CORPORATE groups looking for accommodation in Hong Kong may want to pay attention to JW Marriot Hotel Hong Kong’s ongoing package deal offering a 10 per cent discount.

Meeting organisers will receive a 10 per cent rebate on the final master bill as well as Triple Marriott Rewards Points with bookings for 10 or more guestrooms.

The deal is valid until March 31, 2015 for stays between now and August 31. The offer is available for new guestroom bookings without meetings or catering events, but subject to availability of rooms.

For more information call (852) 2841-3838.

AUSTRALIA can hardly contain its excitement at being the chosen destination for the Tupperware Indonesia Manager Incentive Trip 2015, and will welcome more than 4,000 delegates to the city of Melbourne.

Tupperware Indonesia’s top sales managers, team leaders and distributors will arrive in stages over February and March to enjoy a four-day programme. Some A$19 million (US$14.8 million) will be generated from this mega incentive.

To secure the bid, the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) joined hands with City of Melbourne and Tourism Australia to offer the Indonesian delegation a seamless, customised visa application process between travel agency Wita Tour and the Australian embassy.

The CVB also played middleman between the Indonesians and airlines. Besides that, it drew up an itinerary for the delegation, which comprises mostly women between the ages of 30 and 50, who enjoy shopping and sightseeing.

Tupperware Indonesia sales support manager, Agus Mustapa, said in a statement: “Melbourne was the clear standout. Aside from the endless attractions, thriving shopping culture, ease of access to regional areas, and reputation as a safe and friendly city, it also has the infrastructure necessary to accommodate large groups – great hotels, entertainment and attractions, and all in a city that is easy to get to, and easy to get around.”

AMWAY Japan has booked out Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa for 6D5N starting yesterday, to host this year’s highest incentive trip for the company’s 300 top sellers.

Amit Oberoi, general manager of Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa, told TTGmice e-Weeklythat part of the pitch presented to Amway Japan was “Sunglasses at Work” Meet by Design, a set of customised ideas for team activities and unconventional gala dinners set in unique locations within the 12.5ha resort.

Preparations for the big incentive group included translating all the resort’s directional signages, menus, promotions and other listings to Japanese. A pool of Japanese staff from different Shangri-La properties was also brought in for task force duty, especially for the front office, he added.

Planning for the coveted incentive event took two years.

Oberoi said Amway Japan chose Boracay based on its natural beauty and exotic location, plus “the presence of a Shangri-La property added more weight to that decision”.

The choice of Boracay is significant because while the island reaps accolades as one of the world’s best beaches, it remains an unfamiliar place for many Japanese, unlike the more popular Cebu.

THE sudden announcement of Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) Bangkok office end last month has caught the corporate travel community by surprise.

Welf Ebeling, regional director, GBTA Asia, will remain until the end of March to help GBTA transition its activities to China, where the association has hired operations manager Maggie Wu, based in Shanghai.

The association is moving away from organising conferences to “delivering business travel education and training”, said Michael McCormick, executive director and COO, GBTA.

“It has become clear that education must be our primary focus,” he said, adding it was an area where GBTA can clearly differentiate itself.

To that end, GBTA will expand localised education programmes to high-growth markets like Singapore and India, the way it has done in China in partnership with Fudan University.

Last August, GBTA also announced the creation of the GBTA China Education Fund (Gift of Knowledge), led by United Airlines.

Reacting to the news, a regional corporate travel manager in the IT sector, who declined to be named, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “I’m disappointed GBTA is closing the Bangkok office. I thought GBTA could do something for us in Asia-Pacific. I’m also surprised that GBTA is reducing its presence because as recently as October last year, we were discussing the vision for the region and what else GBTA can do.”

“Welf (Ebeling) has done a good job and I hope GBTA will continue to offer its certification programme in Asia to benefit a new generation of corporate travel managers.”

Agreeing, another regional corporate travel manager in the banking sector commented GBTA must continue to offer its certification programme in Asia as Hong Kong-based ACTE, the other corporate travel association in the market, does not.

DIRECT selling company Nu Skin has confirmed Sydney for its 2016 incentive, which is expected to inject A$50 million (US$39.3 million) into the New South Wales (NSW) economy, making it one of the largest incentive wins to hit Australian shores.

“It’s a milestone in the making,” said Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of Business Events Sydney’s (BESydney). “Sydney shines as a strategically important destination for Asian corporates looking to reward, motivate and inspire their top sales people. The city is a firm favourite for Asian companies, and this win is testament to this.”

The incentive will see Nu Skin’s qualifying sales people travel to Sydney for an exceptional five-day programme in April 2016. Delegates are expected to travel from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

The Nu Skin Greater China Success Trip bid involved the commitment and collaborative efforts of ‘Team Australia’ – BESydney, Destination NSW, Tourism Australia, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Sydney Airport Corporation worked together to secure this substantial piece of business.

Destination NSW’s CEO Sandra Chipchase said China was the number one inbound market for NSW and supporting BESydney’s efforts to win incentive groups from China was a central platform of Destination NSW’s China Tourism strategy.

“The NSW government aims to double overnight visitor expenditure by 2020 and events such as Nu Skin are central to delivering that result. Destination NSW was delighted to make a major commitment to Sydney’s bid to secure this record-breaking event for NSW.”

Tourism Australian managing director, John O’Sullivan, said: “Our team in China regularly supports bids such as the Nu Skin Greater China Incentive Programme 2016. Australia’s credentials for hosting large-scale events such as this are strong – and the fact that Nu Skin has chosen Australia for their upcoming event adds to this reputation. We look forward to continuing our partnership with BESydney to support this important incentive programme.”

“The business events we secure for Australia are major drivers of both the visitor and knowledge economies, and a magnet for global talent,” said Lewis-Smith. “We bid competitively to secure international conferences and meetings that bring the world’s best and brightest to Sydney to connect, collaborate and innovate.

“We currently have a number of Asian events worth a total A$87.3 million secured for Sydney and NSW from now until 2016,” she added.

In the last three years, 91 events from Asia have been held in NSW, contributing A$164.5 million to the economy. Last financial year, events delivered from Asia accounted for 40 per cent of BESydney’s overall number of events. Of these, one third was from China.

BRISBANE Marketing has appointed Rob Nelson as the chief of Brisbane Convention Bureau.

In his new role as general manager, conventions and business events, Nelson will focus on increasing national and international sales efforts including the sales team at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, and Tourism & Events Queensland.

Nelson joins Brisbane Marketing from an extensive career in major events, sport and general management consultancy. He was previously managing the marketing & commercial and group events roles for Events SA at the South Australian Tourism Commission.

INTO its ninth edition, IT&CM China 2015 will take place at a fresh venue in Shanghai this year.

Deemed the Pearl on the River, Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing (SHCEC) is located in the centre of Shanghai Changfeng Ecological Business District, surrounded by Suzhou River and adjacent to Hongqiao business area. SHCEC has a total area of 9,000m² of conference rooms, 16,000 m² of exhibition area, 5,000 m² of catering area and 800 underground parking lots.

Furthermore, three properties from the Marriott Group – JW Marriott Shanghai Changfeng Park, Renaissance Shanghai Yangtze Hotel and Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview – have partnered with IT&CM China as official hotels for over 400 hosted delegates.

At the same time, IT&CM China is expecting a 25 per cent increase in MICE suppliers and showcase at Thailand’s 60m² pavilion, which is fronted by Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and includes first-time participant Thailand Incentive and Convention Association.

On the motivation of returning with a larger presence, Vichaya Soonthornsaratoon, director of meetings, incentives and conventions department of TCEB, explained: “China has been one of Thailand’s top three market sources for MICE travellers for the past five years. In 2013, it rose to claim the number one spot. With such a strong performance record and bright prospects, we need to deepen our focus on China. Through our participation at IT&CM China, we will also create more opportunities for our Thai MICE suppliers to meet MICE buyers in China.”

More than 600 international and domestic buyers can be expected at the 2015 show, in addition to long-time exhibitors as well as new players such as Berlin Tourismus & Kongress and Business Events Australia.

Heike Mahmoud, CMP, director conventions of Berlin Tourismus & Kongress, said: “Our goal is to develop and expand our network in China and to promote Berlin’s diverse offers – the modern hotel landscape, the city’s exceptional incentives and high-class restaurants. With its good networking options, IT&CM China 2015 will be a great opportunity to intensify our cooperation with Chinese partners.”

Echoing her agreement is LC Tan, regional business director – Greater China, business events of Business Events Australia: “Trade events like IT&CM China have strategic importance to deepen and strengthen Australia’s relationship with Chinese buyers and business partners as well as create awareness for its trade engagement programme and tailored tools for the Chinese market.”

Over 600 international and Chinese buyers attended the 2014 event, of which some 490 came from the various regions of China. This surged the ratio of Chinese buyers to an all-time high of 70 per cent of the buyer delegation.

THE Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has announced the launch of the ASEAN Rising Trade Show (ART), as part of its strategy to strengthen the Thai international exhibition industry to drive the national economy in 2015.

Underlined by the Think Big, Go Beyond theme, the ART campaign is endorsed by the Thai Exhibition Association, and UFI also participated as one of the judging panels.

Speaking at the Thailand International Exhibitions and Events Forum 2015, Supawan Teerarat, TCEB’s vice president, strategic and business development, said: “The ART is a three-year programme running from 2015 to 2017. The criteria for participation in the programme includes exhibitions that are new and creative, promote business sustainability for trade fairs, demonstrate the growth of international participants from AEC countries and contribute to the growth of the trade fair industry.”

Highlighting five key industries – automotive, energy, food & agriculture, healthcare & wellness and infrastructure – the ART campaign also aligns with TCEB’s strategy to provide financial support for the selected international exhibitions while expanding ASEAN MICE Collaboration programme, initiated since 2011 with the aim to synergise local association-level organisations with the government sector, to capture new markets beyond the AEC to South China.

In 2015, TCEB expects to attract over 190,400 international exhibitions in Thailand to generate a revenue of 17 billion baht (US$521 million). The bureau is targeting over one million international MICE travellers to Thailand in 2015 to contribute over 106.8 billion baht to the Thai economy.

In the 2014 fiscal year, Thailand welcomed 919,164 MICE travellers, generating 80.8 billion baht in revenue to the national economy. Among these, 157,996 are business travellers in the exhibition sector with a revenue of 13.6 billion baht. The top five countries with buyers and visitors participating in Thai international exhibitions are Japan, Malaysia, China, Singapore and India respectively.

CARLSON Wagonlit Travel (CWT) today announced the official opening of its new centre in Manila, a state-of-the-art facility offering round-the-clock services to global clients and providing support for its worldwide infrastructure.

Douglas Anderson, president & CEO, CWT, said: “Manila’s reputation as having an excellent business climate for service organisations, its rich pool of qualified talent and inherent philosophy of customer service made it CWT’s first choice for our new centre. As we grow our business around the world, an efficient, customer-focused team is key to ensuring our clients’ travel needs are well-managed.”

The new facility includes a consolidated service centre providing internal support to CWT offices including recruitment and IT service desks; a global technology development team for products and tools; CWT’s global security and network operations centres, operating 24-7 to monitor and manage the performance of the company’s systems, data centres, networks, applications and security risks worldwide; and a centralised travel service centre.

Since it began operations in April 2014, the centre has already grown to 280 team members. Employees at the centre will also participate in a new global CWT training programme this year.

CWT has had a presence in the Philippines since the early 1980s when Rajah Travel joined the CWT network, providing travel services to CWT clients based in the Philippines. Rajah Travel will continue to provide services to CWT’s clients based in the country, while the new, expanded Manila office will support clients globally.

GLOBAL hotel solutions provider HRS Corporate has partnered risk management provider iJET International to roll out new booking tools that integrate its booking data into iJET’s Worldcue systems.

This new interface offers their joint clients improved risk management through the instant tracking and identification of employees and assessment of situations should they arise.

“With the world becoming more connected and global business travel increasing rapidly, multinational businesses are confronted with rapidly changing local risk scenarios. The company’s duty of care for their employees during business trips has become a prominent topic in recent years,” explained Todd Arthur, managing director for HRS in Asia-Pacific.

“It is the employers’ duty of care to protect their staff working around the world. This partnership with iJET, part of our end-to-end solutions, will allow our corporate clients to quickly respond to a crisis or emergent situation calmly and with confidence.”

The seamless integration of all HRS reservation data into iJET’s systems, which combine world-class threat intelligence with innovative technology and response services, will provide companies with a consolidated view of their employees on the road. This closes another gap in the process of value chain, keeping the organisation a step ahead in the domain of corporate travel agencies.

The systems integration will be available to all HRS Corporate and iJET joint clients upon request.