The 142-unit BreakFree Adelaide hotel is heading into the final stages of its A$800,000 (US$) transformation, which includes significant upgrades to guestrooms, conference facilities and common areas.

All guestrooms have been given a modern kitchen as well as fresh, new furniture in their lounge and dining room.

The Hindmarsh Conference Room has also been upgraded to become a fresh and chic space for meetings and events.

The lobby received a local-facelift with a bright mural by local artist Vans The Omega.

Well-known for offering great value for money, BreakFree Adelaide offers guests a choice of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and is a short walk from the CBD and 500m from the Adelaide Convention Centre.

BreakFree Adelaide’s renovation is conducted just as Adelaide’s West End entertainment district, where it is located, is being redeveloped to raise its vibrancy.

Singapore Airlines and regional subsidiary SilkAir have signed an MoU with Air France-KLM to codeshare on each other’s flights with effect from April 27, 2017.

Upon regulatory approval, Singapore Airlines will add its ‘SQ’ designator code to Air France-operated flights beyond Paris to 10 European destinations – Aberdeen, Bordeaux, Edinburgh, Lisbon, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Newcastle, Nice and Toulouse.

Air France will in turn add its ‘AF’ designator code to Singapore Airlines-operated flights beyond Singapore to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, as well as on SilkAir-operated flights to Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, and Phuket in Thailand.

Singapore Airlines and Air France-KLM will later explore the opportunity to expand the codeshare to other airlines within their respective groups, as well as the possibility for their loyalty club members to earn and enjoy miles redemption when travelling on codeshare flight segments.

The agreement is intended to provide customers more options and seamless connectivity when travelling between Australia, South-east Asia and Europe.

Tan Kai Ping, Singapore Airlines’ senior vice president marketing planning, said: “This new agreement provides a strong foundation for future commercial co-operation opportunities between our two airline groups. It is also another example of our commitment to the Singapore hub and the European market.”

Patrick Roux, senior vice-president alliances, Air France-KLM group, said: “This new agreement…will significantly improve the connections for Air France customers from Singapore to Australia. This kind of partnership is part of our aim to expand our market position and increase our range of destinations for our customers all around the world.”

Simon Nowroz has been named chief marketing officer at Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

He will be based in Minneapolis and report to Patrick Andersen, chief strategy and commerce officer.

Nowroz joins from Anderson Capital Advisors, a specialist advisory firm he co-founded. Prior to that he was head of new ventures with Travelport for two and a half years, and president and managing director APAC with the firm for nine years before that.

He has over 25 years of travel industry expertise covering consultancy, distribution, car hire and air.

Taj Hotels’ Jai Mahal Palace Jaipur, a 270-year-old Indo-Saracenic structure once open only to those on the Maharaja’s guest list, is now availing a Conference Special Package to planners.

Included in the package are rooms on twin sharing basis, airport transfer by coach, use of a meeting room from 09.00 to 18.00, buffet breakfast, conference lunch, tea breaks, buffet dinner, and evening entertainment.

The offer applies until August 31, 2017 for a minimum block of 20 rooms for two nights.

Jai Mahal Palace Jaipur is set amid Mughal gardens in the heart of the Pink City, and in close proximity of historical sites such as Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal and City Palace.

To book, call (91) 978 324 4497 or e-mail shakti.kavia@tajhotels.com.

The Indian Supreme Court’s move to ban sale of liquor at establishments within 500m of state and national highways in a bid to curb drunk driving, is expected to dent business events in the country where land scarcity in the city centre has driven larger, newer venues to be developed close to highways.

S M Shervani, managing director of The Shervani Group, said the impact would be felt down the road when large convention centres built for the future are opened.

“For India to compete with other international cities we need convention hall for about 10,000 people, but such large venues cannot be placed in city centres due to the lack of land. They can only come up in areas near highways,” Shervani said.

Citing an example, Shervani pointed to an international convention centre being built in Kerala by Dubai-based Lulu Group, slated to be opened in September 2017.

“A huge investment has been made on this facility but with the liquor ban how will it attract domestic (business events), let alone international ones?” remarked Shervani.

And with affordable hotels being located near highways too, Indian hoteliers are just as concerned about the future of their F&B and banqueting business.

Sudesh Poddar, director of Nataraj Group of Hotels, told TTGmice: “(Business event) clients prefer hotels that are near highways as they are reasonably priced as compared to city hotels.”

Poddar predicted that event planners, turned off by the liquor ban at affordable hotels in the restricted zone and pricey city centre alternatives, would take their business out of India.

Since the ban was announced and set in motion on April 1, the number of enquiries for new events at hotels in the restricted zone have started to dip, according to sources.

“We expect hotels (in those areas) to lose 60 to 70 per cent of their business events. Different taxation in different states was already making it hard to host a (business event) in India, and now with the liquor ban the situation is even more challenging,” lamented Garish Oberoi, vice president, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association of India.

“A lot of international business events will now be lost to destinations like Thailand and Dubai,” Oberon added.

Reed Exhibitions Greater China has promoted Josephine Lee to the role of chief operating officer. She was previously the company’s executive vice president and prior to that, its senior vice president.

In her new role, Lee will oversee Reed Exhibitions Greater China’s entire portfolio of events, as well as the operations team. This is in addition to her sales and marketing responsibilities.

Lee first joined the company in 2003, and was part of the setup of Reed’s Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen offices.

UBM SES (formerly Singapore Exhibition Services) has announced that Lindy Wee, who has held the chief executive role since January 2015, will be stepping down and continue to serve as a non-executive director.

She will be succeeded by Paul Wan. Currently the managing director of UBMSingapore, Wan will head up UBM SES effective from July 1, 2017.

Paul Wan joined UBM Asia in 2005, where he was responsible for the sales and business development of the jewellery portfolio. He was promoted to managing director of UBM Singapore in 2011, where he expanded the portfolio of this company. Wan is also the director of two other UBM companies, Seatrade Communications Singapore and Sea Asia Singapore.

Prior to her chief executive post, Wee was director of PR and conferences, responsible for upholding the depth and breadth of the conference and workshop topics held alongside the company’s portfolio of trade exhibitions.

Sibos has announced that Singapore will be the host city come 2021.

The Lion City will play host to Sibos for the third time in 2021, following successful runs in 2003 and 2015. This is the culmination of joint efforts by The Association of Banks in Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Singapore Tourism Board, and Marina Bay Sands – which will be the venue and knowledge-exchange platform for Sibos for the second time.

Marina Bay Sands

In a press release, Sibos stated: “Singapore’s role at the heart of developments in the ASEAN region, and the strengthening of its position as a FinTech hub are clear draws for delegates. The city-state has long been seen as a leader in digital innovation, with a highly connected telecoms infrastructure driving industry trends, such as mobile payments.”

Sven Bossu, head of Sibos at SWIFT, said: “After Toronto this year, Sydney in 2018 and London in 2019, we’ll be kicking off a new decade by bringing delegates to more of the world’s financial powerhouses.”

Sibos also announced that Boston would be the host in 2020. Meanwhile, this year’s edition will take place from October 16-19 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto.

The Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) has released the Melbourne Planner’s Guide 2017, its annual free flagship publication for meeting planners and event organisers.

The 2017 edition provides essential information for planning a business event, and outlines a range of experiences – from arts and culture to dining and wildlife encounters – for delegates. There are over 300 products, services and incentive activities listed, as well as maps.

This year, the guide has been refreshed with additional sections such as New Reasons to Host in Victoria, Indigenous Experiences, Melbourne from Above, and Locally Made – which highlights products made in Melbourne.

Event planners can order a free print edition or download an online version here.