Iconic Hotel Group has appointed Pauline Chua as group general manager, overseeing operations across Iconic Marjorie Penang, Iconic Regency Service Residences and Iconic Hotel Penang.
She joins from Onyx Hospitality Group, where she was general manager of Amari Johor Bahru, driving performance and strengthening brand recognition.
With over three decades of hospitality experience, she has led both single properties and multi-property portfolios across Asia-Pacific.
Food & Hospitality Asia (FHA) 2026 concluded after four days of trade activity, seminars and competitions, with organisers reporting its largest edition in a decade.
The event combined FHA-Food & Beverage and FHA-HoReCa into a single annual format, held alongside ProWine Singapore and IndusFood Asia at Singapore Expo. More than 2,750 exhibitors took part across 10 halls, while about 70,000 industry professionals from around 110 countries and regions attended.
The programme covered 18 segments across food, beverage and hospitality, including technology, products and operational practices. The show floor featured country pavilions from Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas, alongside newer participants such as Cambodia, Mongolia and the Philippines.
The European Union was featured as Region of Honour, presenting food products and sustainability initiatives. The Singapore Pavilion, led by Enterprise Singapore, included business matching sessions and a showcase developed with the Singapore Food Manufacturers Association.
A technology-focused zone, FutureFWD, highlighted developments in areas such as AI, automation and data analytics, alongside seminars and product demonstrations.
ProWine Singapore 2026 brought together more than 200 exhibitors from 24 countries, including established wine and spirits producers and newer categories such as low- and no-alcohol products. Features included tasting areas and networking sessions with buyers and distributors.
IndusFood Asia presented companies from India’s food and beverage sector, with a focus on exports, partnerships and market trends.
The Hosted Buyer Programme attracted 700 buyers from over 23 countries and regions, with around 19,000 meetings conducted over four days.
Competitions included the Young Chefs Grand Prix, won by KCAA.GN from South Korea, alongside the Asian Pastry Cup, FHA Bakery Challenge and FHA Dessert Challenge. Winners included Japan in the Asian Pastry Cup, China in the bakery competition and Sohee Kim from South Korea in the dessert category.
The next edition is scheduled for April 20-23, 2027.
The International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) has unveiled 360 Interactive Tour, establishing one of the world’s largest 3D digital twins to streamline global event planning.
Powered by Matterport’s immersive mapping and Phoria’s UX technology, the tool allows organisers to remotely navigate the Convention Centre, Exhibition Centre, and TikTok Entertainment Centre.
Unlike standard virtual walkthroughs, this digital twin enables precise evaluation of scale, room connectivity, and attendee flow, allowing planners to visualise complex layouts and spatial relationships with high accuracy long before arriving on-site.
ICC Sydney CEO Adam Mather-Brown noted that the investment is designed to reduce planning complexity and provide smarter, more efficient solutions as the pace of industry technology accelerates.
The tool addresses a growing demand for immersive infrastructure, as research indicates that organisers engage more deeply with 3D digital environments than traditional static imagery.
The interactive experience is now live and accessible via the venue’s official website.
Brought to you by IMEX Frankfurt
IMEX’s new Talking Point, Design Matters, is poised to elevate the business relationships at the heart of IMEX Frankfurt come May 19 to 21, 2026.
Guided by the belief that ‘good design is good business’, Design Matters is being planned as a catalyst to bring together event professionals and partners at the show, share best practices, and deepen the sense of belonging among the global events community.
The new Talking Point is especially fitting given that the Frankfurt RheinMain region – where IMEX Frankfurt takes place – has been named World Design Capital for 2026.
The show is set to bring together thousands of pre-vetted buyers and suppliers from around the world when it returns to Messe Frankfurt next month.
New education tracks
Design Matters will show up at IMEX Frankfurt through immersive activations, exhibitor booth activities, and across the over 200 session learning programmes.
Three of the four new education tracks will provide different perspectives on design: Design Matters; Designing for human needs, and Regenerative design. Together with the returning Experiential Event Design track, these four design‑led tracks will introduce attendees to fresh speakers, collaborators, and research shaping the sector.
Design Matters
IMEX CEO, Carina Bauer, explains: “When we move past surface level networking and find people who share our values, the events industry really shines. We believe this feeling of belonging is the foundation of strong relationships and strong business, increasingly called Return on Relationship. With that in mind, our new Talking Point is just one tool that will help those connections flourish, supported by some collaborations with exciting new partners and speakers.”
IMEX Frankfurt takes place from May 19 to 21. Register for free now.
Global business travel is continuing at a steady pace into 2026, but with significantly more caution, less confidence and more operational complexity than at the beginning of the year.
Organisations are still pressing forward with trips, spending and meetings, yet are doing so amid escalating conflicts, higher costs and growing disruption.
The shift can be seen across regions but is most pronounced in Europe, where industry pessimism now outweighs optimism as broader geopolitical conflicts are increasingly shaping travel routes, safety considerations, and meetings decisions worldwide.
In parallel, the travel manager role is increasingly strategic, including leveraging AI as a key enabler of smarter decisions and stronger organisational impact.
This is according to findings released by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) from its April business travel industry sentiment poll. Results broadly show a more cautious outlook compared with GBTA’s January poll, with organisations actively adjusting why and how they are travelling for work now.
“What we’re seeing is not a broad pullback from business travel, but a more deliberate and carefully managed approach to it. Organisations continue to travel and meet – and innovate – but they’re doing so while adapting to rising costs, operational friction and escalating geopolitical tensions,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA.
“These pressures are reshaping how, where and why companies are travelling now – making experienced business travel professionals more critical than ever to keeping travellers safe, navigating risk and disruption, and controlling budgets so organisations and people can continue to connect and do business.”
Risks and regional impacts: Geopolitical tensions now the dominant concern
Geopolitical instability has become the most significant external risk influencing business travel decisions in 2026, according to April poll respondents.
Current geopolitical conflicts, including tensions involving Iran and the Middle East, are having tangible impacts on industry outlook and operations:
Outlook and optimism: Confidence drops since January, especially in Europe
Overall industry optimism has weakened considerably since the start of the year.
This erosion in sentiment is evident across both travel buyers and suppliers.
Buyer optimism fell from nearly six in 10 in January (59%) to fewer than four in ten (39%) in April, while supplier optimism fell from more than half (57%) to just over four in ten (45%).
Regionally, Europe now stands as the only region where pessimism outweighs optimism in terms of the year-ahead outlook.
Optimism among European respondents was relatively strong in January (58% optimistic versus 14% pessimistic), but fell significantly by April, with just 21% now optimistic and pessimism rising to 38%.
In contrast, North America remains net positive – 59% optimistic and 9% pessimistic in January – but optimism materially declined by April, with 45% optimistic and 19% pessimistic.
In terms of outlook for 2026, increasingly widespread concerns cited by all respondents include the affordability of business travel (82%, vs. 70% in January) and employee safety when they are travelling (67%, vs. 56%).
Spending, volume, and revenue: Business travel continues, but downside risk grows
Despite the weakening outlook, business travel activity is expected to continue through 2026, but expectations have softened meaningfully since January.
Business travel volume:
Business travel spending:
Business travel supplier revenue:
Meetings and events: Strategies adjust under pressure but in-person value holds
Geopolitical risk and cross-border complexity are not only affecting individual trips but also reshaping meetings and events planning.
At the same time, travel buyers emphasise that certain gatherings remain difficult to replace.
Travel management’s role: More essential than ever, more strategic by need
As disruption and evolution intensifies, the role of travel management and travel professionals is becoming increasingly strategic.
The GBTA poll was conducted online from March 25 to April 8, 2026, and drew responses from 539 GBTA members and non-members across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Respondents represented organisations with global, regional, and market-level responsibilities, and a wide range of business travel spending profiles.
Gyeonggi Province – spanning 31 cities and counties – is charting a new course as a standalone business events hub, challenging the long-held perception that it serves as a backdrop to Seoul.
“Our primary goal is to position Gyeonggi not as an add-on to Seoul, but as a complete and independent MICE destination in its own right,” said Dong-han Kang, tourism business department director, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization (GTO).
To establish this identity, GTO is focusing on two key priorities. The first involves combining urban convention hubs like Suwon and Goyang with nature-based venues in Gapyeong, Paju, and Yangpyeong to offer experiences that differentiate the province.
The second priority is being a leader in Green MICE. In 2025, GTO introduced the Gyeonggi-type Sustainable MICE Guidelines, featuring 70 measurable indicators across environment, social, and governance dimensions. For planners who aim to demonstrate ESG credentials, GTO is offering up to 25 per cent in additional funding support for events that adopt these practices.
As the headquarters for semiconductor and IT giants such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, and host to the Pangyo bio-health cluster and a robust automotive sector, Gyeonggi also offers organisers direct access to South Korea’s leading innovation ecosystems.
“This makes us a natural fit for conferences and exhibitions in these sectors, including industrial facility tours that delegates can’t experience anywhere else,” said Kang.
On the infrastructure side, the province offers varying capacity for all types of events. For instance, the Suwon Convention Center features an exhibition hall, 28 meeting rooms, and a 256-seat theatre.
Meanwhile, KINTEX (Korea International Exhibition Center) in Goyang is undergoing a major expansion that will make it South Korea’s largest venue. Upon completion, the project will bring the center’s total exhibition capacity to 178,000m2.
Earlier this month, popular K-pop boyband BTS’ ARIRANG World Tour brought 129,000 fans to Goyang Stadium while merchandise operations ran out of KINTEX. Following this success, Goyang City launched Goyang Con-Trip, a structured programme linking concert attendance with local tourism to show that world-class entertainment and business events can coexist seamlessly, explained Kang.
Beyond these, the province offers unique venues like the UNESCO World Heritage Suwon Hwaseong Fortress for evening receptions, the DMZ Peace Trail for immersive historical experiences, and the nature retreats of Gapyeong and Yangpyeong.
To entice event planners, GTO offers a comprehensive assistance package. This includes financial incentives and a practical Green MICE Checklist covering 14 items across five categories.
Planners can also access complimentary site inspections, end-to-end event coordinator support from planning through to on-site execution, and curated access to a portfolio of over 25 unique venues.
“Planners who come to Gyeonggi with open expectations leave as advocates,” said Kang. “Our infrastructure is expanding, our unique venue portfolio is growing, and our ambition to compete on the global MICE stage is already backed by results. We genuinely believe Gyeonggi deserves a place on every international planner’s shortlist.”
Meeting planners in Singapore, attending the half-day seminar organised by non-profit DMC marketing association euromic, were reminded they must be able and know how to negotiate contract changes in a market where supplier flexibility has dropped.
Addressing this at the April 23 training, Rajeev Kohli, joint managing director, Creative Travel – representing India and the Maldives for euromic – said: “Price is always a discussion, but what is more important is value.”
Kohli, who was euromic’s president for two terms, also spoke on knowing rates, comparing multiple suppliers, defining priorities and alternatives, and leveraging options in negotiations.
“Prices today are tighter, supply is smaller, especially in 2026, where there is a surprise every week,” he observed.
Buyers must understand price is not the only consideration, the importance of negotiating respectfully, and developing a deeper relationship instead of being transactional.
The foundation of negotiation is “win-win”, whereas the ongoing Middle East conflict is based on “win-lose”, he quipped.
A force majeure clause in a contract will only work if there is a deeper relationship as “nobody wants to give money back”, he opined.
According to Michael Kater, managing director of CTI, euromic’s member representing Germany and Austria, there were no questions on safety during the Asia roadshow which also covered Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.
Malaysian participants, for example, wanted general information on hospitality in the European Union, where since the start of 2026, most countries have implemented a two-tier VAT (value-added tax) system.
Kater said: “There is a lower level of between five and seven per cent, and a high level with most countries charging 20 per cent for non-essentials like luxury items.”
During his presentation, Kater explained that non-EU businesses claiming VAT paid on business-related expenses, for example, for accommodation, transport, or conferences, must have original, compliant invoices showing the VAT amount.
Companies outside the EU must meet specific requirements, such as filing within deadlines, usually by 30 June of the following year, he added.
The Slate Phuket is rolling out a suite of James Bond-themed experiences and hyper-local partnerships, having officially declared 2026 its ‘Year of MICE’.
These experiences include excursions to James Bond Island, teambuilding challenges centred around the 007 legacy, and specialised event setups.
The connection to James Bond is more than just marketing; it is part of the resort’s DNA. It was the resort’s owner who originally convinced producers to swap Halong Bay for the now-iconic limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay for The Man with the Golden Gun, shared Claude Sauter, general manager of The Slate Phuket.
Aligning with TCEB’s Meet Well campaign, the resort is also integrating corporate wellness into the boardroom, added Sauter. The Slate has tapped Niels Steeman, founder of Bangkok-based Thrive Approach, to facilitate modules focusing on stress management, sleep, and nutrition.
To provide planners with more off-site variety, the resort has also partnered with Junkyard Theatre – a quirky, high-energy venue 35 minutes away that hosts up to 120 pax for buyouts – and Coolies Club, a two-storey heritage restaurant in Old Phuket Town featuring zero-waste, fire-smoked cuisine, and cabaret performances.
“We’re looking to double our MICE revenue from the current 10 per cent by year-end,” Sauter told TTGmice, noting that the resort’s regional focus on the Singapore hub and Chinese buyers was established long before recent geopolitical shifts.
He identifies the property’s sweet spot as incentive groups or high-end corporate meetings of around 100 rooms, or 200 people. “This group size allows for exclusive use of venues like the Black Ginger (a Thai restaurant at The Slate Phuket),” he added.
Set within 25 acres of lush greenery, The Slate Phuket features seven meeting spaces, including a 550m² Grand Ballroom and the Coliseum Garden, a five-tiered lawn amphitheatre that can host up to 500 guests. For total seclusion, groups can buy out a three-villa cluster totalling 2,000m² of private space.
The resort has also spearheaded the North Phuket Alliance, a collective of 13 hotels stretching from Mai Khao to Nai Yang beach, positioning the North as a serene, logistically superior alternative to the island’s congested South.
Leadership at both the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and Panama Tourism Authority have revealed that the upcoming 65th ICCA Annual Congress in Panama City would present a programme that would go off the beaten track.
While specifics about the conference programme have yet to be released, ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath told TTGmice that the Congress “won’t feel like a traditional event”.
He added: “It will be a shared space where associations, destinations, governments, academics, tech leaders, creatives, and investors all come together in real conversations. After Porto, we’re taking the next step. Panama City brings deeper, more candid C‑level discussions, with governments and ministries fully at the table. It feels like the right place, at the right moment, for where our community is heading.”
ICCA’s last global gathering in November 2025 marked a fresh new creative approach, where an ambitious new multi-venue format was deployed. Nine iconic locations across host city Porto in Portugal – from the historic Alfândega Congress Centre to the Stock Exchange Palace – were utilised to deliver five distinct content tracks.
Spreading the programme across the city also encouraged the involvement of Porto residents in the organisation and delivery – a successful demonstration of the positive community impact business events can bring.
Gopinath had then explained that the unusual Congress design in 2025 as well as the theme, Charting the Course, was spurred by the need for continuous innovation and transformation.
In an interview with TTGmice, Gloria De León, minister of tourism entity, Panama Tourism Authority, said her team is “designing an experience that goes far beyond a traditional congress, one where every moment has been thoughtfully curated with intention”.
When asked how ICCA members will be offered a meaningful introduction to both Panama City and Panama, De León said: “From the very first moment, through our unmatched air connectivity, modern infrastructure and strategic location, ICCA members will step into a destination that is alive with energy as a true crossroads of the world. Throughout the programme, experiences will extend beyond the venue into carefully curated settings, where every detail reflects the essence of Panama and creates meaningful connections.
“Attendees will have the opportunity to discover firsthand the many wonders of our country. We are confident they will be pleasantly surprised, not only by our rich and vibrant culture, our cuisine that truly delights or our extraordinary biodiversity, but above all, by our people.
“Our culinary journey will awaken the senses, blending refined dining with authentic local flavours through UNESCO-recognised gastronomy. Along the way, participants will uncover hidden gems and meaningful moments that bring Panama’s culture to life. Each experience has been designed to inspire creativity, spark new ideas and encourage innovation, setting the stage for an ICCA Congress that is not only memorable, but truly one of a kind.”
As with all ICCA Annual Congresses, the event is both an opportunity for members to interact with global colleagues and to explore a new destination.
De León believes that draws offered by Panama and Panama City will entice ICCA members to enrol in the Congress and extend their time in the country for pleasure, for it offers an unmatched diversity of experiences.
“In a short amount of time, you can explore modern infrastructure, a world-renowned engineering marvel, vibrant historic districts, lush rainforests 20 minutes away from the city, and pristine beaches on both the Pacific and the Caribbean. It’s a destination that allows you to experience more, effortlessly, in a place as authentic as its people,” she elaborated.
Another destination advantage is Panama’s people and sense of hospitality, she opined.
She detailed: “Here, you will feel safe, comfortable, and genuinely welcomed, and above all, cared for. That human connection transforms a visit into something much more meaningful. As a global hub connecting continents and cultures, Panama naturally brings people together. It’s a place where connections happen effortlessly, ideas flow, and opportunities grow.
“Here, visitors find much more than just a place for meetings, but a destination to work, innovate and enjoy on the same trip; that’s why attending the Congress is just the beginning, extending your stay becomes an essential part of the experience.”
Gopinath expressed hopes of all ICCA members and congress attendees taking home “something meaningful” at the end of the Panama City gathering. He would like them to leave the event with a “sense of belonging to a global community that connects people, shares knowledge, and genuinely improves lives”.
ParkRoyal on Beach Road has launched its Signature Locale Meeting package, a new event offering that centres on authentic local touches that integrate Singapore’s culinary heritage into the meeting schedule.
Delegates will be treated to nostalgic mid-day snacks and iconic local coffee breaks, complemented by healthy preserved fruit packs at each seat to maintain energy levels. For groups prioritising mental clarity, the hotel has introduced wellness sessions – including Yoga, Zumba, and Tai Chi – led by certified instructors to refresh participants between sessions.
To incentivise early bookings in a tightening 2026 market, the hotel is offering a tiered rewards structure for contracts signed by September 30, 2026. Planners can secure a three per cent discount on the master bill for their subsequent event, alongside a “1-in-25” offer providing one complimentary room and one suite upgrade for every 25 rooms materialised. Meeting organisers themselves are eligible for a personal upgrade to a Club Room or Suite.
In a significant boost for loyalty members, the hotel has accelerated its rewards programme. While eligible revenue typically earns 2X Pan Pacific Discovery Dollars (D$), those who confirm their bookings by 30 June 30, 2026, will receive 5X Discovery Dollars.
This promotion applies to new bookings for events held through December 31, 2027, with a minimum requirement of 10 rooms per night.
