27 Top incentive ideas – Part 2

August 17, 2018

Take visiting the world-famous Gardens by the Bay in Singapore to the next level by dining in the crown of the SuperTree Grove. Located at the top of the tallest structure is SuperTree by IndoChine, where guests can enjoy an al fresco rooftop bar, and an air-conditioned lounge with a 360-degree view of the gardens and its surrounds.

IndoChine serves a blend of Indochinese and Western cuisines. Specially available at SuperTree by IndoChine is a nutraceutical menu of dishes with health-giving additives and organic produce from local farms that are free from pesticides and manmade fertilisers.

Capacity 72 (formal seating) / 300 (standing cocktail/buffet concept)
Email kelvin.tan@indochine-group.com
Website www.Indochine-group.com

The Ultimate Travelling Camp offers a offers luxury lodge experience at Jaagir Lodge Dudhwa – a camp nestled in the rainforests of the Terai, Uttar Pradesh, India. The reserve, at the foothills of the Himalayas, is home to critically-endangered species like tigers, the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, Ganges river dolphins and fishing cats.

For the ultimate experience, charter an aircraft from Delhi to the Ballia airstrip, 12km away from the lodge. Accompanied by India’s best-trained conservationist and naturalists, incentive groups can learn about the successful campaign of turning Dudhwa into a natural habitat for Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Cycle around sugarcane farms to explore the rich flora and fauna, or take a boat ride to see the gharials hunting in the shallows. Hear stories of survival from the ethnic Tharu tribe who happily coexist with the wild, or simply listen to chirping birds as winners relax in their private veranda.

Capacity 26 pax
Email info@tutc.com
Website www.tutc.com

Photograph by Ahmad Faizi B. Ahmad Zamani

This steam locomotive is a historic tourist attraction in Sabah, Malaysia, which features five fully refurbished colonial-style passenger train carriages. The ride allows groups a glimpse of the scenic countryside as it passes paddy fields, flowing rivers and quaint villages along the way. Delegates will also get the chance to visit interesting places such as the Tien Shi Temple (known for its fine statues), the local wet market at Papar and the shophouses in Papar town.

Private charters are available for corporate groups. Themed setups at various station stops can be arranged and special food requests can also be made.

Capacity Up to 100 pax
Email enquiry@borneotrails.com
Website www.borneotrails.com

This Wildlife Alliance-run initiative organises private behind-the-scenes tours of its sprawling site on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre houses a swathe of endangered wildlife rescued from the clutches of poachers and illegal wildlife traffickers.

This experience offers winners the chance to play zookeeper for the day, hand-feed elephants and macaque monkeys, enter the tiger’s den, and get up close with leopards and other creatures that call the centre home for a stint, before being released back in the wild.

Capacity 10 pax
Email info@wildlifealliance.org
Website www.phnomtamaotours.com

A new attraction in the beautiful town of Pont l’Evêque in Normandy recently opened in March this year. Set on the site of France’s oldest and most famous distillery, the Calvados Experience is a world-class attraction that immerses guests in a multisensory journey through the centuries, from the Vikings to the present day.

Here, sample the true Norman apple-based liquor and learn about its production. Discover the wealth of age-old expertise and the work of Calvados makers in three major phases: from apple to cider, from eau-de-vie to calvados, and then the pleasure of tasting.

Capacity Up to 500 pax
Email contact@calvados-experience.com
Website www.calvados-experience.com

Ride a lap on the Australian Formula One Grand Prix circuit in Melbourne in a course car and get a unique insight into the world of F1.

This includes a walk through the pit lane, a private Q&A with a VIP motorsport personality such as David Coulthard, and a tour around the F1 garage.

To heighten the experience, hop into a helicopter for an aerial tour of Albert Park Grand Prix and Melbourne city. This is an exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime VIP experience over the four-day Australian F1 in March.

Capacity Three for the circuit ride
Email corporate@grandprix.com.au
Website grandprix.com.au

This region of Japan is considered the birthplace of the Shinto religion and is the ancestral home of the imperial family. Guests staying at the Amanemu Resort – comprising 24 suites and three villas – can learn about local food and witness Japanese freedivers, known as ama, who make a living collecting pearls and seafood off the coast. Groups can also hike to the temple at the peak of Mount Asama, luxuriate in an onsen or take part in group wellness activities such as yoga, tai-chi and zazen meditation.

Capacity 64 pax in a venue buy-out
Email www.aman.com/contact-us
Website www.aman.com/resorts/amanemu

Journey in a 4WD vehicle to an enchanting lodge situated in the midst of a primary jungle in Danum Valley, Sabah. The 4D3N programme would allow your group to watch the sun rise, trek in the wilderness, soak their feet, swim in the natural waterfall pool, and dine under the stars. Be still, and take time to appreciate the green surroundings and nature sounds.

Capacity Up to 40 pax
Email doh_mice@discoveryoverland.com
Website www.discoveryoverland.com

Pamper your top achievers with a luxurious wellness experience in a lush tropical rainforest setting in Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa in Sarawak, Malaysia. The resort is located near the UNESCO World Heritage site, Mulu National Park.

Rejuvenate the mind, body and soul with indulgent spa treatments while being enveloped by the serene forest, discover alternative lifestyle with a devoted wellness consultant, and savour local delicacies while being serenaded by the soothing sounds of nature.

Be sure to allocate time to check out Mulu National Park’s collection of rare birds, wildlife and exotic plants, and the world-famous Mulu Caves.

Capacity Up to 20 pax
Email mhrs.myymu.reservations@marriotthotels.com
Website www.mulumarriott.com

27 Top incentive ideas – Part 1

By TTGmice

August 17, 2018

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Nevis Catapult: NZ’s latest thrill ride launches into action

By TTGmice

August 15, 2018

0

Nevis_Catapult_CREDIT_@barekiwi — The Nevis Catapult propels thrill seekers 150m out across a ravine before dropping them towards the valley floor (photo credit: @barekiwi)

Behold the Nevis Catapult, a world-first experience for thrillseekers launched by bungy pioneer AJ Hackett Bungy.

The Catapult exposes adrenaline junkies to 3G of force and speeds of almost 100km per hour in 1.5s, propelling them 150m out across a ravine before their sudden drop towards the valley floor, ending with a series of jaw-dropping bounces.

The Nevis Catapult propels thrill seekers 150m out across a ravine before dropping them towards the valley floor (photo credit: @barekiwi)

Housed in a pod and between a series of cables, alongside the Nevis Swing, the Catapult is a combination of height, flight and speed using a high-speed winch system.

The launch brings to fruition “three decades of planning and development” by AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand co-founder Henry van Asch and the New Zealand team.

Van Asch said he first came up with the idea when travelling around France during the 1980s with friend turned Bungy co-founder, AJ Hackett.

He remarked that the new product is an apt celebration of the company’s 30th anniversary. “In 1988 we took Bungy to the world, and put New Zealand on the world adventure tourism map. Thirty years on it’s wonderful to still be pushing the boundaries globally.”

According to a statement, technology for the multi-million-dollar Catapult was developed with the company’s research team before being built in an accredited testing facility in Christchurch and then brought to site for full scale installation, testing and commissioning.

Testing has been conducted out-of-sight over the past nine months – beginning with weighted barrels, before moving on to a test dummy phase and finally human testing.

The Catapult is developed to internationally recognised global safety standards and regulated under New Zealand adventure tourism and amusement device standards, the same statement highlighted.

Ascott expands apart’hotels portfolio in Vietnam

By TTGmice

August 15, 2018

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The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has opened two properties in Vietnam – Citadines Blue Cove Danang and Citadines Regency Saigon.

Citadines Blue Cove Danang is Ascott’s first property in Danang and its largest property globally. It is part of an integrated development that is located by the Han River along the Son Tra peninsular.

The property offers a mix of 548 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, most of which overlook Danang Bay. Recreational facilities include a 24k gold-plated infinity pool, Jacuzzi, fitness centre, spa, and children’s playroom. There is also a ballroom and meeting rooms.

Meanwhile, the Citadines Regency Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3 offers 229 keys from classic rooms to one-bedroom apartments, some of which are connected. Facilities include a swimming pool, fitness centre, children’s wading pool, sauna room, café, restaurant and launderette. The serviced apartment is also within walking distance to tourist attractions such as the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and War Remnants Museum.

Lew Yen Ping, Ascott’s country general manager for Vietnam, shared: “Vietnam is Ascott’s largest market in South-east Asia where demand for serviced residences remain high. We currently have 21 properties offering close to 4,700 units across seven cities in the country.

“Within the next three years, over 2,000 units across nine properties are slated to open in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Danang, Halong City and Binh Duong province. We look forward to providing more accommodation choices in the fast-expanding Vietnam, and are committed to achieve our target of 7,000 units in the country by 2020.”

Ascott’s upcoming properties in Vietnam include Citadines Central Binh Duong in Binh Duong province; Somerset Feliz Ho Chi Minh City, Somerset D1Mension Ho Chi Minh City, and Diamond Island Luxury Serviced Residences in Ho Chi Minh City; Somerset Danang Bay in Danang; Somerset West Central Hanoi in Hanoi; as well as Citadines Marina Halong in Halong City.

Take a virtual tour of Te Pae Christchurch

By TTGmice

August 15, 2018

0

Te-Pae-Christchurch — A rendering of the upcoming Te Pae Christchurch

With the release of a new animated video, conference organisers can now take a virtual tour of Christchurch’s Te Pae convention centre.

Ōtākaro Limited Strategy and Property Opportunities general manager, Keith Beal, said that the animation was created to help organisers visualise the setting and design of this new riverside venue in Christchurch’s central city.

A rendering of the upcoming Te Pae Christchurch

“Te Pae is a purpose-built convention and exhibitions facility designed to make the most of the neighbouring Avon River and Victoria Square, ensuring guests have an enjoyable experience both inside and out,” he added.

“The animation will help director of sales for Te Pae, Gillian Officer and her team to secure events from late 2020 onwards.”

The virtual tour will be further developed to showcase the auditorium, exhibition hall, meeting rooms and banquet hall to assist with the booking process.

Construction of the facility is currently 20 per cent complete, and the roof will be going on the auditorium later this month. Meanwhile, the steel for the exhibition hall will start going up in September.

Te Pae, which means gathering place, is on track for opening in 2H2020. It will be able to host up to 2,000 delegates for a variety of events. The prime central city venue includes a divisible auditorium, 200-booth exhibition hall, banquet hall and 24 meeting rooms.

Egencia launches new data, analytics tools

By TTGmice

August 15, 2018

0

Egencia, the business travel arm of the Expedia Group, has launched the Egencia Analytics Studio, a data visualisation system.

Analytics Studio enables travel managers to explore the data visually, look at insights, and be able to identify new sources of savings and optimising expenditure across the various travel categories – air, hotel, train and car.

A screenshot from Egencia Analytics Studio

It will be a consolidated view through visual renderings and customisable widgets, with various angles and filters, such as the ability to visualise the impact of advance purchase in correlation with policy and travel typology (international, domestic, transborder, etc.).

This comes at a time where current TMC reporting systems require travel managers to spend hours searching through multiple files to merge rows of offline and online data to obtain actionable insights, often requiring support from data specialists.

“We live in a world where data is everywhere, but it’s only useful when you can turn data into actionable insights,” said Alex Kaluzny, chief technology officer, Egencia.

“Understanding the data and using it to make decisions that benefit your business is just the beginning – we continue to evolve the Egencia Analytics Studio to bring the power of predictive analytics to our customers.”

IHG unveils Business Edge for SMEs

By TTGmice

August 15, 2018

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InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has introduced IHG Business Edge, a programme designed to enhance the corporate travel experience for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The programme is designed to streamline the negotiation process, reward loyalty and consolidate data, content and booking into one customer portal. Through the customer portal, the corporate administrator can monitor essential travel data including hotel spend, room nights, average daily rate, savings and IHG Rewards Club participation over the previous 12 months.

IHG Business Edge seeks to reward SMEs for hotel stays

With future enhancements, the portal will also serve as the gateway to the IHG Business Edge community where administrators can access a content centre with business tools, articles for continuing education and a forum to connect with fellow SME travel administrators.

Companies with less than 250 employees and up to US$50 million in revenue, and that spend at least US$5,000 with IHG annually, are welcome to join the IHG Business Edge community.

This will give them discounted rates at participating hotels across IHG’s portfolio of more than 5,400 properties across 15 brands. Participating travellers also enjoy the benefits of IHG Rewards Club Gold Elite status after completing their first stay.

IHG Business Edge has been in development for the past year, and was built based on the insights of 2,100 global SME customers, and then piloted with 300 companies across 17 countries. Prior to launch, IHG shared that 1,500 companies have already signed up as members.

Derek DeCross, senior vice president, Global Sales, IHG, said: “We knew that there was an unmet need for a travel buying programme specifically designed for SMEs – a group of customers who can often be underserved by the industry. We worked together with SMEs to design the programme and they told us that a discount programme alone is not compelling enough to drive their loyalty and engagement. They didn’t want lengthy negotiations – but rather a rich discount they could count on, reliable reporting and insight into the latest information, as well as access to a diverse corporate network of other similar organisations.”

Demand for inflight Wi-Fi driving airline loyalty in Asia-Pacific

By TTGmice

August 15, 2018

0

Over three quarters (78%) of passengers would more likely rebook with an airline if high-quality inflight Wi-Fi is offered, according to the fourth annual global Inflight Connectivity Survey published by Inmarsat in association with market research company Populus.

It should be noted that Inmarsat is a provider of global mobile satellite communications services; the findings thus might be self-serving.

Wi-Fi is considered the second most important factor for passengers in Asia-Pacific when choosing an airline, behind only reputation

Nevertheless, the study shows that almost three quarters (72%) of Asia-Pacific passengers who had access to inflight Wi-Fi in the past year chose to use it – the highest uptake of any region globally. Almost nine in 10 (86%) passengers in Asia-Pacific would use inflight Wi-Fi if it were available on their next flight.

With two thirds (67%) of Asia-Pacific passengers describing inflight Wi-Fi as crucial, meeting the demand for Wi-Fi in the skies is key to improving passenger experience and driving loyalty in the region, the report argued.

In fact, inflight Wi-Fi is considered the second most important factor for passengers in Asia-Pacific when choosing an airline, behind only airline reputation, said the report.

Onboard Wi-Fi could also lead to more productive business trips, as almost nine in 10 business travellers (88%) in the region would use inflight Wi-Fi to continue working on the plane. Access to Wi-Fi is also an important driver of choice for nervous flyers, as two thirds (64%) said that they would use the technology to remain in contact with family and friends on the ground.

An earlier Inmarsat survey published in 2016 showed that the majority of airline passengers would sacrifice other inflight amenities for Internet access, with 54% saying they would choose Wi-Fi over an inflight meal.

Notably, today’s passengers are adding alcohol to the list of inflight amenities they would sacrifice to get online, with more than half of passengers in Asia Pacific (51%) suggesting they are even prepared to give up their inflight alcoholic drink in exchange for access to Wi-Fi.

More than 9,300 passengers from 32 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and North and Latin America were surveyed.

Beyond Asia: Estonian History Museum, 52nd EPCA Annual Meeting, and Nalan Emre

By TTGmice

August 15, 2018

0

bg_maarjam2e_loss-1024x611 — The Estonian History Museum

New event space opens in Estonia’s capital
The Estonian History Museum’s within the Maarjamäe Palace complex recently reopened in time for the 100^th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

The museum’s summer hall is able to organise dinners and receptions, as well as concerts and seminars for up to 120 seated. Meanwhile, the fireplace hall is another suitable space that can hold up to 80 seated.

The Maarjamäe Palace Park complex also comprises the Estonian Film Museum and the historic stables building. The Film Museum has a 210-seat cinema and conference hall, café, temporary exhibition hall and a small seminar room.

Events can also be organised at the historic stable building that was renovated in late 2014. It can be used as a seminar venue for groups of up to 50.

EPCA heads to Vienna this October
The European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) will be heading to Vienna for its 52^nd EPCA Annual Meeting from October 7-10, 2018.

This year’s theme is Petrochemicals and the Low-Carbon Economy: Versatile Solutions for Greater Sustainability, and the conference will look at how the petrochemical industry contributes to the transition towards a low-carbon economy, providing innovative and sustainable solutions in cooperation with its suppliers, customers and other stakeholders that support smart cities, smart mobility and climate-resilient society at large.

This annual event will see approximately 3,000 participants.

IMEX Group promotes Nalan Emre to COO
The IMEX Group has promoted Nalan Emre from organising director to the newly-created position of chief operating officer.

In her new role, Emre is responsible for managing the operations (formerly the organising team), office management, event tech and HR teams at the UK-headquartered company. She will plan and direct IMEX’s operational policies, structures, procedures and initiatives and collaborate with the chairman, CEO and financial director to set company strategy, forecasts and plans.

The German has been with IMEX for over 16 years, but possesses over 20 years’ experience in the meeting and event industry.

Meanwhile, Mark Mulligan, who has worked for IMEX since 2011, steps into Nalan’s former role to become director of operations.

New director of sales for Christchurch’s Te Pae

By TTGmice

August 15, 2018

0

Gillian Officer has been appointed the director of sales for Te Pae, Christchurch Convention Centre. In her new role, Officer will have to work towards securing events for the opening of Te Pae from late 2020 onwards.

She was previously the director of sales – conventions and outcatering at SkyCity based in Auckland, and has held similar roles with the Wellington Convention Centre and The Edge, Auckland Convention Centre.

Te Pae, which means gathering place, is on track for opening in 2H2020. It will be able to host up to 2,000 delegates for a variety of events. The prime central city venue includes a divisible auditorium, 200-booth exhibition hall, banquet hall and 24 meeting rooms. Construction is well underway with 20 per cent of the venue now complete.

27 Top incentive ideas – Part 2

27 Top incentive ideas – Part 1

Nevis Catapult: NZ’s latest thrill ride launches into action

Ascott expands apart’hotels portfolio in Vietnam

Take a virtual tour of Te Pae Christchurch

Egencia launches new data, analytics tools

IHG unveils Business Edge for SMEs

Demand for inflight Wi-Fi driving airline loyalty in Asia-Pacific

Beyond Asia: Estonian History Museum, 52nd EPCA Annual Meeting, and Nalan Emre

New director of sales for Christchurch’s Te Pae

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