Asia/Singapore Thursday, 7th May 2026
Page 807

Melbourne’s Avalon Airport secures AirAsia as first international carrier

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Avalon will soon become an international airport

Melbourne’s Avalon Airport will become an international gateway when AirAsia moves its operations from Tullamarine Airport later this year.

AirAsia X Malaysia will operate twice-daily flights between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur as the first international carrier at the airport. Half a million international passengers are projected to move through Avalon Airport in the first year of operations.

Avalon will soon become an international airport

AirAsia X Malaysia’s CEO Benyamin Ismail said in a statement: “Melbourne and Victoria are important markets to us and this new service with 560,000 seats annually will provide a significant boost to business and tourism.”

Justin Giddings, CEO of Avalon Airport, commented: “This is a 10-year agreement structured to accommodate AirAsia X’s significant growth. It is the first such deal in Australia, and provides a unique low-cost opportunity for people and businesses to access over 130 destinations throughout Asia.”

In operation as a commercial airport since 2004, Avalon is currently only serviced by Qantas’ low-cost arm Jetstar flying to Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart and the Gold Coast, according to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Victorian and federal governments are expected to help fund the necessary infrastructure and services at Avalon Airport, which is owned by the logistics giant Linfox, the same report added.

Blockchain-based digital wallet in the works for KrisFlyer

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The SIA Group says its KrisFlyer programme will launch the world’s first blockchain-based digital wallet for frequent flyers.

Scheduled for rollout in about six months, the app will allow KrisFlyer members to use digital KrisFlyer miles for point-of-sale transactions at participating retail merchants.

New app will allow KrisFlyer members to use digital KrisFlyer miles for point-of-sale transactions

The digital wallet app will be enabled through blockchain technology, using an SIA-owned private blockchain involving only merchants and partners.

The group says it has seen success in its proof-of-concept exercise carried out in collaboration with KPMG Digital Village and Microsoft. It will go on to sign new retail merchant partners for KrisFlyer, initially in the Singapore market.

Old Melbourne Gaol the launchpad for Showtime Event Group

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Hosted buyers attending AIME 2018 will get a taste of Melbourne’s history, at the Uncover Melbourne: Hosted Buyer and Media Cocktail Evening event, taking place at Old Melbourne Gaol.

Presented by Showtime Event Group on February 18, the event will also be the launch platform for Showtime Event Group (SEG), the new brand for the company which also encompasses the external catering arm of the business as well as SEG’s recent appointment by the National Trust Australia (Victoria) as the exclusive caterer of Old Melbourne Gaol and Old Magistrates Court.

Melbourne Convention Bureau’s CEO Karen Bolinger emphasises it is important to form strategic partnerships with event innovators such as Showtime Event Group

The Uncover Melbourne: Hosted Buyer and Media Cocktail Evening will be SEG’s first event as the venue’s exclusive caterer.

Showtime Event Group general manager, Brad Dabbs, shared that the business events sector has driven the growth of the business.

“We identified nearly seven years ago that the biggest growth opportunity for our business was in the business events sector, and we developed a 10-year strategy to leverage this insight.

“Showtime Event Group has aligned with several unique spaces in and around Melbourne, including art galleries, distilleries, exhibition spaces, warehouses and yacht clubs, to build a portfolio of venues to cater within, giving us the capability to cater from five to 5,000 people,” he said.

Pichel moves to Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok as GM

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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.

New resort manager for Six Senses Uluwatu

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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.

 

Hilton inspires sustainable, healthy choices for events

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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.

All aboard the Sapphire Princess!

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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.

HKTDC Marketplace App makes its official debut

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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.

Information regarding HKTDC fairs, such as event schedule and list of exhibitors can be found on the app

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.

PACEOS lures fresh, young minds with training

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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.

These programmes will be targeted at nurturing the next generation of MICE professionals

“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 confident of reaching revenue target

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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.

The IMPACT Arena in the Muang Thong Thani district is the largest events venue in Bangkok

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.

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