The demand for meetings with eco-friendly and sustainable elements, such as organic food and environmentally friendly amenities, are on the uptick in Asia-Pacific.
One of the main drivers is an increasing emphasis on healthy eating and well-being that is “top-of-mind” for millennial employees, said Rupert Hallam, Hilton’s vice president, sales, Asia-Pacific.
Hallam: wellness and well-being are increasingly important
He shared that elements such as relaxing spa corners, refillable glass bottles, and locally sourced food have been well-received by clients of Hilton’s Meet with Purpose programme.
Launched in June, the package offers aspects such as healthy morning yoga and stretch classes, sustainably sourced meals served on dishware made of recycled materials, and the option to join the hotel chain’s carbon emissions offset initiative.
In some Hilton hotels, such as Hilton Pattaya and Hilton Singapore, a portion of produce is grown in and harvested from in-house vertical farms.
Hallam added that, contrary to popular belief, there is no extra cost for the Meet with Purpose programme as compared to the regular meeting packages.
He also noted that sustainable and health-conscious events are not simply a trend but a movement, and may spur bigger changes such as more hydroponic farms within hotel properties, an increase in support for local communities, and greater farm-to-table awareness.
He predicts that, going forward, companies will begin to adopt an “employee-first” mindset that will propel the push for wellness and well-being in corporate meetings.
The Ritz-Carlton Langkawi is pulling out all stops to increase its share of business events, which currently forms 20 per cent of its business mix.
Director of sales & marketing, Zulkifli Rahman, told TTGmice that the hotel is currently working with partners such as The Els Club Teluk Datai, inbound DMCs, overseas outbound agents, as well as airlines that fly to Langkawi to promote the destination as a high-end business events destination.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi’s grand ballroom
Currently, it has confirmed meetings and incentives booked up to June 2018, most of which are from the region, as well as China and Japan, revealed Zulkifli. Clients include the banking sector, retail industry and incentive groups.
This 119-key luxury property that overlooks the Andaman Sea and boasts a 10-million-year-old rainforest as a backdrop, is the latest luxury property on the island. It is located a 15 minutes’ drive from the Langkawi International Airport.
Its meeting facilities include a grand ballroom that can take 430 people in theatre-style, and be divided into three smaller meeting rooms. Meanwhile, the ballroom’s pre-function area is outdoors and offers a view of the rainforest.
However, as a second-tier business events destination, there are challenges.
For instance, Zulkifli pointed out that Langkawi needed more direct flights from overseas.
He explained: “It would go a long way if there were direct flights from the Middle Eastern carriers, as this would also help us promote Langkawi as a business events destination to Europeans and Latin Americans.”
Zulkifli also opined that more infrastructure such as high-end restaurants for groups of 80 to 100 people, and more contractors with high-end coaches based in Langkawi, were needed. Currently for large groups, coaches have to be hired from Kuala Lumpur and this drives up the cost.
“Langkawi also competes with Bali and Phuket, and we are losing business because there are too many taxes imposed on guests. There is the local tourism fee of RM5 (US$1.18) per room per night, and the tourism tax of RM10 per room per night, imposed on foreign passport holders,” he lamented.
As companies shrink expatriate packages along with overseas posting duration, long-staying corporate guests are increasingly turning up at serviced apartments alone and for shorter periods.
This trend has led Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore, which opened mid-2017, to focus on offering services that keep guests occupied during their free time.
Liang: need to adapt to today’s corporate guests
Speaking to TTGmice in an interview, Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore’s general manager, Roy Liang, who has seven years of experience launching high-profile serviced apartments in South-east Asia, observed: “In the past, corporate staff tend to go for much longer overseas postings of three years or so, and therefore would relocate with family, putting up in rented houses. These days, companies have cut expatriate packages and posting durations to just one- to three-months, thus removing the need to provide for accompanying family, international schools and other lifestyle fees. For such shorter arrangements, serviced apartments fit right in.”
With more personal time on hand, corporate guests are better able to focus on attaining their desired work-life balance, Liang noted.
To help guests along, the 268-unit property is working with WorldTrainer, a global network of personal trainers that allows clients to access a quality personal trainer wherever they go in the world.
Explaining this sports initiative, Liang said: “One of the biggest gripe among frequent fliers is that work trips disrupt their wellness regime. WorldTrainer ensures clients have access to a quality personal trainer at their preferred schedule and pace no matter where they are, be it in Singapore today or Bangkok tomorrow.”
Liang is expanding the property’s sports offering with a potential partnership with Aqua Spin, a fitness company specialising in water aerobics, that will bring classes right into his infinity pool. He aims to finalise this by the end of November.
Besides sporting activities, Liang said Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore’s hardware is also “designed for the corporate staff of today”. He described them as being more independent and wanting the ability to plan their life easily using digital tools.
“We have tailored our services and faciities to cater to these needs. In all our apartments we have a Samsung tablet and Samsung mobile phone which guests can take with them when they head out into the city. Phone calls are charged a market rate, and a loaded Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore app introduces them to the vicinity and allows them to request for services – such as fresh towels or room service – without having to speak to anyone, if that’s what they prefer,” he said.
Facilities-wise, Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore boasts an all-day dining restaurant, which serves a full breakfast, an infinity pool with a serene pool deck, an executive club lounge, and a poolside BBQ pit.
Various facilities are also open for corporate event hire, such as the 12-seat boardroom, the lounge, The Bar and the poolside BBQ pit.
The recently-inaugurated Biswa Bangla Convention Centre (BBCC) in Kolkata, India, has reported a healthy pipeline of forward bookings until 2019.
Constructed at a cost of over US$77 million, the new facility has a 3,200-seater auditorium, six breakaway spaces, a 2,300m2 exhibition hall, as well as a 100-key hotel.
An artist’s impression of BBCC
Upcoming bookings include the Horasis Meet in November, the Bengal Global Business Summit in 2018. Other forward bookings include Herbalife, Tata Medical Centre, Apollo and International TradeFacilitation Centre, as well as for a couple of medical societies.
Marriott International’s Run to Give Hotel Charity Runs have collectively raised close to US$421,000, in support of various charities across the Asia-Pacific.
The runs took place in 115 locations on September 24, 2017 across the Asia-Pacific, and it saw an attendance of close to 32,500.
Run to Give is a key event in this region under the company’s ‘TakeCare’ movement, which aims to encourage associates to live their best life by promoting physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and creating strong team synergy while making a difference in communities that Marriott International operates in. It was started in 2014.
An aerial view of Limassol, a city on the southern coast of Cyprus
Cyprus Tourism Organisation launches MICE-focused schemes
The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) is offering four new financial incentives for conferences and business-related activities held on the island – or those involved in bringing business events to the island.
Each scheme is tailored to specific groups. One, for instance, is built for non-governmental, non-profit organisations/associations and higher and tertiary academic bodies and institutions (for conferences and meetings), and licensed tourism and travel offices and companies.
The incentive schemes and the specific criteria for each are available here.
Vegas Food Expo has a new location
In 2018, the Vegas Food Expo will be moved to Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino’s 3,000m2 Paradise Center North. The show will take place from April 15-16, and the event is a by-invite-only American food tradeshow that aims to help small, emerging food producers, and connect with retailers, distributors, and restaurants. The show first debuted in March this year.
Messe München expands portfolio in Africa
Messe München has purchased Lab Africa, the only laboratory and analytics fair in South Africa, which will become part of the Analytica exhibition network.
The first edition of Lab Africa, under the Munich organisers, will take place in 2019 in Johannesburg. In 2017, 109 exhibitors showcased their services and products to 1,698 trade visitors from 12 countries.
This latest acquisition adds to Messe München’s portfolio of exhibitions which include Bauma Conexpo Africa, Ifat Africa and Food & Drink Technology Africa.
The meetings & events industry can be optimistic about growth prospects next year, driven by increased competition in the supply chain for market share, and robust investments and a desire for consolidation of spend by buyers, according to the 2018 Global Meetings and Events Forecast from American Express Meetings & Events.
Across the globe, the continued localisation of meetings programs will be a key trend next year, as meeting professionals seek to add flexibility and nuance to offerings that address specific market needs and drive program adoption. The link between compliance and security in today’s geopolitical landscape is another area of focus, with a special section on compliance challenges and risks associated with corporate meetings in China.
Meetings activity in the Asia Pacific is expected to remain stable in 2018
Technology is expected to continue its transformation of meetings and events in 2018, particularly on the end-to-end management of delivery and attendee experience. The potential of emerging technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, and the ongoing development of mobile-app and hybrid-meeting solutions are creating innovation and value add opportunities for both meeting owners and attendees.
“Following the shifting sentiment in 2017, next year should be more positive around the world in terms of spend, number of meetings and attendees. Meanwhile, meeting owners are prioritising attendee experience and engagement over scale. As a result, we expect to see shorter, more focused meetings,” said Issa Jouaneh, senior vice president and general manager, American Express Meetings & Events.
“Economic and geopolitical influences will continue to create uncertainty, but we anticipate ongoing industry resilience and continued focus on successful experiences,” added Jouaneh.
In Asia Pacific, meetings activity is expected to remain stable in 2018 within Asia Pacific, with small decreases of 0.8% to 1.2% in numbers of senior leadership and board meetings as well as advisory and incentive meetings. China and Hong Kong reflect the broader regional numbers, while Singapore stands out with predicted decreases of 1.4% to 2.2% for most meeting types.
Sales and marketing meetings comprise the greatest portion of expected meetings activity in the region at 20%, with even higher numbers in Australia at 27%. Product launches, advisory meetings, and incentives happen less frequently across the region, with incentives comprising 4% of meetings activity in Australia and advisory meetings at 4% in China and Hong Kong and 5% in Singapore. While conferences and tradeshows are predicted to account for less than 20% of meetings activity in the region, they represent one-third of planned activity in Singapore.
In terms of meeting sizes, half of the meeting types are expected to remain stable in terms of number of attendees in Asia Pacific. Sales and marketing meetings are expected to increase slightly in size, with respondents in Australia suggesting that this increase might be as big as 2.4%. Respondents expect that all meeting types, except training meetings, in Australia will grow in size in 2018, while most meetings types in Singapore are expected to be smaller.
As well, meeting length is predicted to remain essentially unchanged throughout the region overall. Respondents in China do, however, anticipate minor increases in the length of training meetings and product launches. In line with predicted attendee declines in the country, Singapore is expected to see small decreases of less than 1% in days per meeting for several meeting types as well.
As for budgets, predictions suggest that meeting spend in Asia Pacific will decrease by 1%. Within the region, Singapore may see the largest decreases of up to 3.7%; Australia is the exception with expected budget increases of 1.9%. With hotel rates expected to increase this is likely to create pressure on individual event budgets.
The cost per attendee is expected to remain relatively flat in 2018 across the region. Within the region there is a marked difference, however, between Australia and Singapore. While respondents in Australia expect cost per attendee to increase by nearly 1% for half of meeting types, and up to 3% for incentives, respondents in Singapore expect cost per attendee to decrease across all meeting types, from 2.4% for conferences and tradeshows up to 4% for incentive meetings.
Product launches, conferences and tradeshows, and senior leadership and board meetings are expected to have the higher costs per attendee in the region. According to respondents, cost per attendee in China and Hong Kong tend to be higher across all meeting types than cost per attendee in Australia and Singapore. Expected cost per attendee in Singapore is lower across most meeting types than cost per attendee in other countries.
When asked where they would cut costs in meeting budgets and still maintain the customer experience, one-third of respondents reflect those in other regions in suggesting off-site optional activities as the first to be cut. Thirteen percent each suggest that reducing the number of nights and room drops would be their first choice.
When asked if overall meetings budget increased 10% where they would make changes, one-fifth of respondents suggest that the preferred area of investment would be to increase the number of meetings and another fifth selected number of attendees at meetings. Nearly one-third stated that they would increase the budget for meeting content and production. These priorities reflect the emphasis we are seeing globally on more attendee-focused meetings with enhanced value.
Unlike other regions, nearly all respondents in Asia Pacific indicate that the primary locations for meetings are large cities. Only 3% identified second-tier city locations as primary for meetings. Location choice however, is complex.
The top 10 cities in Asia Pacific based on meetings and events activity remain largely the same as last year, with Bangkok moving into third and pushing Kuala Lumpur into fourth. Mumbai makes an entrance on the list this year in ninth position, taking Beijing’s place.
Respondents also suggest that 2018 group hotel rates will increase slightly by 1.4% across the region. Those in Australia expect increases up to 5.7%, setting Australia apart across the region.
In terms of property types, as with other regions, meetings professionals point to the growing range of possibilities to meet the increasing demand for unique venues. For instance, the Asia Pacific region stands out once as a more frequent user of luxury properties.
Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), Sarawak’s only purpose-built convention centre, has been officially appointed as the host venue for three prominent international conferences next year.
The three conferences are The 4th International Energy Week (IEW’18), 17th Continuing Professional Development Series: Diabetes Asia 2018 Conference, and 18th Asian-Australasian Animal Production Congress 2018.
Borneo Convention Centre Kuching
The IEW’18 will be hosted from January 23-25 and will comprise both conference and exhibition components. It will bring the IEW’18 Conference and Technology Symposium, ElectroPowerAsia 2018 Exhibition, PetroleumAsia 2018 Exhibition, and Asia Infrastructure 2018 Exhibition to this energy-themed event which anticipates to welcome around 5,000 delegates.
Next, the 17th Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Series Diabetes Asia Conference (DAC) 2018 will take place from July 26-29. Approximately 600 delegates are expected at this four-day conference, which will also include a pharmaceutical and medical-themed exhibition.
Lastly, The Malaysian Society of Animal Production will host the 18th Asian-Australasian Animal Production Congress 2018 from August 1-5, and it will bring about 400 representatives from the Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies to Kuching.
The bids for these conferences were won through the efforts of both the Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) and BCCK.
Amelia Roziman, SCB’s chief operating officer said in a statement: “Kuching as a second-tier city has stood out for having a world-class convention venue that has time and again risen to the occasion to deliver many a prominent conference and proved itself capable of hosting events of myriad nature.
“These three upcoming international events are further testimonies that the BCCK has the resources and flexibility to match the customised needs of association meetings in terms of meeting spaces, technology and diverse food and beverage preference of multi-cultural attendees. SCB and BCCK both look forward to showcase what Kuching has to offer in terms of MICE and related hospitality resources,” she concluded.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Maritz Global Events are partnering with the aim of inspiring meeting planners to plan business events in Singapore.
This collaboration comes on the heels of the recently-launched unified brand, Singapore – Passion Made Possible by STB and the Economic Development Board. It is the first time Maritz Global Events has collaborated with a national tourism organisation on such an initiative.
The new partnership follows the Passion Made Possible brand
The STB-Maritz Global Events partnership will entail Maritz Global Events using its proprietary Experience Design Labs technology and other methods such as in-depth interviews to develop ‘personas’ based on the passion points of meeting planners, to glean insights into what motivates them. Based on the insights, STB and Maritz Global Events will then leverage the use of virtual reality to create a product that appeals to meeting planners.
David Peckinpaugh, president, Maritz Global Events, said: “There is a strong alignment between STB’s new Passion Made Possible brand and the importance Maritz Global Events places on delivering exceptional experiences. Both embrace experiences and transformation as being cornerstones of a meaningful journey, and we’re glad this partnership engages US MICE players in such a creative way. We’re excited to pioneer
this initiative approach with Singapore and deepen our partnership further.”
To complement the US MICE Passion Made Possible announcement, STB has also collaborated with Northstar Meetings Group on a campaign titled Their Passion Made Your Event Possible, which celebrates the passions of unsung heroes of Singapore’s business events industry in the U.S. and Singapore.
The campaign invites members of the US meetings industry to nominate and recognise the efforts of their unsung heroes. Thereafter, the US and Singapore unsung heroes will have an opportunity to meet with each other in their respective countries.
SereS Hotels & Resorts opened the SereS Springs Resort & Spa in Bali on October 7, and is aiming to grow its SereS and SenS brands domestically.
Its opening follows the success of the 97-room SenS Hotel & Spa Ubud Town Centre which opened a few years ago.
A ballroom in the newly-opened SereS Springs Resort & Spa
Located in the village of Singakerta, south of Ubud, SereS Springs Resort & Spa has 60 rooms and suites. Another 20 villas are expected to be added to the inventory by the end of the month.
Meeting facilities at the resort include two ballrooms, a corporate meeting room for 24 pax, a pavilion for receptions which can hold up to 26 guests, and a yoga bale for 18 yogis or 26 guests for cocktails.
The grand ballroom – which can be divided into two smaller venues – also comes with a pre-function foyer, and can hold up to 450 guests theatre-style. Meanwhile, the junior ballroom can also be divisible by two, with capacity for 200 guests.
Teck Thai Heng, managing director of SereS Hotels & Resorts, said: “We are confident that SereS Springs Resort & Spa, Singakerta, will be a new icon in Ubud and be quickly recognised as one of Bali island’s leading business events destination, a family-friendly resort and a most unique wedding venue set among Ubud’s padi fields with easterly views of Bali’s revered mountains.”
Teck adds that he expects business events would contribute 30 per cent of the hotel revenue.
Other facilities at the SereS Spring Resort & Spa include two large swimming pools with 46 lounge chairs, a hospitality lounge, spa, fitness centre, kids’ club and video lounge, and three F&B outlets.
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.
