Picken has been appointed hotel manager of the Golden Sands Resort, Penang by Shangri-La. With over 14 years of experience across the world, Picken was most recently resident manager at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore.
Zubin Karkaria
Karkaria has replaced Peter Meier as CEO of Kuoni Group.
Over coffee with… Nigel Gaunt
Caroline Boey speaks with the president of the new Incentive, Conference & Event Society (ICESAP) who is on a mission, after 35 years of being in the business, to embrace customers and professionalise the industry
What made you form ICESAP?
Having enjoyed success in the industry and with the companies I set up (The Forum Organization in 1980 and The MINT Organization in 2000, the latter with offices in Australia, Asia and the Middle East) I felt it was important to give back to the industry.
Until ICESAP was formed, there was no Asia-Pacific body to raise the profile of the IC&E (incentive, conference and event) sector of tourism.
It was estimated in 2014 that the IC&E sector was valued at over US$120 billion
across Asia-Pacific’s economies, excluding the Americas. Furthermore, 80 per
cent of this amount came from within Asia-Pacific.
Despite the scale, there has been no IC&E peak body, only national entities representing only incentive, conference or event – but not all three. Being by nature a cross-border industry, there needs to be a consistent approach in key areas such as industry standards, education and accreditation.
This sector has become an increasingly important part of tourism in Asia-Pacific. According to the Global Business Travel Association in 2014, business travel to IC&E related activities exceeded 50 per cent of total business travel that year.
The rise in incentive programmes, corporate meetings, conferences and events is therefore driving increased spend in tourism across the region and adds weight to the need for ICESAP to exist.
How is ICESAP different from other professional bodies?
ICESAP is the only body that represents the three components of incentive, conference and event. It is a customer-centric professional body aimed at lifting standards with an Asia-Pacific approach.
ICESAP is unique among professional bodies in that it has corporate members as its peak member category. Today, they make up approximately 35 per cent of the 350-plus total members.
These members are corporate buyers like Tupperware who might send several thousand people to a destination like Macau. They may also include those who achieved their targets on an incentive programme and conference attendees.
What is ICESAP doing to raise professional standards?
ICESAP has formed a joint-venture partnership with William Angliss Institute, part of William Angliss Australia, to offer education programmes and other forms of professional development.
The education programmes will start in December 2015 with a six-part online introductory course and followed by intermediate courses in 2016. The majority of course content will be delivered online and in late-2017, ICESAP will also offer a degree course in IC&E management.
ICESAP is further committed to growing the IC&E sector by implementing an accreditation scheme for the intermediary agency businesses operating in the sector across Asia-Pacific.
Why is accreditation so important?
The IC&E sector is uniquely different compared to other travel industry sectors. It requires a different set of skills, significant back-office systems and diverse talents in participant management, staging, AV and production, creative concepts, catering, speaker programme development and many other specific skills not found elsewhere in the travel industry.
Growth in Asia-Pacific has exceeded all other regions, driven mainly by economies such as China and India, but also by a shift in corporate marketing dollars away from advertising to below-the-line activities including IC&E projects.
In launching the Intermediary Agency Accreditation Scheme in 2016, ICESAP will further enhance the reputation of our industry and build long-term sustainability. Without it, the agency role is under threat from disintermediation.
To be able to sustain growth, the IC&E sector needs to professionalise its own sector, especially when the IC&E offering has now become part of the marketing mix for many corporations.
The sharing economy with businesses such as Airbnb can be a major disruptor and the customer may bypass the agency. But the professional and upskilled agency will be able to continue to play an important role in coordinating all the different elements of IC&E programmes.
To ensure standards, accredited companies must abide by a code of conduct, demonstrate financial security and participate in a guarantee fund to “de-risk” customers and suppliers. Although accreditation cannot be mandated, the scheme will be made attractive and be a game changer for the industry.
ICESAP turns two in January 2016. Is there anything you are particularly proud of?
JMIC, the Joint Industry Meetings Council, invited ICESAP to be a member in August. Apart from the Asian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus, ICESAP is the first Asia-Pacific body to be a JMIC member.
Career inspiration – Sammi Cheng, Director of exhibition, Uniplan Hong Kong
What led you to a career with Uniplan Hong Kong?
Prior to Uniplan, I worked in visual merchandising and event production, specialising in seasonal and festive decoration. I joined the company’s exhibition team in 2006 through a referral by a colleague.
What do you do on a daily basis?
I oversee sales activities of the exhibition team and ensure that the team achieves sales targets. I also lead the team in delivering spectacular projects. I constantly monitor and improve work procedures to raise efficiency and effectiveness across the team. Most importantly though, I focus on creating an environment for my teammates to thrive and be motivated towards personal growth.
What is your greatest career achievement so far in this role?
I have been with Uniplan for nine years and the company recognises the tremendous contributions I’ve made. My latest and greatest achievement is having exceeded my sales target by 13 per cent and, at the same time, attained a business growth of 50 per cent over a span of two years.
What advice would you give to someone looking to join the exhibitions business?
It is important to know that new challenges constantly arise. Hence, problem solving and communication skills are essential. Attention to detail is critical too in this dynamic industry. Other skills that are advantageous to this industry are proficiency in multiple languages and great presentation skills.
Selina Chavry
Chavry has been promoted to global managing director of Pacific World as Herve Joseph-Antoine becomes chairman of the global DMC. She was previously the regional director, Asia for Pacific World.
When is a hotel not a hotel?
CHOOSING a hotel strategically in line with client objectives is a great way to get more value out of the accommodation part of event planning than simply viewing it as a place for guests to lay their heads. It can also help reduce costs, says The Appointment Group’s Sam Robson.
Beyond luxury
A spa hotel, for example, can add more to an event than a touch of luxury. If your sales team or partner network has worked hard all year, an incentive trip can act as a motivational reward, as well as an opportunity for teambuilding and training. Add a spa element, and it can also play a key role in rejuvenating their minds and bodies, so they start the next year in great condition. This move also offers a clear signal that you value their wellbeing.
Meanwhile, in the associations market – particularly in pharmaceuticals and medicine – the focus is very much on using conventions and congresses to drive key benefits for members, the industry sector and, in many cases, society as a whole. Any form of ostentation is off-limits, which makes the choice of accommodation critical, with hotel chains that offer high-quality three- and four-star properties ideal in terms of budget and projecting the right image into the market.
Point of difference
Delivering a unique experience is becoming increasingly important for incentive programmes, and choosing the right hotel can make a valuable contribution. A particularly original or quirky property – perhaps in terms of stunning location or groundbreaking design – can deliver the necessary wow factor the event needs, or can help support the overall theme, such as a hotel that reflects the culture of its surroundings rather than that of the hotel brand.
Combining uniqueness with good conference and events facilities, which more and more hotels are doing, means delegates can remain on site throughout the programme. This can be a great way to create a truly immersive experience that can improve the absorption of key messages and the communication of an organisation’s visions and values.
Choosing such a conference hotel is also more cost effective than booking a separate venue. For larger event groups, there is the option of buying out an entire property, and when this is done at a resort, it can create a highly immersive and exclusive atmosphere for delegates.
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Sam Robson is the group event director at The Appointment Group, an award-winning global travel and event management company. Its specialist business divisions, TAG Global Corporate Travel, TAG Global Touring, TAG Global Events, TAG Global Private Clients, TAG Global Sports and TAG Global Film & Media provide high calibre travel and events management for high-end corporations, VIP individuals and luxury leisure travellers across an office network in London, Manchester, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore. www.appointmentgroup.com
This article is written by Sam Robson
[PERSPECTIVES] When is a hotel not a hotel?
CHOOSING a hotel strategically in line with client objectives is a great way to get more value out of the accommodation part of event planning than simply viewing it as a place for guests to lay their heads. It can also help reduce costs, says The Appointment Group’s Sam Robson.
Beyond luxury
A spa hotel, for example, can add more to an event than a touch of luxury. If your sales team or partner network has worked hard all year, an incentive trip can act as a motivational reward, as well as an opportunity for teambuilding and training. Add a spa element, and it can also play a key role in rejuvenating their minds and bodies, so they start the next year in great condition. This move also offers a clear signal that you value their wellbeing.
Meanwhile, in the associations market – particularly in pharmaceuticals and medicine – the focus is very much on using conventions and congresses to drive key benefits for members, the industry sector and, in many cases, society as a whole. Any form of ostentation is off-limits, which makes the choice of accommodation critical, with hotel chains that offer high-quality three- and four-star properties ideal in terms of budget and projecting the right image into the market.
Point of difference
Delivering a unique experience is becoming increasingly important for incentive programmes, and choosing the right hotel can make a valuable contribution. A particularly original or quirky property – perhaps in terms of stunning location or groundbreaking design – can deliver the necessary wow factor the event needs, or can help support the overall theme, such as a hotel that reflects the culture of its surroundings rather than that of the hotel brand.
Combining uniqueness with good conference and events facilities, which more and more hotels are doing, means delegates can remain on site throughout the programme. This can be a great way to create a truly immersive experience that can improve the absorption of key messages and the communication of an organisation’s visions and values.
Choosing such a conference hotel is also more cost effective than booking a separate venue. For larger event groups, there is the option of buying out an entire property, and when this is done at a resort, it can create a highly immersive and exclusive atmosphere for delegates.
Sam Robson is the group event director at The Appointment Group, an award-winning global travel and event management company. Its specialist business divisions, TAG Global Corporate Travel, TAG Global Touring, TAG Global Events, TAG Global Private Clients, TAG Global Sports and TAG Global Film & Media provide high calibre travel and events management for high-end corporations, VIP individuals and luxury leisure travellers across an office network in London, Manchester, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore. www.appointmentgroup.com
By Sam Robson
Tokyo CVB releases latest guide for event planners
THE fourth edition of the Tokyo Meeting Planner’s Guide has hit the marketplace today, offering event planners information on new and improved suppliers in the Japanese capital.
The 120-page publication by Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB) features 12 convention venues, 40 hotels and 26 unique venues, and includes information on new ones such as Toranomon Hills Forum and Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills as well as rebranded business hotels like Hilton Tokyo Odaiba.
Kazuko Toda, director of TCVB, said: “In producing this guide, we focused on the further promotion of Tokyo’s brand image as “the place to go” to induce planners to hold business events in Tokyo…”
The Tokyo Meeting Planner’s Guide 2016-2017 is available only in English. An online flicker book as well as a PDF version can be obtained from TCVB website.
Planners can also request for a printed copy by writing to businessevents@tcvb.or.jp.
Sedona Hotel Yangon seeks MICE business with new wing
IN A city where the corporate and MICE market had been languid until just a mere five years ago, it’s a vastly different scene now in Yangon as Myanmar’s growing economy has led to an influx of international investment and business activities since the country opened its doors in 2011.
It is no wonder then that Sedona Hotel Yangon, established in 1996, has since turned its attention to the city’s nascent MICE market. The deluxe five-star hotel soft-opened the new Inya Wing in October, adding 431 guest rooms and suites to the existing 366-room Garden Wing to bring its total room number to 797 – the biggest in Yangon.
The huge boost in room inventory has made it viable for Sedona Hotel Yangon to pursue the MICE market, explained Mok Kok Meng, general manager of Sedona Hotel Yangon. He said: “The owners see it as very exciting times to be in and therefore the extension was part of the plan to venture into MICE. That was planned way back in 2011 until its fruition today.”
As well, the 19-year-old property has also spruced up its ballrooms and existing function spaces this year while implementing high Internet speed of 100mbps to cater to the fast-growing MICE and corporate market, Mok added.
When asked which sectors are doing well for MICE market, he commented: “All the big boys are coming in – cars, fashion, retail, oil and gas, tobacco, etc – basically any sector that comes with a growing economy is now very interested in entering Myanmar.”
Sedona Hotel Yangon recently hosted the 14th Annual Conference of Hospital Management Asia from September 3 to 4, which saw the attendance of over 700 delegates from 30 countries.
“We are going into a lot of international MICE shows like ITB, EIBTM and IT&CM China,” said Eugene Yeo, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.
“Singapore is a strong MICE market for us, and we are working with Preferred Hotels & Resorts to organise a fam trip for all PCOs (from Singapore) to come into Yangon. Other MICE markets we are going after will be China as well as Thailand.”
[INTELLIGENCE] Safety, security among top priorities for corporate travel managers in 2016: CWT study
EIGHTY per cent of global travel managers surveyed for CWT’s Travel Trends, Program Priorities: A Traveler-Centric 2016 have named safety and security as factors that have a high or very high impact on their travel programmes next year.
The same sentiment is shared by their peers in Asia-Pacific, with 75 per cent of travel managers here ranking safety and security as top priority.
The online study which had surveyed 1,016 travel managers/travel buyers from 515 organisations in 55 countries worldwide in October and November, also found that 63 per cent of respondents expect mobile and wearable technology to have a big impact on their travel programme next year, while 58 per cent of them are looking for more data on traveller behavior and programme performance.
In addition, low-cost carriers (LCCs) will continue to have a high or very high impact on travel programmes in 2016, according to 53 per cent of respondents.
Growth has been particularly dramatic in Asia-Pacific in recent years, researchers noted, adding that LCCs have taken over 60 per cent of capacity share in several domestic markets, such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
The study pointed out that in business travel, LCC’s capacity share has grown to 12 per cent overall, but varies widely between countries, ranging from only a few per cent in Australia and Japan to the bulk of air bookings in Thailand and India.
Commenting on the study, David Moran, executive vice president of CWT, said: “Travel managers have told us loud and clear that the traveller experience will play a major role in the 2016 travel programme. Whether it’s proactive destination information, help in an emergency, multichannel access or personalised services – everything is designed to provide travellers with a seamless experience at every stage of a trip.”
Fast facts:
The percentage of respondents who agreed the trend would have a high or very high impact on their travel programme:
The percentage of respondents who agreed the trend would have a high or very high impact on their travel programme:
- Safety and security – 80%
- Mobile and wearable technology – 63%
- More data to consolidate – 58%
- Big data and personalised travel programs – 54%
- Low cost carriers – 53%
- Virtual payment – 51%
- Personalisation – 49%
- Virtual assistants – 36%
- Environment – 35%
- IATA’s New Distribution Capability – 33%
- Sharing economy – 32%
- Enhanced TMC services – 28%
- Bleisure – 16%
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