Alexander Pichel has been appointed general manager of Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, transferring from Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta, where he had been general manager since 2015.
The German native brings 30 years of experience in the hospitality sector, including as resident manager at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai, managing director for a number of Rosewood hotels in the Middle East and general manager at the Hyatt Regency Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.
Six Senses Uluwatu has appointed Joel Bartlett as resort manager to take charge of the property’s overall operations.
Bartlett has more than a decade of experience in Asia’s high-end hospitality sector, including an extensive career with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. Prior to his latest appointment, he was director of rooms at One & Only Hayman Island, Australia.
Brought to you by Hilton
Hilton rolls out Meet with Purpose, a programme designed to make it easier for meeting professionals to reduce waste and incorporate wellness into meetings and events.
To cater to the increasing demand for meetings with eco-friendly and sustainable elements, such as organic food and environmentally friendly amenities, Hilton has launched Meet with Purpose in Southeast Asia.
This programme gives meeting professionals sustainable choices to incorporate into events that can align with many customers’ corporate responsibility goals. Inspired by Hilton’s own corporate responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose, the concept focuses on the following pillars:
Mindful Eating offers an F&B experience that supports a balanced diet and includes local and seasonal ingredients, in line with today’s dietary trends, and where possible the ingredients is sourced locally, sustainably and responsibly. By sourcing locally, the hotels demonstrate their support for local businesses and minimise food miles.
Mindful Meeting inspires meeting professionals to host more sustainable events by considering practices that are less resource-intensive. The solutions range from making smart use of innovation and technology to save paper and trees to turning off climate control when a meeting room is not in use.
Mindful Being is about offering the delegates an experience that maintains high energy levels, boosts their well-being, and drives productivity. This includes fitness sessions and access to spa facilities.
First launched in the US in 2015, the programme has since offered meetings and events planners increased opportunities for more productive, memorable and meaningful meetings.
Presence in South-east Asia
With Hilton offering more than 30 hotels and resorts across nine countries in South-east Asia, there is always a city, a beach and a setting that hold the promise of an unforgettable meeting or event.Choose from vibrant cities like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta to resort locations in Bali or Phuket, where the dedicated and experienced team at Hilton can help you plan any type of event, from sales meetings, conferences and trade shows.
Choose from vibrant cities like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta to resort locations in Bali or Phuket, where the dedicated and experienced team at Hilton can help you plan any type of event, from sales meetings, conferences and trade shows.
Limited offer awaits
Make your next event extra rewarding and get more from the Hilton Honors Event Planner program.
For a limited time, get 3 Hilton Honors Bonus Points for every eligible US$1 spent on meetings and events with Hilton in Southeast Asia booked now through March 31, 2018 and completed by December 31, 2018.
To learn more and view the list of participating hotels, visit HiltonHonors.com/SEA3XRewards today.
Princess Cruises and TTGmice got together on January 24 to throw a party for Singapore-based business event planners on board the exquisite Sapphire Princess. Guests got to experience what the luxury ship can do for private event groups, from plush accommodation and round-the-world dining experiences to spectacular entertainment and memorable venues.
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), which organises some 30 tradeshows annually, rolled out phase one of three of its Marketplace App at four consumer fairs earlier in January, following a soft-launch in November last year.
HKTDC’s assistant executive director, Sophia Chong, who hosted a networking lunch in Singapore this week, told members of Singapore’s trade associations, the e-Badge feature, which was well-received, will be gradually introduced to most of its trade fairs this year.
Apart from the e-Badge, the HKTDC Marketplace App also features HKTDC product magazines and supplements, the HKTDC Online Marketplace and hktdc.com Small Orders.
HKTDC has also enhanced its trade fair websites and launched a new year-round Exhibitions Online platform, which will go live later this year to enable online-to-offline connectivity between suppliers and buyers worldwide.
Chong said: “In 2017, the HKTDC fairs attracted more than 39,000 exhibitors from over 90 countries and regions, and more than 740,000 buyers from 200 countries and regions.”
With meeting space limited to around 60,000m2 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and another 40,000m2 at Asia World Expo in Chek Lap Kok near the airport, Chong said HKTDC was not competing with mainland China for mega-size events.
She said the trade fair industry is in the midst of transformation and the HKTDC is leveraging on trends where buyers are buying less in quantity but more frequently by developing an “audit platform for startups and SMEs in certain industries which can buy anywhere between one and five, and up to 1,000 items.
“By mobilising the HKTDC’s different department and overseas offices, we can offer services for a better experience for buyers and sellers.
Chong added: “Phases two and three of the HKTDC Marketplace App will be rolled out over the next 24 months. A (product) showroom is under development and we are now looking into the intellectual property rights, password protection and advertising opportunities on the platform.”
Tradeshows will not disappear even with the technology innovations, Chong opined, because buyers and sellers need to build business trust over the years with face-to-face contact.
The Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS) has lined up several training programmes aimed at attracting millennials to join the business events industry.
The PACEOS’ Philippine MICE Academy, in tandem with the Department of Tourism and local government units, is currently organising training nationwide. The unit is currently finalising plans for its first offering this year, an Event Design Course, in addition to other certification courses on event management, strategic planning and the like.
“We would like to develop the second generation of young MICE professionals. Many schools recognise MICE and there are lots of graduates but they have a different mindset now. They get bored easily, turnover is fast. They don’t stay long in the job unlike in our generation,” noted PACEOS’ trustee Marisa Nallana.
Nallana added that PACEOS will also launch the Youth MICE Challenge this year for universities and their students. The winning groups will be then compete in AFECA’s (Asian Federation of Exhibition & Convention Associations) Asia MICE Youth Challenge, an international challenge for all students majoring in MICE or business events, business management, hospitality and tourism-related fields.
“We would rather train them fresh. Young people usually stay in their job for two years or less, then they leave. Their approach is different. You have to tell them the end goal so they would think along that line, unlike previously when we already knew what the end goal was,” pointed out Nallana, who is also AFECA’s secretary-general.
She added that AFECA is also working towards introducing the business events sector to millennials, and hoping to entice them to have long-term career in the industry.
IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center is confident of reaching its revenue target of 2.7 billion baht (US$86.1 million) by March 2018 this year, thanks to the uptick in customers holding events at the Bangkok venue.
During 4Q2017, IMPACT hosted a total of 164 events, up 55 per cent year-on-year increase, 20 per cent more than the growth seen last year.
Paul Kanjanapas, managing director of IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, said that the upsurge in clients’ catering service requirements escalated rapidly due to the increasing demand for parties in companies and individuals, particularly from November 2017 to February 2018.
IMPACT Catering is capable of hosting multiple catered events of any size, and is the first MICE operator in Thailand to acquire the ISO 22000 certification for food safety management.
Abu Dhabi International Airport has unveiled its revamped Plaza Premium Lounge – Al Dhabi in Terminal 1, adjacent to Aerotel Abu Dhabi.
Open 24/7, the refurbished lounge now features a family space, all-day dining room, prayer room, workstation area, four shower areas, and massage rooms. Seating capacity has also been increased by 47 per cent, and can now accommodate about 300 people.
Aside from TV shows, magazines and newspapers, there will also be a hot buffet available throughout the day.
Song Hoi-see, founder and CEO of Plaza Premium Group, the operator of Plaza Premium Lounge – Al Dhabi, said: “We are re-shaping what customers can expect from international travel in Abu Dhabi. Travellers can now experience a holistic approach to passengers’ wellbeing off the aircraft by indulging in reimagined spaces that provide maximum comfort in affordable luxury.”
Travellers flying first or business class with any airline are eligible for lounge access. Other passengers can access Plaza Premium Lounge – Al Dhabi for rates starting at AED 200 (US$54) per person for two hours and AED 350 per person for five hours. Children aged 2 to 11 will enjoy a 30 per cent discount.
The Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has concluded its first ever Penang Sales Mission to India, an intense roadshow that took 17 Penang business events partners to Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru from January 17 to 24.
According to PCEB’s CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran (centre), India is one of the top five markets for business events coming into Penang.
New auditorium in one of Belgium’s largest museum complexes
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, comprising the Old Masters Museum, Musée Fin-de-siècle Museum and Musée Magritte Museum, has launched its latest function space.
The new auditorium has been furnished with high-end audiovisual equipment, and offers 490 seats on two levels. The space also has its own private entrance via Rue du Musée, a 1,005m2 reception hall, as well as two multipurpose rooms totalling 315m2.
Situated near the Grand’Place in the heart of Brussels, these museums offer event planners the possibility to organise private visits to permanent or temporary collections in the evening as well.
MilanoCard and AIM Group sign agreement
MilanoCard, Milan’s tourist card, and AIM Group International, an events and congresses management company, have signed an agreement to encourage congress participants to extend their stays in Milan.
The digital card, available via the new MilanoCard app, allows visitors to benefit from free access to public transportation (in the urban area of Milan for 24h, 48h or 72h), a free ride with Uber and free or discounted rates for over 100 services and attractions in Milan and Lombardy.
The agreement consists of the offer of MilanoCard when planning congresses and events in the city.
Dmg events acquires exhibitions from Hypenica
Dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa has acquired five exhibitions and an associated publication focused on the construction and transport infrastructure sectors from South African media company Hypenica.
The acquisition of African Construction Expo, Cape Construction Expo and KZN Construction Expo complements dmg events’ existing construction portfolio, while African Ports Evolution Forum and African Ports Evolution Forum – West Africa add a transport element.
KZN Construction Expo will be the first event to take place under new ownership, with the exhibition set to kick off in Durban, South Africa, on February 7, 2018, followed by the African Construction Expo in Johannesburg in May.
