Beyond Asia: Raffles Europejski Warsaw, United Airlines and The Private Suite, and Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre

June 14, 2018

Raffles_Europejski_Warsaw_Bedroom_©Raffles_Europejski_Warsaw — One of the rooms in Raffles Europejski Warsaw

One of the rooms in Raffles Europejski Warsaw

Raffles Hotels & Resorts opens third European outpost
Raffles Europejski Warsaw has opened in Poland, in a neo-renaissance palace dating back to 1857. Painstakingly restored to its pre-war glory, the hotel now feature 106 rooms and suites with blackened oak floors, contemporary Polish art, and sleek marble-clad bathrooms with Art Deco touches.

Aside from the four F&B venues, Raffles Europejski Warsaw also features a corner library, Raffles Spa with six treatment rooms, a 24-hour gym, and an upstream indoor swimming pool.

United unveils exclusive Private Suite in LAX
United Airlines and The Private Suite have partnered to offer the airline’s customers access to a newly-built, private terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

The United-branded lounge at the new terminal includes individual suites and restrooms, and features a full bar and top-tier food service.

Customers who purchase access will enjoy private and personalised check-in and baggage handling, as well as private screening by Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. United customers using the new terminal will also be driven across the airfield in BMW 7-Series sedans directly to their aircraft.

Access to The Private Suite will be included in certain business-class fares, for customers flying to or from New York/Newark; Aspen, Colorado; Hawaii; London Heathrow; Los Cabos, Mexico; Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; Shanghai; Singapore; and Tokyo Narita.

The Private Suite experience will initially be available through select corporate travel booking desks and travel agents, and later available for purchase on united.com or through the United app as part of a premium-cabin ticket fare.

OCEC increases size with completion of second phase
The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) has launched its convention centre, where the completed second phase of development complements five existing exhibition halls and 10 hospitality suites.

The centre now offers two ballrooms (including the largest ballroom in Oman), a 456 tiered-seat theatre, and 22 meeting rooms. The Junior Ballroom can accommodate 540 guests for a banquet or 1,000 guests theatre-style, while the Grand Ballroom can seat 1,200 people or be split into seven breakout areas for a convention.

With the new areas spanning 4,576m², the total current event space has now reached 48,632m². In a few months’ time, the final phase, a 3,200-seater theatre, will open its doors for its first performance.

Meet mindfully with Mandarin Oriental

By TTGmice

June 14, 2018

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Mindful_Meeting_Yoga — A Mindful Meeting yoga session

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has launched a new global initiative, Mindful Meetings by Mandarin Oriental.

Mindful Meetings will be designed to enhance and energise meetings and conferences with creative solutions based on five key dimensions of wellness: nourishment, movement, stillness, connections and well-being.

Examples of wellness enhancements include healthy and energising menu choices, yoga sessions, guided meditations, digital wellness and jet lag tips, massage and movement breaks, custom spa events, expert health talks and group exercise activities. All options can be customised and made available for participants either in or out of the meeting room.

Emily Snyder, the group’s vice president of global sales, shared: “Our aim is to support meeting planners by providing a unique offering, that will ensure all participants leave a Mindful Meeting feeling refreshed, motivated and ready to implement new ideas, information and connections.”

To celebrate the launch, a ‘Mindful Meetings Promotion’ is available for every new event or group booking made between June 6 and September 30, 2018 at all Mandarin Oriental destinations worldwide.

By inserting the term ‘Mindful Meetings Promotion’ in the initial meeting request, meeting bookers can select one of the following benefits – energiser welcome shots upon arrival for all participants; a 30-minute guided wellness activity such as meditation, yoga for participants in the meeting space (only available if the event includes a pre-booked meeting space); and a mindful in-room amenity for all participants.

For more information, or to book, email dllopis@mohg.com.

Frasers opens second property in Tianjin

By TTGmice

June 14, 2018

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Fraser-Place-Binhai-Tianjin_Pool-02 — The pool at Fraser Place Binhai Tianjin

Fraser Place Binhai Tianjin, Frasers Hospitality’s second property in the port city in north-eastern China, has opened.

The serviced apartment offers 224 keys, in several configurations ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments, as well as smart meeting facilities and function rooms.

Other facilities include an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby bar, a swimming pool and a gym. Guests will also enjoy complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, 24/7 room service and a free shuttle service.

Fraser Place Binhai Tianjin is centrally located in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), close to the TEDA MSD shopping centre and the BMT station.

Having noted a 10 per cent growth in the number of room nights booked by Chinese travellers from FY2016 to FY2017 across its global portfolio of properties, Frasers Hospitality is strengthening its presence in China and leveraging the opportunities of China’s burgeoning domestic tourism market. Chinese travellers also account for almost half of the guests in the country, signifying China’s booming domestic travel market that is ripe for more expansion within the country.

“China is key to our future growth as it currently represents a quarter of our portfolio. The opening of Fraser Place Binhai Tianjin is significant as it underlines our ambitions to grow our presence in China. In addition to entering new Chinese cities, we are also building on our presence in cities that we already operate in so that we may better provide travellers with more options that cater to their needs,” Choe Peng Sum, Frasers Hospitality’s CEO, said in a statement.

Frasers Hospitality currently has 16 properties in 11 cities across China, with another 16 properties in the pipeline.

Keeping calm in troubled waters

By S Puvaneswary

June 13, 2018

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Event brief
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) conducts a regular conference in Asia for regional representatives, with the aim of providing them with university updates and training.

For 2017, QUT decided to rotate the event to Penang for the first time. QUT contacted event organiser, Penang Tour Buddy, in January 2017, to handle hotel arrangements, the conference programme, a four-hour heritage tour of George Town, the gala dinner and souvenirs for participants.

Challenges
The first hiccup in the event emerged on the morning of May 17 when Alvin Ong, director of Penang Tour Buddy, received a call from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Penang informing him that the delegate souvenirs from QUT could not be released until taxes were paid, as they were declared as merchandise. These souvenirs included snacks from Australia, virtual reality (VR) headsets and lip balms.

The next challenge was a limitation of the venue’s bandwidth to support a 10-minute VR video of QUT which participants were expected to stream live and watch together.

Joining the two obstacles was an unhappy trishaw supplier who decided at the last minute to not supply 35 trishaws for the group’s night heritage tour of Penang. The tour required 70 trishaws, which Ong had booked with two suppliers. The disgruntled supplier was upset that the other portion of trishaws were rented from a fellow supplier he was not on good terms with.

This was a crisis as there were only two trishaw suppliers in Penang, where each supplier could supply only 30 to 40 trishaws.

Solution
To tackle the souvenirs hold-up, Ong drove immediately to the Royal Malaysian Customs Department. He paid the required taxes and got most of the souvenirs released. These, coupled with famous Penang flaky pastry biscuit, tau sar pneah, courtesy of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau, ensured that all participants received an attractive goody bag.

Ong resolved the Internet bandwidth challenge by renting a number of 4G dongles from a communications provider in Kuala Lumpur. The dongles were turned into Wi-Fi hotspots, allowing up to nine users to access the Internet at a time.

To address the shortage of trishaws, Ong altered the heritage programme, which featured a walking tour and a trishaw ride. Instead of going for the tour as a group and seeing the sights together, he split participants into two teams. While one did the walking tour, the other went for the trishaw ride. Later, both teams switched around so everyone had a chance to experience both elements.

Key takeaways
Ong believes that it is important to stay calm, even under pressure. “There will always be unforeseen challenges along the way, no matter how well you plan,” he remarked.

When dealing first-time vendors, like the trishaw supplier, there must be a back-up plan in place in the event that they fail to deliver.

Event: Queensland University of Technology Let’s Get Real:
QUT Showcase
Organiser: Queensland University of Technology
Groundhandler: Penang Tour Buddy
Venue: Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang
Date: May 18 and 19, 2017
Number of participants: 150

New executive chef joins The Okura Prestige Bangkok

By TTGmice

June 13, 2018

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The Okura Prestige Bangkok has appointed Alvaro Roa as executive chef.

The Spaniard joins the team at The Okura Prestige Bangkok from The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok where he worked for two years as executive sous chef.

Chef Roa’s career began in Europe and he has spent almost 16 years honing his culinary skills at leading establishments in Ireland, the UK, Spain, Mexico, Chile, the UAE and China.

His culinary journey has included stints at Park Hyatt Villa Magna Madrid, Spain, Grand Hyatt Santiago, Chile, and Kempinski Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, prior to his move to the Far East as chef de cuisine at Calypso restaurant at Shangri-La Jing-An, Shanghai.

Inspiring Entertainment – part 1

By TTGmice

June 12, 2018

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Digital-Water-Curtain — Digital Water Curtain

With a stunning curtain of water cascading from the ceiling, this act can be synchronised with elegant dancers, a solo aerial dancer within the waterfall, or a vocalist or musician in tune with the flowing droplets. The Digital Water Curtain combines digital and water effects, and can be featured as an installation piece, or as part of a bespoke performance.

What’s unique: The performance is dramatic and injects an element of surprise into the event experience.
Great for: Opening/closing ceremony, gala dinner, VIP product launch
Contact: Wildfire Entertainment, Singapore; email@wildfire.sg

Dressed in vibrant kimono and obi belts, the Geisha Dance Troupe incorporates traditional Japanese and modern dance, as well as everything in between. The act transitions seamlessly from traditional moves accompanied by shamisen and taiko drums to contemporary steps driven by bass, pop and dance hits. The robotic routine of pop animation dance fuses ancient and futuristic Japan, as well as essences of the country’s manga culture.

Geisha Troupe (Photo courtesy of Scarlett Entertainment)

What’s unique: The act leaves the audience in constant wonder and surprise about the moves that will come next. The audience can experience not only Japan’s rich cultural heritage but also its balance of old and new. Interactions with the audience through humour are also engaging.
Great for: Opening ceremonies, awards dinners, high-end product launches
Contact: Scarlett Entertainment; becky@scarlettentertainment.com

Japanese light painter Jinpei uses his original technique of swooping arcs of light on a wall-sized canvas in complete darkness to create “paintings.” From the “brushstroke” of each light, figures, landscapes and even symbolic imagery is layered on the canvas. The result is a living picture; one light fades and another is created, leaving the audience in a waking dream world. The technique is soon to mark 30 years of popularity, having been developed in 1989.

Light Painting (Photo courtesy of Scarlett Entertainment)

What’s unique: This form of painting inspires creativity in the audience as well as a sense of serenity and thoughtfulness.
Great for: Opening ceremony, awards dinner, high-end product launch
Contact: Scarlett Entertainment; becky@scarlettentertainment.com

Grand Opera Thailand was established in 2011 by British operatic impresario, Stefan Sanchez, who has been grooming Thailand’s young opera singers and launching them on international careers. The professional opera company has under its wings several groups and individual singers, allowing event planners to pick the one best suited for their event.

What’s unique: Grand Opera Thailand’s portfolio of performers is versatile. For a memorable experience, surprise delegates with a flashmob performance at an off-property dining venue.
Great for: Gala dinner, cocktail reception, networking party
Contact: PIGS Co, Thailand; david@pigsdmc.com

Put a smile on delegates’ faces with this upbeat and comedic performance. Combining oriental martial arts and acrobatics, JUMP is an original production featuring taekwondo, taekgyeon and other high-energy stunts. The story begins as a family scrambles to clean up their home and train under their grandfather, an old-school martial arts trainer. He introduces a mysterious young man into his home, and this sets the family into a series of hilarious and clumsy antics.

What’s unique: With its action-packed sequences, JUMP injects good-spirited comic relief after a long day of meetings and activities. Delegates familiar with modern Korean drama series may appreciate its references to family soap operas, while other attendees can still roll with the punches and punch lines.
Great for: Incentive programme, team bonding, gala dinner
Contact: Yegam Inc, South Korea; ticketmaster@hijump.co.kr

A spectacular fusion of technology, dance and Chinese culture, the LED Monkey King performance commands audiences’ attention with electrifying glow-in-the-dark costumes, precision beats and an amazing choreography.

What’s unique: As a beautiful amalgamation of western pop-culture’s Tron: Legacy and eastern classic, LED Monkey King is a glowing sight to behold.
Great for: Opening/closing ceremony, gala dinner, as a roving act for delegate interaction
Contact: @Dance, Hong Kong; dance@atdance.hk

Arriving guests are directed into a dimly lit area where a female dressed in an elegant lycra costume sits above head height, beckoning guests as they approach. With anticipation in the room heightened from the dramatic first encounter, the lights are dimmed further as patrons fill up the main space, which features high cocktail tables.
Spotlights then reveal the lycra-clad lady as an aerial hoop performer striking an acrobatic pose and then dropping head first to serve champagne. Described as “a bar except the service is upside down,” a host will also be on hand to ensure a smooth service.

What’s unique: Few acts command as much attention and intrigue especially at a welcome event. It’s also very social-media worthy, and a unique talking point that adds glam factor to a corporate function.
Great for: Welcome event, networking party, gala event, conference dinner, awards event, post-dinner before an event swings into party mode
Contact: Musicland, Australia; chad@musicland.net.au

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector in C-suite shake-up

By Feizal Samath

June 12, 2018

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Sri Lanka last week made two significant decisions impacting on its emerging tourism market, appointing a new head to its state tourism promotion agency and removing the CEO of its loss-making national carrier. Both institutions are key to the country’s tourism promotion with 2.5 million arrivals targetted this year.

Dehan Seneviratne, a veteran marketing and management consultant, has been appointed as chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) on June 4. He replaces Udaya Nanayakkara, who was forced to quit in January 2018 after just six months in the job, due to disagreements over the long-delayed destination marketing campaign with tourism minister John Amaratunga.

Two heads of important tourism institutions have been replaced; Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress in the northern Matale District, pictured

Seneviratne’s appointment comes at a critical time as Sri Lanka’s tourism promotion campaigns finally got underway earlier this month starting with a promotion blitz through CNN.

SriLankan Airlines chairman Ranjit Fernando confirmed to TTGmice that CEO Suren Ratwatte, who has been criticised in the past for extravagant spending, is stepping down in August. “We are interviewing a couple of local and foreign candidates for the post,” Fernando said.

Fernando stated that the 2017/2018 financial year ending March saw a loss of $105 million but that a restructuring plan submitted by Nyras, an aviation consultancy, is underway. There are plans to turn around the loss-making airline in two to three years with “some hard decisions”.

In a circular to staff last week, Fernando said the board of directors has decided to make changes to the structure of the top management team.

“There will be a new chief for the commercial division. Our fully owned subsidiary, the catering company, is led by a part-time CEO. We have already engaged a new CFO, who will assume office shortly. There will also be some minor reallocation of responsibilities in the organisational structure,” he said.

Singapore’s Jeannie Lim takes up mantle of BestCities board chair

By Rachel AJ Lee

June 12, 2018

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Jeannie Lim, executive director of conventions, meetings and incentive travel at the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB), was recently elected as board chair for the BestCities Global Alliance.

Taking over from Jonas Wilstrup of Copenhagen, Lim made her first appearance in her new capacity at last month’s IMEX Frankfurt. With over seven years’ experience at SECB, she will bring a wealth of industry knowledge, understanding and leadership to the role.

Lim: better when the various CVBs work together

In her new capacity, Lim will take on an integral role in maintaining focus and growth at the alliance, which represents 12 CVBs across the globe, as well as spearhead plans to attract quality associations and corporate driven events to Singapore.

When asked how she was going to propel the alliance forward, Lim told TTGmice: “We are now in the process of reviewing the Alliance’s brand and strategy to further strengthen our value proposition. Our goal is for the BestCities Alliance to continue to add value to the business events industry, and evolve in a manner that enables the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts.

“We also hope to widen our industry and community engagement as there is much more that we can accomplish together than we can on our own.”

Several upcoming BestCities activities include the Incredible Impacts Programme that calls for associations to share examples of how they are leaving long-term legacies; a joint study project with Rehabilitation International and GainingEdge to improve accessibility to make events all-inclusive; and the third annual BestCities Global Forum, taking place in Bogotá this December, shared Paul Vallee, managing director, BestCities Global Alliance.

On how successful the alliance has been, Vallee pointed to two conferences that were won through joint efforts – the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) and International Association for Public Transport (UITP).

WCPT is the sole international voice for physical therapy, representing more than 450,000 physical therapists worldwide through its 109 member organisations. After previously hosting their conference in BestCities destinations Vancouver, Singapore and most recently in Cape Town, WCPT announced they would be taking their 2021 congress to another alliance destination, Dubai.

Similarly, UITP is an association that is a champion of sustainable urban mobility, and is the only worldwide network to bring together all public transport stakeholders and all sustainable transport modes. The association hosted their Young Transport Professionals Seminar in BestCities destination Melbourne last year, and will be heading to Singapore in July.

“Melbourne was able to gather knowledge from other partner cities on past-hosting experience. This included tapping on Singapore’s experience, (where the city will be holding) the LTA (Land Transport Authority)-UITP International Transport Congress and Exhibition for a third year (the first and second conferences were held in 2013 and 2016),” Vallee said.

Langkawi stakeholders call for more marketing and outreach

By Pamela Chow

June 12, 2018

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Some of Langkawi’s tourism players are pushing for an increase in destination marketing, in anticipation of an influx of corporate groups, brought about by an expanded airport terminal and recent events.

One such stakeholder, premiere leisure water sports company Naam, has been working closely with other stakeholders, such as the Malaysia Convention and Exhibitions Bureau (MyCEB), Langkawi Development Authority and Destination Asia, to promote Langkawi as a rising destination for meetings, incentives and conventions.

Naam’s Paradise 101 Island which comprises an aqua park and beach, where activities such jetskiing and volleyball can be arranged

This is in the lead-up to the Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Mart 2018, which will be held in Langkawi from September 12-14.

“Most corporates are looking for exclusive (activities), especially for teambuilding. We have a lot of (activities) catered to this for high-end companies,” shared Jenny Choo, sales & marketing manager, Naam.

One of Naam’s offerings include travelling out to more secluded islands and diving spots instead of popular and crowded areas such as Tanjung Rhu Beach and Pantai Cenang Beach.

Choo added that on top of its convention centre and facilities, Langkawi is also expanding its international terminal to accommodate more inbound traffic.

Mark Hisham, head of sales & marketing, Naam, revealed: “We hope that with the new government, MyCEB will get (a higher) budget to do more promotions and events.

“Prime minister Mahathir’s parliamentary seat is in Langkawi, so we hope he will continue where he left off before and make Langkawi glorious again. We have been lacking in infrastructure, so in order for us to keep up with (similar destinations like) Phuket and Bali, we have to focus more on this.”

Gem Vacation & Travel’s director, A. Majid M., told TTGmice that Langkawi is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for its affordable price point, considering its offerings that are comparable to the Maldives.

What the destination can benefit from is more marketing and outreach to agents to showcase what products are available for corporates, he opined.

SCB opens applications for convention grants

By TTGmice

June 12, 2018

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Sarawak is looking to award four grants of up to RM10,000 (US$2,507) to fund travel, accommodation, association membership and convention registration fees to successful applicants under the International Convention Scholarship Award (ICSA).

Initiated by Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB), ICSA has issued grants to over 40 business events ambassadors since its inception in 2008 to enable Sarawakians to attend conferences around the world.

Successful applicants will be fund their various travel and registration fees

Chew Chang Guan, SCB’s general manager of government &industry relations remarked in a statement: “Successful applicants will be able to learn new ideas or knowledge from their particular fields. Not only would they be able to make extend their professional networks in a global scale, they would also play a vital role in developing Sarawak’s respective sectors and spur advancement.”

Under the Bureau’s national flagship “BESarawak” platform, the ICSA is part of the Awarding element; one of three main prongs to empower the state’s Business Events sector. It also coincides with the Anak Sarawak Awards, a biennial event to acknowledge the contribution of industry partners and conferences hosts.

In order to qualify for the ICSA, applicants would need to be a Sarawakian, a permanent resident of Sarawak, or possess a Sarawakian working permit. The choice of convention is to be held from October 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019, able to rotate among different destinations, and have the possibility of being hosted in Malaysia.

The application deadline is July 31, 2018.

The application form can be downloaded here. For further information, please contact Dylan Noel (drnoel@sarawakcb.com) or Chew Chang Guan (chewcg@sarawakcb.com) at +60 82 24 2516.

Beyond Asia: Raffles Europejski Warsaw, United Airlines and The Private Suite, and Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre

Meet mindfully with Mandarin Oriental

Frasers opens second property in Tianjin

Keeping calm in troubled waters

New executive chef joins The Okura Prestige Bangkok

Inspiring Entertainment – part 1

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector in C-suite shake-up

Singapore’s Jeannie Lim takes up mantle of BestCities board chair

Langkawi stakeholders call for more marketing and outreach

SCB opens applications for convention grants

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