Starwood’s The Grand Mansion, A Luxury Collection Hotel in Nanjing, China has introduced four new cultural programmes for its guests.
The two programmes to watch for are Tracing the Ming Guo Architecture and Experience of Oriental Metropolitan.
Guests will get to indulge in a Ming Guo-style lunch for two along with transportation within Nanjing to up to four Ming Guo architectural sites with the first package. The latter package will invite guests to enjoy an Oriental Metropolitan cuisine for two with complimentary access to the museum, which is located close to the hotel.
Both packages include one-night accommodation, daily breakfast for two, complimentary Internet and Wi-Fi, and complimentary soft drinks from the mini bar. Following each stay, guests will also receive a copy of Under The Phoenix Tree, a book on Nanjing Republican-era architecture, or Nanjing – Live Misty in the Six Dynasties.
Alvaro Rautenberg, general manager of The Grand Mansion, said: “The opening of The Grand Mansion has piqued the interests of discerning travellers who are looking for authentic excursions in China.”
Creative stimulation is the focus of Radisson Blu’s new Experience Meetings programme, which was rolled out in August across the brand’s properties in Asia-Pacific, following its implementation in other regions last year.
Designed to improve the effectiveness of meetings, the programme emphasises innovations in F&B, changes to the spatial environment as well as advancements in meeting technology.
“We want to offer something different and edgy with our Experience Meetings programme, to give meeting planners a bigger bang for their buck,” said Sandy Russell, vice president, commercial operations, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Asia-Pacific.
Experience Meetings features Brain Box, a breakout room concept which creates a stimulating atmosphere through the use of bright colours and flexible furniture to boost creativity, encourage active participation and enhance delegate interaction.
Flexibility will be a key tenet of Brain Box, according to Russell, allowing different room set-ups. For example, swings hanging from the ceiling could pave for conflict resolution while participants are encouraged to write and draw during meetings to foster discussion. Meeting sizes should not exceed 50 pax in order to harness the creative room concept effectively, she added.
Another key feature of Experience Meetings is Brain Food, a culinary concept developed in consultation with nutrition experts and chefs to emphasise the use of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients while maintaining great taste, low fat content and lessened sugar. The result is food that helps delegates experience optimal concentration and minimal fatigue during meetings.
Experience Meetings offers free Internet access as well and automatically purchases carbon credits to offset the estimated carbon footprint of every event. – Xinyi Liang-Pholsena
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has unveiled its newest property in Tangshan, China.
Located in Phoenix New Town, a two-hour drive from Beijing, the 301-room Shangri-La Hotel, Tangshan adjoins a shopping mall and a landscaped park within the Tangshan Kerry Property complex.
Guestrooms and suites, ranging from 45m2 to 135m2, are furnished with Chinese paintings and local ceramic ware. Within the hotel are an additional 34 apartments styled as studios and one- or two-bedroom apartments.
The hotel has nine function spaces including a pillarless 1,800m2 ballroom, all equipped with the latest audio-visual equipment.
F&B options include Tang Huang Ge, which serves traditional Jing Dong and Cantonese cuisines; Café Shang, which features international and local fare; and the Lobby Lounge offers an assortment of homemade pastries and cakes.
Hotel amenities, which are available to both hotel and apartment guests, include a health club consisting of a 24-hour gym, yoga and aerobics studio, as well as an indoor heated swimming pool, kid’s pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms.
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has invested RM1.8 million (US$430,221) in 190 new digital speakers and digital audio processors to raise the quality of event experiences at the Malaysian city’s main business event centre.
Norbiha Ismail, the centre’s AV manager, said in a press release: “The investment reflects our commitment to continuously upgrade as a means to enrich the client experience and to stay ahead of the curve in today’s increasingly technology-driven world. The digital speakers will facilitate clearer projection of voice and sound due to better audio distribution while the digital audio processors will result in increased audio performance.
“The digital audio processors are specialised microprocessors that have been optimised for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing. With this, our clients are assured (that) their audio requests will be smooth and accurate. In addition, digitalising will improve our monitoring and control mechanism, and in turn, help increase productivity levels.”
The 190 new digital speakers and digital audio processors are located in the Plenary Theatre, Plenary Hall, conference halls 1, 2 and 3, banquet hall and ballrooms 1 and 2. All audio processors in the exhibition halls have also transitioned to digital with the existing speakers maintained in analog format.
SilverNeedle Hospitality has appointed Russell Durnell as general manager of NEXT Hotel Brisbane. Durnell has extensive expertise in the pre-opening, opening and managing of award-winning hotels and resorts, as well as 20 years of experience in operations, brand and marketing, industry engagement, sales and corporate relations. He joins from Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast.
Organising an overseas incentive in six weeks isn’t as daunting when there is good ground support to ensure things run smoothly. By S Puvaneswary
Event brief
This April, the Asia-Pacific branch of global organisation Honeywell Building Solutions (HBS) organised the 2015 Circle of Excellence, an overseas incentive trip to Langkawi for its overachieving employees, who were picked from over 10 countries.
Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel (AOS) successfully bid to be the ground handler in Langkawi and helped with the meet and greet at the airport, as well as organised sightseeing tours and dinner functions.
Challenges
The first challenge was the short lead time to organise the event. Pia Harries, executive assistant at HBS, was the sole person organising and had only six weeks to put things together.
She said: “Short lead times have become typical for Honeywell, partly due to internal processes. I have organised numerous events outside of Australia in the past, so I knew the importance of roping in Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) as well as getting a reliable ground handler.”
Harries’ plans for the delegates to travel on the former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) had to be scrapped after two MAS tragedies, as half the delegates felt more comfortable flying on SilkAir.
She said: “This was a bit of a blow to the event timeline and budget as it meant an additional two nights hotel stay and meals in Langkawi because SilkAir only flies from Langkawi to Singapore
on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. This change meant for the first time in over five years of running events, I had to request a budget increase. Fortunately, my senior managers understood the circumstances and were fully supportive of the change to SilkAir.”
For the pre-dinner entertainment on the third day, Harries wanted to create a ‘wow’ experience. The previous year’s incentive event in Thailand had been a real spectacle and she needed to match or exceed that. For the fire and water-themed performance by the infinity pool at Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, she had to source for 2m-high transparent balls and look for talents who could perform inside these balls that would be floating on water. This was the first time that Wong Kee Yen, AOS’s project manager, was putting this act together and her challenge was to ensure that it went well.
Solutions
Despite the late hotel bookings, Harries described the rates she received as “very good”, attributing it to the slowing MICE market.
She added: “With my budget blown on extra room nights, MyCEB’s provision of room drop gifts, Malay dancers, Batik painting and partial sponsorship of the dinner was a great help. I could relax knowing that the entertainment on welcome night was going to be good.”
Wong said the balls had to be brought from the capital city while three synchronised swimmers, together with a coach, were brought in from Penang a day earlier to rehearse performing inside a ball. The balls were pumped with oxygen to sustain the performers within.
Key takeaways
Looking back, Harries said: “MyCEB was efficient and easy to deal with. Their reminders and timelines were of great help.”
On advice to readers, she said: “If you have any control over timelines, try and have more than six weeks to organise!”
Recalling the performances at the gala dinner, Wong said: “We never used the entertainers before. So we took extra care to check their background and references before engaging them. It was also important to have a rehearsal prior to this event.”
Hiring a professional conference organiser to deal with an event’s nitty-gritty is one way to ensure an effortless experience from start to finish. By Prudence Lui
Event brief
In 2010, Taiwan won the bid to host NI 2014 at the Nursing Informatics Special Interest Group’s General Assembly Meeting held at Medinfo2010 in South Africa.Staging the first-ever 12th International Congress on Nursing Informatics (NI 2014) required much preparation from the 60-member organising team. Initially a triennial occurrence, it was converted into a biennial event in 2012.
The NI 2014 programme comprised a pre-conference, conference and post-conference. A three-day think-tank forum targeted at the future development of mobile health was also included.
Challenges
The 60-member organising committee was made up of volunteers from hospitals, universities and organisations. They were nurses and were too busy to concentrate on this level of organisation.
Also, conference rooms needed to be changed merely a few months before the event to accommodate the number of people registered, which in turn, affected the budget.
But according to NI 2014’s organising committee chairman, Chang Po-lun, it was a well-planned event and there was no major challenge. The only glitch was the unexpected heavy rain which happened when the international VIPs were invited to ride the metro from the conference site to the gala dinner at Huashan Creative Park.
Chang pointed out the one regret the team had: “It (was) the heavy rain! We deployed some volunteers to guide the VIPs to the dinner venue once they stepped out of the metro station. However, (the) heavy rain made everything very difficult (and) everybody got very, very wet!”
Solutions
After asking for recommendations from the Taiwan Nursing Association which had experience in organising international conferences, the committee decided to hire Elite Professional Conference Organiser (Elite PCO) to help meet conference goals and share the workload. This way, committee members could also focus on their own work.
Since the committee didn’t know how to obtain the necessary budget, Elite PCO connected the committee with some sponsors. Around 30 per cent of the budget was sourced by Elite PCO and most of it came from the Taiwan government.
Key takeaways
It’s vital to engage a professional conference organiser as their expertise ensured a smooth running of the event from preparation to implementation.
CVBs need to start seeing themselves as customer representatives instead of being “official mouthpieces” lest they start losing their credibility, said Gary Grimmer, CEO of convention industry consultancy GainingEdge.
Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly on the sidelines of the ASEAN MICE Forum on Monday, Grimmer who is the former chairman of the board of the International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau and former chairman of the Business Events Council of Australia, said: “I think a key (credibility) issue is that most CVBs are structured to be a representative (of their destination and suppliers). When CVBs represent the suppliers, they will always be protecting the supplier’s reputation regardless of the quality of service delivery.”
Providing an example of how CVBs can embrace the role of a customer representative, Grimmer said: “If I were representing a bureau, I would encourage people to visit my website and critique the supplier’s service level. It is only then will CVBs be seen as being more transparent and credible.”
He added: “Suppliers are going to get angry when they receive bad reviews but that is the only way to force them to improve their services, or risk going out of business.”
Hugo Slimbrouck, director of strategic partnerships with Ovation Global DMC, also lamented that CVBs were “not working sufficiently together” with the DMC community which he said were the real experts on the ground.
Sharing this opinion during the opening panel session of the ASEAN MICE Forum, Slimbrouck said: “Very often CVBs would have the whole event plan drawn up on their own, then approach the DMC for sponsorship or to be part of the programme.
“But I do not wait for the CVBs (to come to me); I do the opposite. I would organise the event and then go to the CVB and tell them to do something with what I have.”
Nevertheless, Grimmer underlined the importance of CVBs, saying that “they are vital as they are our hope to developing government support”.
Citing Singapore as an example of a country with a strong CVB, he added: “I like Singapore because it is an example of a modern nation with barely any natural resources. Singapore more than anybody else understands how vitally important it is to have conventions and exhibitions (contributing to its) economy.
“Singapore in general has a reputation for great service and (the Singapore Tourism Board) can continue to encourage radical transparency and move towards engaging communication with consumers beyond providing services to meeting planners.”
MALAYSIA Airlines’ decision to halve frequencies of air services between Kuala Lumpur and Delhi to daily flights since September 1 had resulted in a loss of MICE business to Malaysia, said agents interviewed.
Suneet Goenka, group managing director of Red Apple Travel in Kuala Lumpur, declared the reduced frequencies “a disaster”.
He elaborated: “It is going to be very difficult to get MICE business from northern India where companies place great value on connectivity and pricing. Many Indian companies book last minute – three to four weeks in advance – and a hybrid carrier like Malindo Air will not give airfares in advance for large groups.”
Goenka revealed that some Indian companies had already removed Malaysia from their list of preferred destinations.
He also warned that reduced capacity on scheduled airlines would lead to higher airfares on the India-Malaysia sector.
Also impacted by Malaysia Airlines’ service reduction is Hidden Asia Travel & Tours in Kuala Lumpur. Its managing director, Nanda Kumar, said: “Many corporate companies in India want their staff to arrive on the same day. Due to this requirement which cannot be fulfilled through reduced frequency, we have lost a number of potential MICE businesses to other destinations.”
However, an agent from Delhi, Rajendra Dhumma, director of Classic Travels & Tours, has downplayed the effect, saying that the weakened ringgit is enough to keep Indian clients interested in Malaysia.
He said that “Malaysia (is) an even more attractive destination” due to the currency exchange in India’s favour.
“(Moreover) many companies in India have also cut spending and will opt to send employees on (cheaper) airlines like Malindo Air,” he added.
Amit Singla, managing director of Scotch & Water Innovations, Bangalore, disagreed. “Organisers who can pay for scheduled carriers will want a direct connection for their groups. The distance from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur is too short for one stop. The suspension of the morning departures from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur will also affect onward connections from Kuala Lumpur for business travellers from India.”
Dilip Masrani, managing director of Favourite Tours & Forex Gujarat, remarked: “Malaysia will lose out to other destinations once Twentieth Century Fox World Malaysia opens in 2016. This will be a very big attraction for the Indian market and will appeal to Indian business event delegates who often travel with their spouses.
“If organisers fail to secure enough seats to Malaysia for their groups, they will simply choose another destination that can offer better connectivity and airfares.”
The Emirates Palace, one of the luxurious five-star offerings in the city
The capital of UAE wishes to continue growing its business tourism sector by offering unparallelled event spaces, upgraded leisure facilities and exceptional hotel spaces. By Feizal Samath
Abu Dhabi is rolling out efforts to entice more business travellers to the region with a host of events lined up in the next few years.
Ranked among the top 100 busiest global meetings destinations in the ICCA global city rankings, efforts are underway for Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to leapfrog into the top 50 within five years.
According to a spokesperson for Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), authorities are adding more diverse products, driving more effective stakeholder coordination, and expanding local, regional and global marketing initiatives. However, no further details were offered when asked.
Last year, the city surpassed its 3.1 million guest target with significant growth recorded in occupancy and revenues. The exceptional 2014 performance reflects the heightened awareness of the city’s world-class tourism offering, industry officials said.
Wealthy, with deep pockets and oil reserves assured to run even after 2100, the city has witnessed a sizeable growth in business events over the last five to 10 years.
“As the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi is (the) centre for many businesses and governmental authorities. With its convention and conference facilities, and wide range of cultural and trade opportunities, the emirate is an attractive destination for MICE business,” says Stefan Fuchs, general manager, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.
Official data shows that the number of events taking place in the emirate has grown steadily from a mere four in 2005, to 24 in 2013. Last year, the figure dropped slightly to 22.
“Within these events we find huge diversity, with the UAE capital hosting everything from intimate events for between 50 and 150 people to (large) gatherings,” said the TCA Abu Dhabi official.
Business tourism has been identified as a key economic driver for Abu Dhabi.
Studies commissioned by TCA Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) show that the economic impact from business events in Abu Dhabi is set to rise by approximately seven per cent per annum on average up until 2020. These reports indicate that the direct economic impact is expected to reach Dhs5.1 billion (US$1.38 billion) by 2020.
The ADNEC is Abu Dhabi’s premier events venue with 133,000m2 of event space, and is located within easy reach of the international airport. The centre is also surrounded by superb hotels, including two on the ADNEC site.
Meanwhile, the Al Ain Convention Center, sited 90 minutes from Abu Dhabi, offers 20,000m2 of exhibition space and capacity for more than 7,000 delegates.
As of mid-2015, Abu Dhabi has 160 hotels and hotel apartments, making up 28,374 rooms, compared to 150 hotels and 26,001 rooms during the same period last year. Luxury hotels like Emirates Palace and Jumeirah at Etihad Towers – to name just two of many – offer world-class event venues in addition to accommodation.
Also on offer are leisure facilities like Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld and the Yas Marina Circuit – home to the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In 2014, Abu Dhabi hosted its largest incentive from China, where 14,500 resellers of Nu Skin cosmetics were in the UAE capital as part of the company’s Top Achievers programme. It was the largest incentive trip in the company’s history, and the longest and largest outbound incentive travel group in China’s direct selling industry, according to officials.
Top upcoming conferences include the World Halal Travel Summit & Exhibition – the largest-ever Halal travel event – in October 2015 with over 1,000 delegates; the Arab world’s largest international gastroenterology meeting in 2016; and the World Road Congress and the World Energy Congress in 2019.
Apart from MICE events, the UAE capital is also a draw for film production crews across the world. Authorities recently closed deals to facilitate the production of a new blockbuster Bollywood film Dishoom scheduled to film this year. Major productions filmed in Abu Dhabi in recent years include Furious 7, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and global television programmes like BBC’s Top Gear, and The Bold and the Beautiful
Abu Dhabi’s futuristic-looking Etihad Towers
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Dubai: city of superlatives
This vibrant global hub and business epicentre is determined to attract more business travellers with a plethora of activities, entertainment options and world-class exhibitions. By Feizal Samath
Adrenaline-filled experiences can be had by incentive groups in Dubai Picture by sophiejames/123RF.com
Apart from hosting a multitude of international events, Dubai is paying a lot of attention to growing home-spun events in order to attract more business travellers from around the region.
The city is focusing on three key objectives: maintaining market share in existing source markets, increasing market share in markets which it has identified as having high growth potential, and increasing the number of repeat visitors by planning to allow visas with multiple entries.
Authorities say they are aiming to grow in-house exhibition and fairs like Arab Pharma and Arab Health, increase the number of visitors and make them truly international events.
With 200 nationalities among its 2.2 million population, Dubai is one of the most attractive and multicultural destinations enhanced by a wide range of facilities and entertainment options.
However not lost – in the plethora of facilities – is support for international visitors seeking active, teambuilding programmes. Since September 2014, Dubai has stepped up promotional activities such as organising regular fam tours for MICE buyers.
According to Steen Jakobsen, director, Dubai Business Events – The Official Convention Bureau: “Dubai is an ideal destination for incentive groups thanks to its robust leisure offer, year-round sunshine and fantastic vibrant calendar of concerts and sporting events.”
He said its world-class infrastructure, superb service level and professional DMCs offer excellent value for money for groups looking to reap the benefits of exciting and well-executed incentive programmes.
The many options to engage teambuilding visitors range from snow skiing at Ski Dubai – the world’s largest indoor snow park – to playing team-based camel polo at the Dubai Polo Equestrian Club.
For a more adrenaline-fuelled experience, incentive groups can do laps in supercars around the Dubai Autodrome or learn how to skydive at Skydive Dubai. Other options include treasure hunts around Downtown Dubai, home to Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building, and Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and leisure complex.
Other activities include dolphin experiences at Atlantis The Palm Dubai or various desert-based activities such as falconry, dune bashing and desert rallying in 4WD vehicles.
Also opening soon is the IMG Worlds of Adventure, touted the world’s largest indoor theme park.Other entertainment parks slated for a late 2016 opening date are Legoland Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai and Motiongate Dubai.
As for hotel options, many in the three- to four-star category that are ideal for small groups will be added over the next year. Hotel room capacity in Dubai currently stands at 93,000 rooms, where some 8,000 were added to the current stock last year.
The top source markets for Dubai today are Saudi Arabia, India, the UK and China (in that order of priority). While Dubai is the most popular tourist destination in the UAE, its main competitors for international events in the Asia-Pacific and African regions are Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing, Johannesburg and Istanbul.
Often, Dubai works with other emirates. Last year, Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, jointly hosted 14,500 resellers from Nu Skin Cosmetics China, and the event generated an economic impact worth US$80 million.
Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be jointly hosting EXPO 2020, which is expected to attract 25 million visitors, where 70 per cent are from outside the UAE. Another upcoming event Dubai is preparing for is the gigantic influx of 16,000 guests who are attending the Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in September 2016.
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Justin Jacob, managing director of Connect World Tours, highlights two interesting experiences that must be had in Abu Dhabi
Visit the city’s iconic landmarks
Traditional attractions that characterise Abu Dhabi’s past as well as its present include the working heritage village out on the breakwater, the dhow wharves at Mina Zayed port and the colourful local souks. The visually-stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on the outskirts of the city is a must-visit.
Test-drive a Ferrari California
Launched in May, this test-drive experience at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is a world’s-first for the brand.
It offers everyday folks the chance to tootle around Yas Island’s roads in a supercharged convertible that is capable of reaching speeds of 100kmh in less than four seconds. Drive the car that’s been dubbed “Most Stylish Car of the Year” and “Convertible of the Year”. Enjoy a one-on-one experience with an expert Ferrari co-pilot, or ride with a couple of friends or colleagues in the car of your dreams.
From left:
Ferrari California; Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s opulent interior
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
Behind the imposing, Brutalist concrete that defines Zurich’s Oerlikon district lies a surprising secret. While its exterior honours the neighbourhood’s industrial roots, stepping inside Mama Shelter reveals a vibrant, neon-soaked world that is a far cry from its rigid shell
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
