Artist impression of Festival Plaza’s Art Space

REDEVELOPMENT of the Adelaide Riverbank precinct will enter its next phase with A$220 million (US$165.5 million) works on the 25,000m² Festival Plaza commencing in August.

The full project is aimed at making the Riverbank region “the most connected and easily accessible business, events and entertainment precinct in Australia”.

In line with this, the ensuing phase will involve the expansion of existing green space and result in promenades that connect major city streets to the plaza, the Adelaide Oval footbridge and through to the Adelaide Convention Centre.

South Australian premier, Jay Weatherill, imagines the upgrades will see the plaza become “a unique world-class hub for the arts, culture, tourism and entertainment”.

“(The Festival Plaza) will be defined by a number of key places including the new square, the northern promenade, integration with King William Street, the Art Space Plaza, a reimagining of Station Road and a new (entrance) to Adelaide Railway Station,” he said.

Following these developments, two private projects will get underway – a A$430 million office building, retail area and car park upgrade by the Walker Corporation due for completion in 2020 and the A$300 million Skycity Adelaide Casino expansion set to commence end-2017.

Commenting on the overall city redevelopment and its impact on MICE activity, Damien Kitto, CEO of Adelaide Convention Bureau, said: “It eliminates travel time and its associated costs for event planners while providing an exceptionally attractive and full package offering for delegates.”

All Riverbank facilities as well as 3,500 hotel rooms are situated within five minutes’ walk of the Adelaide Convention Centre which sits in the heart of the Riverbank Precinct.

A SUMMER Meeting Package is now on offer at the 320-room Taipei Marriott Hotel.

The deal includes a night’s stay in a Classic Room which comes with views of the iconic Taipei 101 building, international breakfast at the Garden Kitchen restaurant and a full-day meeting package.

Rates begin from US$265⁺⁺ per person.

Promotion ends September 30, 2016.

Email catering@taipeimarriott.com.tw for reservations.

CORPORATE travel has long been an important cornerstone of the travel industry, signifying a large revenue stream for its industry players. The boon and bane of the industry is dependent on a multitude of factors, the most significant being oil prices and the safety of travel.

However, as we progress towards an increasingly global economy, corporate travel has become inevitable. As such, it is vital for organisations to equip themselves on the latest corporate travel trends in order to make informed decisions before embarking on their next destination.

Mild turbulence
In light of the economic slowdown in 2016, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) predicts a 12 per cent growth in total business travel spend in 2016, a decrease from the 14.2 per cent experienced in 2015 .

However, the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a boom. China is expected to overtake the US and clinch pole position in terms of business travel spending in the 2016. Closer to home, Singapore is set to register a higher growth for its business Ttavel and MICE industry. The Singapore Tourism Board has also decided to extend its In Singapore Incentives & Rewards (INSPIRE) programme to Europe and North America in a bid to attract the anticipated rise in international outbound travel.

Business or pleasure?
The rise of Bleisure is the latest trend to take hold of this industry. The portmanteau Bleisure, refers to the mixing of business with leisure. As a perk to business travellers, companies have recognised the benefits of accommodating employees to travel with their families during corporate trips, at the expense of the employee. Coupled with the increasing use of technology to manage their business travel, employees are beginning to better integrate their work-lives, instead of merely trying to achieve a balance of two separate entities.

Duty-free not
Conventionally, an employer is legally obliged to educate their staff on the inherent risks in business travel. However, the rise of Bleisure travel has blurred the distinction between work and leisure, raising new issues in the area of Workplace Safety and Health (WSH). Until companies can strike a balance between Bleisure and WSH, they will have to be mindful in giving their employees more leeway.

Technology take-off
Technology has disrupted every aspect of our lives, including business travel. Today’s business travellers have the world at their fingertips; once their itinerary is booked, they are able to access a plethora of information and real-time updates that will help make their trip a seamless experience. Along with the rise of Bleisure, technology allows business travellers to be more productive, ranging from the ability to make real-time expense claims, to immediately reacting to unforeseeable circumstances at their destinations.

***

Bertrand Saillet is the general manager of FCM Travel Solutions, responsible for the South-east Asia region. As a veteran in the travel and technology industry, Saillet brings with him a wealth of extensive knowledge and experience. He is tasked to take FCM to the 3.0 travel management sphere – making sure the company delivers amazing travel experience and meeting the needs of all travellers across all generations.

Prior to joining the FCM family, Saillet held various management positions with Amadeus.

Article by Bertrand Saillet

(From left) Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of TAT, and Ackash Jain, director of QNA International, exchange a warm handshake after the agreement signing ceremony

THE Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has successfully won the bid from QNA International to host the 4th Annual Destination Wedding Planners Congress 2017.

The event, scheduled to be held in Thailand from May 2-4, 2017, is expected to attract 450 delegates from around the world. The previous three editions took place in Greece, Mauritius and Italy.

Ackash Jain, director of QNA International, said: “Thailand has been a very strong contender; the country is already very popular among travellers and leisure seekers, and is also on the radar as a coveted destination for weddings and honeymoons.’’

Moreover, according to a survey conducted by QNA International, Thailand was listed as the top destination of choice in Asia for destination weddings and honeymoons.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of TAT, said: “Weddings can raise a great deal of revenue for Thailand. The average spend for a wedding is around five (US$142,000) to 20 million baht depending on how many guests attend. It is estimated that 400 couples come from India alone to get married in Thailand, with Europe and the US being strong markets.”

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

THE past week has seen Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) securing two conference wins – the 11th World Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2019 (DOHaD 2019), and the 2020 Meeting of the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT 2020).

The biennial DOHaD, touted as the only gathering worldwide for specialists in the field of research in prevention of disease in early life, will be held in Melbourne for the first time.

The four-day event will take place at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and is expected to attract over 800 scientists, clinical researchers, obstetricians, paediatricians, public health professionals and policy leaders in the discipline of foetal and developmental disease.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events, John Eren, said: “Events of this calibre put Melbourne and Victoria (state) on a world stage, and contribute significantly to our economy. Business events are the highest yielding sector of the Victorian visitor economy, delivering an economic contribution of A$9.98 billion (US$7.5 billion) and 65,000 jobs annually.”

Come October 2020, MCEC will also play host to the world’s leading musculoskeletal physiotherapists, who will exchange knowledge, share research and celebrate innovation in the neuromusculoskeletal physiotherapy sector, during IFOMPT 2020.

MCB said that this meeting would generate A$5.5 million for Victoria, and attract 1300 international and local delegates.

Eren added: “Staging the big international conferences provides valuable returns for all Victorians. It means more business for our hotels, restaurants and other small businesses – and that means more jobs for locals.”