Hyatt Place Gurgaon has appointed Neha Kapoor as its new general manager, who brings over 21 years of hospitality experience to the role.
Kapoor has held positions with brands like Grand Hyatt Mumbai, JW Marriott, and Hyatt properties across India, progressing from sales and marketing to hotel operations.
She will lead Hyatt Place Gurgaon with a focus on guest experiences and strengthen the hotel’s position in the Gurgaon market.
Novotel Geelong has named Larelle Fitt as its new director of sales, with her appointment expected to bolster the hotel’s standing as the region’s premier waterfront hotel and business events venue.
Fitt brings over 25 years of experience in tourism, hospitality, and events, with leadership roles at notable properties including Novotel Geelong, Sheraton Melbourne, and Mantra Lorne.
Helloworld Travel (HLO) has announced that their 2026 Owner Manager Conference (OMC) will be held at the Cairns Convention Centre.
Partnering with Tourism and Events Queensland, the 2026 OMC will take place from June 11-14, 2026. In Vancouver, Canada, during the closing day of the 2025 Helloworld Travel OMC, CEO Andrew Burnes revealed the destination for the next conference to 500 delegates.
“Personally, we have a strong connection with Cairns. Dating back to the late 1980s when we started AOT, then the Australian Outback Travel Company, as a safari company running tours out of Cairns to Cape York. We spent 10 years in Cairns setting up and growing the AOT business. Now, almost 40 years later we are heading back to where it all began.”
“As always, we will put together an amazing programme for the OMC and we know our agents will thoroughly enjoy Cairns and all it has to offer,” Burnes added.
Cebu is being primed as an international events destination as it rapidly expands its large-scale convention infrastructure and as its readiness to host major gatherings gains traction.
Tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco affirmed the NTO’s commitment to promote and support business events in Cebu and in the Philippines – “not as a mere niche, but as a strategic pillar for tourism growth” – in her speech during the Cebu Business Month (CBM) 2025 Tourism Forum last week.
CBM 2025 is an initiative of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) together with other private sector and government stakeholders to attract more international business events. Part of the initiative is the launch of the Cebu MICE Alliance.
CBM chair Anton Perdices noted the transformation of events infrastructure with the opening of SMX Convention Center Cebu later this year. The venue, touted as the country’s biggest convention facility, takes in the 16,000-seat SM Seaside Arena for concerts, sporting events, and exhibitions, and the 2,500-pax Mactan Expo Center.
Cebu is set apart by the unique combination of “strategic location, world-class resorts, rich cultural heritage, rapidly expanding convention infrastructure and the genuine warmth of Cebuano hospitality,” Perdices added.
These convention facilities address the lack of big enough venues in Cebu even as these are matched by the construction of more hotels and resorts.
Favouring business events, according to Frasco, are the heavy investments in road and transport infrastructure. Mactan Cebu International Airport has a new parallel runway that will expand capacity and global reach while it continues attracting more international direct flights and growing its domestic routes.
She cited several “global milestones” in Cebu’s business events industry development – the hosting of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026 as well as two high-level United Nations Tourism events (Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific and the Joint Commission Meetings for East Asia, the Pacific and South Asia) last year.
She said these global milestones “reaffirm Cebu’s leadership as a premier host for high-level gatherings and a competitive hub for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions”.
Frasco added that tourism reforms never seen before in the Philippines will also favour the business events industry: visa-free access from India and Taiwan, VAT Refund Act for non-resident tourists’ purchases, and the full implementation of expanded tax and other incentives for tourism-related investments expected next year.
Chinese exhibitors are steadily expanding their footprint across Indonesia’s tradeshow floors as part of a long-term market recalibration and a growing confidence in Indonesian buyers.
Mohammad Ichwan Sofwan, general manager at Songolas Exhibition Services, told TTGmice he has seen a 10 to 15 per cent year-on-year rise in Chinese participation, with some shows registering growth of up to 50 per cent.
“Many firms that once focused on Europe are now shifting their interest to South-east Asia, with Indonesia at the forefront,” he said.
He believes geopolitical tensions, including the revived US tariff policies under Donald Trump, may be compounding the momentum. “It’s a continuation of their expansion, but now with added urgency,” Ichwan said.
The rise in Chinese exhibitors, particularly in high-growth sectors like consumer goods, electric vehicles, agriculture, and logistics, has been observed across several tradeshows.
Irvan Muhidin Sukamto, CEO of Gemalindo Kreasi Indonesia, shared that his company has been receiving enquiries from Chinese companies that have never exhibited here before in these sectors.
“They are serious about Southeast Asia, and Indonesia is clearly their anchor market,” said Irvan.
The reception on the show floor is also changing, and Sofianto Widjaja, director of Wahana Kemalaniaga Makmur (Wakeni), opined there is a growing confidence among local buyers towards Chinese suppliers.
“The quality (of products) has improved significantly over the years, while prices remain more competitive than European products. Their booths don’t just stand out in number but in actual transactions,” he said.
According to Hosea Andreas Rungkat, chairman of the Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association, the shift reflects long-term strategic intent.
“These are not one-off participations. Chinese exhibitors are targeting sectors where Indonesia is investing heavily,” said Hosea.
With new infrastructure like the Nusantara International Convention Exhibition set to open this October, tradeshow organisers expect this momentum to continue.
“Venue limitations are no longer the bottleneck. The challenge now is curating quality and ensuring local companies benefit in the long run,” Hosea noted.
Thai hoteliers are facing a new reality as the Chinese business events market is no longer the reliable revenue source it once was, according to panellists on the Bracing for Impact: Hotel Leaders on Surviving Geopolitical Whiplash session at the recent Thailand Innovative Meetings Exchange 2025.
Brad Edman, market vice president for Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar at Marriott International, said: “Over the last few months, we’ve seen a decline – around 1.1 million fewer Chinese arrivals year-to-date. At Marriott, seeing the statistics, seeing the arrivals post-Chinese New Year, we moved quickly to pivot away from dependency on this market.”
Marriott’s focus is now shifting to more stable and emerging feeder markets, such as Middle East, Singapore, Japan, Australia and Malaysia, said Edman.
Betty Chan, regional commercial director at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, revealed: “The Four Seasons Resort in Chiang Mai was quite heavy with the Chinese market because it gave us volume for the low season.
“But when that dried out, we doubled down on PR and marketing. We focused on spa, F&B, and other experiential offerings. We were able to cover the loss, and the spend per guest actually increased. So when the (Chinese market) comes back, it will be icing on the cake.”
Edman agreed, noting that “lowering Chinese dependency to get more rate and F&B spend is a positive”. He pointed out that the next “three to four months will be challenging”, but is optimistic that business will bounce back.
Both leaders also urged Thai tourism sector not to fall into a price war.
Chan commented: “Clients are asking for more – lower rates or extra benefits – but whether we can or should offer that depends on our positioning. We can’t just slash prices.”
Edman called on hotels to mobilise their teams and rethink traditional packaging strategies, emphasising the growing importance of collaboration across the value chain – including customers, end users, third parties, and DMCs.
“We need not be seen as the cheapest market in Asia, but offering great value, great hospitality, great culture, great brands,” he summarised.
Conferma, a virtual card technology company, and BCD Travel, a global travel management company, have expanded their strategic partnership, aiming to boost virtual payment integration and deliver more automation, visibility, and control for corporate travel programmes.
The expanded partnership reflects a shared investment to enhance technology and co-develop new features for BCD clients, emphasising seamless payment solutions. BCD is also increasing its internal investment to enable new payment capabilities, foster innovation, and improve the travel experience for its global client base.
BCD will also broaden Conferma’s hotel payment automation capabilities, including integrations with hotel property management systems. This will automate invoice intake of virtual payments across BCD’s client ecosystem, streamlining reconciliation and reducing manual work for travellers and finance teams.
Global business travel spend is projected to exceed US$1.8 trillion by 2027. This growth is accelerating the adoption of virtual payments, expected to grow at a 20 per cent CAGR globally through 2030. Virtual cards offer enhanced security, timely spend visibility, and simplified reconciliation, crucial for optimising budgets and controlling spending.
Conferma and BCD Travel have collaborated since 2011, with BCD clients among the earliest adopters of virtual card payments.
Paradox Singapore Merchant Court has debuted its newly renovated Merchant Court Ballroom.
Spanning 660m2, the ballroom features a pillar-free layout crowned by 5.5m-high ceilings. Floor-to-ceiling windows invite abundant natural light, while fully retractable walls allow the space to effortlessly transition from an intimate gathering to a grand affair.
The centrepiece is a 21m x 4.3m panoramic LED video wall, forming part of an AV system that supports up to seven simultaneous visual displays. Just beyond, a light-filled pre-function foyer provides a stylish welcome for guest arrivals, networking sessions or cocktail receptions, enhanced by dynamic ambient lighting that shifts seamlessly between daylight, warm and cool tones. Six rigging points offer versatile staging and AV capabilities for event production needs.
In tandem with the ballroom transformation, all 10 meeting rooms at Paradox Singapore have also undergone transformation. Rooms are now fully outfitted with intuitive Huawei IdeaHub smart boards, high-lumen projection systems and adaptable layouts.
To introduce these refreshed venues, Paradox Singapore launches the Meet with More campaign, a limited-time package for event planners and corporate clients. Full-day and half-day meeting packages will include complimentary coffee break enhancements; room upgrades and complimentary transfers; exclusive group room rates for residential meetings; and dining credits.
Tokyo will be home to another cutting-edge business events space from July 1, 2025, with the opening of Takanawa Gateway Convention Center.
A component of Takanawa Gateway City, a large-scale urban-development project, the centre is developed and operated by East Japan Railway Company, Congrès Inc. and JR East Building Co.. It is expected to cater to international conferences, conventions and exhibitions, as well as meetings, ceremonies, parties and social gatherings.
One of its spaces is the 1,640m2 Linkpillar Hall, which features a ceiling height of seven metres and three sections that can be subdivided, and can accommodate up to 2,000 pax. There are also seven mid-sized rooms ranging from 134m2 to 496m2 and four anterooms. The station plaza will serve as an additional event space, either for digital displays or outdoor events.
“Since the venue became available for viewing in March, the number of inquiries we have received has been increasing beyond initial expectations,” Shin Kondo, facility manager of Congrès Inc. told TTGmice. He added that many inquiries are about using the hall to accommodate large-scale events that include multiple programmes, such as seminars plus receptions, or lectures plus exhibitions.
“Even when divided into one-third sections, the hall can accommodate 450 to 600 people in theatre-style. This minimises the need for participants to move around during the event, which has been well-received by our potential customers,” he said.
To promote sustainable operations, the facility is LEED certified and will use biogas generation equipment to turn leftover food into power. The multipurpose facility is directly accessible from Takanawa Gateway Station and located near Haneda Airport.
The Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) has become the first convention centre in Thailand to introduce a Real-Time Carbon Footprint Tracking Dashboard for business events.
This tool, set to debut at two major events in July – Asia Sustainable Energy Week 2025 and the International Engineering Expo 2025 – aims to establish a new benchmark for sustainable events and elevate Thailand’s business events industry to international standards.
Developed by AltoTech Global Co., and supported by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) through its Winnovation programme, the dashboard is a digital platform that uses real-time data to calculate greenhouse gas emissions from various sources including energy consumption, food, packaging, and participant travel.
Sanchai Noombunnam, country general manager of Informa Markets Thailand, organiser of Asia Sustainable Energy Week 2025, pointed out that having access to the data will help the company “better understand and appreciate the value of sustainable event practices”, and “opens up structured pathways for reducing and offsetting emissions”.
Surapol Utintu, CEO of QSNCC, emphasised the venue’s dedication to environmental responsibility, where the centre began its green initiatives by adopting ISO 14064-1 and Carbon Footprint for Organization (CFO) standards to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions.
“Building on this foundation, we are now implementing event-specific carbon footprint assessments in a more systematic way. The launch of the Real-Time Carbon Footprint Tracking Dashboard marks a significant milestone in establishing a strong foundation for truly sustainable and environmentally-friendly events,” he added.
Looking ahead, QSNCC plans to include the Real-Time Carbon Footprint Tracking Dashboard as a special benefit in its Loyalty Program, allowing members to redeem points for access to the service.
