Asia/Singapore Sunday, 19th April 2026
Page 982

Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort introduces Limited Time Meeting Offer

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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 700mballroom that can be divided into two rooms.

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

New meetings offer to go with newly refurbished spaces at JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok

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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.

Happy hour round the clock in Melbourne

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Eat, drink and be merry in Munich Brauhaus, a traditional Bavarian beerhaus, where guests are invited to dine and drink like Oktoberfest never ended!

What would delight meeting planners is that this 900-seater waterfront German beerhall is located in the heart of South Wharf, which is a literal step away from the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. This saves planners the massive hassle of planning for shuttle bus services already.

You will be spoilt for choice as to where to host your guests within the venue itself because the hall is split between three distinct zones separated by two mezzanine structures. Featuring two bars and three private function rooms that comes with audio visual capabilities, flexibility is the key word here.

Cocktail parties for small groups of 20 guests through to 1,100 party goers can be catered for within this diverse space. Lunch and dinner events can be accommodated from 10 to 400, while meetings and conferences for up to 70 within the private “Ein Stein” dining room. Opt for the 250 waterfront seats if you want to further impress your guests; even better if they are in time to catch the sunset across the renowned Yarra River.

Clearly paying homage to their beer, Munich Brauhaus, brings a stein-full of Bavarian cheer with their signature Munich Lager, as well as exclusively imported beers. Of course not to forget the food, the set menus here feature Bavarian classics, including pretzels, pork sausages, pork belly, crispy pork knuckles, and the suckling pig, sourced locally from Riverlea and cooked over a charcoal spit. Now, that is some serious pork business! – Paige Lee Pei Qi

Greener, more socially responsible meetings for Banyan Tree

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Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts is pushing for a bigger share of the regional MICE market with a new meetings programme and a dedicated meeting and event website for event planners.

In a new programme, Banyan Tree incorporates volunteerism and CSR elements, and works with EarthCheck to measure how much carbon is generated during meetings to aid clients in holding carbon-free meetings.

Vice president for sales and marketing David Spooner said: “We observed (a demand for) responsible meetings and the trend of more engagement in CSR, incorporated with experiencing the local flavours of food and entertainment.”

Meanwhile the group will continue to boost awareness of Banyan Tree and sister brand Angsana’s MICE capabilities. “A lot of MICE organisers… think we only do leisure groups and couples. In fact, we do have a demand for small executive retreats, incentives and board meetings.”

Banyan Tree launched a dedicated MICE page in January (www.banyantree.com/en/meetings-events), with one for Angsana in the works.

“Meeting organisers can look for functional information like capacity charts and size of meeting rooms via their mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Moreover, the site also features Destination Dining for meeting organisers who need special and exclusive dining options like al fresco dining on top of a mountain,” said Spooner. – Prudence Lui

Conrad Maldives dedicates island for incentives, meetings

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Conrad Maldives Rangal Island

It must be nice to own two islands – you always have one to spare. Conrad Maldives is offering one of its islands, Rangali Island, exclusively for the expanding meetings and incentives market.

The adults-only island can accommodate up to 100 delegates for private hire and has 50 upmarket water villas, restaurants and other facilities, including a wine cellar with the largest stock in the country.

Kimberley Roberts, Conrad’s director for marketing and communications, said: “The concept has been designed in an effort to attract high-end groups looking for the ultimate location with the facilities and amenities to cater to the group’s requirements.

Have any unfulfilled dreams of being a proud (albeit temporary) owner of an island? Anyone looking to organise incentives, weddings or meetings have the opportunity to completely buy out Rangali Island for their events. – Feizal Samath

MyCEB launches online MICE venue directory

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Event planning in Malaysia has become a little easier now that the Malaysia Convention & Exhibiton Bureau (MyCEB) has introduced an online venue directory.

The directory provides a complete profile of each venue, including a description of the space, floor plans, accessibility, amenities, photos and contact information.

Meeting and event planners can search for venues by the type of venue space, location and event category.

Zulkefli Haji Sharif, CEO of MyCEB, said: “We certainly hope that meeting and event planners will find this resource useful, and that our industry partners will continue working with us to keep the directory up-to-date so we can continue to successfully attract world-class meetings and events.”

Crazy awesome

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Few establishments would dare hail themselves as ‘awesome’ but My Awesome Cafe in Singapore is one nut case where the place is actually more awesome than the word itself.

Creating aching nostalgia that appeals to a Google-oogle generation is not easy and while the frontage of this cafe indeed looks straight out of a leaf from the picturebook of a bygone era, inside it is filled with a lunchtime crowd comprising New-Gen executives who appear so at ease in it as if the venue has been there forever for them. It opened in August last year.

Located in a local neighbourhood in the CBD area, My Awesome Cafe is now ‘the address with the most’ along Telok Ayer Street – the most colourful, the most character, the most patrons.

It’s more than feng shui that pulls them in. First, it’s the charm of a heritage building, Chung Hwa Free Clinic, which used to dispense traditional medicine, and it’s nice that nowhere are there signs of the name My Awesome Cafe on the frontage. Then, it’s the whimsical and personalised decor, a motley collection of vintage knick-knacks and reclaimed furniture like 1980s school desks and classroom fans.

It’s also the simple, no-fuss, delicious and generous-portion food choices – salads and sandwiches, cheeses and freshly-baked savouries and cakes – barista coffee and a good selection of wines.

Fourth, it’s the communal-style eating which appeals to the New-Gen who wants to be ‘alone together’. Fifth it is quirky, crazy and happy. Look at those hanging lanterns by the dozens that are lit even during the day, and that motto on the wall…we clap, share, forgive, celebrate, love…

My Awesome Cafe is open for private events “that are edgy, different, quirky, with a touch of surprise”, said owner Franck Hardy, who signs off his emails with “love and happiness”. It is open daily but is closed for dinner on Sundays.

202 Telok Ayer Street; tel: (+65) 8428-0102; email: franck@myawesomecafe.com; www.MyAwesomeCafe.com – Raini Hamdi

Ozo Wesley HK dangles meetings deal for Talk

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PLANNERS can look to take up Ozo Wesley Hong Kong’s new meeting packages when they book its cheekily named meeting venue Talk.

The space allows a range of configurations from 12-pax boardroom meetings to cocktail functions and classroom or theatre seating of 40 guests.

A Full-Day Meeting Package comes with use of the venue from 09.00 to 18.00, two refreshment breaks with snacks, and one set lunch for HK$500 (US$64.50). A Half Day Meeting Package includes venue rental from 09.00 to 13.00 or from 14.00 to 18.00, as well as one refreshment break with snacks and one set lunch, priced at HK$400.

Prices are per person and subject to a 10 per cent service charge.

Furthermore, Ozo Wesley will throw in a 20 per cent discount for meeting packages if 20 or more room nights are booked.

Details are on the Ozo Wesley website.

Vibe Hotels opens landmark hotel and conference centre in Marysville, Victoria

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VICTORIA has added to its catalogue of MICE products with the milestone opening of the A$28 million (US$22 million) Vibe Hotel Marysville.

Officially launched last Tuesday by the Victorian minister for regional development, Jaala Pulford, the new-build comes six years after the small township was ravaged by the Black Saturday bushfires on February 7, 2009.

Located 90 minutes from Melbourne in the Yarra Valley at the base of the city’s closest alpine resort, the 4.5-star hotel features 101 guestrooms including five suites, a conference centre with capacity for 300 guests theatre-style and five meeting rooms, spa and wellness centre, outdoor pool and Radius Bar & Grill restaurant.

TFE Hotels group director of marketing, Emma Fraser, said the group has a rolling 12-month strategic activation plan in place with each of its trade partners to take the Vibe Hotel Marysville to market.

“Our joint venture partner, Far East Hospitality, gives us the gateway to Asia and this is a perfect opportunity for us to ensure all of our hotels are featured in Asia from a rooms and MICE perspective,” she said.

“We also have a GSA in that market to deliver business into our Vibe Hotels, as well as our key MICE hotels in the TFE Hotels portfolio.”

At the time of the launch, over 1,300 delegates had attended a conference since it opened to the public in February.

Trampoline park bounds into the corporate market

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JUMP Street KL trampoline park will use its birthday wish on attracting more corporate business when it turns one year old next month.

Events manager, Azlan A Aziz, said the park’s operator Jump Street Malaysia is targeting to have at least 30 per cent of its business come from the corporate segment in 2016, compared to under 20 per cent now.

Jump Street KL is located in a renovated warehouse in Section 13, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, and equipped with 145 interconnected trampolines from the floor right up to the walls.

The venue can cater to corporate events of up to 500 people, such as teambuilding activities, product launch parties and family day outings.

Corporate packages can be customised to meet the company objectives, with refreshments and lunch provided for by Jump Café on the first floor.

In addition to the main play areas, there are three meeting rooms that can be joined to form one large space for up to 80 people in theatre seating. A second outlet, Jump Street Penang, opened in January 2015 and is located in Bayan Baru.

Azlan said the company plans to work with more event companies, local DMCs and PCOs, as well as do its own direct marketing to corporate companies.

The bulk of business now are birthday parties. “Our weekends are full of such events as well as locals who come here for a spot of fun. The corporate market is important to us as it will help to fill the place during weekdays.”

Corporate companies that have had their events here include Dell Malaysia, British American Tobacco Malaysia and SapuraKencana Petroleum.

“A trampoline park is still new to Malaysians but it is familiar among expatriates from the US and European markets, thus it is currently easier to market to multinational companies rather than local companies,” said Azlan.

To create greater awareness of its facility and offerings, Jump Street KL will organise a national trampoline dodge ball tournament at the end of 2015, its second after the November 2014 tournament that saw 16 teams participating.

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