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Sri Lanka courts Chinese incentives

By S Puvaneswary
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THE Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) is ramping up efforts to grow incentive numbers from China, currently its second largest MICE market after neighbouring India.

Peumi Peiris, assistant manager, research, development, trade standards and association meetings at SLCB, said: “(MICE) is a good market as there is easy accessibility to Colombo, with direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.”

Heartened by the “encouraging” responses at its inaugural presence at this year’s China International Travel Mart in Kunming, Peumi said: “We’ve had a number of enquiries for next year, especially for incentives. Some are from leisure travel agents who also handle incentives.”

The Sri Lankan CVB also exhibits at B2B tradeshows in China such as Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings China and Beijing International Travel Expo. Last year, it introduced marketing materials in Chinese about the bureau’s offerings.

According to Peumi, Sri Lanka Tourism has plans to appoint marketing representatives in China in the near future.

She added: “The government had also taken steps to encourage Sri Lankans to take up short Mandarin courses and become tourist guides, as one of the challenges we face is the lack of Chinese guides.”

Akhila Goonetilleke, executive at Hayleystours, an inbound tour operator in Sri Lanka, said his company had seen a 20 to 30 per cent year-on-year increase in MICE business from China.

He said: “There is more interest now with more meeting spaces available in Colombo. Our main targets are corporate companies from Beijing and Shanghai.”

ICC Sydney eyes Asia a year out from opening

By Rebecca Elliott
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WITH just over a year until it opens its doors, the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney continues to receive “strong interest” from Asia, CEO Geoff Donaghy told TTGmice e-Weekly during the Pacific Area Incentives & Conferences Expo in Auckland on Wednesday.

“Asia is a dynamic and important market for Sydney, and along with the rise in associations and decision makers in the region, we expect continued and increasing business enquiries,” Donaghy said.

He added: “Many Asian buyers and clients will have already experienced successful events at ICC Sydney’s sister venue Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. As a result, they will be familiar with the high quality of facilities and service provided by ICC Sydney’s manager, AEG Ogden.”

To sustain the momentum in the lead up to December 2016, the ICC will remain active in the market. In partnership with Business Events Australia and Business Events Sydney, the centre will be attending Business Events Australia’s North East Asia Showcase and the South East Asia Roadshow next year.

And while they’re keeping mum on the number of bookings they’ve received out of Asia and their targets for the market, the hallmark event secured from the region for the new centre is the Amway China Leadership Seminar, which is expected to attract upwards of 10,000 delegates in March 2017.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be hosting an event of such prestige, scale and importance. It is certainly an event befitting of the capability and grandeur of the new ICC Sydney.”

Gold Coast calls on bid leaders ahead of 2018 Commonwealth Games

By Rebecca Elliott
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AN INNOVATIVE programme aimed at rallying local support for bids on sporting conferences ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games has been rolled out by the Gold Coast Business Events.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly at the Pacific Area Incentives & Conferences Expo on Wednesday, manager of Business Events, Shannon Thwaites, said introducing the Gold Coast Business Events Future Bid Leaders Grant was part of the CVB’s strategy to increase sports focused business events.

“It provides opportunities for locals affiliated with international Asia-Pacific conferences to apply to work with us to bring their conferences to the Gold Coast,” she said.

Successful applicants linked to a professional sporting association or corporation will receive A$2,500 (US$1,778) to attend a national conference or A$5,000 to attend an international conference with the goal of bringing that event back to the Gold Coast.

The Gold Coast has already demonstrated its sporting prowess with Badminton Australia announcing on Saturday the Queensland city’s successful bid to host the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Surdirman Cup in 2017 in conjunction with the BWF Annual General Meeting, fending off competition from Scotland.

Meanwhile, the city is also undergoing extensive redevelopment in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games, which to date includes a new G:Link light rail system. According to Thwaites, it’s the “only tram in the world you can take a surfboard on”. Stage two of this project will link the light rail to the heavy rail to Brisbane.

The destination’s shopping mecca, Pacific Fair, is in the midst of its A$670 million makeover, which upon completion in 2016 will feature two full-line department stores, 400 specialty stores and an indoor/outdoor entertainment precinct.

Gold Coast Airport will embark on a multimillion-dollar upgrade in early 2016, which will give it new aircraft stands and a three-level terminal, while construction is underway on the six-star Jewel Hotel to the tune of A$1 billion.

HRG, Harpers Travel join forces for MGE specialisation

By TTG Asia
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MALAYSIAN travel firm, Harpers Travel, has entered into a partnership with HRG to provide a dedicated Meetings, Groups and Events (MGE) service for the latter’s clients.

Harpers Travel will now trade as HRG Meetings, Groups and Events Malaysia.

Explaining the move, Susan Lancaster, director of Global Partner Relationships with HRG, said: “There is a growing trend for travel and procurement managers to consolidate their MGE and travel programmes in a bid to improve visibility and transparency. They want better leverage to maximise spend and to benefit from competitive rates. Understandably they want to increase efficiencies to ensure they are getting good value for money.”

She added: “Malaysia is regarded as one of the next big growth markets in the Asia-Pacific region. We are certainly seeing more activity by our clients especially in the MGE arena so it is imperative that we have the capability in place locally to meet their specific requirements.”

Describing Harpers Travel as a “well respected company with a team of highly experienced MGE experts”, Lancaster believes that “the collaboration will ensure every HRG client not only meets their MGE objectives but also benefits from our usual first class service in Malaysia”.

David Low, general manager of Harpers Travel, will head up HRG Meetings, Groups and Events Malaysia.

HRG continues its relationship with HRG Malaysia (TravelBiz) which will provide all other corporate travel services to Malaysia based organisations.

AFECA grows membership, considers more activities in 2016

By Karen Yue
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THE Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) has seen its membership expand in the past year to include more representatives from Myanmar, Japan and Hong Kong, allowing members to benefit from a greater pool of experts who can share trade knowledge.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly during the AFECA Forum today, Walter Yeh, AFECA president, said: “AFECA was set up 10 years ago to promote the industry of conventions, exhibitions, meetings and events, and it has been growing its membership. We now have 28 association members. This has enabled us to strengthen our ability to exchange business knowledge, and we will be doing more activities in the coming years to facilitate such intelligence sharing.”

The association also has 98 regular and affiliate member companies from 17 countries, and nine advisory council members from eight countries.

Yeh said AFECA intends to make the AFECA Awards and AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge annual affairs, although the decision to host a second edition of the AEC+ Expo is now pending, subject to trade feedback on the inaugural show which ends tomorrow.

“We may even enhance the AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge next year by turning it into a competition that is open to MICE professionals,” Yeh revealed.

“Going forward, AFECA will be even more active and will look for other opportunities for our members to engage one another,” he added.

New American air service boost for NZ business visitor sector

By TTG Asia
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CONVENTIONS and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) is welcoming news of a likely direct air service between the US and New Zealand announced yesterday by Qantas and American Airlines.

CINZ chief executive Sue Sullivan said good air connectivity is crucial to growth for New Zealand’s lucrative conference and incentive sector.

“North America is becoming an increasingly important source of high-quality business event buyers for New Zealand. CINZ is certainly seeing a lot of interest from the North American market, both for our unique conferencing opportunities, and also for New Zealand’s premium incentive offerings,” she said in a press release.

American Airlines will add a non-stop service between Auckland and Los Angeles in June 2016, pending regulatory approvals.

The new service is supported by Jetstar’s domestic connections to 11 New Zealand regional destinations and Qantas Group’s nearly 40 daily flights to Australia.

Next month Air New Zealand will start flying between Auckland and Houston up to five times per week, adding to its existing direct services from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaii and Vancouver.

Second Sofitel in Singapore ready for guests

By TTG Asia
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SINGAPORE’S second Sofitel property has opened on Sentosa island, armed with 211 rooms and suites, four villas, more than 1,300m2 of MICE facilities, four dining options and what is said to be the world’s largest So SPA.

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa spots a bold and elegant design that integrates the surrounding nature within the hotel’s various buildings, and boasts more than 27 acres of tropical woodlands, offering guests a sense of relaxed sophistication and urban resort living.

It is also the only hotel on Sentosa that overlooks the South China Sea, with easy access to Tanjong Beach.

Offering a rich option for event planners, the hotel’s revamped Conference Centre houses two ballrooms, 15 pillarless meeting rooms, outdoor verandas and a bridal suite. All meeting rooms are illuminated with natural light and stretch out to the outdoor lawn, making them ideal venues for corporate brainstorming sessions, teambuilding, leadership training and cocktail receptions.

The hotel is also collaborating with DirectStreams, a long standing technology partner of Sofitel, to offer the latest fully-connected innovative lifestyle technology through DirectStreams’ LG Smart TV Guest solution, allowing guests the best technology experience to meet the needs of a diverse audience.

Vincent Lelay, cluster general manager of Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa and Sofitel So Singapore, said: “The Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa represents a significant step for Sofitel in further increasing its presence in South-east Asia, and bringing French elegance and sophistication to the increasingly discerning travellers in this region.”

Taipei ITF adds MICE component this year

By Prudence Lui
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A MICE-FOCUSED business exchange debuted at this year’s Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF), with destinations from all over the world coming together to reach out to Taiwanese incentive planners.

The 60-minute Incentive Travel Forum, held a day ahead of ITF, saw participation from destinations near and far, including South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Oman and Guam.

Hong Kong Tourism Board lured Taiwanese corporates at the event with its year-end festivals, said tourism marketing manager, Joey Kao, who added that escalating room rates in Taiwan should encourage local companies to take their events overseas.

Guam Visitors Bureau, also a participant at the forum, shone the limelight at the five-star, 419-key Dusit Thani Guam Resort which will officially open next month.

“Its meeting space can accommodate more than 1,000 people, and we hope to use this platform to reach the right target audience,” remarked Guam Visitors Bureau, senior project manager, Ean Chen.

Local corporate buyers welcomed the incentive focus.

Sothis Yang, a representative from Cathay Life Insurance, general marketing administration department, told TTGmice e-Weekly that the event provided opportunities for direct dialogue with destinations, which was helpful as not all travel agencies were able to offer what she needed.

Wang Hau-mei, welfare committee group leader with Taiwan Railway, which rewards 40-50 top performing employees annually with overseas trips, hoped the forum would expand in scale and feature more destinations.

ITF, chairman, Cherng Tyan Su, said the new event aimed to cater to planners of various event scales and budgets, “especially for SMEs with a staff count of under 100”.

“If results are good, we hope to make (the forum) an annual event,” Cherng added.

Melbourne wins 2018 stem cell meeting bid

By TTG Asia
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COME June 2018, Melbourne will be the place to be for the world’s leading stem cell researchers, physicians and government and health officials.

“Securing this meeting is a major coup for Melbourne and for Victoria and recognition of our expert community of stem cell researchers,” said Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB), CEO, Karen Bolinger.

The 16th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) will be held at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Victoria. It will last four days in June, contribute about A$13 million (US$9.2 million) to the state’s economy and attract some 3,000 delegates.

According to associate professor Caroline Gargett, immediate past president for the Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research, the annual meeting is the “largest forum for stem cell and regenerative medicine professionals from around the world” and is a place where delegates can “discuss innovations, trends and new perspectives and benefit from collaboration across disciplines”.

The CEO of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, Nancy Witty, said that both she and her colleagues were looking forward to meeting in Melbourne.

Melbourne’s winning bid was a testament to the successful collaboration between MCB, the government and industry partners.

Bolinger said: “We take a ‘Team Melbourne’ approach to both bids and the business events themselves, with such success that Melbourne is renowned globally as a destination that goes above and beyond to deliver.”

Relocation trends: China tops list of common relocation destinations

By TTGmice
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For companies sending employees on international assignments it’s important to get accommodation provision right – not least because it is expensive but also because it can have a big impact on the willingness of the employee and his/her family to accept or continue an assignment. The vast majority of companies will pay all host country housing costs but – and particularly with the current appetite for cost savings – this will often be up to a specified ceiling.

Before the assignment begins, our research shows that over 70 per cent of companies provide look-see visits, usually lasting five to seven days for which they will cover the cost of flights and short-term accommodation, at least. Many pay for the partner to go too. These trips can help in allaying any family anxieties about living in a different country as well as ease the process of adapting to a new culture and lifestyle. So although additional costs are incurred the long-term benefits can be invaluable: the employee is prone to be more productive upon relocation and more likely to complete the assignment.

According to our latest research, China is the most common destination for international assignees – and compared to 15 years ago when the US topped the list, there are now a number of Asian locations among the top 12. In fact moves from Europe to Asia followed by intra-Asia moves are the most typically among our clients.

The majority of assignments are still long-term – from two to five years, and for these, temporary accommodation will be provided at the beginning, should it be necessary, by almost 90 per cent of companies. Just over half of companies will provide such housing at the end, too, if the family need to make arrangements for long-term accommodation in the home location. Typically this will be provided for up to a month, prior to the employee and family moving into something more permanent. The host country HR department will usually be responsible for planning and booking temporary accommodation.

However, increasingly, companies are adopting alternative assignment types to meet business needs and reduce the impact of barriers to mobility such as children’s education or partner’s career. Shorter or commuter style assignments often involve the assignee staying in hotels or serviced accommodation for a longer period. The type of accommodation offered will be governed by cost and practicality.

Hotels are more common for trips of under three months, for example, and serviced apartments for assignments up to a year after which the savings afforded by providing unfurnished long-term rental accommodation are well worth it. The accommodation provided will also depend on availability and security issues or whether the assignee is accompanied or not.

A variety of housing-related assistance is commonly provided at the start and end of the assignment, particularly if it’s long-term. This may include home-finding services in the host country, assistance with terminating lease/rental agreements on repatriation, and opening and closing utilities contracts.

This is an editorial contribution by Lee Quane, regional director, Asia Pacific, ECA International. Recognised since 1971 as a world authority in its field, ECA provides knowledge, information and technology to inform, guide and support managers handling compensation and benefits for international workers moving around the world (www.eca-international.com).

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTGmice | Dorsett Melbourne welcomes new rooms division manager
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TTGmice | Full speed ahead