Food&HotelAsia (FHA) will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year with a record-breaking edition, to be held from April 24-27 at Singapore Expo and Suntec Singapore.
It will be biggest-ever industry congregation with 4,000 international exhibitors from more than 70 countries and regions, an increase of over 800 exhibitors, or 25 per cent, compared to its last edition. The event’s total floor area spans 119,500m2, 23 per cent increase from 97,000m2.
In total, 68 international groups are confirmed and spread across the two venues, with Armenia and Qatar being the newest countries to participate. Some international group pavilions will also see members from 22 international trade associations and government agencies participating in FHA for the first time.
About 78,000 trade attendees from over 100 countries and regions are expected to attend.
Fringe activities include various competitions, part of the FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC), will be held to showcase the best culinary talent from the region.
Another fringe event, a platform for industry discourse, the FHA2018 International Conference, will feature industry experts and business thought-leaders sharing perspectives, tips and strategies.
Lastly, ProWine Asia 2018, the largest wines and spirits trade fair in South-east Asia, will be held alongside the FHA. It will be presented by 300 exhibitors, bringing the world of wines and spirits to South-east Asia. There will also be specialised masterclasses and seminars by industry speakers.
MGallery by Sofitel opens first property in Versailles
The four-star Hôtel Le Louis Versailles Château has opened in Versailles, France, after an extensive renovation earlier this year.
Situated just 200 metres from the Palace of Versailles and its Gardens, the hotel offers 152 rooms which includes seven suites. All rooms connect the past and present, think antique mirrors, classical LED chandeliers and carpets inspired by herringbone parquet flooring.
Other amenities on-site include a spa, bar-restaurant, fitness centre, and nine meeting rooms.
A Raffles hotel to open in heritage Warsaw building
A 160-year-old landmark in Warsaw will in early 2018 become home to the Raffles Europejski Warsaw.
Situated on the Royal Route, neighbouring the cobbled streets of the Old Town, the hotel will feature 106 guestrooms featuring oak floors, a corner library and curated Polish art by Anda Rottenberg and Barbara Piwowarska. The hotel is said to boast some of the largest rooms in the city, with the Raffles Suite at 293m2.
Facilities at Raffles Europejski Warsaw include a six-treatment-room spa, pool, a signature restaurant that extends out onto Piłsudski Square, Long Bar and Humidor, complete with a patisserie.
CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf gets a facelift
The CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany, will be building a new hall, as well as expanding its current space.
One feature of the construction project will be a 20m-high, 7,800m2 projecting roof made up of translucent fibreglass cloth with LED lighting. It will cover the entrance of CCD Süd, the forecourt, and the new subjacent underground carpark.
The existing exhibition halls will be replaced by a new 12,000m2 column-free hall, while the 2,100m2 foyer will also be usable as exhibition space. In addition, the first floor houses six conference conference rooms, each measuring 200m2 and can be divided into two rooms with mobile partitions.
Hua Hin has long been a favoured weekend destination for Thais and expats, but despite its proximity from Bangkok – about a 2.5-hour drive away – the seaside town never quite gained popularity among international event planners due to limited access options.
All this is set to change, as talks of Hua Hin Airport becoming an international one has become more rife in recent months. Thai authorities were reportedly in talks earlier in August to make arrangements to welcome international scheduled flights.
A buzzing night market at Hua Hin
Commercial air services to the resort town has been sporadic in the past, limited to Kan Air’s domestic services and Thai Lion Air’s Hat Yai-Hua Hin services – both of which were already plugged – as well as private business jets.
At press time, AirAsia is looking at launching five-times weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Hua Hin in 2017, a development that is keenly watched with bated breath by Hua Hin’s tourism and hospitality players.
David Barett, CEO of Hype Global and MICE consultant to the Ananda Resort Hua Hin, told TTGmice: “If AirAsia can pull it off, this will be a turning point for Hua Hin hotels’ fortunes. While international meeting planners are desperately seeking something new, the current three hours’ drive time to the resort is a deterrent.
“Direct air access will open up the destination for meetings and incentives. If we can start with Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, as two key geographic source MICE markets, and lobby for a Singapore route to follow, we would hit the MICE jackpot,” he continued.
International accessibility aside, hoteliers also point to the readiness of Hua Hin/Cha-Am as a business events destination, as these two adjacent seaside towns are already home to quality hotels with meeting facilities, an abundance of F&B options, and off-site attractions.
A new crop of upmarket hotels like Radisson Blu Resort Hua Hin, Ananda Resort Hua Hin, and Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa have further upped the destination’s business events prospects.
Goetz Bauer, general manager of Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, commented: “Hua Hin has great potential to be the perfect MICE destination from Mondays to Fridays as it is significant cheaper than Bangkok even if you include transportation costs, and it can always be combined with an incentive component.”
Bauer shared: “More organisers have realised this and are finding ways to overcome the three-hour drive by adding seafood lunches, shopping stops, sightseeing, or even teambuilding activities.”
Andrew Cornelio, director of sales & marketing at Radisson Blu Resort Hua Hin, said: “There seems to be more infrastructure development, especially in the ‘corridor’ between Hua Hin and Cha-Am. We already see a healthy growth of good-quality bistros and dining establishments in this area. There are already several water parks, two good shopping malls, and numerous golf courses.”
Hua Hin’s “own flavour” owing to its strong mix of culture, mountains and the sea is what keeps groups and events requests for Hua Hin steadily rolling in for Diethelm, but the DMC’s Thailand events department manager Sandy Peamsomboon noted that Hua Hin currently commands stronger interest among domestic event planners as compared to overseas.
It’s a similar observation for Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, as a majority of its events bookings – as well as the attendees – still hail from offices based in Bangkok. This situation can be improved with more promotion, Bauer stated, echoing the sentiments of industry players.
Said Cornelio: “Both TICA and TCEB have brought in MICE fam trips but the destination needs more promotion. I think more can be done in terms of promoting the MICE market as it is great for the slower weekdays.
“There can be more attractions in the vicinity since (planners’) questions currently revolve around what kinds of activities are available for meeting delegates.”
Barrett added: “More can be done to promote Hua Hin/Cha-Am in the international MICE markets. TCEB has overlooked the destination, as the beach resort is not one of their five MICE Cities (Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen).
“I extended an invitation to TCEB to attend the Hua Hin General Managers’ meeting in August, and presented the good work that TCEB has undertaken with their MICE Cities initiative, and explored how the destination can partner with the bureau to promote and drive more international and domestic MICE to Hua Hin,” he added.
When asked what plans TCEB had to grow Hua Hin as a MICE destination, a spokesperson told TTGmice that the destination is one of the cities the bureau is considering for development.
With its wide-ranging accommodation, extensive facilities and services for MICE, as well as diverse attractions, Hua Hin is “ready to accommodate both leisure and MICE visitors”, the bureau said.
Barrett concluded: “With the right mix of destination partners, destination branding, digital marketing and experiential events, combined with the opening of the airport, Hua Hin will be on track to securing a much larger share of the MICE market.”
Kerry Hotel Hong Kong opened on the Kowloon waterfront last April. The 16-storey property positions itself as an urban resort and takes a relaxed luxury approach in its guest experience.
Rooms There are 546 guestrooms, spread across various categories from the 42m2 Deluxe City View Room to the 294m2 Presidential Suite on the topmost floor.
I checked into my 52m2 Premier Sea View room on the seventh floor, and was right away struck by the million-dollar view of Victoria Harbour. The massive floor-to-ceiling windows allowed for such impressive views.
Kerry Hotel Premier Sea view room
It is worth noting that over 60 per cent of rooms in this hotel offer a sea view. The room is sized amply, furnished with a round desk, a coffee table, sofas, a large and plush bed, and a 43-inch flat screen LED television. The bathroom comes with double sinks. Items in the minibar are complimentary, with the exception of wine and liquor. My only wish is for the room to come with more electric sockets and USB points for travellers with multiple devices.
I thought the hotel’s guidebook, Bay Area Guide, was a great idea. It introduces guests to the history and food culture trails along the harbourside. The hotel enjoys a great location, within walking distance of local markets.
MICE facilities The hotel boasts 17 function spaces, both indoor and outdoor.
Its largest venue, the 1,756m2 Grand Ballroom on level two, is also said to be Hong Kong’s biggest pillar-less ballroom. It can accommodate a banquet of over 1,000 guests and a standing reception of up to 2,100.
The Grand Ballroom is connected to a foyer with views of the sea, a space that can take a long dining table seating 40 guests.
The 1,125m2 Hung Hom Ballroom on level one can be divided into seven smaller function rooms, and comes with a gallery outside which is ideal for cocktail receptions.
My favourite venue is the 158m2 Harbour Room on level four which I found to be rather cosy. It comes with a 200m2 deck which I imagine would work great for a 60-pax barbeque party with live band for entertainment.
Other facilities Event planners will love the fact that most of the hotel’s F&B venues are flexible and can support private events. The open-air Red Sugar Bar on level seven, for instance, can be bought out for private parties with a live DJ service. This is an impressive party venue, with its 270-degree wrap-around terrace.
The 300m2 Club Lounge comes with private spaces that can be used for meetings.
Elsewhere, the hotel has a 24-hour gym and a 25-metre outdoor heated swimming pool overlooking Victoria Harbour. A spa with four treatment rooms will open this October.
Room count 546 Star rating Five Contact www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/kerry
Aqua Luna II set sail in April 2017, a precious vessel that is probably the last Chinese junk to be painstakingly handcrafted in Hong Kong by an 86-year-old local craftsman. It is a masterpiece that took two years to complete, using traditional methods and materials – wood, bamboo and not a single nail.
Aqua Luna II is known as Cheung Po Tsai in Cantonese, named after the Cheung Chau island pirate. The junk now offers harbour cruises day and night.
Aqua Luna II
Concept Unlike its sister vessel, the Aqua Luna I which is known for its distinctive red sails, the new Aqua Luna II spots imperial blue and white dragon sails, paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty when dragons traditionally symbolise power and luck. With its larger built, Aqua Luna II can comfortably welcome up to 80 guests on its two decks.
MICE applicationAqua Luna II welcomes full charter and can support all types of private events.
The main and top deck span 186m2, and comprise both indoor and outdoor spaces. The full-size bar and cocktail lounge can accommodate up to 80 guests at a time for cocktail parties and dinners.
Event planners can opt to cruise around Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong Island’s south side, Cheung Chau or even Lamma Island, lunch or dinner is served to their guests.
In the day, piping hot dim sum is a great option. Catering is undertaken by Aqua Restaurant Group so quality is guaranteed.
Various entertainment options, provided by its outsourced partners, are available, such as Chinese instrumental music performances, magic shows, lion dances and demonstrations of Chinese arts and crafts like calligraphy. My night cruise featured a traditional face mask changing show and Chinese opera performed on the foredeck of the junk.
Service There were approximately 10 crew members onboard to steer the junk boat and to attend to guests. I like that the service staff are all attentive.
The five-star W Hong Kong in Kowloon has introduced a meeting package.
The Leads The Way package, available for full-day or half-day bookings, includes exclusive use of a meeting room, a morning coffee and tea break, and lunch at one of the hotel’s restaurants.
Two extra benefits can also be chosen from this list as well:
One night overnight hold of main meeting venue
Five complimentary meeting packages for every 80 paid guests
10 per cent off giant LED wall
Office for organiser to brainstorm, prepare and rest
Lunch upgrade to international buffet at Kitchen or Chinese set lunch at Sing Yin during weekdays
Shoulder massage from bliss® spa during coffee breaks
A minimum of 20 rooms daily must be booked, with a minimum of two nights stay.
The booking period is from now to July 31, 2018, for stays from now until September 9, 2018.
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has revealed its new features for its A$300 million (US$235 million) expansion site at a preview event held last Thursday night.
The event showcased design elements for three new sections including a gala venue, theatre, and courtyard meeting rooms. Also announced were names for the new spaces – which pay homage to Victoria’s gold rush era in the mid-1800s – and a custom gold palette which will be seen in the carpet, ceiling and roof tiles.
Peter King, CEO of MCEC addressing the crowd. Photo: Adelaine Ng
The Sovereign Room will be able to accommodate up to 450 people for gala dinners or 790 people for business events and meetings, and will connect to VIP suites and an outdoor terrace for pre-function drinks or networking events.
Meanwhile, the Goldfields Theatre comes equipped with fully retractable seats for 1,000 people, as well as adjustable soundproof walls that can also retract to transform the space into a banquet dining hall; its builders promised it “won’t feel like an exhibition space”.
There’s also the option of transforming the theatre into a pillarless exhibition space, adding 9,000m2 to create a total 40,000m2 of connected event space on one level when combined with the existing Exhibition Centre. Also unveiled were two Courtyard Meeting Rooms that can accommodate 70 each or up to 130 people when merged into one space.
Guests at the preview were invited to sit on theatre seats that will be installed, explore the completed expansion via virtual reality headsets and sample gourmet food from the cafe and bar – which will cater for up to 140 people when the new site opens in July 2018.
The MCEC’s expansion is aimed at resolving years of lost business due to the lack of space, having turned away A$15 million in the past year alone.
But CEO Peter King admits the renovation may not end the happy problem.
“We’re always going to have trouble fitting people in,” said King. “I’m sure of that because the industry’s growing, and people are coming to us wanting additional space. But this certainly gives us a better opportunity to satisfy more people”.
Still, King tells TTGmice the MCEC will not be resting on its laurels.
“We’ve got some aggressive revenue targets to hit over the next few years so we’ve got a very big plan for growth (and) we’re going to be very proactive in the marketplace. (We’ve got) a 75 per cent growth on our current revenues, with a 25 per cent increase on the footprint. So it’s going to be hard work,” he added.
The MCEC reported a profit of A$80 million in the financial year ending June 2017, a fifth consecutive year of record results. King shared that they are projecting profit will grow to A$140 million in five years.
A recent study by Egencia, the business travel arm of the Expedia group, found that despite the wide use of travel policies worldwide, “rogue booking”, the practice of business travellers booking outside of their travel programme, is still an issue for corporate travel programmes, especially when it comes to hotel stays.
While 60 per cent of companies have a travel policy in place, more than half of the business travellers surveyed are still allowed to book travel using any method they choose, and a full 46 per cent have done so for hotel bookings, according to the 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey.
To rein in these rogue booking tendencies, the study suggests that relevancy, incentivisation and clear policies can pave the way.
When it comes to hotels, relevance beats quantity
UK business travellers book out-of-policy because either they could not find a hotel close enough to their destination (42 per cent), or found a better price or hotel within their per diem (37 per cent).
With this in mind, providing relevance in a travel programme means surfacing a selection of hotel choices at the top of their online search results that are tailored to the needs of the business travellers. This can include location of hotels as well as flexible booking options. Additionally, offering fair and competitive pricing eliminates the need to shop outside the company’s preferred booking channels.
“When it comes to hotels, we know that it’s not about searching, it’s about finding. That’s why we find ways to serve up the right choice for business travellers within the first few search results. And it works – 75 per cent of Egencia travellers book one of the top seven hotel results and over half book from the top three,” said Andrew Dyer, vice president global supply-lodging.
“Travellers want an intuitive, cross-device experience with clear descriptions of what is included in the price. With this they can feel confident that they are booking the right accommodations, which will in turn increase policy compliance,” added Dyer.
Incentives foster compliance
According to the study, incentives for staying within policy vary by region, but globally, monetary rewards prove to be the most likely incentive to encourage travellers to book within their policy.
Sixty-two per cent of business travellers say that they would choose within policy if they receive a percentage of savings for booking below the cap and an additional 60 per cent would comply if they received funds they could apply to other travel options. This percentage is slightly higher in the UK, where 65 per cent of business travellers say they would choose within policy if they received a percentage of savings for booking below the cap. Loyalty points are the third most appealing incentive, and 56 per cent of UK travellers reported they would book within policy if offered hotel loyalty points.
Adoption improves safety and costs
When travellers book within policy, companies can protect the safety of their travellers and create cost efficiencies in the long-term. With increased adoption of policies and booking tools, travel managers can immediately locate travellers in an emergency, whether it is weather-related, geopolitical and/or a terrorism event. Access to immediate, accurate reports helps keep travellers safe wherever they are in the world.
The concept of going rogue creates extra work for safety officers who must locate individual straying travellers in an emergency, and calls for more time spent on collecting data streams from rogue bookings to consolidate into a comprehensive report and more spending overall.
According to GBTA, 79 per cent of travel managers acknowledge that using a travel management company leads to more efficient processes and drives savings in business travel. The most successful travel policies can drive compliance among travellers which means companies can ensure the safety of their travellers first and forefront, in addition to driving cost savings long-term.
To learn more, visit the Egencia website for more information about their lodging supplier network.
As Catalonia’s separatist drive wages on, Spain’s tourism industry as a whole faces losing revenues of 1.2 billion euros (US$1.4 billion) this quarter, a sum that could rise to 1.8 billion euros if there were to be more street protests, nationwide tourism lobbyist group Alianza para la Excelencia Turística (Exceltur) warns.
Visitor fears of further demonstrations and uncertainty over the region’s political future have reduced advance bookings for Catalonia for the final three months of 2017 by some 20 per cent compared to last year, according to the group.
Forward bookings for Catalonia down; fears of Barcelona impact mount
José Luis Zoreda, executive vice president of Exceltur, said member companies consulted were particularly worried about the impact on the regional capital, Barcelona, which benefits from its southerly location in Europe for attracting winter and especially MICE tourism.
“It is now right in season for conferences and leisure and shopping tourism,” he pointed out, at a time when Spain’s popular beach holiday season wanes.
While the region’s instability was not yet affecting other parts of Spain, a 20 per cent drop in Catalonia would cut the expected annual growth for Spain’s tourism as a whole from 4.1 per cent to 3.1 per cent.
While there has been no news yet of tourism companies moving their headquarters out of Barcelona, as has been happening with other industries, Zoreda said a brake has been put on scheduled investments.
In comparison, the terror attacks in Barcelona and the nearby resort of Cambrils in mid August at the height of the sun and beach holiday season have had “a very limited impact on tourism.”
“It is very positive to underline that (nationwide) revenue is growing faster than visitor numbers,” said Exceltur’s director of research, Oscar Perelli.
The average tourism spend in the country in peak summer had risen by almost seven per cent, while year on year business travel spending was up by over 22 per cent.
Tourism New Zealand celebrated its conference wins, worth NZ$31 million (US$22 million), at an event last week.
The event was in recognition of the efforts of the 23 experts across New Zealand who played a part in bringing the conferences to the country.
Some of the experts who have brought conferences to New Zealand
“Tourism New Zealand worked with these individuals to secure conferences that will bring 13,500 international delegates to New Zealand,” said Tourism New Zealand’s international business events and premium manager, Lisa Gardiner.
The experts include a diverse range of people from university academics to health sector professionals.
For instance, Sue Cherrington from Victoria University of Wellington, successfully bid to host the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association’s 21st annual conference in Wellington in 2020. The conference will be hosted at Victoria University and will bring 500 scholars from around the Asia-Pacific region to the city.
“We find we have the most success in bidding for conferences related to sectors New Zealand excels in on the global stage, such as the marine industries, agribusiness, health science and high-value foods,” said Gardiner.
As well, international conferences have the potential to attract visitors in the off-peak season, supporting Tourism New Zealand’s strategy to grow the value of international tourism to New Zealand.
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.
