China will be completing the liberalisation of nearly 70,000 industry associations and chambers of commerce by the end of this year, and their ability to survive as autonomous, professionally-run organisations will be tested.

With the liberalisation, policy, direction, funding changes, the availability of talent, and the organisation of association meetings could be impacted, as more global trade associations have set up in China as part of their market development plans and professional exchange.

(From left) GIS Group’s Stephen Liu and Haley So, Yao and Zhang 

To help China’s business events industry tackle the impending changes, IAPCO Education, the international association for professional conference organisers, has appointed Beijing-based IME Consulting as its China representative, said general manager Alicia Yao, who is also deputy general secretary, China MICE Committee of China Association of Travel Services.

For the second time, IAPCO Education Seminars for the MICE Industry will be run in Suzhou.

The introduction of a “junior” level programme last year will be followed up with a “senior” level programme this year between April 12 and 14. IAPCO also offers a “master” level programme.

According to David Zhang, director, Suzhou MICE & Travel Promotion Centre, about 40 senior-level executives have registered so far. The event, organised by the centre, is supported by the Suzhou Tourism Bureau and a local sponsor.

Zhang said: “There were 60 participants last year, including delegates from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan representing CVBs, DMCs etc. I believe IAPCO has the opportunity to grow in China in the next two years,” he said.

Yao pointed out that IAPCO accreditation will be important as some international association meeting RFPs stipulate that only association management companies and PCOs that are its members can be used.

IAPCO members in Asia are MCI China (Shanghai), Hong Kong’s International Conference Consultants and Taiwan’s General Innovation Service (GIS), which won a bid as a result of its affiliation.

Lim Guan Eng, chief minister of Penang, will be proclaiming April 6 as Penang Meetings Industry Day during the Penang Meetings Industry Day press conference on April 4.

This is in conjunction with the Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID), an annual global advocacy day that sheds light on the value of the meetings to people, business and communities.

Ashwin: putting Penang on international GMID platform

In support of GMID, Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) and the Penang business events industry have come together to create awareness of the power of meetings.

Ashwin Gunasekeran, PCEB CEO, said: “From March 23 to April 6, we will be carrying out a social media campaign to put Penang on the international GMID platform, and share a ‘Meetings Mean Business’ message.”

To show Penang’s active participation, all hotels, venues and DMCs have been encouraged to post their meetings – including corporate or college meetings – on Instagram, with the hashtags #GMID17, #BusinessEventsPenang, #ExperiencesUnfiltered, #PenangUnfiltered, #ICCAMY and #ICCAWorld.

“At the same time, we are also building human capital by educating students and undergraduates in colleges and faculties of Tourism & Events on the importance of meetings and potential of the business events industry.”

The March 22 attack in London has underlined the growing necessity for business events to come with a crisis contingency plan, industry players say.

Joost de Meyer, chairman and CEO of US-based First Incentive Travel, said: “The London incident is a reminder that the world today is no longer as secure. However, it does not make sense to stop travelling in order to stay safe. Companies can choose to go somewhere they perceive to be safe for incentive programmes, but business meetings have to happen wherever the money is. So the key is to plan for crisis and be ready to respond.”

Kitty Wong, president of Taiwan’s K&A International Co. and World PCO Alliance, agrees, noting that while “safety cannot be guaranteed”, steps could be taken to minimise impact when security issues arise.

“As a PCO, we can and have to provide a safety plan for the client. This is an increasingly common request now. We also recommend that they buy insurance,” said Wong.

Wong noted that since many clients are unsure how to get started on safety planning, the World PCO Alliance is helping to write a set of guidelines on this.

Ulrike von Arnold, deputy director, Vienna Convention Bureau, opined that the host city, too, has to take responsibility for the safety and security of event delegates as “it is the city that attracts business events and delegates over”.

Von Arnold added that meeting planners should also study the safety standards of event venues and be clear about escape routes. She warned against venues that keep ballroom doors locked or have fire escapes blocked by audiovisual equipment.

That said, von Arnold believes that “we are living in the safest of all times”.

“We have 24-hour access to worldwide communications now but we are too focused on negative news. We have managed to overcome most diseases and (spot potential attacks before they happen),” she said.

Sydney’s Carriageworks – a contemporary multi-arts centre in Sydney – has been chosen as the newest location for the Millennial 20/20 Summit on November 14-15, 2017.

The Millennial 20/20 series celebrates the modern age of commerce and business powered by millennials and future generations. The summit will focus on the impact of technology, which is drastically altering how today’s and tomorrow’s consumer will interact with brands in sectors such as finance, retail, entertainment, tourism, consumer goods and more.

Simon Berger, founding partner of Millennial 20/20, explained the rationale behind the summits: “The millennial generation has unprecedented access to technology that makes the way they deal with brands more complex than any preceding generation. The millennial 20/20 Summits have been created to showcase how leading global organisations and start-ups are interacting with this new breed of consumer.”

Millennial 20/20 has partnered with Hannover Fairs Australia, also based in Sydney, to stage the event.

Other editions to be held this year include London (May 3-4, 2017) and Singapore (26-27, 2017). Earlier this month, New York played host as well on March 1-2, 2017, when it attracted close to 3,000 attendees.

Langham Hospitality Group has launched the No Strings Attached PLUS programme offering event planners and organisers booking at participating hotels more flexibility with rewards and privileges.

“In todays’ fast paced society, plans change quickly. We understand the importance of flexibility when it comes to planning meetings and events,” said Simon Manning, vice president of sales and marketing for Langham Hospitality Group.

The Langham, Shenzhen

No Strings Attached PLUS privileges hence include waived cancellation terms; no attrition rate charges; complimentary Internet charges; and no minimum spend on food and beverages required.

Also included are perks such as complimentary room, room upgrade, 30-minute cocktail reception, themed refreshment break and round trip airport transfer, in addition to carbon footprint offset with a range of sustainable options to choose from.

The offer may be booked from April 1 to August 31, 2017 for events taking place from April 1 to December 31, 2017. For more information, visit www.langhamhotels.com/en/no-strings-attached-plus/.

The group is also rewarding loyal planners with additional benefits – with a minimum spend of US$6,500, all takethelead members can qualify for hotel rewards or miles from any of the group’s 11 selected frequent flyer/ travel and lifestyle rewards programme partners.

The implications of US president Donald Trump’s efforts to ban travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries are being felt in the associations sector, with organisers looking at alternative locations for their meetings.

The first travel ban attempt was blocked in January, while a second round of watered-down edicts is presently being challenged by a number of federal judges in the US. For the associations sector, however, the damage has been done and organisers are increasingly unwilling to chance speakers or delegates being refused entry into the US or, in a worst-case scenario, being detained and deported.

Industry players who spoke to TTGmice also expressed concerns over incidents of people not from the seven targeted nations but with Arabic names being refused entry into the US.

John H Graham, president and CEO of the Washington DC-based Center for Association Leadership, said: “Associations that are arranging meetings with international delegates have been negatively impacted already, with people from the technology, sciences and computers sectors prohibited from attending events.”

Graham revealed that many medical and pharmaceutical companies and associations are now moving their meetings from cities in the US to Canada.

He added the the travel ban has put “a cloud over the US as a welcoming country” which “hurts not only association meetings, but has an impact on people from countries not directly named in this ban, who won’t travel now to the US in protest”.

For meeting planner Ashridge Associates UK, a 450-pax conference scheduled to take place in the US was axed shortly after the announcement of the travel ban, due to concerns that some Muslim delegates might be rejected at immigration although they were not from the affected countries, according to Theodore Spyrou, the company’s senior executive.

Halona Padiachy, director of international partnerships for the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said her organisation “would consider changing the location of an event if speakers, delegates or conference attendees were blocked from taking part.”

“We believe in the freedom to travel as being a key human right,” she emphasised. “And we advocate for tourism as a driver for peace and acceptance among people and countries.”

On the other hand, some meeting specialists have downplayed the negative impact of the travel ban.

Fabian Schreder, senior business development manager, Meeting Point International Germany, said: “Tighter security measures mean a safer destination.”

Taiwan-based K&A International Co, president, Kitty Wong, said most Muslim delegates at association meetings would be from Egypt, Malaysia and Turkey – countries not affected by the ban.

This article written by Julian Ryall and Prudence Lui

In setting the stage for last week’s IT&CM China Keynote Session and panel discussion on the Future of MICE in China, keynote speaker and moderator, Gary Grimmer, CEO of GainingEdge, said the destination was “waking up” and “the whole game and competitive environment in Asia will change”.

Grimmer commented that China’s success so far has been marketing driven but it is becoming more “aware” and “adept” at business events.

Gary Grimmer

“But there is still room for growth in exhibitions while China needs to think strategically about the next steps in developing its conventions sector,” he added.

When asked if Chinese cities needed sophisticated CVBs, he said “only if they want to be number one in China and among the top five in Asia” and “the CVBs would be different from other destinations but would still take on the functions of a bureau”.

In Asia based on ICCA rankings, Hong Kong, at number three, is the top business events city in Greater China, followed by Beijing (fifth), Shanghai (ninth) and Hangzhou (24^th).

He told TTGmice: “China is lagging in international conventions and that is really important for the transformation of its economy. It will do well to present a case to every minister in charge of trade and foreign direct investment to develop a convention strategy for global trade.”

The lack of differentiation between conventions and exhibitions in China, as pointed out during the panel discussion, had resulted in a shortage of purpose-built venues with flexible, multifunction spaces.

He added China is also not promoting itself enough and needs people driving convention sales and organising bids.

The growing number of millennials joining the workforce in China and their keen interest in sharing economy travel products will require changes to corporate travel programmes, opined leaders at Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT).

Kelly L Kuhn, executive vice president and chief customer officer, CWT, said in her CTW China presentation last Wednesday: “Millennials are comfortable with Airbnb and similar offerings as (they offer an experience of) being home away from home. The sharing economy is here to stay.”

Aibiying, as Airbnb is known in China

Kai Chan, president, Asia Pacific, CWT, believes sharing economy accommodation and transportation services should be included in corporate travel programmes to meet demand.

She said: “There is nothing wrong with including them as long as you can track your travellers at all times.”

A travel manager with a technology company in Shanghai said: “Didi Chuxing was legalised by the government last year and its operations are regulated. This makes working with them possible and we are in talks. But before we work with them, we have to ensure a system is in place to track client movements.”

A travel manager of an MNC with offices in China, said while adoption is dependent on his headquarters in Germany, he personally prefers to book with traditional hotel suppliers which ensures accomplishment of duty of care responsibilities.

According to Kuhn, China has a huge growth potential for managed travel. China’s business travel market is forecasted to be valued at US$345 billion in 2017, up from US$260 billion in 2015. However, only 20 per cent of Chinese companies are managing travel today.