Aviary Bintaro, an eco-inspired hotel in Jakarta, has appointed Brafely Sahelangi to the position of general manager. He is a seasoned hotelier with more than 20 years of experience.
Anita Chan
Dorsett Hospitality International has appointed Anita Chan, general manager of Dorsett Wanchai, Hong Kong, Cosmo Hotel Hong Kong and Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong to the additional role as senior vice president of brand marketing. Chan has been with Dorsett Hospitality International since March 2005.
Skydive Wanaka
Launched as Skydive Lake Wanaka in 1995, the company started humbly with a van, a patch of grass with a few deck chairs on it, and a borrowed plane.
Since it was bought over in 2013 and renamed Skydive Wanaka, the company has garnered multiple awards with more than 120,000 tandem skydives completed.
Concept Skydive Wanaka is often rated as one of the top skydive locations in Australasia. It is set in stunning and dramatic scenery where you can see up to six lakes, Mt Cook and the Clutha, South Island’s longest river.
The company has a team of more than 35 ‘Beautiful Strangers’ passengers can strap themselves to, for the tandem jump off an orange plane. All the guides are experienced, with many clocking more than 15,000 skydives each.
MICE application This is a unique and rewarding incentive experience especially when the group gets to bond over nerves.
The plane takes 18 people at a time, or up to nine passengers doing tandem dives. Each skydive takes about 30 minutes from getting suited to landing. It’s also weather dependent, so dives are best planned for the late morning in winter to avoid the fog, or early mornings in summer to avoid strong afternoon winds.
The company has three drop zones, which means there’s flexibility should the weather not comply.
But this means corporates need to have flexibility in the itinerary to accommodate weather changes.
Service Skydiving in New Zealand is one of those experiences I’ll be talking about for a long time. They say the hardest part of a skydive is jumping off a perfectly good plane, but I found the initial freefall from 15,000 feet more challenging.
Who can complain flying above a stunning location against the backdrop of the Southern Alps and some of the most beautiful lakes in the country? During the jump, my tandem guide made me feel safe and I felt that he was a great videographer who helped me to document the experience.
Contact
Website: www.skydivewanaka.com
Email: dropzone@skydivewanaka.com
Tel: (64 3) 443-7207; (64) 274-796-877
Malaysia goes for more growth
The Malaysian government has placed more emphasis on attracting both the leisure and business events markets from India by rolling out visa-friendly policies, as well as introducing new Malaysian destinations.
The e-visa facility was first introduced by the Malaysian government in 2016. After which, they took it a step further and waived the Rs1,000 (US$16) visa fee, as well as reduced the visa processing fee from Rs5,500 to Rs1,600. In April 2017, a multiple-entry visa for Indian tourists was launched, making it more convenient for travellers to combine mutli-country tours.
In addition, the cash crunch crisis in November 2016 – resulting from the Indian government’s move to demonetise its Rs500 and Rs1,000 currency – came to an end.
As a result, hoteliers and local DMCs have reported seeing an increased MICE business from India.
Wilfred Yeo, group director of business development of Sunway Hotels & Resorts, said: “We foresee that the Indian business events segment will grow and become one of our biggest segments. We are currently receiving three to five groups from India on a monthly basis. Since 2015, we have witnessed a 15 per cent year-on-year growth in room nights.”
Luxury Tours Malaysia’s senior manager, Arokia Das, pointed out that the introduction of multiple entry visa has helped his business.
He elaborated: “Prior to the introduction of the multiple-entry visa, Indian organisers used to fly to Bali on Malindo Air and transited in Kuala Lumpur. Since the visa was introduced, we’ve had business from a few Indian MICE organisers who organised a one- or two-night post conference tour in Kuala Lumpur.
“They will have the groups stay in the city, close to the shopping malls, and the itinerary will usually include a half-day city tour.”
Arokia further revealed that in July, his company saw a 30 per cent increase year-on-year for business events from India. He attributed this to better air connectivity, which has helped Kuala Lumpur remain a popular destination for the Indian meetings and incentives market.
Similarly for Tourland Travel, managing director, A Aruldas, said that MICE business from India has seen a 15 per cent increase year-on-year.
“Incentive events move on a rotational basis and many organisers are rotating their events back to Malaysia,” he said.
He said this was partly due to the weak ringgit against the US dollar – while the Indian rupee had strengthened – which made hotel rates in Malaysia more attractive.
Another trend Aruldas noticed in 2016 were that business events organisers were more willing to spend on better quality hotels and F&B due to the exchange rates.
As well, tour companies have been promoting other destinations around Malaysia.
For instance, Luxury Tours Malaysia has been promoting Penang as a new venue for meetings and incentives, as the state has a brand new meeting venue – the Setia SPICE Convention Centre – and new products that are good for incentives.
“It is easy to organise events in Penang as the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau is willing to help us get permission from relevant bodies to use some historical buildings as venues for gala dinners,” he added.
For Tourland Travel, Aruldas revealed that Langkawi did well as an incentive destination last year.
He explained: “Langkawi has grown in popularity and demand is second to Kuala Lumpur. It has good hotel facilities, and getting Indian food is not an issue.”
Aruldas is also awaiting the end-year opening of the 20th Century Fox World theme park, as he believes the attraction will become a new destination for business events in terms of outdoor venues for themed dinners, for events held at Resorts World Genting.
Meanwhile, Nanda Kumar, managing director of Hidden Asia Travel & Tours, is promoting Perak to the Indian incentive market as the Movie Animation Park Studios (MAPS) theme park recently opened in June.
He said that MAPS, together with The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, can form part of an itinerary for incentive delegates where Ipoh, the state capital of Perak, is combined with either Penang or Kuala Lumpur.
Over coffee with Vidya Hermanto
Why is a new branding needed when Orange – Incentive House is a division under Panorama JTB Tours?
As part of a travel company, we organise trips, book hotels and transport, but we are not just a travel division creating tours for corporate clients.
We offer much more than that, such as a holistic approach to events. As such, we need to distinguish ourselves from our parent company to highlight the creativity and dynamism we can bring to clients, while assisting them in achieving their goals.
We chose Orange as our brand as it carries the meaning of warmth and creativity. To deliver our promises, we have hired more staff. We now have 150 people, mostly millennials who have the capacity to package creative and detailed programmes.
What is new in Orange compared to the previous division?
We have created an Orange app, which can be customised to serve a group’s programme. The app allows up to 200 members, and enables participants view the itinerary, read CEO messages, or obtain clues during an amazing race.
We used to be conventional, and arrange for company reward trips with just a themed dinner, as per clients’ requests. The management then expects that this trip will motivate staff to reach higher targets the following year.
Now we take on a completely different approach, which will assist our clients in achieving more than what they expect. The trips we create will no longer be just a trip, but an enriched event.
Please elaborate what Orange’s new approach is.
Companies want to achieve more every year. At the same time, they are required to be more effective and efficient in their spending.
Meanwhile, we see that in a company, different divisions have various meetings, events, domestic, and international travel programmes. As such, budgets are scattered within a company.
Moreover, instead of creating a single event – to convey the company’s goal and message – what many companies do is that they invite travel firms to do a pitch every time there is a programme.
Instead, our new approach is to create a synergy to convey a message between corporate clients the staff or suppliers.
We tell clients that they should combine programmes instead of holding department-specific programmes.
A budget for 300 people, compared to a budget of 30 people, will enable clients to hold a more spectacular event.
In addition, instead of just submitting a proposal to pitch a tour, we ask clients what the company’s visions and missions are, and what they want to achieve next year. We will then offer programmes that will motivate staff to achieve the company goals the following year, while enjoying their rewards.
For companies that have workshops, motivational speeches, and CEO messages separate from an incentive tour, we can also help to combine them. As a result, the trip will not be a just a trip.
That way, companies will have an increased collective budget, be more efficient in their spending, and conduct a better programme.
However, a last-minute trip will not work in this case as airfares and hotel prices will be higher.
Usually, there are different layers of achievement and rewards in a company. How can this be combined?
For example, one of our clients had a Taipei-Honolulu-Los Angeles incentive tour programme.
The entire group went to Taipei, where programmes involving everyone was held there. The lowest tier ended their trip there, while the middle and top tiers continued on to Honolulu and Los Angeles respectively.
What are some challenges?
Many companies in Indonesia are still conventional. We need to explain our service plan in detail, and educate clients on the benefit of taking this approach.
We actually started offering this service last year, but we did not make any announcement until we are sure it would work.
What is next on your to-do list?
We would like to become an expert on Japan, seeing that Panorama joined JTB last April.
Currently, we have three Japanese managers in Orange. Our eventual goal is to serve all Japanese corporations in Indonesia.
Investment from Japan is the second largest in Indonesia. Companies such as Toyota, Honda can send their employees for site visits in Japan, and we can arrange their programme there. We also offer all destinations in Japan to companies based in Indonesia.
We also are working towards creating student home-stay programmes in Japan. This is already popular with other markets, more so than Indonesia. Hopefully we will be able to start sales to universities in Indonesia next year.
Adventure capital
If you haven’t already heard, Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world where jet boating, bungy jumping and tandem skydiving activities abound. And this town has helped put New Zealand on the map for business events, with an impressive 75 per cent current win rate for conference bids.
“New Zealand is a destination that’s on people’s bucket list, a dream destination,” said Sue Sullivan, CEO of the country’s annual conferencing event CINZ MEETINGS.
“When you’re running an incentive, very often we win because we are that dream destination. Couple that with our experiences and our products, high quality of hotels, food and wine (and we’re hard to beat),” she added.
New Zealand’s reputation in the business events world is becoming more well-known. Recent data showed that the country rose four places in ICCA’s global rankings to take 12th spot in Asia-Pacific, and the 47th spot in the world.
It’s an achievement attributed to dedicated teams that collaborate in a partnership that Air New Zealand’s regional general manager for Asia, Scott Carr, refers to as NZ Inc.
“By NZ Inc I mean the airline, the tourism body, immigration and airport authorities and the government in general,” said Carr.
“We can get behind this industry in a way other destinations can’t. I think it becomes a substantial marketing difference for us as a MICE opportunity.”
Carr cites a recent incentive group win from Amway China as an NZ Inc success story, which will see 10,000 delegates visit Queenstown next year in waves of 600 people at a time, the biggest incentive business New Zealand has won to date. The win represents a NZ$50 million (US$37 million) chunk out of NZ$311 million in total conferencing and incentive business secured over the past four years.
“We want to build on that success,” said Lisa Gardiner, Tourism New Zealand’s international business events & premium manager.
“For (Amway China), this was a new model of breaking the group up into a number of waves to be able to have a great experience of New Zealand. Amway is a leader in direct selling and incentives business so we’re looking to leverage their experience and grow our incentive program profile off its back,” she said.
What the delegates will be experiencing in Queenstown is still in the works but it’s a good bet some of their activities will be adventure based. Activities such as skydiving, helicopter rides and bungy jumping can be experienced in many parts of New Zealand but are mostly concentrated in and around Wanaka and Queenstown, which are an hour’s drive apart.
The large Amyway China group also points to a trend for Asian visitors to embrace more daring incentive experiences.
“We are seeing a transition,” said Sullivan. “We’re starting to see travellers from Asia that have perhaps studied in this part of the world, or America or Europe. We’re seeing the younger ones are really keen to leap off a bridge, skydive and be more adventurous.”
The trend is confirmed by Derek Melnick, business development manager at NZONE Skydive.
When asked which Asian countries his customers hail from, Melnick said: “Singapore and Malaysia are in our top 10 markets with Indonesia emerging.”
Still, at the end of the day Sullivan insists it is New Zealand’s culture that wins bids.
“How we welcome you as a people, that is our manaakitanga (a Maori word that loosely translates to hospitality). Our culture is a strong point of difference,” she shared.
“And I find that Asians are traditionally quite spiritual people so they connect well with our culture. It’s not just perhaps exploring some caves but finding out how we’re connected to the land, how we’re protecting our assets and how we manage life around it”.
Gardiner said there’s been year-on-year increase in the interest, number of leads, and business that their international incentive team have been converting from Asia, but admits there’s still work to be done in creating awareness with the right agents.
“We need to keep growing New Zealand’s profile and the most efficient way for us to do that is to work with key incentive houses and key joint venture partners to get us in front of the right people,” she concluded.
With a defined strategy in place, people on the ground across key Asian locations like Singapore and Shanghai, and experiences in New Zealand that promise to take your breath away, that goal seems well within reach.
Highlands Motorsport Park
The Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, Otago, has been offering exhilarating experiences since 2013. The park, located a 45-minute drive from Queenstown, features a 4.1km-long motor racing circuit inspired by some of the world’s most famous racetracks.
Concept There are 12 activities onsite such as Go-Kart races, Jurassic Safari Buggies and laser-clay shooting.
But if you want to go home with bragging rights, ride in a Porsche, McLaren or Ferrari race car. Or take things up a notch and self-drive a Le Mans or Repco V8. There’s also a group self-driving option in one of six WRX Subaru vehicles.
MICE application McLaren, Porsche or Ferrari rides are available for up to 50 rides in the morning, or a total 80 rides for the day. The Subaru WRX Experience is Highlands’ newest product, created as a unique, group-only adventure.
There are three packages for up to 40 people ranging from a 30-minute teaser to the four-hour Ultimate Experience which includes private lounge access, circuit action, and a hot lap with a professional driver at the wheel. The McLaren I rode in as part of the Supercar Fast Dash was surreal and felt like I was in a movie.
Highlands can also work with groups to focus on teambuilding and competitive areas or take a more social approach. For instance, the Go-Kart activity was terrific fun for our group with a live display tracking our lap times to increase the competitive factor.
The park can also cater for up to 150 people theatre-style or 120 for a sit-down dinner. Additionally, it houses the National Motorsport Museum which features rare cars such as the US$4.2 million Aston Martin Vulcan, and The Benetton F1 driven by Michael Schumacher when he earned his first ever F1 point in 1991.
Service Highlands is well run by staff who are experienced in catering for groups.
Contact
Website: www.highlands.co.nz
Email: info@highlands.co.nz
Tel: (64 3) 445-4052
Sunway Pyramid Hotel
The Sunway Pyramid Hotel, part of Selangor’s Sunway City integrated resort, has reopened after a RM125 million (US$29.2 million) extensive renovation. The refurbishment resulted in technology improvements, and a complete makeover in public areas to reflect a more contemporary style.
Room My room came with complimentary Wi-Fi, wired broadband Internet access, bedside USB charger outlets, a 42-inch LED Smart TV with satellite channels, and ample closet space.
I was given a Deluxe Park Room on Level 10, the highest floor. From my room, I had a splendid bird’s-eye view of Sunway Lagoon Theme Park. Rooms facing the opposite side will offer a city view.
MICE facilities The hotel is connected to Sunway Pyramid Mall, a mega shopping and entertainment mall offering over 900 retail stores and 170 F&B outlets.
Above the five-storey mall is the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre, which underwent a facelift in December 2016. The convention centre comprises over 7,600m2 of function space, and can hold up to 3,500 delegates in theatre-seating or up to 200 exhibition booths.
In addition, there are eight breakout rooms measuring between 80m2 and 640m2. The foyer entrance area is directly accessible from the highway via a dedicated ramp, which makes it convenient for conference and exhibition delegates to arrive and materials to be transported.
I like that meeting planners have greater flexibility as they can integrate facilities and activities within the integrated resort into their programmes.
For example, the MICE team at Sunway Hotel can help organise a teambuilding event at the shopping mall, or brainstorming sessions, gala dinners and cocktail events in an outdoor setting at the theme park, or on the tropical landscaped gardens of the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa.
Other facilities Taste Enclave at Sunway Pyramid Hotel comprises 14 eateries offering local, western and Middle Eastern cuisines, while Kaffeinate is an express café offering a variety of grab-and-go options.
Delegates staying at this property also have direct access to the recreational facilities – such as the Mandara Spa, a fitness centre and swimming pool – in the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa.
Room count 564
Star rating Four
Contact
Website: www.sunwayhotels.com
Email: reservations@sunwayhotels.com
Tel: (60-3) 7492-8000
Over the hills and far away
Event brief
Discovery Overland Holidays was the DMC appointed by Penang Global Tourism and Reed Exhibitions, tasked to organise a cocktail reception for WTM Connect Asia at The Tree Top Walk in The Habitat, Penang Hill, followed by a gala dinner and accompanying entertainment at David Brown’s Restaurant, also located on Penang Hill.
Challenges
The Habitat is an eco attraction located on the fringes of a 130-million-year-old virgin rainforest on Penang Hill. Within The Habitat is The Tree Top Walk, an open area with a 13m-high viewing platform. This was where the evening cocktail was held, before guests took a short walk downhill to to David Brown’s Restaurant.
One of the challenges was to make the event impactful and meaningful for delegates as many of them had already spent a long day sightseeing, while some overseas delegates had also just arrived.
Lex Lam, director of sales at Discovery Overland Holidays, recalled: “We anticipated they would be tired, and so we had to ensure the evening event was meaningful and worth attending.”
Preparations for the event were made weeks in advance. This included finding ways and means to transport long beams of steel and other heavy materials needed to set up a marquee – as contingency in case of rain. All these materials had to be transported from the city to the hilltop, and it was a challenge to transport them along narrow unlit roads with sharp bends. All these work had to be done during the night as well, due to road works during the day.
Another challenge was finding a contractor who was willing to build a temporary stage on top of a fish pond at David Brown’s Restaurant.
“Many we approached were reluctant because of the difficulty of carrying materials to the hilltop,” said Lam.
Solutions
Discovery Overland Holidays had teams at all four partner hotels to coordinate the 10 bus departures so that the buses left Georgetown before the evening traffic jam. The 30-minute bus ride from the hotel to the Lower Station of Penang Hill was made interesting by tour guides on every bus who briefed delegates Penang’s history and what they could expect at the evening function.
As the funicular trains arrive at the Lower Penang station every 10 minutes, the 10 buses were timed to arrive at staggered intervals of six minutes so that delegates did not have to wait long. When they reached the Upper Hill station, local performers greeted them.
The walk down from The Tree Top Walk to David Brown’s Restaurant was also made interesting with displays by fire eaters and fire throwers along the way.
As for the stage, The Habitat management referred Discovery Overland Holidays to a past contractor who was willing to build a stage as the materials needed were already on-site and need not be brought in from Georgetown.
The company also worked closely with Penang Global Tourism to get the necessary permits.
Key takeaways
“Planning well in advance and working closely with all parties were instrumental to the event being a success,” revealed Lam.
Kuala Lumpur Night Walk
The Kuala Lumpur Night Walk was introduced in September 2016 by the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Bureau as a means of sharing the diverse cultural, heritage and historical treasures in the capital city.
Lasting 2.5 hours, the free walk is run by experienced guides every Saturday, provided it does not rain. The 2km route is suitable for all fitness levels and there are stops in between.
Concept Registration begins at 18.30 at Arch Café, Pacific Express Hotel. The walk itself starts at 18.45 from the Old Market Square, and ends at Independence Square.
Prior to the walk, the guide on duty – my guide that evening was Shirley Wong – will give out a pamphlet which depicts the route map, and a short description of landmarks and historical buildings.
Wong brought along with her black and white photographs depicting what the city used to look like in the 19th century, as well as images of renowned leaders of the era such as Yap Ah Loy, the third kapitan China of Kuala Lumpur, and Frank Swettenham, the resident general of the Federated Malay States.
For instance, I learnt that Pacific Express Hotel was where Yap’s house used to stand. Wong also showed our group images of what the house – which stretched all the way to the riverbank – looked like back then.
In addition, she also had a laser pointer, which made it easy for the dozen of us to see the building elements she was referring to such as the Neoclassical facades and Art Deco architecture.
MICE application Private tours for groups can be arranged in advance by contacting the bureau.
In such cases, tours will not be limited to Saturdays, and will be dependent on the group’s arrangement. Organisers can also customise tours by highlighting certain aspects, such as showcasing the local nightlife, learning about the lifestyles of the traders, speaking to shop owners who have run the same business for generations, and sampling the local cuisine.
If the group size is larger than 15, the group can be split into smaller groups with a tour guide each.
The tour can end with a late dinner or supper at one of the many restaurants in the area.
Service The guided tour was a marvellous experience. I have lived in the city all my life, but I learnt so much about Kuala Lumpur that evening. Pictures of the city in the 19th century was also an eye-opener, offering a window into how much progress Malaysia has made since then.
Contact
Email: pelancongan@dbkl.gov.my
Tel: (60-3) 2698-0332
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