The three Marco Polo Hotels in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui district are offering event organisers who book with either of the properties a complimentary MacBook Air, iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 plus.

To qualify, event organisers have to confirm a minimum of 20 rooms on any one day that is held on or before September 30, 2017, as well as a function room booking, totalling to a minimum of HK$250,000 (US$32,105). For accommodation with function room with a total minimum spending of HK$130,000 a complimentary iPad or smartwatch will be offered instead.

The three Marco Polo hotels’ full-day and half-day meeting packages include complimentary use of an LCD projector and high-speed Wi-Fi.

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel is equipped with 14 function rooms which includes the Centenary Room on the lobby level, and meeting venues Fung Shui, Jade and Lotus Rooms on Level 6. The fourth level of the hotel features two multipurpose function rooms – Bauhinia and Orchid – which can be divided into smaller spaces for intimate gatherings or private corporate events.

Meanwhile, Gateway Hotel offers four function rooms with colour-themed names – Noire, Ocher, Fuchsia and Turquoise, while Prince Hotel features two event spaces.

This promotion runs from now until June 30, 2017.

For further information, please contact mice.hkh@marcopolohotels.com or (852) 2113 3231.

The Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) will hold its HKECIA Conference and 27th Annual Dinner on June 2, 2017 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Themed Success, Sustainability and the Future, the conference will look at some of Hong Kong’s most successful organisers, how they made it happen and how their events are likely to evolve in the future.

Top speakers secured for the programme include Craig Pepples, CEO, Global Sources; Stanley Chu, chairman, Adsale Exhibition Services; Robbie McRobbie, deputy CEO, Hong Kong Rugby Union; Daben Mao, executive deputy general manager, Exhibition Operation Center, China Merchants Real Estate (Shenzhen); and Monica Lee-Müller, managing director, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management).

The conference will take place at meeting rooms S426-S427 and be followed by the annual dinner at the Chancellor Room. Tickets go at HK$250 (US$32.19, member) and HK$300 (non-member) for the conference segment; HK$650 and HK$800 for the dinner segment; and for both, HK$700 and HK$900.

Serko, an integrated online travel and expense management solution provider for businesses, has announced a new strategic partnership with HRS Global Hotel Solutions.

The partnership gives Serko customers the ability to book their own negotiated rates and HRS’ exclusive corporate discounted rates through both Serko Online and serko.travel platforms. As well, Serko clients can utilise HRS’ array of end-to-end service offerings to optimise their hotel programmes. HRS’ digital payment and integrated meetings management solutions are also available to Serko’s clients via this partnership.

Furthermore, the agreement enables Serko to further extend its offering of global hotel content, making it one of the single largest hotel metasearch platforms for corporate programmes. Currently, HRS’ global inventory includes 350,000 corporate-relevant hotels – 210,000 of which are independent properties.

Darrin Grafton, Serko’s CEO, said: “Working with HRS lays another major foundation for Serko to expand outside of Australasia. We see this as more than just a hotel content partnership but a strategic initiative that will bring measurable direct and indirect benefits to our clients through additional value-added services. It enables us to continue to execute on our vision of a single platform that can book and change any travel source required by a business traveller.”

For HRS, the Serko relationship allows the company to grow its presence in the region. Joint customers will have access to global corporate hotel content through a single source, incorporating the exclusive HRS discounts as well as Australian and New Zealand hotel content from The Lido Group, which partnered HRS in 2016.

Ariva Hospitality’s acquisition by Singapore-listed real estate and investment company Rowsley in March has allowed both parties to expand their hotel business towards a target of 20,000 keys by 2020.

While Ariva Hospitality’s executive chairman Cameron Ong – an industry veteran who was last CEO and managing director of The Ascott Group – admitted that the target is a “tall order” but it is also one that is achievable considering his company’s track record.

Cameron Ong

The recent staging of the first associations forum in Japan is a “significant step” that will help pave the way for the formation of an association for associations in the country.

Shogo Kaneda, who organised and initiated the first Japan Associations Forum on February 15, told TTGmice that the event attracted 30 association executives as well as 20 industry suppliers who tackled best practices in finding “new ideas and solution to develop associations”.

Shogo Kaneda

Kaneda recently transferred from MICE Japan to Japan Management Association from where he is already planning the next and bigger edition of the Forum which he thinks is crucial to forming the Japan Society of Association Executives (JSAE).

He envisions JSAE as a platform for sharing ideas and best practices among Japanese associations and their executives as “many Japanese associations now are quite keen to develop their products internationally” and involve the younger generations.

Kaneda also participated in the ASAE Great Ideas Conference in Asia Pacific hosted by Seoul in March, saying that by developing associations, they are also “trying to develop various industrial fields and ultimately develop the country or destination”.

Nine organisations and individuals were recognised for their achievements in the Experience Excellence (MICE) category at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2017 last Friday.

The winners were:

• Best Association Conference Organiser: Kranji Countryside Association, for 27th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference
• Best Business Event Service Provider: Ace:Daytons Direct Int’l, for Singapore MICE Forum 2016
• Best Business Event Venue: Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre
• Best Exhibition Organiser: UBM SES, for Food&HotelAsia2016
• Best Meeting / Incentive Organiser: PMG Asia Pacific, for Aruba APAC Atmosphere 2016
• Best Trade Conference Organiser: Unbound, for InnovFest unbound 2016
• Best Business Event Champions: Chan Yew Weng, chairman of World Congress of Anaesthesiologists 2024 Bid Committee; Erik Juul-Mortensen, president of Tax Free World Association
• Exceptional Achievement: Kingsmen Exhibits, for receiving the Best Business Event Service Provider award for the past three consecutive years 2016, 2015 and 2014

In addition, Janet Tan-Collis, president of the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers received the highest accolade of the evening – Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism.

Janet Tan-Collis received the highest accolade this year

Tan-Collis’ win was attributed to her unwavering commitment to developing talent and resources for the MICE industry, working with MICE associations to develop education programmes and further entrenching Singapore’s position as Asia’s centre for MICE thought leadership.

This year’s Singapore Tourism Awards, held at Shangri-La Hotel, recognised 31 individuals and organisations from across Singapore’s tourism and service industry.

Place Borneo, the only PCO in Kuching, opened a branch office – Place Business Events – in Kuala Lumpur in early April.

Its founder and managing director, Mona Abdul Manap, said: “It is a natural progression. Many of our clients such as associations and universities are in Kuala Lumpur, so it makes sense to open an office there.”

In addition, Place Borneo will be opening its second branch office – Place Borneo (Sabah) – next month in Sabah’s state capital, Kota Kinabalu.

Mona: natural growth for Place Borneo

Established only last year, Place Borneo has organised three major events – the 15th World Toilet Summit 2016, 21st Joint Singapore-Malaysia Nursing Conference 2016, and 4th Miri Country Music Festival in February 2017. From this year on, the annual music festival will be organised by the company.

Mona’s vision for Place Borneo is to produce seamless and impactful events. “At Place Borneo, we try to incorporate that into all our events, while still ensuring that the event is profitable for clients, impactful and educational for delegates, and beneficial to the local community of the event venue,” she said.

A music lover, she also sees potential of creating a home-grown music and food festival in Kuala Lumpur, and is currently ironing out the details for a possible 2018 launch.

From December 11-12, 2017, Dubai will hold its first Dubai Association Conference with the theme Building A Community.

The inaugural conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) is designed to cater to an increasing number of associations that are looking to expand in the Middle East, and the growing industries across disciplines from technology and healthcare to education and finance.

It will also provide a platform for participants to gain insights from international and regional experts on the latest trends in areas such as membership, online communities, restructuring education, volunteerism and governance, among others.

As well, the conference will facilitate sessions that offer an exclusive opportunity for key opinion leaders and association executives to engage in discussions aimed at exploring and nurturing new partnerships and relevant opportunities.

Aimed at reinforcing the role that associations play in Dubai’s socio-economic development and its transition to a knowledge-based economy, the conference was created by the Dubai Association Centre (DAC) – a joint initiative by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, and DWTC.

Issam: targeting expanding associations

Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “It is undeniable that trade and professional associations play a key role in driving social integration, competitiveness, and knowledge sharing, and therefore support in the development of a knowledge economy. As associations look to expand their footprint around the world, our aim is for Dubai to be at the top of their list.”

Hassan Al Hashemi, member of the executive committee of DAC, and vice president of international relations, Dubai Chamber, added that the event will also support objectives outlined under Dubai Chamber’s 2017-2021 strategy, including its aim to boost the emirate’s global profile as a preferred hub for trade and investment.

The DAC has already achieved considerable progress since it was launched in 2014. In 2016, the centre saw a 100 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of associations registered in Dubai.