Perth Convention Bureau has placed Amy Hallam in the newly created role of senior business development manager. Hallam will focus on bidding and securing large-scale international conferences for Perth and Western Australia. Prior to this appointment, she worked with the City of Perth in Economic Development.
The Garage Bar
Opened August 2016, The Garage Bar on the lobby floor of Cordis Hong Kong at Langham Place in Mongkok is said to be the first outdoor food truck destination in a hotel.
Previously known as The Backyard, the venue has undergone a renovation to create additional space and seating. As outdoor drinking space is rare in Mongkok, The Garage Bar is a welcome oasis for city folks.
Concept The Garage Bar offers an urban food culture experience by blending Western food truck favourites with traditional Asian flavours and pairing dishes with nearly 40 local and international craft beer brands. All that is delivered in a striking red and black setting with two vintage Citroën vans – one from 1966 and the other from 1972.
Must-eats include the Hongkongese Burger, a New Zealand steak in a bamboo charcoal pineapple bun (known among the locals as bolo bao); Crab & Cheese Melt Sandwich; and Churro Cherries Dulce.
Beer lovers will rejoice over a sample option that features local and international – three different labels will create a personalised “beer flight”.
MICE application The Garage Bar is such a stylish venue, and the vintage vans lend many Instagrammable moments. Spanning 322m2, The Garage Bar is split into the 134m2 Upper deck and 188m2 Lower deck.
It is ideal for welcome or closing cocktail receptions with 50 to 150 guests.
Music plays in the bar, but event planners can bring in a live DJ for an additional fee.
The only downside to The Garage Bar is its open-air nature, which makes it susceptible to weather elements. As a wet weather back-up, event planners are offered another bar, Alibi, or a private function room.
Organisations that have used The Garage Bar for their events include Wine Luxe, Mothercare, IATA and Columbia University.
Service Top marks for attentive service. Despite it being a large venue, staff came by frequently to check on diners’ needs and to tidy tables. I also like how knowledgeable the staff are about the different beers available and are willing to share tips on how to pick from over 40 craft beer brands.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Opened in 1989, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong has always been a hot favourite among top-tier business and social events. Last summer, the hotel completed an extensive refurbishment that benefitted guestrooms, Grand Ballroom, Grand Club Lounge and Grand Café.
Rooms I had the pleasure of spending a night at the Ambassador Harbour View Suite on the 36th floor. At 110m2, this is the second largest room type in the hotel’s inventory. Like most quality hotels on the waterfront, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong brought views of Victoria Harbour as well as the cityscape of Central and Kowloon into the room with floor-to-ceiling windows.
I found my suite to be suitable for business travellers hoping to conduct meetings in their room. The living and dining area can be separated from the bedroom with sliding doors. The living space also comes with a bar, pantry and washroom, and can accommodate up to 10 people.
The new four-seat marble-top work desk was a pleasure to use, as it came with more electric and communication sockets than the previous round table option. Thank goodness too, that all sockets in the suite are placed at accessible heights on walls, and not along the floor.
Another feature I enjoy about the hotel is the separate set of elevators that serve club floor guests between club levels and the Grand Club Lounge.
MICE facilities There are 21 venues for different types and sizes of events. For gatherings requiring a less conventional space, the hotel is amenable to converting corner suites into breakout rooms.
The refurbished Presidential Suites are also a hit with organisers of small-scale events such as fashion shows and social functions.
Elsewhere, the three meeting rooms in the Grand Club Lounge have been revamped along with the rest of the exclusive facility, with each room showcasing a new look with provision of a coffee station.
Other facilities Bellies are never bored with the hotel’s selection of 10 restaurants and bars. Private dining rooms in some outlets can be turned into event spaces. For example, the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse has three private rooms for eight to 30 people.
Other facilities include Plateau Spa, an outdoor heated swimming pool, a sauna and two tennis courts.
Motag Living Museum
Motag Living Museum is a unique break from Boracay’s usual sun, sand and sea combination, allowing business event delegates to explore local culture and traditions while bonding over creative activities.
Concept Located in the town of Motag, a 
ferry ride away from the main island of Boracay, the Museum is a real farming community that showcases the basic and simple lifestyle of the people before the advent of tourism.
The daily ablution before toilet tissue, soap and shampoo reached the town isn’t for the squeamish. The house, with basic furniture, a separate makeshift bathroom, deep well for sourcing water, areas for weaving, gathering firewood and the ricefields, among other things, are testament to the hard life.
The “actors’ – children, men, women and the elderly employed from the local community – are not acting; they’re being themselves and doing what they do in real life. We love the old lady nonchalantly chewing and smoking tobacco, the smiling lady skilled in harvesting rice, and the friendly carabao.
MICE application A visit to the Museum can incorporate teambuilding activities which can be mounted in the ricefields, plowing the field with the carabao, fishing, climbing trees for coconuts, playing native games, building huts using coconut leaves and native materials, cooking and eating using utensils made of coconut shells, weaving mats and baskets and toys, etc.
Entrance fee is 700 pesos (US$14) per person including refreshments and tour guides, but corporate rates are negotiable.
Lunch in the Nabaoy River with cool water flowing around the feet can be arranged.
Service Everyone’s sincerity is palpable. They’re always on hand to guide us to the rice paddies and going up the house, and always polite in answering our questions.
Solicitous to the extent that after the farm trip, they will wash your feet with their own hands. One can refuse, though. Plus, they don’t hound you for service charge or tip.
CulinaryOn
Hailing from Moscow, CulinaryOn is a culinary entertainment studio which provides a culinary experience that goes beyond a typical cooking class. Similarly, at its Singapore outpost, the venue cooks up an exuberant party atmosphere while offering participants the taste of international cuisines, whipped up through fun methods of cooking.
Concept Before participants begin the three-hour cooking class, they first get to tuck into a fine selection of canapes prepared by the studio’s chefs. It is also a time for them to meet and socialise with their fellow participants.
There are various types of cooking activities on offer, for example, the Power Pasta challenge. Teams have to compete against each other to create and cook the longest pasta from scratch. They will also be tasked to whip up a dessert, where the most creative design will win; extra points will be given for personalisation and originality.
MICE application Sprawled across 650m2, this venue comes with a conference room, four separate spaces with 16 cooking stations, four chef tables and well-equipped bars. The event areas can also be combined to accommodate up to 200 guests.
CulinaryOn also provides a professional photographer to capture teambuilding memories, the option to print aprons with customised logos, as well as a disco with their in-house DJ to further hype up the atmosphere.
Service It was refreshing to see how their menu of active cooking games truly challenged a team to fully explore our creative ability. It also “forces” everyone to work together, instead of having the participants come together for just another normal cooking exercise.
The gregarious chefs who accompanied us on the challenge were professional and ever so encouraging which was enough to get everyone – experienced or not – excited and competitive to fight for the winning chef hat.
The Peranakan
Dining is a vibrant and homely affair at The Peranakan, which has aimed to make Straits Chinese cuisine more accessible – including to uninitiated business events delegates – since it opened its doors in June 2016.
Concept Although the kitchen is already in the trusty hands of renowned chef Raymond Khoo, Peranakan mothers connected to the business still pop in to supervise cooking from time to time, enthused Ho Ken Meng, director at The Pernakan.
Whether in its traditional approach to food or unabashed displays of Pernakan elements (e.g. colourful wall motifs, kebayas, tiffin containers, crockery), the restaurant brings to mind a candour and honesty that stands out amid the glut of trendy, “understated” restaurant concepts along Singapore’s Orchard Road.
Home-style classics such as ayam buah keluak (chicken with nuts from a mangrove tree native to South-east Asia) and sup bakwan kepiting (crab meatball soup) feature on both its Tok Panjang feast and ala carte menu.
On the Tok Panjang experience, Ho said: “Traditionally, it is a lavish spread prepared for dignitaries, but here we want to create a little bit of fanfare (for the masses), such as through its presentation.”
MICE application For work-weary foreign delegates, a homely setting where they can loosen their ties, indulge in comfort food, while getting close to the local culture can be an attractive proposition.
Since its opening, the restaurant has already hosted several association and business events, such as a jewellery talk by the local Peranakan association attended by about 90 participants.
Ho further shared that a smaller group of Chinese physicians in town for a medical conference in 2016 opted for the Tok Panjang experience.
The communal-style dining options could do wonders to break the ice for business gatherings, but those with preference for modern European plating can still choose from the restaurant’s customisable eight-course degustation menu.
The Peranakan has capacity for about 130 pax. Round tables are available for groups, and private dining setups can be arranged.
Service Attentive and friendly.
Hoshinoya Tokyo
Hoshinoya Tokyo opened in July 2015 as the brand’s first urban resort hotel, but stays true to Hoshinoya’s commitment to authentic Japanese style and standards – including in its meetings spaces.
Rooms The hotel has three types of guest rooms, each quintessentially Japanese with elements such as bamboo closets, shoji sliding paper doors and tatami mats and thick futons. The Kiku corner rooms are the largest, at 83m2, and can accommodate three futons.
All rooms have a deep bath in which guests can work out kinks and knots left behind by the hustle of city life – and it is remarkable how peaceful the ambience is in the heart of this full-on, full-speed city.
MICE facilities Much like the hotel itself, Hoshoniya Tokyo’s MICE facilities are both chic. Located in the city’s Otemachi business district, it makes a convenient and peaceful bolt-hole from the frenetic city.
Best suited to small gatherings, the hotel’s Reception Room has space for around 20 people, with shoji doors and a minimalist interior design. The room – probably best for workshops and small conferences – is only available to residents of the hotel.
The lobby, also screened by shoji doors, is furnished with sofas and soft tatami floor mats. A stage at one end of the room can be used for demonstrations of traditional Japanese performing arts, including music and dance.
The executive chef stays faithful to ryokan course dining as well as tableware that has been developed in regions around the country to enhance the appeal of local ingredients.
Other facilities Each floor has a common lounge that is exclusive to guests staying on that floor, and where seasonal tea and snacks are served during the day and alcohol at night.
The hotel also has its own open-air hot spring on the 17th floor, and a spa facility with programmes using a variety of oils and aromas, and with advice from a specialist dietician.
Hilton Tokyo Odaiba
Hilton Hotels & Resorts reopened the Odaiba property in October 2015, and has already embarked on a major renovation while remaining faithful to a location that is arguably the most spectacular in Tokyo.
Rooms The hotel has a curved facade, which means every one of its guestrooms has a view of Tokyo Bay from a private balcony. The best views are from the west of the property, which look out to the Rainbow Bridge, the Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo Sky Tree and a profile of the entire city.
The rooms are light and airy, the bathrooms are appointed in glass and marble, and most of the suites include a private garden and outdoor jet bath.
Rooms are also fitted with a minibar and Wi-Fi, as well as a wide-screen satellite TV – although a view like that makes this redundant.
MICE facilities The hotel has 20 meeting spaces, including the 1,200m2 Pegasus room, with space for 1,600 guests in a buffet configuration or 720 in banquet style.
This is also one of the very few venues in Tokyo where a vehicle can be displayed and has therefore proven popular with automobile-related events.
Each of the four medium-size banquet rooms – Orion, Sirius, Apollon and Jupiter – has capacity for 640 guests.
Events can also take place on one of three terraced areas overlooking the bay and lights of Tokyo.
The fully-equipped business centre is nearby and the hotel has a full-time team of staff dedicated to ensuring business events operate smoothly.
Other facilities The newly refurbished Executive Lounge serves breakfast, afternoon tea and in the evening, snacks and cocktails.
On a fine day, be sure to arrive early to get one of the outdoor tables. After the sun has gone down, the barman in Captain’s Bar pours a sublime gin and tonic and has an impressive selection of whiskies.
The hotel also features a fitness centre, spa and sauna, as well as a number of dining options, including sushi, teppanyaki and a tempura restaurant. Two additional dining facilities are scheduled to be up later this year.
Seasoned well to taste: Singapore
The city state’s reputation as a gastronomy hub has propelled event organisers to deliver more unique experiences. By Paige Lee Pei Qi 
Singapore may be home to towering skyscrapers, but this concrete jungle has also been busy growing a plethora of unorthodox and authentic experiences to increase the country’s business events offerings.
Jeannie Lim, executive director, conventions, meetings and incentive travel, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said: “The challenge for organisers is to continually create events of outstanding quality, interesting and original content, which are supported by enriching experiences to create more value for delegates.”
Lim pointed out how several event venues, hotels and event organisers have begun investing in experiential dining concepts to cater to the evolving needs of their clients.
For instance, with the exhibitions industry moving towards confex (a hybrid of conference and exhibition events), Suntec Singapore introduced a Dessert Safari catering concept as a catalyst to integrate both components seamlessly.
According to Arun Madhok, CEO of Suntec Singapore, the concept was developed as a answer to the organisers of HR Summit’s desire to draw conference delegates to the exhibition, and improve the crowd circulation around the exhibition hall.
The Dessert Safari – which transforms a typical lunch buffet dessert spread into a culinary kaleidoscope – encouraged delegates to find the 27 desserts that was spread across nine dessert stations placed throughout the exhibition hall.
Leveraging its Michelin-star-studded dining collection, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) offers a dine-around concept that showcases six celebrity chef restaurants. Delegates start with cocktails and canapés at the first restaurant, then move on to subsequent establishments for starters, mains, desserts and digestifs.
STB’s Lim elaborated: “While business events have already been incorporating gala dinners, receptions and networking cocktails as part of the programme, many are looking towards unconventional venues to host these activities. Singapore offers a variety of unique venues for organisers to customise new concepts.”
At the Night Safari for instance, the attraction recently rolled out An Evening in the Wild package which features the attraction’s diverse wildlife and is designed for organisers looking for an intimate venue for 40 (seating) to 60 (standing) guests. Guests can enjoy a three-course meal in a tepee tent and get up close with the animals at the same time.
And while organisers are already familiar with the picturesque Gardens by the Bay’s cosy indoor spaces and spacious al fresco areas, the new outdoor venue Secret Life of Trees – which made its debut in July 2016 – offers a unique alternative. The space adopts a fairytale-like garden setting, framed by trees of varied species, and offers plenty of photo opportunities.
According to Darren Oh, director of business development at Gardens by the Bay, there has been a surge in demand for outdoor venues at the attraction, and this spot, which caters for up to 120 guests, is the answer to this growing interest.
Another interesting venue option in Singapore is the Royal Albatross, an exclusive luxury yacht which can accommodate up to 149 guests. There, guests are able to indulge in culinary delights paired with wine, and take in the sunset as the yacht cruises along Singapore’s coastline.
Andrew Koh, managing director of Events Architects, told TTGmice that corporate event delegates are indeed “becoming increasingly hungry for new experiences and would often be adventurous to explore possibilities that are not classified as the norm”.
However, he pointed out that capacity is a challenge for unique venues and activities.
Koh explained: “Most of these fun events must be executed in smaller group sizes (an average of 30) to allow guests to enjoy a fuller experience. But (business event) groups can be large in numbers, and thus it could be a problem.”
{Talking numbers}
{Developments to Watch}
Myanmar visitors bound for Singapore for short trips no longer need to apply for a visa from December 1, 2016. Under the agreement, both countries will grant an exemption of visa to each other’s citizens for a stay not longer than 30 days, subject to prevailing entry requirements.
Another step has been taken towards the development of the Mandai nature precinct, an integrated nature and wildlife destination in Singapore’s north. A ceremonial ground-seeding event took place on January 16, marking the start of the district’s rejuvenation. By 2020, the precinct will welcome two new nature attractions that will sit alongside the current Singapore Zoo, the River Safari and the Night Safari.
On December 13, 2016, an agreement for the development of the 350km Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high speed rail project was signed. Three services are slated to run along an eight-station, dual-track line, including an express service between Singapore’s Jurong East and Kuala Lumpur’s Bandar Malaysia.
Over coffee with… Mike Cannon
The group CEO and managing director of Sarawak Convention Bureau and Sarawak Tourism talks to S Puvaneswary about his past successes
Sarawak Convention Bureau was the first state convention bureau. How has it evolved in the last decade?
Two decades ago, business events was unchartered territory in Malaysia. In 2006, the Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) was established, pioneering the rise of business events and making Sarawak the first Malaysian state to cohesively address the pursuit of business events, driven in tandem by the private and public sectors.
We have grown over the last 10 years. New positions have been created within the bureau to meet new demands and to service the industry better. For example, we recently created a new position for a project liaison director as we saw a need to bring conference organisers and suppliers together.
Once a conference is won, we hand it over to the project liaison director who will then liaise with the conference organiser and all relevant suppliers. We do this to ensure quality, which will result in repeat and referral business for the future.
SCB has won 424 international events with almost 167,000 delegates since day one. What is the secret to such success?
It is in finding your Unique Selling Propositions and never losing sight of them. There is a certain charm in Sarawak’s people, its scenery and the overall experience – a dynamic composition of these can never be replicated.
We capitalise on the beauty of Sarawak. Our tagline, Where business meets adventure, means we have the sophistication and the know-how to cater to events in the heart of what ranks among the world’s oldest rainforest. That’s a magical experience that is outstanding and unique compared to (what’s available in) other destinations. Delegates can get close to nature and take photographs of orangutans, or kayak under towering riverine trees, overlooking the sights of unique limestone formations, all within a 40-minute drive from Kuching city where business sessions are held.
For business events, Sarawak is extremely attractive. It has a vast array of hotel venues with conference facilities as well as a state-of-the-art convention centre. Our competitive prices are attractive, especially with the current exchange rate (on December 1) of 4.47 ringgit to US$1.
One of the secrets to our appeal is the business events community of impassioned people whose products and services are bursting with creativity, stories, and authenticity.
Who do you target?
We accept that we are a second-tier destination. Sarawak has decided since 2006 to concentrate on smaller, niche events that yield greater benefits in education, social responsibility, research or trade for Sarawak, or that lend support to the multiple industries or professions that are of state interest.
What are the challenges?
Logistics is an issue, specifically, more direct flight connectivity is needed. However, this is strategically being addressed, a recent example being the new Hong Kong-Kuching direct service. Through this service, we can make Hong Kong the next Asian hub that links more overseas visitors to Sarawak, besides Singapore and Kuala Lumpur which collectively provide 2,500 seats into Sarawak every day.
Marketing is a constant challenge, but also a playing field we use to raise our game. We like to push the envelope with this one by constantly evolving in creativity. We ensure that our marketing translates to a dynamic, integrated and consistent brand for Sarawak that marries business events and leisure tourism.
Some international companies may not be aware of Sarawak, and may not be well informed about Sarawak and what it offers. It is a challenging, complex game, but we play to win.
How has the global economy impacted business events in Sarawak?
The business events industry survives better than most in a softening global economy. Conferences and meetings are all about getting the latest research and education. Most associations continue to invest in holding meetings as these are opportunities for continued learning, which is mandatory in many professions.
Penang has set up a state convention bureau in early 2016, while Johor is going to do the same. Your thoughts?
It is a positive development for Malaysia. Branding Malaysia for business events is the greatest challenge. So without all the states being involved (by having a convention bureau to drive destination branding), we cannot possibly increase business events for the country.
We hope that going forward, (such developments will enable) MyCEB to focus on branding while the states focus on selling and winning.
How do you see the business events industry evolving a decade from now?
Face-to-face meetings are the best form of communication and problem solving you will ever get. There is Skype, webinars and digital communication, but they will never solve issues as effectively as face-to-face meetings.
Having said that, I predict the number of face-to-face meetings will grow but the average size of these meetings will not be as big as it is currently.
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