An inflight meal in economy class on SIA currently
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has announced at the World Gourmet Forum in Singapore that it is committed to significantly enhancing sustainability practices in its in-flight F&B offerings.
Under the new initiative, a “From Farm to Plane” concept will be introduced to promote environmental sustainability and support local farmers’ communities.
An inflight meal in economy class on SIA currently
Efforts in SIA’s sustainability strategy include using fish from fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council for their sustainable fishing practices, and obtaining produce – such as cherry tomatoes, pumpkins, green beans and lettuce – from local farms in countries the airline serves.
With the “From Farm to Plane” concept, Singapore Airlines intends to use more sustainable and meatless ingredients, as well as local produce, in its inflight meals. The airline will work with its panel of chefs, and partners overseas and in Singapore to source for such ingredients.
The new menus will initially be introduced to Suites customers on selected routes from later this year, and will progressively be made available to customers travelling in other classes.
Two London venues strike up partnership
Church House Westminster and Westminster Abbey have partnered to offer organisers and their delegates a unique experience in the heart of Westminster.
The two venues will work together to provide receptions, dinners and events across a host of spaces which includes cloisters, gardens, halls and meeting rooms.
Robin Parker, general manager of Church House Westminster, said in a statement: “I envisage receptions in the Abbey followed by dinners here at Church House or perhaps a day of conferencing at Church House followed by a tour and drinks at the Abbey.”
Church House Westminster has 21 flexible meeting spaces, the largest of which is the Assembly Hall, capable of holding up to 664 delegates.
Sofia to host next year’s European TCI Network conference
TCI Network has chosen Sofia in Bulgaria as the location for its European Conference in 2018.
Taking place from March 20-22, the regional conference will promote closer ties among cluster practitioners in Europe as well as allow a better understanding of the Balkan region.
The 2018 conference programme promises to be varied and will encourage 1:2:1 meetings as well as plenary sessions. Delegates will also have the opportunity to explore the city’s cultural attractions and monuments.
PCMA returns to Texas in 2021
The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) will hold its Convening Leaders 2021, on January 10-13, in Texas.
The conference will be held at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Centre, and is expected to attract around 4,200 global professionals for senior-level education, community building and orchestrated networking.
Meanwhile, the PCMA 2018 Convening Leaders will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Music City Centre. Also, Pittsburgh and San Francisco were confirmed earlier this year as host cities for the 2019 and 2020 Convening Leaders respectively.
For an enriching road trip experience, why not stop off for an encounter with some of the world’s most diverse World Heritage Sites? Drive through the rolling hills of The Lake District in England or stop over at the poignant Robben Island in South Africa; UNESCO World Heritage Sites offer a mix of both cultural and natural legacies for travellers to enjoy.
Choose Budget for a great range of cars to suit your requirements combined with its detailed local knowledge, flexibility and great value for money. With approximately 3,500 locations in more than 120 countries, visiting the world’s UNESCO sites with Budget comes easy. Budget shares five of the many UNESCO sites from around the world.
Los Alerces National Park, Argentina
If it’s the great outdoors that ticks the boxes, stop off at Los Alerces National Park in Argentina, which is only accessible by car on the eastern side. The park lies in the shadows of the snow-capped peaks of the Andes and Budget road-trippers can take a boat trip on the four lakes to enjoy the views of The Torrecillas Glacier. With limited transport to reach the national park, hiring a car is the best way to access this untouched natural beauty.
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, Canada
For a world-class journey, experience a drive along the Icefields Parkway, which stretches over 200km through the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. Pull over to explore the unspoiled mountain lakes and ancient glaciers of Banff and Jasper National Parks, home to diverse wildlife and majestic viewpoints. This is a winning combination for Budget drivers – a vast UNESCO world heritage site paired with one of the world’s most epic road trips.
The Lake District, England
The Lake District is the perfect spot if your idea of heaven is shimmering lakes and picturesque villages and renting a car means you can explore this beautiful region at your own pace. Home to England’s largest natural lake and highest mountain, the national park is packed with outdoor opportunities. Stretch your legs by exploring on foot, or simply relax in the beautiful surroundings of England’s first national park to gain World Heritage status.
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, Japan
Budget drivers can soak up the views of Mount Fuji while following the old road which links the new capital of Japan to the old. Worlds apart from the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, Kyoto is punctuated by cherry-blossom trees. But what makes this city special is the tranquil temples that line the city’s waterways, which make the perfect pit-stop for culture vultures.
Robben Island, South Africa
Beneath the imposing Table Mountain lies Cape Town – a city of contrasts located on the Atlantic Coast. History buffs will be fascinated during a visit to the haunting prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years, which gained UNESCO status in 1999. From here, Cape Town offers the ideal starting point for Budget drivers to begin their journey along the world-famous Garden Route.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites – there are 1,000+ of them, all of which are recognised for their exceptional natural beauty or outstanding cultural importance that are worthy of protection for all humanity. These are only five of many. Be inspired to go and explore the big, beautiful world. Pick a car, take a drive and check out the world’s most intriguing sites to visit.
JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong proudly unveils its brand new ballroom on 3 September 2017, making it one of the largest, newest and pillar-free hotel ballrooms on Hong Kong Island with state-of-the-art facilities and elegant décor, ideal for every special occasion from small meetings to grand wedding receptions, with a new level of luxury. The refurbishment of the JW Marriott Ballroom is unparalleled to any other similar projects in the city, as it strengthens the hotel’s stance in becoming the best venue in town for all kinds of events with style and quality.
Spanning over 8,000 sq. ft., the massive ballroom is equipped with top-notch facilities, cutting-edge lighting and audio-visual technology to create innovative events. Elegantly furnished with opulent, starry chandeliers on a high ceiling (15 feet), the ballroom is adorned with advanced lighting technology, providing a multitude of stunningly unique lighting effects. Designed and crafted with care by Dutch light artist Jan Pauwels, the contemporary piece of lighting is chic and breezy, yet elegant and graceful with subtle sparks and glows to uplift the venue to another level. Transform the ballroom into your ideal venue and make your event-planning dream come true with the high-definition LED wall. With its size up to 12m (W) x 3m (H), the wall is available to further elevate the visual experience of any event, whether in the form of photos, videos, special graphics or live coverage.
The JW Marriott Ballroom has the flexibility to be divided into 6 individual salons with private entrances and LCD signage, and is able to host events in different scales, ranging from 18 persons (classroom style) to 1,100 persons (grand reception). A spacious foyer and a selection of break-out rooms are available on the same floor, perfect for meetings, workshops and pre-event cocktail receptions. Looking for break-out rooms for events in even larger scale? Event planners can utilise Man Ho Chinese Restaurant on the same floor, as well as two harbour view meeting suites on Level 30. A brand new dressing room is also available, perfect for grand wedding receptions and all kinds of large scale celebrations. Chic and elegant La Tavola food and bar stations are available to offer extra flexibility, enabling guests to create their ideal event settings effortlessly with personalised food & beverage menus and solutions.
Not only is the hardware of a venue important, a personal touch is what makes an event successful. With an international team of culinary and service professionals with experience of hosting over 10,000 events in the past, it is our continuous mission to make every event at the hotel a successful one by offering bespoke and crafted service to our guests. The hotel has received numerous accolades, such as winning the 3rd place within Hong Kong in Cvent’s Top 50 Meeting Hotels in Asia Pacific in 2017, and being named one of the Top 5 Best Overseas Business Hotels by Condé Nast Traveller. Some of the top talents in the team include Executive Chef Stephen Doe – JW Marriott Global Chef of the Year 2007, Executive Chinese Chef Jayson Tang – Gold Award in 2016 Best of the Best Culinary Award by Hong Kong Tourism Board, and Pastry Chef Andy Yeung – 2 Gold and 1 Silver Awards in IKA Culinary Olympics Competition 2016.
Strategically located in the prestigious Pacific Place and directly connected with the Admiralty MTR Station, the JW Marriott Ballroom boasts exceptional accessibility, being just a stone’s throw from a host of world-class attractions, cultural landmarks and the central business district.
The brand new JW Marriott Ballroom accommodates up to 672 persons banquet style and 1,100 persons for receptions.
4 multi-purpose function rooms – Admiralty, The Peak, Queensway and Victoria for small board meetings or corporate dinners from 18 to 60 guests.
The spacious foyer provides an ideal setting for welcome drinks and coffee breaks.
When one plans a road trip, it is usually about the spectacular scenic routes and major highlights that one gets to experience along the way. But what about doing something different and embark on a trip to discover some of the most beautiful villages in the world with Budget Rent-a-Car?
Budget customers can easily explore Alberobello, with its conical “Trulli’ buildings in southern Italy; pull over and bask in the laidback atmosphere of Monteverde in Costa Rica, surrounded by cloud forest or even take a pit-stop to wander around the picturesque village of Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds, England.
These stunning locations have never been easier to visit as Budget offers affordable car hire in more than 120 countries worldwide, from approximately 3,500 locations. Additionally, Budget offers a wide range of models, with a choice of sizes and styles to suit differing requirements.
Regularly voted as one of the prettiest villages in England, Bourton-on-the-Water is quintessentially British, with its quaint, stone-built buildings and the small bridges which cross the River Windrush. Stretch your legs for a stroll around the village or sample some of the sweet treats in one of the many traditional tea rooms which line the streets. Renting a car means one can easily travel around and discover the surrounding Cotswolds towns and villages, known in England as an ‘area of outstanding natural beauty’.
In complete contrast, Budget drivers can journey on the winding road to Monteverde which is perched high up on Costa Rica’s continental divide. The village itself is filled with restaurants and artisan craft shops, but the real beauty lies in the surrounding coffee plantations and cloud forests which is home to an abundance of wildlife, including monkeys and colourful birdlife. Monteverde is only accessible by road, so hiring a car is the best way to access this remote Costa Rican village.
With the windows rolled down, explore the pretty region of Puglia in southern Italy, making a stop in Alberobello. Alberobello is most famous for its unusual white-washed houses with cone-shaped roofs, known as Trulli houses which are made from dry stone. Here, one can easily park the Budget car at Largo Martellotta and go on foot, following the steps to the main square, known as Piazza del Popolo, and be rewarded with fabulous views over the entire quirky village. After exploring the sights, refuel on typical Italian cooking in one of the many authentic trattorias. The cuisine is sure to delight!
Driving with Budget cars is simple and with so many beautiful villages located across the world, be inspired by the collection to help decide on the next road trip. The only difficulty would just be to decide which destination to discover first!
On October 2, Sokha Siem Resort & Convention Center and Sokha Palace Siem Reap Hotel will officially open to a host distinguished guests and media, both national and regional.
Dedicated to bringing a new international hospitality experience to the city, guests will be granted privileged access to the two properties, which collectively add an additional 1,242 rooms, suites and villas, additional nine F&B outlets offering an appetizing fusion of cuisines from across the globe, and marvel at the well-equipped Convention Center and its 2,190sqm Grand Ballroom, the largest in Siem Reap.
“We are very excited to extend our services in Siem Reap with the five-star Sokha Siem Resort & Convention Center and adjacent four-star Sokha Palace Siem Reap.” said Ms. Thanet Kun, Regional Director of Sales “Along with Sokha Angkor Resort which opened in 2006, we now have more than 1,500 rooms available daily to support the booming tourism to Angkor Wat”.
We’re confident that the extensive addition of rooms will provide both guests and the community with a vibrant hospitality experience locally and internationally that they’ll value.”
Regional General Manager Mr. Ingo Raeuber added: “Our Grand Opening offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy Sokha’s world-class hospitality in our latest world-class offerings. It is a privilege to be able to share the start of a new exciting chapter in Sokha Hotel & Resort’s journey.”
Located at the gateway to Angkor Wat, next to the Angkor Archaeological Park Ticket Center, the resort has easy access to Siem Reap’s other popular tourist attractions, including Siem Reap Night Market, vibrant Pub Street and the Angkor Tourist & Cultural Complex.
Additional facilities to complete the exquisite experience include a fitness center, luxurious spa, a kids’ pool, steam, sauna, Jacuzzi, hot and cold pool, and a Kids’ Club to keep children entertained.
For: Sales Enquiries, Please contact Ms Thanet Kun – Regional Director of Sales
Mobile: (+855) 96 616 1888
Telephone: (+855) 63961999
Email: rdossr@sokhahotels.com
IACC has released its Trends in Nutrition & Delegate Wellbeing survey report, and results reveal that nutrition and well-being are high priorities for delegates – hence food that improves mental clarity and concentration levels is growing in popularity.
The survey asked venue respondents a series of 24 questions regarding health choices available to delegates through menus and types of event spaces.
Brain food is becoming more prevalent at event menus
The results are as follows:
Brain foods on the rise
According to the report, venues are receiving more requests for foods that go beyond nutritional density. Delegates are demanding foods that deliver superior well-being benefits through increased nutrient or mineral content.
For example, food such as walnuts, avocados, quinoa, blueberries, spinach and kale are often referred to as “brain food”, as they may have the potential to positively influence mental clarity, stress-relief and enhance energy distribution.
Some 38 per cent of venues said they already offer specific “brain food” on their menus.
IACC’s CEO, Mark Cooper, commented: “Earlier this year, our Meeting Room of the Future research revealed that brain food is important to delegates. Now, through this new research report, we see the opportunity to help with delegate alertness and attention is being taken seriously by an increasing number of venues.”
Healthy changes to break menus
When asked if basic nutritional information on event menus, 75 per cent either said they do or plan to in the future. Additionally, 88 per cent said they have made changes to their break menus based on health and wellness trends or feedback from clients.
Jessie States, CMM manager of professional development, Meeting Professionals International, said: “Meeting professionals are also increasingly asking for continuous food breaks to fuel their attendees. The nutritional needs of an audience are as diverse as the individuals who comprise it. And people need the food that fuels them at a variety of different times. As meeting planners look to take a personal approach to the onsite experiences of diverse audiences, food becomes a major player in the design of welcoming and inclusive experiences.”
Gluten-free a standard menu choice
When asked which food requests they receive more now than two years ago, 100 per cent of respondents answered with gluten-free. Many commented that gluten-free has joined vegetarian as a standard menu choice.
Communal areas are sanctuaries
The survey considered event spaces in relation to delegate health and asked: Does your property consider delegate health and well-being when making design decisions such as creating communal interaction areas or public spaces that offer quiet reflection?
To this question, 100 per cent of responders who are operators of IACC venues said ‘Yes’ and their comments confirmed that space outside the rooms is being taken into consideration.
One responder said: “We just completed a renovation of our public meetings space and this was a big consideration that led to a redesign of the pre-function space to better accommodate peoples’ ability to stay connected and have more private space to break away from the crowd for quiet.”
Appreciating that networking and relationship building opportunities mean spaces outside of the meeting room are critical to event success, Cooper suggested: “The focus is no longer only on the main room, so meeting planners should include details and dimensions of outside the room spaces in proposals and venue specifications.”
Jakarta will gain a new convention centre and theatre when Jakarta International EXPO Kemayoran’s (JIEXPO) expansion completes in a year’s time.
The new seven-storey facility, simply named JIEXPO Convention Center and Theater, will complement the existing JIEXPO Kemayoran exhibition facilities, enabling the venue to attract more conferences, concerts and theatre performances.
A rendering of the expansion
It will house a grand ballroom for 2,600 people which can be split into three smaller function rooms; a junior ballroom for 800 people which can be divided into two meeting rooms; and 21 meeting rooms across levels five and six, all of which come equipped with built-in screens and speakers.
The new venue will also boast the biggest fully set-up theatre in Indonesia, with seating for 2,500 guests.
Other facilities at JIEXPO Convention Center and Theater include a bonded warehouse, two loading docks, a main kitchen and satellite kitchens on every level with the ability to cater more than 5,000 meals a day.
Simon Lomas, general manager of JIEXPO Convention Center and Theater, said: “We have a lot of exhibition spaces, but with the new facilities we can bring in meetings, conferences and social events such as theatre (performances).
“The (new theatre) is big enough for world-class musicals like Mama Mia!, The Lion King, Wicked the Musical that does tours – but (these musicals) do not stop in Indonesia because the country does not have theatres with the right capacity.”
Lomas opined that the expanded JIEXPO Kemayoran will be a destination for business and leisure.
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(From left) Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona's Pascal Billard; Michelin-star chef Nandu Jubany, who is the consultant chef for the property; and The Leading Hotels of the World's Sathia Moorthy
Business event bookings out of Singapore are on the rise for Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona over the past two years, its general manager revealed last week when he was in Singapore to meet with key corporate clients and media personnel.
Although Pascal Billard was unable to quantify the increase, he told TTGmice that the improvement has been “significant” and that in his 4.5 years with the hotel, “we’ve never seen much MICE business from Singapore until recently”.
(From left) Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona’s Pascal Billard; Michelin-star chef Nandu Jubany, who is the consultant chef for the property; and The Leading Hotels of the World’s Sathia Moorthy
He believed that Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona’s strong business out of Singapore was a result of various factors – major refurbishments between 2009 and 2014 that allowed the hotel to “retain its standards as one of the top luxury hotels in the city”; Barcelona’s strong reputation as a business hub and corporate events destination; and more importantly, the hotel’s reliance on Leading Hotels of the World since end-2014.
Billard detailed: “One of the things we did as we approached the end of our refurbishment was to join Leading Hotels of the World. Leading has lived up to its name as being a collection of the world’s best luxury hotels, and has a great business network. We need to give it credit for repositioning Majestic in the luxury space, and for growing our business event bookings out of Singapore over the past two years.”
He added: “Usually independent hotels like us have limitations – we cannot compete properly with major hotel chains in marketing and in global sales presence. Leading has helped us overcome all that.”
Billard explained that hotel’s business event mix leans heavily towards incentive programmes because as a luxury hotel, stays “come with a price”.
“And with Barcelona being a long distance from Singapore and therefore airfares are higher, it is less likely that groups would travel all the way over just for a meeting,” he said.
Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona’s recent renovations have given it updated critical infrastructure, as well as refreshed interiors in its lobby, bar, restaurants and other facilities. It now also boasts the city’s largest suite – a three-bedroom unit on the topmost floor with terraces and “an exquisite living room”.
Billard said this suite is “perfect for VIP guests and royalty”, but was reserved in suggesting use of it for private events.
“We tend not to say yes to private events in this suite, unless it is something very high level, such as a CEO meeting, because everything in there is custom-built and requires great care,” he remarked.
When asked if the hotel has also been seeing marked improvements in business event bookings from elsewhere in Asia, Billard said: “We have seen some increase in Chinese, Japanese and Korean markets this year, but they are all leisure, not business events like what we get from Singapore.
“But I expect Singapore to be a platform on which we can get more business event bookings out of South-east Asia in the near future. Singapore is a travel and business hub for many South-east Asian companies and many of them rely on experienced event planners based in Singapore for longhaul trips.”
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.