Hilton Singapore has had its two meeting spaces – the pre-function space and ballroom on the third floor – refurbished by FBEYE International.

Boasting 280m2, the pre-function space’s ceiling has been painted white to complement the chandelier. The pre-function space is also equipped with customised cabinets that can be transformed into an open-concept coffee or beverage counter, a full bar, and display/merchandising opportunities.

As well, the new 631.5m² ballroom has been refurbished and has the capacity to accommodate 550 guests banquet style. Sporting dark timber walls, the ballroom’s four chandeliers were made from hand-blown glass rods with intertwined crystals lit up by hundreds of LED lights. The ballroom also features movable walls – that allows the space to be converted into three smaller rooms – as well as advanced AV and IT capabilities.

SACEOS has made two executive appointments, with Shirlena Soh named executive director starting today, and Anita Tan director of events and sales effective November 21.

As executive director, Soh will be responsible for growing the association’s financials and keeping them sustainable, in addition to providing the leadership to build and manage the secretariat.

Soh was most recently director of business development and operations for Human Genome Organisation International.

Meanwhile, Tan will be responsible for the marketing and promotions of SACEOS events including the Singapore MICE Forum and 1-2-1 Asia Business Meet.

A travel industry veteran, Tan was previously head of travel at AIG and chief operating officer at NATAS.

The Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) has launched 10 Melbourne city experiences, an addition to the 2017 Hosted Buyer programme.

Each tour will visit three locations, and hosted buyers can choose from a range of Melbourne experiences such as going behind the scenes at Luna Park, flying in a helicopter to view the city’s iconic landmarks, or exploring the Melbourne Cricket Ground on a custom tour of the arena.

Melbourne Convention Bureau has partnered with a selection of venues, accommodation and attractions across the broad business events sector, emphasising unique products and services that best showcase Melbourne to event organisers through these 10 tours.

AIME will be held February 21-22, 2017. Hosted buyers attending AIME 2017 will be able to experience industry-leading education programmes, peer-to-peer networking sessions, appointments with event suppliers from across the globe, as well as complimentary travel and luxury accommodation.

Anthony Wong, group managing director of Malaysia-based Asian Overland Services Tourism & Hospitality Group, was presented with ICCA’s Moises Shuster award from ICCA president Nina Freysen-Pretorius during the recent 55^th ICCA Congress in Kuching, Malaysia.

Named after one of ICCA’s founders, this prestigious award is ICCA’s highest honour. It is given to an individual who has contributed to ICCA’s development, as well as achieved great success during their own career in the international meetings industry.

While corporate companies typically reward their top tier performing employees with incentives, they should not neglect the rest of their staff, said David Litteken, vice president, BI Worldwide Asia Pacific, an events and engagement specialist.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly at the sidelines of the ICESAP Conference last week, Litteken said: “Traditionally companies have quarterly travel programmes to motivate their top performers – which ranges from the top five to 15 per cent. However, this structure of just recognising the top performers is chiefly a tool to retain top talent, and it does not guarantee top revenue growth.

David Litteken

“For example, your rising star who just started may be in the bottom low performing group or buried in the middle performing. You don’t want to lose them, so call them up early and motivate them,” he said.

When asked if this could mean additional expenses for companies, Litteken said the investment “would mean incremental revenue, which can then fund this additional budget. It may even exceed the ROI”.

However, a corporate services provider who wished to remain anonymous said companies were still likely to be more conservative and stick to just motivating the top-tier performers.

He said: “Top performers are still their biggest priority.”

Litteken concluded: “I am not suggesting that corporates turn their incentive travel programmes upside down but I think they can use a methodical approach, try out different structures and modify them.”

More details of Penang’s largest convention and exhibition venue has been revealed as its opening draws closer.

The RM350 million (US$78.78 million) Setia Subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Setia SPICE), which will open in March 2017, will be the first solar hybrid convention centre in the world, have a seven-acre park on the rooftop which will house a spice garden and a playground for children with special needs, a 4,546m² pillar-less ballroom that can accommodate 8,000 people in theatre style and be sectioned into four smaller halls, among other features.

Setia SPICE

Setia SPICE is part of an integrated project which includes the refurbished Penang International Sports Arena – now known as Setia SPICE Arena – with capacity for 10,000 people in theatre seating and can be used for plenary sessions, the Setia SPICE Aquatic Centre, and the Setia SPICE Canopy recreational area. By 2019, a four-star business class hotel with 453 keys will join the mix.

Koe Peng Kang, executive vice president of S P Setia, believes that the green credentials of Setia SPICE will give the complex an advantage in courting international clients who have a strict CSR policy and prefer to work with like-minded suppliers.

Senior manager, Yeoh Kheng Ho, said Setia SPICE, is looking at a business mix of 80 per cent local and 20 per cent international business in its first year of operations.

Ahead of its opening, the complex already has a stream of bookings, comprising annual dinners, weddings, small local conferences and meetings, said Yeoh. Two large international conferences are also in the bag, one of which is for over 8,000 people in May.

With this dedicated centre complemented by 2,000 rooms within a 10km radius, Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau will be able to bid for large conventions that require many breakout rooms, said its CEO, Ashwin Gunasekeran.

Hooi Lai Ngoh, honorary secretary of the Malaysian Thoracic Society and Malaysian Medical Association Penang Branch chairman, said Penang’s newest convention centre will fulfil the need for a single venue large enough to support massive medical meetings that usually have several concurrent sessions and an exhibition component.

Tony Goh, honorary secretary for Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang Chapter, said the state needs more business-class hotels to support Setia SPICE and the projected increase in business events once the centre is operational.

Currently the state has an inventory of around 11,000 hotel rooms and an average occupancy rate of over 60 per cent.

Malaysian inbound MICE players and suppliers have seen a further spike in business due to the weakened ringgit in light of the US election results last month. The currency has fallen nearly seven per cent since November 9, 2016, and today, the ringgit is trading at RM4.43 against the US dollar.

Arokia Das, senior manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, revealed on the sidelines of the recent BE@Penang that incentive travel business from India and Indonesia for 1Q2017 was at least 20 per cent better than the corresponding period in 2016. He said that many organisers had locked in the rates in November as they thought the ringgit was at its lowest.

However, he shared that forward bookings from Thailand and the Philippines were slow. For Thailand, it was because business trips are being put on hold as the country mourns the passing of its King.

Das predicts that business would pick up from these two markets in early 2017.

Koe Peng Kang, executive vice president of S P Setia, also expects the weak ringgit to encourage local organisers to keep their events on home ground due to budget constraints.

Francis Teo, head, convention centre, Setia City Convention Centre in Selangor, added that the weak ringgit has also given rise to more Malaysians joining multi-level marketing programmes to further supplement their incomes. His centre has seen an increase in direct selling events as well as insurance related ones.

When asked for his outlook for 2017, he hopes that it’ll be a better year.

Pacific World will expand operations to include Mauritius, Turkey and the Dominican Republic as new destinations for their incentive clients for 2017, encouraged by demand for experiential programmes and an expected increase in budgets.

“The decision is a direct response to the growing demand that we have witnessed from our clients, who are increasingly searching for meaningful experiences that move their customers,” said Selina Chavry, global managing director for Pacific World, adding that high-end adventures, authentic local experiences, CSR activities and wellness retreats rank among the most sought-after programmes among clients.

Flic-en-Flac, a seaside village in the district of Riviere Noire, Mauritius Island

Chavry further pointed out: “It’s clear that incentives are on the rise again with the latest SITE Index research confirming that almost half of incentive travel buyers expect to see their budgets increase over the next 12 months, and 60 per cent say they plan to increase incentive eligibility for their programmes next year – the opening of these two new destinations give even more choices to our customers.”

On how the chosen destinations could measure up to the demand trends, a Pacific World statement described Mauritius as a year-round incentive destination with picturesque beaches, off-the-beaten-track villages and ancients legends.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic boasts historic sites and opportunities to participate in socially-conscious travel activities; and Turkey offers varied experiences ranging from dining at 1,500-year-old Byzantine cisterns to partying at popular clubs.