Lure new gen with recognition, activity involvement: association officers

July 27, 2016

Ragan-Fore: recognition is attractive

SENIOR association officers have jumped to the defence of millennials – a generation of individuals said to be disinterested in joining associations and are a tough catch – by saying that these youngsters are not against associations. Rather, they seek a form of satisfaction that is different from baby boomers who make up the bulk of association membership today.

Jennifer Ragan-Fore, chief event officer with the US-based International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), told TTGmice e-Weekly on the sidelines of the two-day PCMA Meetings Forum Singapore: “The younger generation does not care much for volunteer leadership, unlike the older generation, therefore joining an association is not natural for them.”

“However, nobody rejects recognition. We have found success in engaging young educators and have grown our community of younger members by 40 per cent through an awards programme,” added Ragan-Fore.

ISTE gives out one Outstanding Young Educator award and six to seven Emerging Leaders awards every year. Winners of the latter have the opportunity to vie for the Outstanding Young Educator award in future editions.

Ragan-Fore shared that the awards have helped ISTE to identify top performing young educators with leadership potential and created interesting event content by tapping on the award winners’ knowledge and ideas.

“By giving the award to several individuals, we are creating a victorious cohort that will come together to exchange ideas and reach out to peers in the same generation. And by giving them leadership roles in our conference programme creation, they see that they can contribute directly to the association and that they have a legitimate place with us,” she explained.

Octavio Peralta, secretary general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) and president/CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE), agrees that recognition is a big draw for the younger generation.

Peralta said: “The younger generation do want to be part of associations, but they just want that for reasons different from our generation. They seek recognition and support to get started in their career.”

And with millennials making up 35 per cent of the Philippine population, Peralta said associations in the country must devise proper plans to attract the young in order to grow, or at least sustain, membership.

To this end, PCAAE is working closely with local universities and their student councils to “engage this audience early”.

“And we don’t go in with the message, ‘come join our association’. Instead, we invite them to join PCAAE to learn how to manage their student council, attract participation at student events, etc – same skills that are required by an association executive,” he explained.

PCAAE also partners Junior Achievement Philippines, an NGO that funds and educates the youth in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship, by running sessions on association governance.

To make PCAAE accessible to the young, a low membership fee of US$10 is charged and that gives them access to association activities as well as a heavily discounted registration fee to attend its annual Association Executives Summit.

At ADFIAP, investments are made to engage younger mid-level managers and management trainees in banks and include them in events that grant them networking access to C-level personalities belonging to member banks.

“We do this with the hopes that these young ones will eventually be CEOs themselves and will remember the benefits of being ADFIAP members,” said Peralta.

New World Millennium Hong Kong introduces new meeting package

By TTG Asia

July 21, 2016

An event room in New World Millennium Hong Kong

NEW World Millennium Hong Kong Hotel has recently introduced an All-round Meeting at Your Hand package for planners.

The property has a host of versatile meeting and event spaces such as the fan-shaped pillarless Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 500 guests, as well as nine other event venues of varying sizes.

From now until December 29, 2016, groups that book 10 guestrooms or more with a minimum of two nights’ stay will enjoy a special rate of HK$1,988 (US$256) per room night. Benefits include HK$200 F&B credit at hotel restaurants and bars, daily buffet breakfast and free laundry for three pieces of clothing per stay.

For bookings of more than 50 guestrooms, benefits include the above and extras such as early check-in and late check-out, free-flow coffee and tea during the meeting, and room upgrades.

For bookings of more than 100 guestrooms, the list of perks grows further with extras like two complimentary guestrooms for the organisers, and one complimentary round-trip limousine pickup to and from the airport for VIPs.

Email daniel.cheung@newworldmillenniumhotel.com for more information.

Sheraton Saigon unveils refurbished meeting spaces

By TTG Asia

July 21, 2016

Grand Ballroom in Sheraton Saigon

SHERATON Saigon Hotel & Towers has relaunched 2,500m² of meeting space after a three-month-long renovation. This includes the 1,080m² Grand Ballroom and pre-function area on the third floor of the hotel which can accommodate up to 1,200 delegates.

The pillarless Grand Ballroom now sports a rich colour palette, LED lighting and large-venue projector screens. Aside from this, the property also has 14 flexible breakout rooms.

From now through September 30, 2016, any booking at Sheraton Saigon will allow planners to choose two value-added benefits such as 10 per cent off the meeting package, complimentary Internet access in the meeting room, or one complimentary room upgrade.

Nagoya to get a second convention centre

By Julian Ryall

July 21, 2016

WORK is under way on a new 60,000m² convention facility adjacent to Chubu Centrair International Airport, which serves the city of Nagoya.

The project was first announced in February and the facility is scheduled to open in the autumn of 2019, according to Masahide Akita, assistant director of the Aichi Prefectural Government’s Exhibitions Site Section.

Nagoya already has a major convention and exhibitions facility, the Portmessse International Exhibition Hall, in the harbour district but the local government hopes the new conventions space will complement that site.

Akita told TTGmice e-Weekly: “We believe that the convenient location – just a five-minute walk from the airport – will be attractive to (event) organisers.”

Some 35 billion yen (US$326 million) is being invested in the project which, when completed, will have six halls, each of 10,000m², as well as extensive parking space. The island is also linked to the mainland by road and a rail link.

The airport island already has three hotels, although they primarily cater to business travellers with an overnight transit. A new hotel designed for longer stays will be built next to the new exhibition hall, with an expected completion in 2020.

Akita added that the local government hopes Nagoya and the prefecture of Akita – located between Tokyo and Osaka – can emerge as a unique alternative destination for conventions and exhibitions.

JNTO Singapore to lead Japan’s APAC MICE charge

By Karen Yue

July 19, 2016

Ong: towards greater intra-regional cooperation

THE Japan Convention Bureau and Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) have established their fourth international MICE office, under the care of JNTO Singapore Office, which now joins existing specialised business events operations in New York, London and Seoul.

The new MICE bureau in Singapore, helmed by JNTO Singapore’s deputy director, Susan Maria Ong, focuses on bringing business events from South-east Asia and the Pacific to Japan. It provides business event planners in these regions with a host of services such as bid facilitation, liaison with government ministries to lobby for funding towards major congresses as well as local convention bureaus for onsite event support, assistance on site inspections, and recommendations for DMCs, venues and other event suppliers, among others.

In an interview with TTGmice e-Weekly, Etsuko Kawasaki, executive director of JNTO headquarters, said Asia-Pacific is an important market for Japan because “all kinds of business” are being conducted here while six major countries in South-east Asia had contributed an excess of two million arrivals in 2015, registering a 30 per cent leap over 2014.

Kawasaki said the tourism bodies are keen to “welcome travellers from these regions with visa-free entries”, so as to “create more opportunities for new businesses to meet and network” in Japan.

“JNTO Singapore will work closely with existing JNTO offices in South-east Asia such as Bangkok and Indonesia, as well as upcoming ones in Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam which are due to open next year,” said Ong, adding that her action plan includes conducting MICE-related workshops and seminars, networking meetings for associations as well as fam trips for the region’s planners.

Several trade events have been confirmed, and they include an association-focused meeting come October, meetings during ITB Asia in Singapore, and a series of Travel Incentive Seminar events in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore next year.

JNTO Singapore will also be inviting major MICE planners in the region to attend the annual Visit Japan MICE Mart for B2B meetings and a fam trip.

“We will also enhance communication with local and regional MICE media to increase JNTO Singapore’s presence and the role its plays in MICE development,” Ong added.

When asked what immediate goals have been set by JCB for the Singapore office, Ong said: “Japan ranked top in Asia in ICCA’s 2015 ranking of countries for association meetings. In order to maintain that position, we have to identify prospective associations based in Asia-Pacific and host their meetings in Japan. We also have to recognise active MICE players in this region (and) provide support and training through fam trips and seminars.”

Theodore Lau joins American Express GBT’s South-East Asia operations

By TTG Asia

July 14, 2016

AMERICAN Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has appointed Theodore Lau as vice president and general manager, ASEAN and entrusted him with the company’s commercial operations across the South-east Asia region.

Lau joins GBT from Dentsu Aegis Media where he was CFO, South-East Asia, and was responsible for all financial, commercial and operational matters within the region during the integration between Dentsu and Aegis Media.

Prior to that, he worked with Ogilvy & Mather for 16 years, where he held a number of leadership positions.

Lau is based in Singapore.

Ovolo Woolloomooloo unveils collection of event spaces

By TTG Asia

July 14, 2016

SYDNEY’s Ovolo Woolloomooloo has launched its brand new event complex, after a A$20 million (US$15.1 million) renovation.

The complex, set in a 100-year-old heritage-listed wharf, has rooms that are named after some of Sydney’s most popular neighbourhoods and can cater for events from 12 to 350 people.

The biggest of the rooms, Piper Room (pictured below), can be combined with The Burbs – made up of Darlo, Paddo and The Cross rooms – to create a 390m² space for up to 350 guests.

For smaller events, planners can use the Glam-A-Rama boardroom, and AC/DC and INXS Ultraroo suites.

Joanna Hillier, conference & events sales manager, Ovolo Woolloomooloo, said: “We know that not all events are created equal and accept the challenge to make every event completely different. Whether it be for work or pleasure, a memorable location creates a memorable occasion. There are few areas in Sydney that rival our location and the versatility of our offering.”

The use of state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and Wi-Fi are included with every booking, while delegates receive preferential bookings at the hotel. Planners are also given a selection of menus, created by award-winning group executive chef, Gavin Berrecloth, to choose from.

Packages start from A$109 (US$83).

Gold Coast Turf Club to get accompanying hotel

By Rebecca Elliott

July 14, 2016

JUST over a year since the opening of its Event Centre, the Gold Coast Turf Club has announced plans to build a hotel onsite as part of the organisation’s 2025 vision.

Featuring some 200 rooms of which four levels are corporate suites, the hotel is part of a strategic plan that Dale St George, CEO of the Gold Coast Turf Club, said he had been working on with the board over the last six months.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly, St George said: “Racing is racing. It goes through its ups and downs. There has to be other streams of income. As well as a hotel, we’re looking at a tavern, some retail space and other development opportunities.”

Currently, a memorandum of understanding has been signed with a neighbouring landowner and preliminary drawings of the hotel have also been done. It occupies prime real estate alongside the straight of the racetrack next to the Event Centre.

St George said the organisation hopes to have hotel plans ready for Council by the end of the year, and ideally a July 2018 opening.

“We sit between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, and we need to engage the tourist population by having a hotel, and the corporate market by providing meeting facilities which are already in place. Without accommodation, it is difficult,” he elaborated.

Meanwhile, St George said the Event Centre, which opened in March 2015, was “slowly building” its momentum.

“I’d like to see it running at 65 per cent occupancy. We’re looking at A$2 million (US$1.52 million) turnover for the events space alone.”

Three global TMCs grow accommodation content with Airbnb partnership

By Karen Yue

July 14, 2016

AIRBNB’s new partnerships with global TMCs, American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), BCD Travel and Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), will bring its content to a greater audience of corporate travellers while satisfying corporate duty of care requirements.

With GBT, the partnership will first allow individual travellers of GBT clients to book Airbnb accommodation on Airbnb.com using a corporate email address. In the coming weeks, GBT and Airbnb will integrate Airbnb booking information into GBT’s reporting platform, “enabling corporate reporting and traveller tracking which supports duty of care responsibilities”, explained a GBT spokesperson.

This arrangement will go live in the US in the next few weeks, allowing all GBT clients there to book Airbnb content worldwide, before expanding it to markets elsewhere later this year.

With BCD Travel, which has an existing partnership with Airbnb, Airbnb data will be integrated into BCD Travel’s DecisionSource business intelligence and security solution. This will allow BCD Travel’s clients to interact with maps and detailed reports in real-time and bring Airbnb accommodation bookings into view for managed travel.

With CWT, Airbnb for Business content will be made available to its clients, allowing travellers more options and flexibility as well as a highly personalised itinerary.

While post-booking security measures are in place, the TMCs will not be able to guide clients in making a safe Airbnb accommodation choice – one of the concerns among corporate travel managers who have rejected sharing economy accommodation options.

In response to TTGmice e-Weekly’s question on this aspect of security measures, Suzanne Lee, spokesperson with BCD Travel, Asia-Pacific, said: “DecisionSource does not provide risk assessment for individual Airbnb properties (just as) it does not provide individual risk assessment of hotel properties. But it does help companies with travellers staying at Airbnb accommodations by tracking them and alerting them when an incident takes place in their neighbourhood so companies can communicate with them as necessary.”

The GBT spokesperson, too, explained that “travellers and their respective employers will continue to decide the type of accommodation that is most suitable for their needs, and determine their policies accordingly”.

However, he added that travellers can look out for Airbnb’s Business Travel Ready options.

Such properties have five stars for at least 60 per cent of reviews; have hosts that respond to 90 per cent of booking requests within 24 hours and do not cancel confirmed reservations within a week of the check-in date; provide 24-hour check-in; offer business amenities such as Wi-Fi, laptop-friendly workspace, etc; and are an entire home or apartment.

Jordan qualifies as a MICE destination: Amman mayor

By Karen Yue

July 12, 2016

(From left) Akel Biltaji, mayor of Amman; and Daniel Sin, CEO Deks Air (Singapore)

JORDAN’S available tourism infrastructure, the business-oriented mindset of its people and country leaders, safe environment, and location in the heart of the Middle East, are the qualities that make the country ready to capture more international business events, opined capital city mayor, Akel Biltaji.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly during his one-day visit to Singapore, Akel said the country is keen on growing the business events sector.

He said: “Jordan is business-oriented and sees itself as the launch pad for advancements into the Middle East. Our country’s high-level leadership is frequently overseas, engaging peers in talks for possible business opportunities. As we speak, His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is in Sun Valley (the US) on a business mission. Our people are always looking to bring international business investments into the country.

“Because of (all that and) Jordan’s tranquillity, security and the swell of intellectual capital, the country is home to many international organisations with humanitarian and commercial interests in the Middle East.”

In terms of infrastructure, Akel pointed out that the country has “almost all the big hotel brands you can think of – The St Regis, Kempinski, Le Meridien, etc – and a Ritz-Carlton is now being built”, in addition to the King Hussein Conference Centre at the Dead Sea, and the Zara Conference Centre and King Hussein Business Park in Amman.

Jordan will host the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa come May 2017, an event that Akel said would “demonstrate how much a peace-loving people we are and how safe the country is” and “serve to raise Jordan’s profile as an attractive tourist destination in the minds of global travellers”.

Another high-profile business event in Jordan is the Pan Arab Construction Forum, which Akel said would be attended by delegates from the Middle East, South Africa and Europe.

At present, China is regarded as an important source market for both leisure and business traffic.

“The Chinese government has earmarked US$50 billion for investments in the Middle East, and Jordan’s portion will be about US$10 billion to US$15 billion over the coming decade. His Majesty visits China every year for trade talks, and the Chinese view Jordan as a launch pad for further investments in the Middle East,” Akel shared.

“My city Amman is looking to engage Chinese companies to build our underground metro and possibly a railway system that may extend across the country and then region,” he added.

Akel pointed out that “trade follows travel and tourism”, and Jordan’s tourism industry can expect to benefit from both out of China.

To enable traffic from China, Royal Jordanian inaugurated its first service in China in April. The airline flies thrice weekly between Amman and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

Daniel Sin, group CEO of Deks Air (Singapore), GSA for Royal Jordanian, said the demand for the service has been strong because it attracts passengers from Shanghai too. The service enjoys an average load factor of 80 per cent.

Royal Jordanian’s network in Asia also includes Hong Kong (four times weekly), Bangkok (daily), Jakarta (thrice weekly), and Kuala Lumpur (thrice weekly).