SOME Malaysian MICE players are intensifying courtship of MICE operators in Guangzhou, encouraged by AirAsia’s new four weekly direct service between Langkawi and Guangzhou since January 24.

John Chan, business development director, Kris International Traveltours, said: “This new route had elevated the status of Langkawi as a premier destination for MICE alongside Penang and Kota Kinabalu.

“Chinese travellers have also become more culturally and environmentally conscious. Langkawi’s status as a UNESCO Geopark, coupled with its beautiful beaches and rainforests will appeal to them.”

Chan believes that the new low-cost air link comes at an opportune time, when the yuan is weak. Smaller Chinese companies will be able to find savings by flying with budget carriers.

He added: “We have (also) increased our promotional efforts in neighbouring cities in Southern China to take advantage of the new flights to get more MICE business to Langkawi.”

Another inbound MICE operator, Mint Leong, managing director of Sunflower Holidays, told TTGmice e-Weekly that she will introduce new incentive itineraries in Langkawi at the upcoming Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings China in Shanghai in April.

“With these direct flights, meeting planners and incentive houses can make Langkawi a mono destination, without having to twin it with Kuala Lumpur,” Leong opined.

“MICE hardware in Langkawi has expanded with the opening of Langkawi International Convention Centre last year while the upcoming The St. Regis Langkawi in April will provide more high-end inventory. There are also a number of new attractions that will appeal to the Chinese for post-show tours,” she added.

Christian Metzner, general manager at The Andaman Langkawi, said the resort will beef up its offerings of teambuilding activities this year.

Iskandar Zulkarnain, director of sales at the resort, revealed that the resort was eyeing the meetings and incentives market from China, especially during the resort’s low periods.

China is the largest foreign tourist market for Langkawi. Due to the direct flights, Langkawi Development Authority is planning to organise B2B promotions in Guangzhou and neighbouring cities in the 2Q2016 to attract more leisure and MICE business.

SINGAPORE Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB) has enhanced its Inspire Great China 2.0 events assistance scheme with three new partners – Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa Leisure Group and Singapore Turf Club – in a bid to drive stronger MICE traffic from Greater China.

The programme has three tiers – basic, value and premium – and aims to promote Singapore’s unique attractions by packaging curated itineraries that appeal to visitors from the region. Applicants may apply before the end of 2016 and travel to Singapore before March 31, 2017.

Director of SECB, Low See Peng, said: “M&I groups are accorded VIP treatment with complimentary exclusive one-of-a-kind experiences. It’s an upgraded version with tailor-made offers from our new partners.”

For instance, the premier tier – available to groups with more than 400 pax staying at least two nights in Singapore – will see partners like the Singapore Turf Club offering a complimentary light buffet, free-flow soft drinks, a guided tour to the parade ring, a workshop on “how to pick the winner”, and admission to the racecourse.

Low said the programme will introduce distinctive events and experiences in Singapore to fend off keen competition.

“We’ll keep fine-tuning and see which ones are popular,” he added.

Gardens by the Bay’s assistant director of events venue sales, Aloysius Tang, said: “We have zero incentives from Hong Kong so there is definitely room to grow.”

Last December, SECB led a delegation of 15 suppliers to Hong Kong and met with some 50 key MICE agents.

A SERIES of intimate interviews with personalities from around the globe, produced by Saxton Speakers Bureau, will be a highlight at AIME this year.

The Saxton Up Close and Personal sessions, held over six sessions on February 23 and 24, will provide attendees with in-depth knowledge and first-hand accounts of international business, the meaning of courage, entrepreneurship and technology, connectivity in the world, small business innovation and the high performance team.

Nanette Moulton, director of Saxton Speakers Bureau, said the line-up of speakers was thoughtfully curated to deliver an engaging programme.

“Set to inspire and delight, these sessions are a unique way for the business events community to get up close and personal with renowned international speakers on topics that really matter.

“We are delighted to showcase the talents of Richard Gerver, who is coming from the UK. His transformative approach to leading change and innovation will offer unique insights for the business events community.

“Plus, Australia’s embodiment of inspiration, Turia Pitt, will share her incredible story of drive, determination and persistence after receiving burns to 65% of her body in 2011 and recovering from more than 200 operations. Her ‘never give up’ motto will inspire change in every visitor,” said Moulton.

Ian Wainwright, event director – AIME, Reed Travel Exhibitions, expressed delight in partnering with Saxton to deliver these stories as part of the annual tradeshow’s AIME Knowledge Program.

“The AIME Knowledge Program centres on seven key themes, including Inspiration from Outside; Saxton speakers come from outside the business events industry and will share challenges, motivations and successes from a variety of personal and professional scenarios,” said Wainwright.

He added that the Saxton Up Close and Personal sessions provide “a great opportunity for those in the business events industry who regularly seek new and inspiring talents for events of all shapes and sizes”.

AIME 2016 wil be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

PENANG State Government has appointed Ashwin Gunasekeran as CEO to set up and head its Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), a non-profit organisation aimed at developing and growing the Malaysian city’s MICE industry.

PCEB’s primary roles will be to assist and facilitate MICE stakeholders and community at large in its marketing initiatives, and to provide services that enhance the quality of the MICE client’s experience in Penang.

The bureau will be Penang’s focal point for coordinating all MICE activities, where it will also serve as the chief liaison to all levels of government departments for support. It will also work closely with the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau to bid for MICE events in Penang.

Mint Leong, managing director of Sunflower Holidays, said: “Setting up a state convention and exhibition bureau is a step in the right direction. It will provide more exposure to Penang as a MICE destination and indirectly, this will make it easier for us to promote Penang and to have events there.”

Prior to his new role, Ashwin was the assistant vice president of group sales and marketing with Themed Attractions, Resorts & Hotels. Being a Penangite, he knows the destination well and had served as the marketing manager at Penang Tourism Action Council for seven years, from 2003.

IN LIGHT of recent worldwide events, Hotel Reservation Service’s Todd Arthur urges companies to place more emphasis on business traveller security as part of the business’ duty of care.

Back in 2015, reports of terrorist threats and attacks dominated global headlines. Back in August, Bangkok experienced its worst ever bombing and then in November, terrorists struck multiple locations across Paris, triggering the US government to issue a worldwide travel warning. In both of these attacks, victims came from all over the world – locals, expats, tourists and business travellers. As the year ended, several capital cities were on high alert. Beijing was under partial lockdown and Austrian authorities stepped up security across Vienna.

The UK Foreign Office currently ranks 30 countries as having a high risk of terrorism. These include popular business travel destinations including Australia, Indonesia, India and several countries in Western Europe. However, this high-risk environment has not weakened demand for business travel. The Global Business Travel Association forecasts an 11 per cent increase in business travel between 2015-2016, with business travel in India and China projected to grow at double digit rates.

Individuals inherently face increased risk when abroad – whether it is simply not speaking the same language, or being unfamiliar with the location, customs, or laws. Though terrorism tends to be top of mind, results from a 2015 survey by YouGov revealed that the top risks to business travellers were road traffic accidents, crime and data theft.

Unsurprisingly, natural disasters also present an imminent threat of major travel disruption, particularly in Asia. According to the UN, a person living in Asia-Pacific is twice as likely to be affected by a natural disaster compared to a person in Africa, almost six times as likely as compared to someone from Latin America, and 30 times more likely to suffer from a disaster as compared to someone in North America or Europe.

Regardless of the risk scenario, companies should have in place robust travel risk management policies that enable them to provide urgent assistance in a crisis. At the forefront of any business’ effective travel risk mitigation strategy, is a recognised legal duty of care to employees inclusive of clear procedures to respond rapidly in a risky situation. A company’s failure to provide an employee with the necessary assistance – be it emergency medical care, a timely evacuation, or even providing a regular flow of information – could create legal liability and reputational damage, ultimately impacting profits.

Fortunately, there are sufficient tools to help companies manage travel risk. Apart from allowing a company to assess trips in accordance with its risk appetite, these tools provide an instant snapshot of every executive travelling to a certain city, all of their onward movements via real-time traveller tracking using GPS, the hotels they reside in and specialist crisis services such as medical care or evacuation. By implementing these tools, leading businesses can demonstrate they take their duty of care seriously, and differentiate themselves from others.

Previously, a majority of established hotels in Asia were not found in designated corporate travel booking systems, which explained why employees arranged their travels independently. This gave rise to situations where businesses were unable to effectively track which flights its employees were taking, or which hotels they had chosen to stay in.

Ensuring employees book through designated booking channels allows for an accurate picture of their location, and having on hand data that can be pushed to the company’s emergency medical provider – which can eventually be used to rearrange transport alternatives for employees if flights are cancelled or airports closed.

The frequency of catastrophic events in recent years provides clear impetus for business leaders to be proactive about protecting their employees. Without adequate travel risk policies, employers are unable to fulfil their duty of care in time of crisis and only risk damaging consequences for their employees.

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Todd Arthur is the managing director, Asia-Pacific of Hotel Reservation Service. HRS is a global hotel solutions provider with more than 40,000 corporate customers worldwide. His core responsibilities include setting the business direction, driving organic growth with new and existing customers across APAC markets, establishing strategic partnerships, and talent development. www.hrs.com

Article by Todd Arthur.