets, teambuilding activities and private parties.
As Coast expands its presence around the world, guests can look forward to an extended calendar of experience-based global events, including themed dinners, creative classes, pop-up chef weekends, guest DJ performances and more.
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
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) has launched a new Congress Certification Program (CCP) for the business events industry.
The three-day training programme aims to equip conference and meeting planners with the necessary tools and processes in executing a successful conference.
The first CCP will be held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from March 18-20, at Hotel No 5, and is HRDF claimable.
Winnee Lim, chairperson for MACEOS education & training committee, said that the CCP is accredited by the Events Industry Council and carries 14.5 Continuing Education credits. This will enable participants to apply for the Certified Meeting Professional credential.
The CCP is part of a series of MACEOS’ newly developed professional education programme that will be launched this year. Other programmes in the pipeline are the Exhibition Management Program and Total Event Management.
Lim added that the association hopes aims to “train about 300 participants by 2020 under the three new programmes”.
According to Vincent Lim, president of MACEOS, the organisation has been spearheading initiatives to strengthen the education and training programmes offered so as to create a pool of talents for the business events industry.
He added: “By building the supply of workforce, it will then help to attract more business events effectively. This will sustainably increase Malaysia’s business events market share and contributes to the economic growth.”