MICE infrastructure in southern Japan has escaped relatively unscathed from the recent earthquakes, and hundreds of aftershocks that have rocked the region, although disruptions to transportation in the region has led to some incentive programmes being rerouted or cancelled.

The quakes, which have caused the deaths of at least 45 people and more than 1,100 injuries, were centred on the city of Kumamoto in Kyushu.

The initial tremor, with a magnitude of 6.2, struck on the evening of April 14 and was followed less than 48 hours later by a magnitude 7.3 quake. The second earthquake was the most violent quake to strike Japan since the 9.1 Great East Japan Earthquake, which devastated large areas of northeast Japan on March 11, 2011.

“Transportation in the region has been severely affected, with railways and highways closed and flights to and from Kumamoto also disrupted,” said Moe Sasaki, operations coordinator for Destination Asia’s Tokyo office.

The DMC has incentive groups onboard six cruise ships and those that were due to dock at ports closest to the epicentre have been rerouted. Sasaki told TTGmice e-Weekly that affected groups have since been sent on to Fukuoka in northern Kyushu, a city that gets most of the business events traffic into Kyushu.

“Some MICE facilities in the city have received calls from overseas event organisers who are concerned about the earthquake,” confirmed Ken Ueda, head of the MICE section in the Fukuoka City Government.

“But we have been quick to reassure them that we are a long way from the area that has been most seriously affected and there have been no reports of damage to any of our infrastructure or MICE facilities,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Japanese NTO has set up a page on its website to provide information on transportation and safety. Further information is available in English, Mandarin and Korean between 9.00 and 17.00 on (81)-3-3201-3331.

PENANG Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has launched two publications – theDestination Experience Brochure and the Penang MICE Guide 2016-17 – a mere three months after the bureau’s establishment.

The Destination Experience Brochure showcases Penang’s rich culture, heritage, colonial, nature and artistic aspects, while highlighting the diverse conventional and unique venues for business and leisure events.

Complementing the brochure is the Penang MICE Guide 2016-17, which features a comprehensive list of more than 50 venues such as luxurious hotels and grand convention centres from all over Penang. It also provides useful information such as the capacity and facilities of each venue.

Both publications were produced in-house by the PCEB team.

Chief minister of Penang and chairperson of PCEB, Lim Guan Eng, said: “I believe these publications will garner the attention of MICE buyers, associations, and meeting and event planners worldwide. (These will help to) position Penang as the preferred MICE destination in this region.”

PCEB also launched its website in early April, complete with an easy-to-use RFP function and essential information on destinations within Penang and infrastructure for MICE events.

A SERIES of six unique showcases in March and April held to present the renovated facilities within InterContinental Singapore has resulted in an uptick in enquiries from meeting planners, with two high-level ones already materialised.

The hotel’s area director of sales & marketing, Rex Loh, told TTGmice e-Weekly in an interview: “The renovated Presidential Suite was used to showcase the new features of the hotel and how we can support business events. When planners at the showcase saw how meetings can be done differently with us, especially in such a unique space as our Presidential Suite, they got excited.”

Loh said the two materialised events were held in the Presidential Suite, one for a private corporate party and the other for a meeting.

At 259m², InterContinental Singapore’s Presidential Suite is said to be the largest of its kind in the country. It is suitable for gatherings for 10 to 50 guests.

“Other refreshed aspects of the hotel, such as the renovated guestrooms, also gave us good exposure to new and potential corporate clients, and we found that many are keen to come and have a look. That helps to get the conversation going, and we have several new leads,” said Loh.

Loh added that the hotel is also playing up the rich heritage of the neighbourhood to attract corporate meetings and events.

“This area has so much to offer. Meeting groups can experience the neighbourhood through our Guided Heritage Trail. Clients used to think that the hotel is too far from the city centre, too inconvenient, but the arts and cultural draws around us are changing perceptions,” he said, adding that event bookings this year are “good” and “maintaining 2014 levels”.

The Guided Heritage Trail is a two-hour walking tour around the arts and cultural districts of Waterloo Street and Albert Street, calling at the National Design Centre and The Church of Saints Peter and Paul. While the tour is offered only on Saturdays for hotel guests, the hotel can arrange private group tours for meeting delegates.

THE annual Top Agent Awards by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has been given a new spin with a new name and an expanded recipient category.

South Korean players are now eligible for recognition in the Top MICE Agent Awards, joining existing markets India, China and Indonesia. Three top performing South Korean MICE agents will be awarded in each of two categories: Top Number of Passengers and Top Number of Groups.

A HKTB spokesman said South Korea has been included this year because of its strong growth potential.

“South Korea recorded over 20 per cent growth in overnight MICE arrivals last year. Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong will foster a closer relationship with top MICE agencies (in the market) to bring more meetings and incentives into Hong Kong,” the spokesperson said.

HKTB, through its office in Seoul, will also be deploying more marketing initiatives and organise more trade seminars, workshops and fam trips in 2016.

HKTB will be focused on growing meetings and incentives traffic from shorthaul markets, including South Korea, China, India and Indonesia, with particular attention being paid to select industry sectors such as direct selling, finance and insurance, information technology, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors, according to the spokesperson.

THE Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has been sanctioned to provide training to external participants after receiving the Certified Training Provider accreditation from the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources’ Human Resource Development Fund.

Rohizat Baharum, the centre’s director of human resource, said: “This certification fits perfectly with our vision of being a knowledge centre and training provider for local industry players and stakeholders. (This will) help raise the level of service delivery and grow Malaysia’s business events footprint globally.”

Training programmes that will be conducted include the Food Handlers training course endorsed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia, as well as programmes related to conventions and exhibitions.

He added: “We look forward to sharing our experience and know-how garnered from over a decade of operations with partners and stakeholders, (in order) to boost Malaysia’s competitiveness against regional and international competition.”

Commencement dates for these programmes are still being discussed at press time.

FOLLOWING its acquisition by Fosun International in March 2015, all-inclusive holiday resort Club Med has created a new MICE-dedicated post, stepping up initiatives to offer meeting packages and incentivising agents to bring in more corporate event bookings.

According to general manager for Hong Kong/Macau, Sebastien Portes, the group is now better-placed to grow its market share even though it has up to now been a minor player, with only three per cent of Hong Kong business generated by MICE in 2015.

He said: “(Our performance thus far) in the MICE market (is due to) various factors like the absence of a dedicated MICE team and lack of investment in trade marketing.

However, with a new post set up six months ago to lead the MICE segment, he is positive that sales will grow 10 times in the next three years.

Besides rolling out a dedicated website for the Hong Kong market in mid-2016, it also introduced higher commissions for agents who bring in MICE bookings. From April 1, every agent bringing a group of more than 40 pax will be guaranteed an additional three per cent in commission.

Julien Hauss, business development manager for MICE, said: “We are the only player with an all-inclusive offer and now we have one location near Hong Kong – the 300-room Dong’ao Island Hotel, Zhuhai – that offers full MICE facilities.”

He added: “I am targeting big companies in finance, insurance, health and new technology as they do events every year despite (the) current economy.”

Club Med resorts provide the use of function spaces and additional equipment such as overhead projectors and screens. For groups of up to 500 pax, full venue hire is possible.

Meanwhile, Club Med will further expand its reach in China with the Joyview by Club Med brand next year. Two properties under this banner will emerge in Shanghai. According to Portes, the brand is dedicated to the China market, with properties built outside first-tier cities, located two to three hours away by car.

“Additionally, our second Club Med ski resort in China (will) open in Jilin this November. It will offer full MICE facilities and ski activities for (corporate) groups,” he added.

TWENTY-THREE international associations have established offices in Dubai since 2013, as a direct result of the support offered by the Dubai Association Centre (DAC), and are raising the number of meetings held in the emirate.

More than offering international associations keen on expanding across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia a serviced office from which to conduct business, the DAC provides licensing and registration services, association management services through its partner MCI, and event planning services for meetings and conferences held in Dubai.

Layla Derraz, promotion and events representative from the DAC, shared that a further 50 applications are being processed now.

“The DAC has drawn great interest from international associations, and those that have already established an office at the DAC include UITP (an international association for public transport authorities, operators, policy makers and other key stakeholders in the public transport field), GSMA (an international association for mobile operators and those in related industries) and MENAFA (Middle East & North Africa Franchise Association),” said Derraz.

When asked if the DAC has enough office space to house more international associations, Derraz said an expansion project is underway to add to the DAC’s current capacity in the Sheikh Rashid Tower, part of the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Steen Jakobsen, director, Dubai Business Events, said: “There is a huge amount of development around the complex where DAC is, and multiple sites are in the pipeline. A second office will open next to the Dubai World Trade Centre and it will support new international associations that are entering the region.”

Jakobsen added that the DAC has contributed to Dubai Business Events’ ultimate goal of achieving greater MICE business in the destination.

Although Jakobsen was unable to quantify the percentage increase in the number of association meetings since the establishment of the DAC, he shared that a “roundtable with several associations last week revealed that they are hosting more events – both regional and international congresses” since coming into Dubai.