Marriott swiftly issued apology and statement ; Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall pictured
Marriott recently caused an outrage in China when it was discovered that it had listed Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as separate countries, resulting in the US hotel giant’s Chinese website and mobile app being shut down for a week by the Chinese authorities.
The saga began last Tuesday when a Chinese-language questionnaire Marriott emailed to customers referred to Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as countries.
Marriott swiftly issued apology and statement; Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall pictured
One of the hotel’s official Twitter accounts was found to have “liked” a Tibetan separatist group, further adding fire to the fuel.
Marriott last Thursday issued a swift apology for the gaffe, which had attracted accusations of disrespecting Chinese sovereignty and calls of boycott by angry netizens on Weibo.
“We don’t support anyone who subverts the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and we do not intend in any way to encourage or incite any such people or groups. We recognise the severity of the situation and sincerely apologise,” Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, said in a statement.
Marriott was not alone in causing furore for geographical inaccuracies.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said it had found Delta Air Lines to have listed Taiwan and Tibet as independent countries on its website and had asked the airline to rectify its mistake.
Delta on Friday also issued an apology for the website mistake and had taken immediate steps to resolve it.
Clarion Events Asia, part of global event organiser Clarion Events Group, has formed PT Adhouse Clarion Events (PT ACE), a joint venture between Clarion Events and PT Adhouse Indonesia CIPTA, a local organiser.
The joint venture aims to grow existing events and bring large-scale industry events to Indonesia. For instance, PT Adhouse Indonesia CIPTA’s events include Indonesia Properti Expo (IPEX), the largest biannual property show in Indonesia, where each edition attracts over 260 exhibitors and 340,000 visitors over a 10-day period.
A booth at the Indonesia Properti Expo
Richard Ireland, managing director of Clarion Events Asia, indicated that the partnership will also help the company “further its commitment to the region”.
“We are excited to be part of the country’s economic transformation efforts that will see this vibrant nation of 280 million become the 5th largest economy by 2030. This partnership will allow the joint-venture to cater to the fast-growing Indonesian market with world-leading event brands and embark with Adhouse on the next chapter of their success story,” added Ireland.
“This new collaboration with Clarion Events Asia could not have come at a better time as Indonesia and its economy enters a new phase, fuelled by industry-led growth and the ambition to compete with the world’s leading economies. Clarion Events, with its global reach and diversified expertise into a number of industry-leading events, will open up profitable new avenues for our business and access to a new base of clients we are looking forward to cater to in Indonesia,” commented Soedirman Zakaria, Adhouse’s president director.
Moving forward, PT ACE will be introducing a number of B2B conferences and large-scale exhibitions over the course of the next two years.
Barely six months since its official opening in end-July, early-August last year, the 141-key luxury Anantara Kalutara Resort in southern Sri Lanka is pulling in a number of international and domestic meetings, conferences and incentives.
Describing the property’s business events performance as “shaping up really well”, Giles Selves, area general manager with Minor Hotels, told TTGmice that the first quarter of the new year would be a busy one with “a very big incentive in April, taking a thousand room nights” as well as “over half a dozen resort buyouts”.
Selves: business has been off to a great start, optimistic for the future
Selves, who looks after Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort, Anantara Kalutara Resort and AVANI Kalutara Resort in Sri Lanka, added that the hotel has even scored its first repeat business, with a Colombo-based customer returning with another event in February.
These events join a number of business events, including property buyouts, that took place in 2017.
Selves shared that the GCC, India and the domestic market are the strongest performers and drivers for his properties’ business events now.
“Asia still needs a bit of work. We are not seeing much from Australia now, but there is a lot of positivity around that market due to the new flight from Melbourne that commenced end-October,” he said.
“The incentive group coming in April is from Spain, not a traditional source market for Sri Lanka so that’s good. We are working on a couple of incentive proposals from the UK.”
Selves believes that the good start seen by Anantara Kalutara Resort is due to both Sri Lanka’s rising popularity as a business events destination, and the strength of the Anantara brand in the global marketplace.
He explained: “Sri Lanka as a business events destination has a massive opportunity for lots of growth over the next couple of years, and we are at the front end of driving that. There aren’t that many hotels of this size here that have an international brand attached.
“Anantara’s global sales network has a bigger reach than local hotel brands, which allows us to reach out to key source markets and tell them about our product and the destination we are located in. As well, Anantara has a strong reputation in many markets. Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, for instance, gets a lot of business events while Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara does a lot of corporate incentives. We can draw on that reputation to benefit our properties here in Sri Lanka.”
When asked how the trio of properties can work together to attract more business events, Selves said the four-star AVANI Kalutara Resort, located just 100 metres from Anantara Kalutara Resort, can help with overflow from larger groups, while Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort can feature as a great incentive or teambuilding extension for groups doing a circuit in the southern region that begins with meetings at Anantara Kalutara Resort.
Nathong Restaurant by P. Pavilion has launched The Banquet Hall at Nathong, a multipurpose convention and seminar centre set on over 1.6-hectare piece of land on Pracha Uthit Road, near the Mengjai Intersection.
The brand-new 2,000m2 space can accommodate more than 1,800 people. Should smaller rooms be needed, the space can be broken down into three smaller function rooms. The meeting facility includes state-of-the-art audio-visual display, and offers a wide range of F&B options such as Thai, Chinese or Western cuisines.
The Banquet Hall at Nathong
Other event spaces include an executive meeting room, a foyer area, and an outdoor garden area with fountains. The Banquet Hall at Nathong also offers free Wi-Fi, and a shuttle service for group customers from/to the nearby Huay Kwang MRT Station.
The Banquet Hall at Nathong’s outdoor space
“Thailand is one of the MICE hubs for ASEAN, especially in Bangkok. And as the MICE market in Thailand is growing, the official launch of The Banquet Hall at Nathong is now another Bangkok-to-be multipurpose venue for holding conferences, seminars, trade shows and all kinds of wedding and celebration parties,” said Khun Supaporn Thammanoonkul, managing director of The Banquet Hall at Nathong, in a statement.
Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and The St. Regis Macao have just released a new offer for meetings.
Dubbed Meetings Beyond Imagination, event planners and conference organisers can enjoy special offers when booking a meeting package between January 15 and June 30 this year, for events held between January 15 and December 20, 2019.
The Kashgar Ballroom at Sheraton Grand Macao
For instance, booking 25 to 50 rooms on peak will enable event planners to enjoy one offer and one entertainment or leisure activity. It scales up accordingly, where a booking of 151 rooms or more on peak will allow organisers to enjoy a maximum of four offers and four entertainment or leisure activities.
Offers include a five per cent discount on master bills (which includes rooms, F&B and function rental costs), complimentary rooms, room upgrades, and discounts on ferry tickets.
Under offers for entertainment and leisure activities, organisers can enjoy up to 50 per cent off in-house performances, 15 per cent off cocktail receptions at specified venues, 50 per cent off Gondola rides and Eiffel Tower Experience, or 50 per cent off Monkey King show tickets and outsourced performances
Sheraton Grand Macao and The St. Regis Macao are housed under one roof in conjunction with its sister properties at Sands Resorts Macao. Together, both properties boast 15,500m2 of flexible meeting space.
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.
Just 10 minutes from Phuket International Airport on the serene northern coast, this 178-key, Bill Bensley-designed resort offers delegates a quiet, tropical paradise steeped in Phuket’s tin-mining heritage
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
