Concept
A registered charity, this 4,400m2 Maritime Museum was relocated from Stanley to the Central Waterfront in 2013. Guided tours are available for an additional fee.
The museum comprises exhibition spaces, a café, museum shop, education room and maritime resource centre. The only spaces available for event bookings are the Special Exhibitions & Events Gallery and the Harbour Viewing Gallery.
A cocktail reception being held at the Maritime Museum
MICE application
This versatile venue is ideal for a range of events like cocktail receptions, gala dinners, product launches, training workshops and seminars.
With a 350m-high ceiling, the Special Exhibitions and Events Gallery is ideal for small- to medium-size groups, with 200 pax for dinner, 150 pax in theatre style and 200 pax for receptions.
Meanwhile, the Harbour Viewing Gallery can hold 80 to 100 pax for cocktail receptions.
While clients must provide their own caterer, the venue has equipment including a PA system with two wireless microphones, a 14×1.4×0.4m stage and podium, four long tables and 150 folding chairs; and for a charge, projector and single phase and three-phase 32Amp electricity. Clients will also have to manage the PA system on their own.
Harbour Viewing Gallery
As well, all events are subject to approval by the management committee of the Museum and the Hong Kong government. Event organisers must submit application documents for review one month before the desired event date.
Service
A museum staff stationed at the reception keeps outsiders from entering the event venue and offers general assistance such as directions and information on the museum.
Address
Central Ferry Pier No. 8, Man Kwong Street, Central
Contact
Tel: (852) 3713 2506
Email: denisechau@hkmaritimemuseum.org
Operation hours Special Exhibitions & Events Gallery
07.00-23.00 (overnight setup allowed) Harbour Viewing Gallery
Weekdays: 17.30 to 00.00
Weekend and public holidays: 19.00-23.00
Carlton Tel Aviv completes renovation; sports five new meeting spaces
Carlton Tel Aviv has completed a US$12 million renovation which included a head-to-toe makeover of its 268 rooms, as well as the addition of a rooftop, sea-facing pool on the 15th floor, and five event and meeting spaces.
The meeting spaces are called Magenta Hall, Carmine Hall, Azure Hall, Indigo Hall and the Foyer, and all rooms have been outfitted with state-of-the-art technical equipment, LED screens, an eco-friendly electrical system and unique light fixtures.
Other facilities on-site include a gym, spa, three restaurants.
TI Las Vegas completes expansion
Treasure Island (TI) Las Vegas has added 1,160m2 to its existing conference and meeting facilities. The US$6.5 million expansion opened last year, and brings TI’s total convention space to 2,830m2.
The expansion includes the 743m2 Antilles Ballroom and its four breakout rooms, 120m2 Bahamas Room and 120m2 Coral Room. The new meeting space accommodates nearly any budget for groups of seven to 700, in addition to the current space that will accommodate groups up to 1,200.
The new convention space is located on the ground level with a panoramic view of the tropical outdoor pool. Adjacent to both Starbucks and the Mystère Theatre, the expansion connects to the existing convention space via escalators.
Danish capital to host world’s largest architectural congress
Come 2023, some 10,000 of the world’s leading architects will travel to Copenhagen to attend World Congress of Architects. The five-day event will be held at Bella Center Copenhagen.
Discussions will focus on challenges that stem from urbanisation, as well as the increasing scarcity of resources and climate change, and how architecture can contribute to the achievement of the UN’s sustainable development goal.
Organised by the International Union of Architects, the congress is held every three years and is the biggest of its kind in the field of architecture. This will be the first time that it has been hosted by a Nordic country.
Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has released plans to expand its facilities, with the eventual goal of drawing in more regional and international exhibitions, meetings and conventions.
New components that will be developed in phases include a 70-storey iconic office tower, a business hotel, a serviced apartment, a new 54,000m2 exhibition space, and an auditorium with seating capacity for 7,000 people. There will also be 40 meeting rooms (an increase from the current 17), and a new retail podium of 55,000m2.
A rendering of what PWTC will look like once refurbishments have been completed
Meanwhile, existing facilities such as the Dewan Merdeka plenary hall which can accommodate 3,000 pax in theatre-style, and the adjoining 560-key, Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur, will be refurbished.
Khalidah Dan Yunan, PWTC’s director of sales and marketing, enthused: “Once the development is completed, PWTC will have the biggest exhibition and convention space in the country.”
Upon completion, the new integrated PWTC complex will provide seamless connectivity between its different components and with the city. For example, access to KL City Centre will be improved via pedestrian linkage programme, and City Hall’s River of Life project which is to revitalise the Klang and Gombak rivers.
Khalidah further revealed PWTC’s sales team has grown over the past year to a team of a dozen who are aggressively looking for local, regional and international business through attendance at tradeshows such as Incentive Travel, Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CM Asia) in September this year, which it will take part in for the first time.
This is a 360-degree turn, where in the past there was no dedicated sales team to market the convention and exhibition centre, and the bulk of PWTC’s business were made up of domestic exhibitions and meetings.
PWTC was built in 1985 and it hosted its first event, PATA Convention, a year later.
From left: Malaysia Airlines' Yeoh Hock Thye; Penang's chief minister Lim Guan Eng; and PCEB CEO's Ashwin Gunasekeran
Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has signed a strategic partnership agreement (SPA) with Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) in a bid to promote Penang as a preferred business events destination.
The agreement was sealed by PCEB CEO, Ashwin Gunasekeran, and MAB’s head of sales Yeoh Hock Thye, and witnessed by chief minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng.
From left: Malaysia Airlines’ Yeoh Hock Thye; Penang’s chief minister Lim Guan Eng; and PCEB CEO’s Ashwin Gunasekeran
Through this partnership, MAB will join PCEB in all trade events and roadshows that the bureau attends.
“With Malaysia Airlines as a strategic partner, Penang is able to provide value-added service to business events organisers, especially in terms of special rates for flights. For select events, PCEB is in talks with Malaysia Airlines for charter flights. This bodes well for Penang when we go in for bids,” said Lim.
Ashwin added: “With Malaysia Airlines as our partner, we look forward to developing new businesses in our key markets, namely India, China, Europe and Australia.”
Currently, Malaysia Airlines flies 45 times weekly into Penang, and can carry about 7,200 passengers per week.
Business Events is a rising economic sector in Penang, contributing RM808
million (US$202 million) to the economy in 2016 and over RM1 billion in 2017.
SAP has rebranded travel and expense management company, Concur, following the acquisition of the firm in 2014.
The company is now SAP Concur, and the unified brand will continue to focus on scale, development of solutions and cross-integration of corporate spend management. It will also enable SAP Concur to leverage and drive innovation and continue to simplify expense, travel and invoice management for greater visibility and control.
SAP has rebranded Concur to SAP Concur
With a connected experience, businesses can manage all of their spend—across expense, travel and invoice—in the cloud, and with native integration with SAP.
“Through this unified brand experience, we can tap into SAP’s vast resources to focus more than ever on innovation and our customers’ unique needs. Customers can continue to count on our commitment to help them run their businesses better,” said Jessica Shapiro, vice president, corporate marketing, SAP Concur, in a press statement.
“Taking this next step to align these two powerful brands will help us deliver maximum value to our customers,” said Alicia Tillman, CMO, SAP.
“SAP strives to empower a culture of purpose, value and collaboration, and together with SAP Concur, we are committing to help businesses of all sizes run at their best,” concluded Tillman.
Singapore-based Keppel Land Hospitality will open the 195-key Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh City in the upmarket District 1 along Le Loi Boulevard in early 2018.
The apartments will be housed within levels 28 through 42 of Saigon Centre Tower 2. Each apartment will feature modern décor with hints of Vietnamese cultural elements, and floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the city.
Another long-stay option has popped up for business travellers to HCMC
Studios and one- to three-bedroom apartments with multiple configurations will be available for short- and long-term bookings. In addition, the flexible design layout allows for select studio units to be combined with two- and three-bedroom units to cater to large families.
Guests will be able to enjoy amenities including 24-hour concierge and security, laundry and dry-cleaning services, room service and airport transfers. Recreational facilities include a swimming pool, resident’s lounge, and a restaurant serving varied cuisine.
Meanwhile, Saigon Centre is comprised of Grade ‘A’ office space and a retail mall with local and international fashion, contemporary home décor galleries, and a diverse mix of dining establishments.
The iconic hotel has postponed its closure until January 2019
Originally slated to close for redevelopment on April 16 this year, Dusit Thani Bangkok will now operate as usual until January 5, 2019.
According to Dusit International, the closing date has been postponed to allow the hotel company and its partners more time to add greater value to the new version of the hotel, which will open as part of a 36.7 billion baht (US$1.1 billion) mixed-use project to be built in partnership with Central Pattana.
The iconic hotel has postponed its closure until January 2019
Suphajee Suthumpun, group CEO, Dusit International, said that while the majority of guest feedback on redevelopment was positive, there were also those who wondered how Dusit could “embrace our heritage and continue our legacy in a new building”.
“The answer, of course, lies in taking our time to ensure we get it right,” Suphajee said. “We are exploring many ways to add value to the new hotel and mixed-use project in terms of design and innovation. This includes embracing a green concept,… creating direct links to both the MRT and BTS mass transit rail systems, and alleviating traffic in the area by providing new infrastructure.”
Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) and Solution Entertainment will collaborate once again to deliver the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) Welcome Event on February 19, 2018.
Supported by the City of Melbourne, the event will take place at the heritage-listed Ormond Collective by The Big Group, located on the fringe of Melbourne’s CBD. The art deco-style Ormond Hall will be transformed into a kaleidoscope of colour, with various indoor and outdoor zones paying attribute to Melbourne’s music, theatre, dance and gastronomical festival virtues.
The Welcome Event will also act as the platform to launch Ormond Collective, after the space underwent refurbishments to its building and gardens.
Brad Hampel, director of Solution Entertainment, said in a statement: “The bar has been set high for the AIME Welcome Event and we’re committed to delivering another impactful and entertaining evening, with a few surprises along the way.
“We understand this event requires a mixture of networking opportunities combined with fun so have designed the space to ensure attendees can tailor their experience to get the outcomes they are seeking,” he added.
Ticketing for the event is now limited to official exhibitors, hosted buyers, registered trade buyers and hosted media at www.aime.com.au. Trade suppliers who are not exhibiting will no longer have access to the event.
McNab: trainings and mentorship programmes to build more women leaders
In keeping with Marriott International’s commitment to develop and empower future women leaders, Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and The St Regis Macao recently brought together close to 40 senior hospitality professionals from the two hotels as well as sister properties JW Marriott Hotel Macau and The Ritz Carlton Macau.
Hosted by Janet McNab, managing director of Sheraton Grand Macao and The St Regis Macao, the networking dinner held at the Astor Ballroom at The St Regis Macao, saw industry leaders introduced to the evening’s theme of Know Your Limits & Have None.
McNab: trainings and mentorship programmes to build more women leaders
This was delivered through an inspiring and entertaining talk by executive coach Janine Manning, a specialist in personal branding with over 15 years of global business experience and seven years of coaching and facilitating corporate clients in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and throughout Asia.
The event forms part of Marriott International’s programme of bringing women together in Asia to share experiences, challenge thinking and inspire each other to achieve their goals and aspirations.
McNab is one of the appointed ambassadors tasked with driving this initiative in Macao.
“In our industry, I don’t believe we should focus on one gender being dominant over the other as I have also worked with many fantastic men. The hospitality industry is one that is broad-scoped and presents equal opportunities for all,” said McNab.
“That said, while we see a more and more women entering the industry, the percentages at a higher level are still skewed towards male leadership. As the world’s largest hotel company, it is important that we at Marriott International encourage our female associates to assume more senior positions through the right trainings and mentorship programmes.”
Since becoming the world’s largest hotel group in September 2016, the Marriott family has grown to over half a million employees globally. Having women in leadership positions is a vital part of Marriott International’s strategy for growth and success and reflects the company’s broader commitment to enabling opportunities for women, both in and out of the workplace.
The company was named one of the Fortune 100 Best Places to Work For in 2017 and has a critical mass of women in leadership roles throughout the globe.
Editor’s note: Janet McNab is featured in TTGmice December 2017/January 2018’s cover feature, Graceful Powers, as one of the women in Asia-Pacific who has played a major role in the growth of the region’s business events industry. The cover feature also discusses the importance of gender diversity at the leadership level and how that benefits corporate performance.
Why did you first joined the industry and what has made you stay? I got a job as a legislative assistant for a US senator after I graduated from university, and it was a friend who advised me to get involved with the events industry.
The exhibitions and events industry (provides) an exciting and compelling career for someone with my personality. I have always been interested in face-to-face experiential marketing, and I want to design, create, engage, see new things and meet new people.
I started by selling booth space and sponsorship for the National Home Health Care Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, before becoming an international sales and marketing subject matter expert. From there, I continued to move up the management ladder.
I then took on a senior management role as executive vice president (for North America) with Messe Frankfurt in 2010, before joining FreemanXP in December 2014. I have not looked back or regretted one moment of my career.
How long have you been involved with IAEE, what roles have you played and how did you become its chairperson?
I have been a member for 25 years. I was on the Southeastern Chapter board for five years and ultimately became the chairperson. I have also chaired the Education Committee and Finance Committee.
Prior to being the (IAEE) chair-elect and chair of CEIR (Center for Exhibition Industry Research, which is aligned with IAEE to produce forward-looking research), I was the secretary/treasurer for two years. I have been on the board’s executive committee for four years.
What is on your agenda as you take over as chairperson for the upcoming year?
I am aligning my agenda with IAEE’s strategic pillars of advocacy, learning, and providing a technologically advanced experience in all aspects of exhibition industry marketplaces. I also want to further position IAEE’s annual meeting and exhibition Expo! Expo! as the face-to-face resource for the ever-changing trade show environment.
I want to focus on various other aspects such as industry cooperation; global business expansion and the application of universal metrics, protocols, ROI, advocacy and expectations; a trade show certification model; international promotion, expansion and recognition of membership; the changing business model and the influence of technology and globalisation; the CEM (Certified in Exhibition Management) global programme – region specific and advanced, the Art of the Show – remedial and advance; CEIR; and quality of life challenges in our industry and how to create a better environment.
What is IAEE’s footprint in Asia-Pacific, and in what areas do you see opportunities to grow?
China (with 800 IAEE CEM professionals in 2016) is second only to the US in the number of CEM professionals. We have reciprocal agreements with several regional associations, and continue to provide education and training opportunities to the entire Asia-Pacific region. We will recognise sustained growth as our CEM content becomes more relevant and region-specific.
How did the AFECA (Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations)-IAEE MoU come about in 2015 and what do you hope to achieve during your term as chairperson?
For many years, Walter Yeh (AFECA president and president and CEO, TAITRA [Taiwan External Trade Development Council]) and Edward Liu (immediate-past AFECA president and group managing director, Conference and Exhibition Management Services) have been great IAEE advocates in Asia.
Through our relationship with Edward, we signed a reciprocity agreement with AFECA in 2007 that has carried through to today. Then in 2012, through Walter and TAITRA, we expanded our CEM licensee agreement to further expand the IAEE brand in Asia.
Since many Asian countries support our CEM programme, it made sense to formalise a collaboration with them. Additionally, we hold joint meetings every January during the China Expo Forum for International Cooperation.
What is the trick to managing work and IAEE duties?
I am very passionate about this industry. I eat, drink, and breathe exhibitions and events. Therefore, managing my work at FreemanXP and IAEE is not something that intimidates or worries me.
We are all busy, but I also firmly believe that we have to take a moment to smell the flowers. Life is too short to not be happy and physically, emotionally and philosophically fulfilled.
What do you do for fun?
I like to spend time with my family. I have two boys and two girls and I am expecting another girl soon. I’d imagine my time management skills will be further tested.
I really enjoy exercise and outdoor activities, travelling and, of course, food is high on the list of things that make life so exciting.
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
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.
