THE A$100 million (US$79 million) beachfront resort and conference centre, Elements of Byron, opens in December on Belongil Beach in Byron Bay, New South Wales as part of Accor’s MGallery brand.

The new build with its “1987 beach shack” aesthetic will feature 193 one- and two-bedroom villas, 94 of which will be completed by Christmas.

A large lagoon pool will weave its way throughout the resort, which will also be home to a signature restaurant and lobby bar, pool bar, gym and a five-suite garden spa.

Elements of Byron will also be equipped with a dedicated conference wing with capacity for 400 delegates in one room or across four spaces.

Accor vice president franchise hotels, Dino Mezzatesta, said the resort’s beachfront location made it a perfect fit with the MGallery’s Serenity category and that the resort would appeal to key Asian markets including China, India, Singapore and Malaysia.

“Accor has identified that our luxury and upscale growth sits comfortably within the Asia-Pacific region and we have an increased focus on elevating our luxury product via a number of channels, including tradeshows at which Elements of Byron will be showcased,” said Mezzatesta.

“There are few true resort venue options in the Byron Bay market, so Elements of Byron will certainly be a distinct and sought-out option for leisure and business travellers.”

BRINGING the cook-and-chill method of food preparation to the buffet line next month is the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), which hopes that this will ensure consistency in the quality of food served.

Already deployed for off-site catering and western set menus, the cook-and-chill method also does away with the need for the food to be kept at high temperatures for long periods of time.

The decision was announced in a BCCK media statement. Commenting on the effectiveness of this method for western set menus, executive chef Thomas Schmid said in the release: “A set menu for 1,500 guests can be served in less than 20 minutes with food being at its absolute peak of freshness. The flavour and appearance are retained as well.”

He added that BCCK intends to develop new menus and revise current popular menus to benefit from the cook-and-chill process.

“Our focus is on careful and thorough experimentation to bring out the best that food can deliver, especially in large event settings where time is of the essence,” said Schmid.

THE Victorian state government has cemented the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s (MCEC) growth plans with the announcement of up to A$210 million (US$167.6 million) as part of the 2015-2016 state budget.

MCEC has turned away at least 20 per cent of business opportunities over the last three years due to the lack of available space, and the news has been soundly welcome by the team.

Chief executive Peter King said in a press release: “Melbourne has led the growth of the business events industry globally for the last decade and it’s wonderful to see the government investing in this lucrative and important sector.

“MCEC’s expansion will significantly expand the South Wharf precinct footprint to offer a range of flexible spaces to meet the changing needs of the business events industry, address global competition and ensure we retain our position as Australia’s number one business events destination.”

Victoria had last October proposed an expansion of the venue including new retail space, additional car parks, hotel accommodation and multi-purpose convention and exhibition facilities.

The second phase of the facility’s planned development will ensure MCEC remains Australia’s largest convention and exhibition space.

According to King, about A$580 million of economic contribution is generated by MCEC annually.

When expansion works are completed, MCEC is anticipated to bring in A$175 million more each year, welcome 74,000 more international visitors and create hundreds of jobs.

USING real-time data analytics to streamline business matching, local start-up company Jublia has created a multi-functional solution for modern meetings.

The tailor-made app platform allows event attendees to schedule meetings with potential business partners weeks before the event in order to maximise their handshake count on the day itself.

“We act as event consultants as part of our solution offering. We’re not just providing a tech solution… we work closely with (the organisers) throughout the whole life cycle (of the event) and advise them on what networking objectives they should have,” Jublia’s chief technology officer, Chinab Chugh, told TTGmice e-Weekly.

According to COO Errol Lim, Jublia provides an “all-in-one solution”, running and tracking the performance of the engagement strategy, while breaking down data collected so that organisers can evaluate the networking success of their event.

Although 40 per cent of Jublia’s clients hail from abroad, there is no need to send a team overseas to manage events, as its software solution is cloud-based.

“That makes it very easily scalable to as many events as we can have,” Chugh said.

However, Lim told TTGmice e-Weekly that the company does provide on-site support upon request, using its software to discover hidden opportunities for customers and directing them to the right booths or people at the event.

In the last year alone, the young firm worked with over 50 events, including big names like Unilever and Messe Düsseldorf Asia, and is striving to grow its business further.

“We’re looking at expanding the team; maybe opening an office in Hong Kong, another MICE hub, as well as a place with a very similar business environment to Singapore,” Lim revealed. “What we’ve done here, we hope to replicate and do better in Hong Kong.”

 Established in 2014, the Singaporean company specialises in business matching and offers free prints of its book, Jublia’s Designing Business Matching, for TTGmice e-Weekly readers who make a request here.

GROUPS with a minimum spend of US$20,000 at the Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort can take advantage of the resort’s Limited Time Meeting Offer.

Available until June 30 for groups staying at the resort between now and December 31, the Limited Time Meeting Offer includes a 60-minute Balinese massage at Shine Spa for up to five VIP guests, and a one-time free buffet dinner for the event organising committee of maximum five people.

The offer is subject to availability at the point of reservation and bookings must be for at least 10 guests.

All Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort meeting packages include state-of-the art meeting space, two microphones, a projector, conference sound system and clutter-free meetings setup and meeting supplies. Additionally, meeting pads, candies, banquet pens and filtered water in reusable bottles will be available to all guests.

“Bali has been recognised as one of South-east Asia’s top MICE destinations, according to a recent Pacific World Destination Index Survey,” said the resort in a press statement. “At Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort… we want to thank those who organise company gatherings here by offering extras that they can enjoy as part of the corporate stay.”

The resort features over 1,600m² of flexible meeting and event space, including a 700m² ballroom that can be divided into two rooms.

Reservations can be made at www.sheraton.com/balikuta.

JW MARRIOTT Hotel Bangkok will brandish its newly renovated Grand Ballroom and nine function rooms come September, and is rolling out an introductory offer to mark the occasion.

For the price of 5,999++ baht (US$190++), the hotel is offering superior deluxe accommodation for single occupancy, daily international buffet breakfast at Marriott Café, a free full-day or half-day meeting package, and high-speed Internet connectivity throughout the entire stay.

Booking is open now for meetings to be held between September 1 and December 31, 2015.

For more information and reservations, call (66) 2656-7700 ext 4406.