PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney is running a promotion for first-time bookings of events held before July 31.
Featuring seven flexible meeting and event spaces with audiovisual equipment, the 340-room hotel now offers the Sunday and Monday Day Delegate Package at a discounted rate of only A$75 (US$55.8) per person.
The day-time package includes a sit-down buffet lunch, room hire, stationery and an onsite paging system linking delegates directly to the conference concierge. Half-day packages are also available.
Delegates will also receive complimentary Wi-Fi for the meeting; two complimentary valet parking spots for the duration of the event; and a discounted conference accommodation rate of only A$200 per night including breakfast.
And for two-day conferences for 30 delegates and more, planners can enjoy a rate of only A$85 per person.
With minimum stay of two nights, planners can choose one additional perk with a Day Meeting or two with a Residential Conference.
Perks include an additional food item at morning and afternoon tea; half-hour drinks package to use during the conference; one complimentary attendance with every 20 paying delegates booked (maximum three per day); or complimentary data projector.
Contact events.prsyd@parkroyalhotels.com or (61) 2 9260 3082.
Travellers arriving exhausted in Melbourne can now have a quick recharge at Parkroyal Melbourne Airport which has rolled out a swim and lounge package for only A$15 (US$11).
The package allows hotel guests and visitors alike to relax and rejuvenate in the hotel’s heated pool, whirlpool bath, sauna, steam room and bathrooms which come with complimentary amenities, and refuel at AIRO Restaurant & Bar where Express meal options are available.
Travellers who desire a private space to unwind have the option of booking a standard room for three hours at A$85, five hours at A$105 and eight hours at A$130 between 07.00 and 19.00 daily.
The luxurious SO Sofitel Hua Hin has opened in what used to be the Thai royal family’s favourite summer retreat, bringing with it 77 guestrooms including six pool villas, a collection of innovative F&B outlets like White Oven Thai restaurant and HI-SO rooftop bar, the Zen Ballroom for 130 guests in a banquet setting, a 12-seat Bliss boardroom, a gym, a spa and two pools.
Located a 150-minute drive from Bangkok, the resort also boasts private access to Cha-am beach.
Design-wise, SO Sofitel Hua Hin bears the signatures of fashion designer Polpat Asavaprapha, award-winning Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag and renowned interior designer Donatien Carratier.
Pullman Bangkok Hotel G has completed renovations to its event spaces and selected guestrooms, and now boasts several creative and designer spaces that promise to evoke inspiration and enhance creative thinking during meetings.
Event venues on offer now include The Retreat, a collection of three contemporary meeting rooms that are spacious and lit with natural daylight; The Library, a collection of four meeting rooms that are designed to resemble an architect’s studio, offering lounge areas with modern soft furnishings; The Gallery, a collection of four Art Deco-styled meeting rooms that can be combined to become a New York style art gallery, complete with art pieces and modern minimalist décor; and Ballroom 38, the hotel’s grand ballroom which can accommodate 350 guests.
The hotel is able to support residental meetings with its inventory of 469 guestrooms, all with designer amenities and city views.
Oakwood Asia Pacific has opened the 162-unit Oakwood Apartments Brisbane, the very first Oakwood-branded property in Australia.
The property is located between Brisbane’s CBD and Fortitude Valley, and is walking distance from many retail and F&B options in the city.
Facilities include a tennis court, outdoor pool and spa, sauna, gymnasium, as well as Alto Restaurant and Bar which opens daily for breakfast and dinner.
Four conference rooms are also available and can accommodate up to 220 guests.
Mercedes-Benz Living@Fraser has been launched at the Capri by Fraser Changi City Singapore.
Nine terrace suites at the property have been given the Mercedes-Benz-focused design treatment, including S-Class gray-silver leather accents throughout the apartment, bed lighting inspired by signature Mercedes-Benz headlamps and a chandelier made out of Swarovski crystals.
Guests of the Mercedes-Benz suites are also entitled to services such as chauffer-driven airport pick-up in a Mercedes-Benz S or E class, special access to an AMG Simulator as well as exclusive use of the Mercedes-Benz Trek bicycles to explore Singapore’s East Coast.
Located in Changi Business Park within walking distance to Singapore EXPO, the property is part of a mixed-use development comprising offices, a shopping mall and a variety of dining, retail and entertainment options.
The suites are now open for stay at rates from S$400 (US$296.50) per night.
Xinyi Liang-Pholensa discovers organic, sustainable eats at this restaurant high above the city of Bangkok
Location
The 54th floor of Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre, right in the heart of Bangkok’s downtown at the Ratchaprasong Junction.
Ambience
A terrific tapas bar and restaurant perched on the 54th floor of Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre, the venue has its feet firmly planted in the Thai capital’s pulsating downtown and its heart in the Iberian Peninsula.
Decked in hues of teal and terracotta, Uno Mas boasts a rustic yet elegant vibe with Moorish-influences, glazed floor, arches and exposed wooden ceiling beams.
The restaurant has three zones: the 42-seat Wine Cellar, the 60-seat Tapas & Raw Bar, and the 78-seat Dining Deck. The Wine Cellar has tables and lounge seats overlooking the glass cellar centrepiece, while the Tapas & Raw Bar features a huge display of fresh oysters and seafood, an open bar and communal tables.
At the Dining Deck, patrons can mingle in the semi-alfresco space over feisty cavas and scrumptious tapas while observing the signature Cochinillo suckling pig roasting over the fire pit and Josper oven. Furthermore, the chest-high glass walls wrapping the restaurant allow guests to move close to the edge for views of a setting sun over the sprawling city.
Menu
Led by Catalonia-born chef de cuisine and restaurant manager Joan Tanya Dot, Uno Mas specialises in Iberian-Mediterranean food, ranging from pièces de résistance like the 36-month-cured Jamon iberico ham to non-Spanish interpretations such as live Boston lobster tail sashimis.
Tapas plates hit our table minutes after our order: wild porcini mushroom croquettes, fried baby squid with aioli and lemon, and Wagyu beef and pluma pork meatballs. For main courses, we opted for fideua (angel hair prepared like paella) crowned with squid and langoustines and snowfish with Jerusalem artichokes and Joselito ham. The warm churros with Valrhona chocolate sauce rounded up our meal on a sweet note.
Uno Mas also shares a two-storey, 2,000-bottle transparent wine cellar with the famed Red Sky rooftop bar. An outstanding selection of 36 Spanish wines are available. Priced from 170 baht (US$5), drinks here are definitely a steal, considering the venue’s sky-high location in a upscale hotel setting.
Service
The crowds were visibly thinner when I visited on a Wednesday, a public holiday, allowing the staff to pay even more intimate attention to diners. I had wanted to catch the sunset but arrived too early, so the thoughtful receptionist suggested I enjoy a bubbly in the air-conditioned comfort of the Wine Cellar before proceeding to the Tapas & Raw Bar for dinner.
Verdict
No matter where one is seated, sublime tapas – and views – are guaranteed at Uno Mas.
The new KidZania Singapore edutainment theme park on Sentosa island is now welcoming corporate clients, touting its ability to support venue buyouts for a wide range of events.
Located on Palawan Beach, the air-conditioned attraction offers 60 role-playing activities in a kid-sized city.
Leong Yue Weng, KidZania Singapore’s general manager, said: “Demand for unique venues in Singapore have been consistently high, especially given Singapore’s small geographical land area. Home to many global and regional headquarters, Singapore is favoured as a MICE destination. KidZania Singapore is perfectly positioned to leverage on this demand, and is able to offer a unique event space by delivering an entire city instead of a venue.”
Since its opening in mid-April, the attraction has received “overwhelming” interest from event planners looking to hold “a range of events, including corporate staff retreats and dinner-and-dance”, revealed Leong.
Leong opined that the attraction is also suitable for family days, product launches and cocktail receptions.
Whereas dining functions presented by private chefs are often an elite affair, a social dining concept presented by VizEat looks set to give the experience a more homely feel, allowing guests to sample flavours of the destination in a local home.
Since coming into operations in 2014, the European company now has a network of 17,000 hosts in over 100 countries including Italy, the US, India, China, South Korea and Taiwan. Hosts not only provide a dining experience in their humble abode, some also offer cooking classes and market tours. To enjoy an activity offered by VizEat hosts, travellers need only to search and make a booking on the VizEat website.
While VizEat serves a largely leisure crowd, it has seen a 20 per cent monthly increase in corporate event bookings. And it is taking a serious look at the market by establishing online support for event planners.
Jean-Michel Petit, co-founder of VizEat, said: “In the coming weeks we will (introduce) a section on the website (allowing) corporate event planners to describe the event they are looking to organise. Based on (this), we will select the hosts and set up a co-branded website with the organiser.” The experience could set planners back by US$25 to US$50 per pax.
VizEat’s track record in putting together major social dining events includes the Airbnb Open in Paris last November, where over 1,000 Airbnb guests from around the globe dined simultaneously in local VizEat hosts’ homes in the French capital.
The company will run OuiShare Fest for 1,000 participants this month, and a dining event for a major insurance company as part of an annual meetingin June, with over 2,000 delegates expected in attendance.
While the bulk of corporate bookings comes from Europe, Petit said the company is determined to expand its reach into Asia and had participated in IMEX Frankfurt in April to build awareness of its specialisation.
“We are also planning to (establish) strong curated host communities in Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul (which are active destinations for corporate events) by 4Q2016 and expand quickly across more key Asian cities by 1Q2017,” Petit said, adding that VizEat will work with the local tourism bureaus to promote the experience to corporate clients.
Event brief Each year, prior to the commencement of AIME, Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) hosts a Welcome Reception for hosted buyers, media and other industry players.
In 2016, MCB’s brief was to showcase Melbourne along with a unique event space in the city, and to ensure the audience knew the organisation was the event host. Through a rigorous tender process, Event Management Group (EMG) was awarded the contract.
AIME Welcome Event
EMG opted for the One Year in Melbourne in One Night theme in celebration of the city’s vibrant arts, culture, food and festivals. The vision was executed through multimedia, food and performance inspired by the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, providing the audience with a complete sensory experience.
EMG’s director, Peter Jack, explained: “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows showcase technology, design, lighting and music, and you’re sucked into it. What we wanted to do was deliver a show that in a 15-minute slot you could get a taste of what Melbourne is all about.”
Challenges On the Friday prior to the event, ticket sales jumped. The event and venue was designed to accommodate between 1,000 and 1,100 guests comfortably, but numbers had grown to 1,400.
Jack said: “Unlike a convention centre, which is designed for people, traffic flow, movement and access, pop up venues aren’t – they’re converted spaces.
“So how do we ensure that we design something that people are pushed in all different directions and we create a flow? That was one of my biggest challenges when we hit 1,400 people.”
In addition, Jack said the event concept was a risk.
“It can’t be a one dimensional thing; it can’t be just about the venue, or the food, or the entertainment. If you can’t connect everything together it doesn’t make sense. If we’re talking about events and destinations then you need to be able to showcase what a destination can bring to the audience,” he said.
To pull off the event’s theme, Jack’s concept included a ‘show’ element combining film with a live performance; an art installation and roving performers; and four different food stations, including a fish and chippery, and an edible graffiti buffet. Furthermore, all these had to be executed on a very tight budget.
Solutions To cater for the larger audience, Jack redesigned the entire event, switching around the food stations to ensure ease of movement for the large crowd. That is with the exception of the Asian noodle and dumpling experience, which was bundled into a tight corner to create a hot and steamy atmosphere.
“Are they going to be comfortable? No, but they’re going to remember the experience,” Jack said.
To realise his vision on a restrictive budget, Jack and his team worked with more than 30 partners – from the Atlantic Group for catering, right through to local department store, Myer, for the performers’ costumes.
Key takeaways Jack conceded that flexibility, adaptability and leveraging partnerships were the key to success for the AIME Welcome Reception.
“We wanted to take them somewhere they didn’t expect to go,” said Jack.
And for Jack and his team, hearing the continuous roar of the crowd throughout the main performance was testament to success.
Event: Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo Welcome Reception Organiser/Client: Event Management Group for the Melbourne Convention Bureau Venue: 400 City Road Date: February 22, 2016 Number of participants: 1,400
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
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A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
Whereas dining functions presented by private chefs are often an elite affair, a social dining concept presented by VizEat looks set to give the experience a more homely feel, allowing guests to sample flavours of the destination in a local home.
