A network has been launched to connect young professionals from across the spectrum of the business events industry, foster active learning and advocate for the sector.

Called Meetings + Millennials, the network will operate as an online community and include face-to-face meetups at all major MICE events.

Co-founder Gráinne Ní Ghiollagáin said the network was established when she and the other two co-founders, following their participation at the ICCA Forum for Young Professionals in Barcelona in 2015, realised that there was no formal setting to meet again and develop their connections.

“Meetings + Millennials provides us with that important place and – importantly – it helps us dispel the cliché that we’re an ‘entitled generation’”, continued Ghiollagáin, who is also business development manager at Croke Park Meetings and Events.

Another co-founder, Anne Berrevoets, events coordinator at European Association for International Education, added that “the voice of our generation is not yet heard in our industry the way it would be in the startup sector or tech, for example”.

“Since we presented at ICCA we have been asked to conduct sessions at conferences in Paris and Frankfurt. These allow us to educate corporations, agencies and associations on how to get the best from their millennial team members,” concluded co-founder Aoife McCrum, also social media and digital marketing manager at SoolNua.

The Slate resort in Phuket is offering the wellness-focused Mind Your Meeting package for new group meeting requests.

Lobby Podium at The Slate

The offer includes meeting space from 08.00 until 18.00; a healthy lunch with responsibly sourced ingredients plus two coffee breaks; two 15-minute “mindful interventions” with group mentoring by the hotel’s meditation and yoga expert; dedicated events service personnel; Wi-Fi; a Digital Detox Point to deposit mobile phones; and two flipcharts or whiteboards, and stationery.

Priced at 1,600 baht (US$46.20) per person, the package is valid for group stays of at least 15 delegates.

Mandarin Oriental, Macau has launched Meetings with More, which bundles meetings with pampering breaks and room perks.

Highlights for the full-day package include local-themed coffee breaks and massages or stretching sessions during breaks.

Deluxe room at Mandarin Oriental, Macau

When booking the package, planners get to enjoy group rooms from MOP1,500 (US$187.50) per room night including breakfast and Internet access plus complimentary room upgrade to the Waterfront Suite for every 10 paid rooms per day (maximum of three suites per day).

The Meetings with More package is valid until December 29, 2017 for bookings of minimum 10 rooms per night.

UK-based Collinson Group has seen recent success with corporate take-ups for its Priority Pass worldwide airport lounge membership programme, most of which are from clients in the oil and gas, education, telecommunications and pharmaceutical sectors.

In an interview with TTGmice, Tony T. Low, general manager and senior vice president, Asia Pacific lifestyle benefits, Collinson Group, said the majority of Priority Pass members receive their membership though issuing banks although “a sizeable number (hundreds of thousands)” are direct customers.

New Turkish Airlines Lounge at Washington Dulles International Airport 

“A wide range of companies, from SMEs to MNCs, across a variety of industries have purchased Priority Pass Corporate Membership to support their travelling employees,” said Low.

He added that while “some companies still view airport lounge access as a luxury, many (others) recognise that it is a valuable and practical solution which provides benefits to both employees and employers”.

Low explained that companies could reap both financial and non-financial benefits through the provision of airport lounge access.

“Travel friction – the wear and tear of regular business travel on employees – has an impact on motivation, morale and employee engagement. Benefits such as airport lounge access can make staff feel more valued and engaged with the requirement to travel and spending time away from home,” he said.

“A lounge access programme (also) supports better travel policy governance and there are cost efficiencies at the airport where the cost of lounge access will be less than expenses claimed for food and drink subsistence and Wi-Fi while on the road.”

Low: lounge access for cost efficiencies

Low shared that research conducted by Collinson Group has found that six out of ten (59 per cent) frequent business flyers consider access to a premium airport lounge to be an ‘important’ or ‘very important’ factor when selecting an airport, with 40 per cent admitting to going straight to the lounge when they arrive at the airport.

“Within the workplace, employers have a Duty of Care to provide a safe, secure and positive environment for staff to work. It’s important that this same Duty of Care is extended to staff traveling on business,” Low said.

To educate companies on the benefits of a Priority Pass membership, Low said the company attends and exhibits at leading business travel events worldwide, and distributes benefit-led and thought leadership materials through blogs, industry media and regular updates to its LinkedIn followers.

Meanwhile, Priority Pass has added 12 airport lounges to its global network this month. They include Miracle First Class Lounge at the International Terminal, Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok; Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington at the Midfield Terminal – Concourse B, Washington DC Dulles International in the US; and Wellcome Lounge at the Domestic Terminal, PMIA Madinah in Saudi Arabia.

Low said: “Collinson Group has maintained a strong rate of growth and in the past 12 months has added over 130 airport lounges globally to the Priority Pass programme.”’

Today the programme offers access to over 1,000 lounges.

When a group of 3,000 Chinese incentive delegates visits Adelaide this June, South Australia will receive its first Asian incentive group of this scale and an estimated A$11.2 million (US$8.58 million) boost to its visitor economy.

Perfect China, a company focusing on kitchenware and personal care products, will bring its top sales representatives to Adelaide in two groups on June 17-20 and June 24-27 – the third time it has chosen Australia for such a large group and its first time to Adelaide.

Over the coming months, an itinerary will be compiled by the Adelaide Convention Bureau working in conjunction with Perfect China’s agent in Shanghai. The itinerary will allow visitors to explore Adelaide at their leisure, potentially encouraging retail and hospitality spending.

According to the Adelaide Convention Bureau, incentive tourism presents a massive opportunity for South Australia and the State Government’s 2020 A$8 billion tourism target. Incentive visitor spend per day is up to nine times that of a leisure visitor and almost double the daily average spend of a conference visitor.

Commented Jay Weatherill, South Australian premier: “The State Government has invested an extra A$70 million into promoting South Australia… and the additional funding for our Major Events and Conferences Bid Funds has seen our visitor economy grow to a record $6.2 billion – which is up a staggering A$800 million on the previous year.

“Chinese visitors make up 10 per cent of South Australia’s international visits, but an amazing 25 per cent of international expenditure at just over $250 million.”

Business tourism incorporating incentive tours and business events is a high-yield segment for South Australia. In the last financial year, the Adelaide Convention Bureau won business worth A$210 million of economic benefit for the state, with visitation by over 50,000 delegates and 220,900 bed nights.

Around 5,000 life insurance practitioners from 13 countries in the Asia Pacific are expected to attend the 16^th Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress (APLIC) 2017 at Resorts World Genting.

Held from May 17 to 19, 2017, the event will be hosted by the National Association of Malaysian Life Insurance and Family Takaful Advisors (NAMLIFA). Themed Together as One, the congress aims to promote the business development and productivity of financial services professionals.

(From left) NAMLIFA’s Bong and Low, MCEB’s Zulkefli

James Bong, NAMLIFA’s president said: “There will be 30 speakers during the event, sharing their experience and expertise. The programme will cover mix of topics that includes sales and marketing, financial and investment planning, agency management, motivation and personal development.”

On why Resorts World Genting was chosen as the venue, Bong said: “It is a one-stop centre with facilities that can accommodate a large group of 5,000 people. Meeting facilities the organising committee considered in Kuala Lumpur could not accommodate more than 3,500 people.”

Low Kai Foo, marketing director at NAMLIFA who was also on the bid committee, said Malaysia won the bid against Hong Kong and Japan due to NAMLIFA’s past track record of hosting APLIC, the weak ringgit, and warm Malaysian hospitality. It is the third time NAMLIFA has won the bid to host APLIC in Malaysia; the previous two congresses were in 2005 and 1993.

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s CEO, Zulkefli Sharif, said: “Malaysia’s hosting of this important and highly anticipated industry event is testament to the efforts being made to position our country as a premier destination for business events.”