Biz Events Asia February-March 2017

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EL KWANG chief eDitorial officer co-owner el@bizeventsasia.com

DANIEL TAY Director, corporate Meetings & events

Destination asia singapore

danieltay@destination-asia.com

GINA sIN eDitor - Digital bea gina@bizeventsasia.com

NIchLAs MArATos vice presiDent, sales & MarKeting, asia pacific eXcluDing china (apec), Marriott international

nichlas.maratos@marriott.com

ThErEsA LEE event consultant

biz events asia is published by business & tourism publishing asia pte ltd 51a Kreta ayer road, singapore 089008 tel: +65 6337 8781 fax: +65 6337 9060 email: hello@bizeventsasia.com website: bizeventsasia.com

chief eDitorial officer co-owner | publisher el Kwang el@bizeventsasia.com

guest eDitors nichlas Maratos

contributing eDitor Jennifer salsbury

nichlas.maratos@ marriott.com

jennifer@imcconventionsolutions.com

Director geoff batt-rawden geoff@bizeventsasia.com

Daniel tay

writer ong wenli wenli@bizeventsasia.com

eDitor - Digital bea gina sin gina@bizeventsasia.com

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danieltay@destination-asia.com

theresa lee

office Manager rev Karunakaran rev@bizeventsasia.com Design anD proDuction piXo fanix@pixosolutions.com eDitorial & Design coorDinator chua Yi Kiat yikiat@bizeventsasia.com

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#FIRST WORD

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017

THE AMYGDALA OF FEAR

As we bided farewell to a tough 2016, we welcome the uncertainty that 2017 may bring. But, seriously, aren’t we used to unpredictability by now? Do we really fear the unknown?

surge in car travel and no politician mentioned that air travel was safer than driving that year. The increased road toll certainly did not command the level of attention as compared to the September 11 and Anthrax attacks.

French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne once said, “The thing I fear most is fear". Many may also agree with the saying “fear is crippling”. Don’t let fear fool you. Fear is powerful as it affects our perception, confidence, judgement and response. In business, the fear for the lack of revenue may affect the way we price products and services. Many a time, fear derails us from long-term goals for the sake of short-term objectives.

We should not let fear overrule facts, cripple business judgement and lose our logic. We must not let fear punish our staff to the extent of killing creativity and innovation.

We certainly will not let fear punish our customers with ill service attitudes that are price-driven instead of valuecreated.

Daniel Gardner’s book The Science of Fear mentioned the 2006 published work of Gerd Gigerenzer. A psychologist at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, Gigerenzer gathered data on travel and fatalities five years prior and after the September 11 World Trade Center attack in America. The fear of flying caused the shift from travelling on planes to cars for one year. This switch caused the number of road fatalities to soar for a year before it went back to normal levels.

The direct result of Americans getting killed on the road due to this switch was 1,595. “This is more than one-half the total death toll of history's worst terrorist atrocity. It is six times higher than the total number of people on board the doomed flights of September 11, and 319 times the total number of people killed by the infamous anthrax attacks in 2011,” wrote Gardner. There was no talk regarding the

A huge thanks goes to our guest editors who worked through the overarching themes during the year-end holiday period. Nichlas Maratos of Marriott International worked with us on practical key trends that may further spur creativity in the way you design events this year.

Singapore-based event consultant, Theresa Lee, and Destination Asia Singapore's Daniel Tay took on the new topic you have voted for – Buyers versus Sellers – and centred the sales negotiation debate on long-term relationships.

If you survived that last global financial crisis, we hope you give yourself the credit of being experienced in conquering fears and managing uncertainties. Don’t let fear deter you from getting things done and doing what you are good at!

We hope you enjoy this dual-month/dual-theme edition and be fearless in 2017.

Biz Events Asia is the official media partner and member of:

Our cover image features Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau's new campaign "Thailand CONNECT....

Your Vibrant Journey to Business Success"

SALES & MARKETING SINGAPORE OFFICE Michelle Choon Director of Marketing & Operations michellechoon@bizeventsasia.com

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES CHINA: Mary Yao Email: mary@mhichina.com Tel: +86 10 6551 5663 ext 8008

Michelle Lim Director of Business Solutions michelle@bizeventsasia.com

DUBAI: Rahul Sequeira Email: rahul.sequeira@themediavantage.com Tel: +971 56 693 1213

Charline Wong Campaign Manager charline@bizeventsasia.com

SOUTH KOREA: Alexander Paik Email: apcomm@naver.com Tel: +82 10 5042 1337

Visit us online for regular updates throughout the month: bizeventsasia.com Privacy Policy: Business & Tourism Publishing Asia is committed to managing your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act. For a copy of our Privacy Policy, please go to bizeventsasia.com/privacy Printed in Singapore by Sunrise Printing & Supplies Pte Ltd. Reg no. 199002858D PPS 1785/04/2013 (022963) MCI (P) 125/01/2016

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CHINA

Guangzhou International Travel Fair Guangzhou | February 2017

JAPAN

International Luxury Travel Market Tokyo | February 2017

HONG kONG

Asian Wealth Management Forum Hong Kong | February 2017

UAE

2nd International Conference in Fetal Medicine Abu Dhabi | February 2017

MAlAySIA

Customer Service and Public Relations Masterclass Kuala Lumpur | March 2017

SINGAPORE

DMWF Digital Marketing World Forum Singapore | February 2017

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COVER STORY

#CoverStory

Thailand ConneCT - your vibranT journey To buSineSS SuCCeSS

Business events in thailand are destined for success with a winning formula of exciting Bleisure destinations, Business opportunities and unparalleled service.

led by thailand convention and exhibition Bureau (tceB), thailand’s business events industry has expanded massively in recent years, benefiting from economic growth in the region and government policies. now at the peak of its success, this thriving industry hints at the boundless potential for the growth of business events in thailand. the nation has a proven track record for hosting global business events that is well supported by a network of professional operators and quality services. outstanding thai hospitality delivered by skilled professionals has been a key pillar in the success of the booming industry. thailand also sets

itself apart from the region with diverse destination options, each of which exudes a distinct charm and identity that keeps delegates engaged. its strategic location acts as a gateway to the asean region, opening doors and creating platforms that lead to partnerships and deals. organising an international business event is seamless with strong government support and an abundance of world-class venues and superb hotels. the ease of connectivity within and across countries also makes thailand a compelling choice for planners hosting business events within asia. tceB works strategically with thailand’s business events industry to drive growth, elevate standards and inspire creativity. its global outreach builds on its existing strengths to connect to international opportunities and promote thailand as the partner of choice for business events.

be inSpired by vibranT deSTinaTionS

thailand offers a diverse range of distinctive destinations and unconventional, world-class venues to suit any business event. from the “famous five mice cities”, Bangkok, phuket, chiang mai, pattaya and Khon Kaen to laidback Krabi or chiang rai, these destinations offer a cultural or historical journey that can also transform seamlessly into colourful bleisure destinations.

Find out the formula to a vibrant business event success in Thailand.

each of these destinations offers unique and impressive experiences. explore pre-imagined meeting themes like fascinating history and culture, treasured team building, exhilarating adventures, csr & green meetings, lavish luxury, culinary journeys and beach bliss. even with repeated visits, planners can easily create customised business events bundled with the myriad of exciting activities and sights to create an engaging and unforgettable bleisure experience for all delegates.

leverage reSourCeS for buSineSS opporTuniTieS

as a key member of the asean economic community (aec), thailand offers a leading marketplace that provides access to other major asian countries. this presents opportunities for international collaboration using thailand’s professional connections in the region as a dynamic platform. as a trade powerhouse for production and export, thailand has become a

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Editorial advisory board mEmbErs

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Janet Tan-Collis President | SACEOS CEO | East West Planners

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Damion Breust Head of Corporate Relations Asia Pacific Barclays

leading marketplace for exhibitions, drawing in international businesses as a result. under the asean collaboration initiative, tceB has helped to connect exhibitions with the global supply chain under the integrated market of the aec. the nation’s economic accomplishments and welcoming outlook are key factors in attracting a wide range of industry sectors. setting its sights on being the connectivity hub of asean, thailand is poised to be the gateway to related business organisations and international collaborations. tceB leads the development of advisory services and packages that helps mice players to connect and collaborate across a global network. the thailand 4.0 economic model is on track to propel the nation towards sustainable growth focusing on smart enterprises and high-value services. thailand’s burgeoning economy has placed a spotlight on its integration of digital ecosystems and the government’s support towards major industries namely automotive, food & agriculture, energy, health & wellness and infrastructure.

people aT The hearT of vibranT Thailand

the success of the business events industry in thailand has been supported by a network of dedicated, handson and capable professionals. thai hospitality with a remarkable can-do attitude ensures a smooth journey and success of every business event beyond expectations. the government supports an exciting generation of thai start-ups, faced with new challenges and possibilities, which are ready to drive business events in thailand to new heights.

hearTfelT SupporT froM The bureau tceB continues to provide extensive support to business events buyers through a series of support packages.

the “thailand connect welcome package” allows delegates and business travellers to have better access in Bangkok via free wifi throughout thailand, a complimentary Bts skytrain’s smartpass and special privileges at participating hotels and retail outlets situated within the ratchaprasong district. the “meet double cities” and “meet sustainable” packages offer up to thB100,000 (approximately usd2,793) in financial support for groups with more than 200 delegates per group that fulfil the respective packages’ criteria.

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Selina Chavry Global Managing Director Pacific World

Daniel Chua Managing Director AONIA MICE

Andrew Chan CEO | ACI HR Solutions

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SOUTH KOREA

Daegu Fashion Fair Daegu | March 2017

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017

ISSUE

THAILAND

Thai International Travel Fair Bangkok | February 2017

06 #SoundBites 08 #TakingTheLead 10 #FreshIdeas NEW!

12 #TopReadsOnline

NEW!

13 #TheVoiceCommunity

NEW!

14 #ThinkSpace

38 #DelveInto San Francisco

Game-changing ways to leave your heart in The Golden City

44 #DelveInto Fiji Why this archipelago in the South Pacific is seeing an Asian business boom

24 #TheTrendsEdition 2017's business event trends to re-design attendee engagement and experience

52 #TheBuyersVsSellers Edition

Bridge the differences and negotiate better through understanding perspectives

34 #DelveInto Malaysia AUSTRALIA

A collaborative spirit allowed critical association issues to be discussed at the 55th ICCA Congress in Sarawak

The Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) Melbourne | February 2017

Ho Yoke Ping General Manager Business Events Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB)

Deanna Varga Assistant Director Commercial & Visitor Services Australian National Maritime Museum

Max Jantasuwan Group Managing Director Events Travel Asia

Sumate Sudasna President | Thailand Incentive & Convention Association (TICA) MD | CDM Thailand

60 #Talent and Mentor 62 #Knowledge 64 #SoulSearching

Daniel Aswin Co-founder Absolutions

Neeta Lachmandas Executive Director The Institute of Service Excellence, Singapore Management University

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GLOBAL

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) has announced at its flagship annual Convening Leaders event in January 2017 the formation of Regional Advisory Boards for the EMEA and APAC regions to develop its presence in these markets. The Regional Advisory boards will act as a sounding board and provide feedback to guide PCMA with the rollout of educational products and services to the business events industry.

The advisory boards will be staffed on a volunteer basis with a membership term of 12 months and an option to extend for a further 12. The board will typically meet twice annually, once at the PCMA’s Convening Leaders event and another in the specific region. For the list of members on the advisory boards, search for article 2661 on www.bizeventsasia.com.

CHINA

NUMBERS

IT&CM China is set to offer a dedicated business events exhibition showcasing destinations, products and services across China and internationally from March 21-23, 2017. With exclusive presentations and briefings, it aims to make sourcing for event planners a breeze. 76 percent of exhibitors have been known to expect orders after the event. Planners can look forward to discovering a wide range of business event solutions and benefit from the educational sessions, which are curated for relevance by industry experts on salient topics impacting the industry.

This includes Campfire Knowledge Sessions, Association Days @ IT&CM China Forums, and more. Through a unique business matching system, up to 100 percent of business appointments can be scheduled ahead of the event to maximise discussions on the show floor (a USD170 million procurement value has been generated on the show floor). Hosting places are now being offered to Chinese and international buyers, which covers flight and accommodation for fully-hosted buyers.

11.7%

The percentage of increase in average room rate for hotels in Tokyo from 2015 to 2016. The rise in room rate is expected to continue until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Source: HRS Hotel Price Radar: 2016 Year in Review

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JAPAN The Japan National Tourism Organization has launched a special reward programme for incentives held on the island of Kyushu. Located in the southernmost part of the Japanese archipelago, eligible events can receive a choice of free cultural experiences showcasing the local culture of Kyushu, including a traditional Miyazaki folk entertainment and local sake tasting.

For more venue and updates on what to experience in Japan, search for article 2666 on the Biz Events Asia website.

SINGAPORE The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) recently went through several board changes, including the appointment of a new Chairman. Chaly Mah, former Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia and former Chairman of Deloitte Singapore, has taken over from Chew Choon Seng as the Chairman of STB. Chew stepped down after completing a six-year tenure. For the full list of new board members and the profile of the new Chairman, search for article 2668 on the Biz Events Asia website.

SOUTH AFRICA Sisa Ntshona, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South African Tourism, has reinforced the importance of the business events industry to the continent’s economy during the announcement of Meetings Africa 2017 earlier in January. Taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from February 27 to March 1, the trade show is expected to welcome over 30 hosted buyers from Asia and 50 association buyers in Africa to meet with exhibitors from several African countries.

South Africa is also currently seeing an increase in corporate meetings from Singapore, a growing sophistication of Asian incentive travel buyers, in particular an increasing interest from the Indian incentive travel market, rising above China.

South Africa has also won the rights to host the 84th UFI Global Congress, to be held from November 1 – 4, 2017.

Biz Events Asia will be attending Meetings Africa 2017. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for insights and updates from the show.

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ConneCt with nature Considered as one of the nearest prefectures to Tokyo, Japan, and just an hour away by rail, Ibaraki Prefecture is attracting groups seeking authentic teambuilding experiences through agritourism. Participants can engage in farming activities, buy produce at a farmers’ market, navigate a corn maze, slop hogs, interact and feed other farm animals, pick

fruits, and more. Ibaraki also has a long history of planting crops used to make Japanese traditional paper called Washi.

These were made for the months when the weather was too cold for the farmers to work outside. Groups can also enjoy a traditional barbecue lunch, known as Hiryori, in a traditional and old-fashioned grass (Kayabuki) house after visiting the Fukuroda Falls.

Hitachi seaside park in Ibaraki

roCk and roll The new Rock and Roll Team Building workshop provides the opportunity for business event delegates to learn to sing as part of a choir; write a song with the theme of the event or a business objective; or volunteer to become “rock stars” dressing up as famous rock and roll singers.

Workshops are led by Ciaran Gribbin, a Grammy nominated songwriter and the most recent lead singer to tour the world with renowned Australian band, INXS.

Halloween-themed party at CulinaryOn

Culinary on point Located in the heart of Singapore’s central business district, CulinaryOn offers team bonding events for up to 200 people. Active cooking games will challenge teams to explore their creativity and bring about positive emotions as they share a memorable culinary experience. Four rooms and a conference hall come equipped with audio and visual equipment. CulinaryOn can also provide a wide range of tasty options for business events: appetisers to welcome guests, a professional photographer to capture memories, aprons with company logo and door gifts, show programmes and a disco with a professional DJ.

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HeRe aRe SoMe oF tHe MoSt populaR ReaDS on tHe Biz eventS aSia’S weBSite.

MiSSeD any oF tHeSe aRtiCleS? FRet not. we Have alSo inDiCateD tHe aRtiCle CoDe wHiCH you Can Do a SeaRCH FoR on www.bizeventsAsiA.com.

neW general Manager appointeD for the St. regiS Kuala luMpur the newly appointed general manager at the St. Regis Kuala lumpur brings more than a decade of experience in asia’s luxury hospitality industry, and was most recently the hotel manager at the St. Regis Bangkok.

the Meaning of truSt in the Collaborative eConoMy Guest speaker Rachel Botsman at the pCMa Convening leaders 2017 conference spoke about the power of collaboration and trust enabled by technologies, and gave audiences much to ponder about trust in the digital age.

Article code: 2646

Article code: 2657

What’S neW anD upCoMing in auStralia Following a short video introduction on the latest business event activities in australia, we bring you an extended list of upcoming events, venue updates, and more in the land down under.

Article code: 2662

Japan’S venue booM anD other inCentive iDeaS this hardworking nation does not stop. From a new reward programme for incentive groups to new cultural experiences and heritage venues, here are some of Japan’s latest updates in the business events sector.

Article code: 2666

Sofitel Singapore City Centre appointS DoSM Set to open in the second quarter of 2017, the 222-room Sofitel Singapore City Centre has announced the appointment of Freddy See as Director of Sales & Marketing. See will be responsible for all matters pertaining to sales at the flagship property of Sofitel Hotels & Resorts in Singapore, including marketing, catering and conference services and corporate, group, and leisure rooms.

Article code: 2667

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Article code: 2650 ThE VOicE cOMMuniTy iS A plATFOrM FOr prOFESSiOnAlS in ThE buSinESS EVEnTS induSTry TO VOicE OpiniOnS ThAT MATTErS MOST TO ThEM, WiTh An AiM TO iMprOVE ThE SEcTOr’S lEVEl OF STAndArdS. hErE, WE rOund up SOME OF ThE lATEST cOnTribuTiOnS. FOr MOrE OpiniOn piEcES, ViSiT ThE VOicE cOMMuniTy On www.bizeventsAsiA.com.

HealtHy Meetings: tHe new green Alexander French, the Education and Editorial Manager of the World Obesity Federation, writes about how associations have become increasingly aware of the possible negative health impact of events and meetings. Strapped for time, delegates all too frequently opt for snacks and junk food – a problem compounded by the fact that they spend most of their time sitting down, with opportunities to exercise often being scarce. More and more associations are therefore opting for “healthier” venues – those which avoid this common pitfall by making it easier to exercise and eat well.

Article code: 2595

basic ideas for building a great event app Selene chin, Managing director of pico pixel, a digital studio with a mission to progress businesses and create people-centric experiences through data, shares some of the key considerations to note before creating an event app. When done correctly, it can become a tool to extend your event experience. used right, they can initiate conversations, extend engagement, and build affinity with your brands and products.

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tHe stubborn iMportance of englisH in asia’s Mice industry When a delegate who has just got off a 12-hour flight asks for directions or information on the venue, they have less patience for service staff that are unable to provide them with the information they need in a timely and accurate manner. david Topolewski, chief Executive Officer of Qooco, which provides mobile language learning and vocational training solutions for employees in the hospitality and service industries, discusses the importance of effective communication in securing repeat guests and customers for hotels and MicE venues – you cannot separate language from service.

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N e w Ve n u e s

01 ANTWERP

The Flanders Meetings & Conventions Centre (FMCCA) has officially launched its new convention centre in Antwerp and A Room with a ZOO. Located within one of the world’s best preserved and award winning 19th century zoo, all proceeds from commercial activities in the Centre will go entirely into operating the parks and the Centre for Research and Conservation. Both Brussels and Antwerp international airports are close by, with the railway station just next door.

FMCCA is a low environmental impact, sustainable and low energy consumption venue with the latest technical facilities and equipment. Antwerp itself offers over 4,600 hotel rooms within walking distance from FMCCA.

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AUSTRALIA

The Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney has opened a new conference centre, with capacity for 120 seated guests or up to 200 cocktail-style. The conference centre features its own separate entrance and a mezzanine level with three executive meeting and breakout rooms and an outdoor terrace with views over Pyrmont Bay towards Barangaroo. The museum offers a range of other unique event spaces including the Lighthouse Gallery, seating up to 400 guests banquet-style; the deck of ex-naval destroyer, which can host 200 guests cocktail-style; and a replica of Captain Cook’s vessel HMB Endeavour, for smaller events of 70 people cocktail-style or a private banquet for 12 people.

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MALAYSIA

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YTL Hotels has unveiled two Autograph Collection Hotels in Kuala Lumpur. Marking the brand’s entry into Malaysia, The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur opens as the first Autograph Collection Hotel in Southeast Asia. The second Autograph Collection Hotel operated by YTL Hotels is Hotel Stripes Kuala Lumpur. The chic and stylish Hotel Stripes Kuala Lumpur draws inspiration from the history and heartbeat of its local neighbourhood. As a member of Autograph Collection, it features a distinctive vibe and character with a different perspective on the local scene that is mixed with edge and adventure.

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05 CHINA

INDIA

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has opened Radisson Blu Coimbatore in the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, known as the “Manchester of South India” due to its industrial activity, extensive textile mills and surrounding cotton fields. Centrally located on Avinashi Road and seven kilometres away from Coimbatore International Airport and Coimbatore Junction, the city’s primary railway station, the hotel is also close to textile and engineering industries, educational institutions and multi-specialty hospitals.

Offering 135 rooms and suites, the hotel also provides an array of meeting spaces including a 9,400 sq ft (873.3 sq m) banquet hall with additional pre-function area and a lawn for pre-event entertainment.

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The 344-room Songbei Shangri-La has opened in the fabled city of ice – Harbin, marking Shangri-La’s second debut in this north-eastern city 18 years after the group opened the Shangri-La Hotel, Harbin, in 1999. The new property anchors Shangri-La in the heart of Songbei’s business district and in a historic city that has witnessed the dawn of the Jin (1115-1234) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, as well as cultural influences from neighbouring Russia. The hotel’s extensive meeting facilities include Songbei’s largest pillar-less ballroom, which covers 1,616 sq m and seats up to 1,000 guests for receptions, and an additional ballroom at 408 sq m and two function rooms.

OMAN

Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort has opened its doors as the highest five-star resort in the Middle East, perched 2,000 metres above sea level on the curving rim of a great canyon. The resort is a two-hour drive from Muscat International Airport or four and a half hours’ drive from Dubai, taking guests past date plantations, historic forts and dry riverbeds known locally as wadis.

The resort echoes the fortified architecture of the region, ensconcing guests in modern ramparts inspired by the commanding mountain citadels and reimagined with sophisticated contemporary interiors. Event planners should take advantage of its dramatic views to stage their events, conferences and team building activities.

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V e n u e s w i th a d i ffe re nce

Casa Gessi

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This venue on Penang Road in Singapore is a protected conservation house and one of the very few remaining Victorian mansions in the city that dates back to the 19th century. This project involved the restoration of a two-storey Victorian building that sits on land that was once a nutmeg estate owned by Dr. Thomas Oxley back in the Colonial era. The meeting room on the second level, which accommodated up to 12 people, comes together with an outdoor section where attendees can take a breather and recharge.

Piedra NeGra

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Tucked along the alley of Haji Lane in Singapore, this multi-coloured bar boasts authentic Mexican cuisine and excellent margaritas. Ideal for a laid-back networking event or post-event drinks, Piedra Negra can host up to 70 standing and 35 sitting.

deCK

MilliaN siNGaPore

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Located in St James PowerStation, Millian Singapore is a multi-functional venue for live concert, product launches, company parties and private events. Equipped with the latest sound and AV system, Millian offers a whole new experience, energy and vibe for every event.

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Located in the arts and heritage district, DECK is a modular site in Singapore that offers an inspiring and stimulating environment to host a variety of events and activities all year round. This unique venue in Singapore is an independent art space launched with a mission to support and nurture the community of photography enthusiasts in Singapore and Southeast Asia. DECK’s three gallery spaces and an outdoor courtyard are available for hire for product launches, corporate events and exhibitions, accommodating up to 200 standing and 100 sitting.

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Frankfurt 16–18 May 2017

We’ve all grown stronger through collaboration

What is IMEX? Each May, event planners from around the world come to IMEX in Frankfurt to meet with destinations, hotels, venues and suppliers. It’s an ideal opportunity to do business, make new contacts, and catch up with what’s new in the meetings industry.

Working together for 15 years IMEX in Frankfurt is built in collaboration with our extensive family of partners. Be they strategic, industry, association, education, media or travel, our worldwide network means that when visitors come to our show, they can meet face to face with the best of the global meetings industry under one roof.

Let’s shake hands Thousands of partnerships are born at IMEX each year.

So if you’re looking to breathe new life into your events, come to IMEX to meet the right people and be inspired.

Go online for IMEX in Frankfurt highlights and recommendations from our partners.

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Registration is open and free.

We look forward to seeing you there.

The worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events.

imex-frankfurt.com #IMEX17

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+ #DeALS

Visit www.bizeventsasia.com/deals for more deals online

the Mira hong kong hong kong

Book your event with accommodation at Hong Kong’s tech-friendly design hotel pioneer from now until March 31, 2017 to enjoy a host of compelling privileges, including complimentary Wi-Fi for all meeting rooms, an upgrade of the sixth room for every five rooms booked, and more. A full-day package start from HKD820 (approximately USD105.7), while a half-day package start from HKD680.

Tel: +852 2315 5688 Email: mice@themirahotel.com

Mercure pattaya ocean resort thailand

Mercure Pattaya Ocean Resort, located in a prime location in north Pattaya with direct access to the beach, is now offering attractive meeting packages. A full-day meeting package starts from THB850 (approximately USD23.6) nett per person including two coffee breaks and one lunch. A half-day meeting package starts from THB650 nett per person including one coffee break and one lunch.

Tel: +66 38 769 688 E-mail: H8889-SL@accor.com

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le Meridien kuala luMpur

the st. regis singapore

Spanning over a total of 1,300 sq m, the ballroom and function rooms are graced with stately street names from the city’s colonial past to invoke a rediscovery of an old world charm. For events from now until March 31, 2017, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur is offering a full-day meeting package from MYR240 (approximately USD53.9) ++ per person, and a half-day meeting package from MYR220++ per person. This is valid for a minimum of 10 delegates.

The St. Regis Singapore invites meeting and event planners to join the hotel’s efforts in building a better environment.

Its sustainable meeting offer allows you to go green and contributes to the venue’s plans for more eco-conscious corporate events. A full-day package with lunch and two coffee breaks is at SGD108 (approximately USD78) ++ per person per day. A half-day package with lunch and one coffee break is at SGD95++ per person per day.

Tel: +65 6730 0138 Email: geekee.tan@lemeridien.com

Tel: +65 6506 6842 E-mail: events.singapore@stregis.com

Malaysia

singapore

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A NEW DIRECTION

Our attention turns eastward to the second stage of our redevelopment, the East Building launch in 2017.

The fruition of the $400 million investment will significantly increase capacity and enhance the versatility of the Centre across three distinct, but interconnected buildings along the Riverbank. The East Building replaces the original plenary building (home of the first Convention Centre in Australia in 1987) with a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art facility with plenary capacity of up to 3,500 seats. The redeveloped Centre is set in the heart of the Riverbank Precinct which is rapidly evolving to create a new hub for Adelaide, incorporating ‘BioMed City’ - health and medical research centres, educational institutions, sport and entertainment facilities. The East Building launch also marks the completion of the entire facility and heralds a ‘new direction’ and new possibilities for the Adelaide Convention Centre.

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#CoverStory

Thailand ConneCT - your vibranT journey To buSineSS SuCCeSS

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Business events in thailand are destined for success with a winning formula of exciting Bleisure destinations, Business opportunities and unparalleled service.

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Led by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Thailand’s business events industry has expanded massively in recent years, benefiting from economic growth in the region and government policies. Now at the peak of its success, this thriving industry hints at the boundless potential for the growth of business events in Thailand.

The nation has a proven track record for hosting global business events that is well supported by a network of professional operators and quality services. Outstanding Thai hospitality delivered by skilled professionals has been a key pillar in the success of the booming industry. Thailand also sets

itself apart from the region with diverse destination options, each of which exudes a distinct charm and identity that keeps delegates engaged.

Its strategic location acts as a gateway to the ASEAN region, opening doors and creating platforms that lead to partnerships and deals. Organising an international business event is seamless with strong government support and an abundance of world-class venues and superb hotels. The ease of connectivity within and across countries also makes Thailand a compelling choice for planners hosting business events within Asia.

TCEB works strategically with Thailand’s business events industry to drive growth, elevate standards and inspire creativity.

Its global outreach builds on its existing strengths to connect to international opportunities and promote Thailand as the partner of choice for business events.

Be inspired By viBrant destinations

Thailand offers a diverse range of distinctive destinations and unconventional, world-class venues to suit any business event. From the “Famous Five MICE Cities”, Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Khon Kaen to laidback Krabi or Chiang Rai, these destinations offer a cultural or historical journey that can also transform seamlessly into colourful bleisure destinations.

Each of these destinations offers unique and impressive experiences.

Explore pre-imagined meeting themes like fascinating history and culture, treasured team building, exhilarating adventures, CSR & green meetings, lavish luxury, culinary journeys and beach bliss.

Even with repeated visits, planners can easily create customised business events bundled with the myriad of exciting activities and sights to create an engaging and unforgettable bleisure experience for all delegates.

Leverage resources for Business opportunities

As a key member of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Thailand offers a leading marketplace that provides access to other major Asian countries. This presents opportunities for international collaboration using Thailand’s professional connections in the region as a dynamic platform.

As a trade powerhouse for production and export, Thailand has become a

leading marketplace for exhibitions, drawing in international businesses as a result. Under the ASEAN collaboration initiative, TCEB has helped to connect exhibitions with the global supply chain under the integrated market of the AEC. The nation’s economic accomplishments and welcoming outlook are key factors in attracting a wide range of industry sectors. Setting its sights on being the connectivity hub of ASEAN, Thailand is poised to be the gateway to related business organisations and international collaborations. TCEB leads the development of advisory services and packages that helps MICE players to connect and collaborate across a global network.

The Thailand 4.0 economic model is on track to propel the nation towards sustainable growth focusing on smart enterprises and high-value services.

Thailand’s burgeoning economy has placed a spotlight on its integration of digital ecosystems and the government’s support towards major industries namely automotive, food & agriculture, energy, health & wellness and infrastructure.

peopLe at the heart of viBrant thaiLand

The success of the business events industry in Thailand has been supported by a network of dedicated, handson and capable professionals. Thai hospitality with a remarkable can-do attitude ensures a smooth journey and success of every business event beyond expectations.

The government supports an exciting generation of Thai start-ups, faced with new challenges and possibilities, which are ready to drive business events in Thailand to new heights.

heartfeLt support froM the Bureau TCEB continues to provide extensive support to business events buyers through a series of support packages.

The “Thailand CONNECT welcome package” allows delegates and business travellers to have better access in Bangkok via free WiFi throughout Thailand, a complimentary BTS Skytrain’s SmartPass and special privileges at participating hotels and retail outlets situated within the Ratchaprasong District.

The “Meet Double Cities” and “Meet Sustainable” packages offer up to THB100,000 (approximately USD2,793) in financial support for groups with more than 200 delegates per group that fulfil the respective packages’ criteria.

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AdvertoriAl

CulturalGEMS UNEARTHED Walk through these heritage precincts and discover a different side of singapore.

Take a step away from the towering skyscrapers and glittering shopping streets to explore Singapore’s many distinctive neighbourhoods. Singapore’s diverse ethnic groups and unique multicultural heritage is embodied in the charming precincts and colourful suburbs, each with its own distinct character and charm.

From prominent attractions to quaint enclaves, every street and alley has a different story to share. Each district offers an insightful piece of Singapore’s history and showcases living traditions that are steeped in heritage. Between the dazzling selection of food, architecture, arts and festivals, there is always something new to discover.

Singapore’s diversity. Connect over team building activities with an interactive, local twist while learning more about the city’s thriving cultures.

Each of these itineraries is located conveniently in the city and can be easily customised for corporate groups to fully immerse in this melting pot of cultures.

tour: spice trail @ little india by crave! singapore

Little India

This interactive walking trail explores one of the liveliest parts of Singapore, bringing participants through a gastronomic journey that appeals to all senses. Explore the spice stalls at Tekka Centre to learn about each ingredient’s unique properties and sample some traditional sweet desserts. Visit a before heading to Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in Singapore.

Finally, participants can put their spice lessons to the test by indulging in a sumptuous North Indian meal that includes Mutton Korma (spiced sauce), Butter duration: 3.5 hours | capacity: 20 pax Website: www.cravesingapore.com

team building: Bollywood dancing Workshop by Bolly dancing studio The Bollywood Dancing Workshop offers a whole new team building experience that includes snazzy dance moves, a full cardio workout and plenty of fun. Participants are taught basic Bollywood dance moves or can experiment with other fusion routines incorporating Latin or jazz dance. The energetic workshop inspires creativity, placing participants in groups to work together to create their own unique choreography. duration: 2 hours | capacity: 25 pax Website: www.bollydancing.com.sg

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Tour: Good Morning, Ni Hao by Tour East Singapore

Chinatown

Take in the sights and smells of Chinatown in the early morning with a walking tour through a traditional “wet” market. Observe the interaction between the stall owners and locals as they bargain for fresh produce. The adventure continues with an introduction to local spices and a hunt for exotic ingredients such as century egg. The walk through Chinatown also reveals traditional craft shops and heritage shops selling herbs and pastries. The morning tour through Chinatown ends on a sweet note with refreshing local desserts.

Duration: 3 hours | Capacity: Minimum of 2 pax Website: www.toureast.net

Team building: Village Drama Mama by Village Singapura

Set comfortably in a shophouse designed to bring participants back to the 1930s, Village Singapura® engages and entertains through a series of role playing games. Split into groups, participants will work together to act out a team challenge. Incorporating elements of Singapore’s varied cultures, these games involve preparing Teh Tarik (“pulled” milk tea), Chinese paper-cutting and perfecting hand gestures used in Indian dance. Participants are encouraged to challenge themselves and bond through an interactive theatrical experience that can be customised to typical work scenarios.

Duration: 3 hours | Capacity: 300 pax Website: www.villagesingapura.com

Tour: Little Nonya Kitchen by Crave! Singapore

Joo Chiat

The Peranakan trail travels through the Katong-Joo Chiat district that features heritage shophouses, traditional eateries interspersed with hip cafes and carefully restored buildings housing quaint boutique hotels.

Enjoy a hands-on lesson on Popiah (paper-like crepe stuffed with cooked participants get to sample the dishes and pick up secret recipes. Visit a epicurean trail, visit and compare between Chin Mee Chin Confectionery and Peranakan cakes. The epic gourmet journey concludes at the Peranakan Inn with an authentic Nonya lunch.

Duration: 3.5 hours | Capacity: 20 pax Website: www.cravesingapore.com

Team building: Peranakan Beadwork Workshop by Kim Choo Fashion designer Raymond Wong will teach the basic concepts of Peranakan beadwork and the technique required to create a traditional kasut manek (Peranakan beaded slipper). The intricately beaded slippers are conventionally worn by Nonya women with a Sarong Kebaya (traditional Peranakan blouse and skirt) to complete their opportunity to create a small beaded design that they can bring home.

Duration: 1.5 hours | Capacity: 30 pax Website: www.kimchoo.com For more exciting Singapore experiences for corporate groups, visit www.yoursingapore.com/mice/m&i-experiences or email secb@stb.gov.sg FEB-MAR 2017

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#TheTrendsEdition

CAPTURING HEARTS LEVERAGE ON FOUR KEY TRENDS TO REDESIGN EVENT EXPERIENCES THAT HAVE THE PARTICIPANTS’ INTERESTS AT HEART. WORDS: EL KWANG, NICHLAS MARATOS PHOTOS: CHUA YI KIAT

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Experiential and Communityfocused Events

Event participants are expected to be more selective with the events they attend. The American Express Meetings and Events (AMEX M&E) 2017 Global Meetings and Events Forecast estimated that one-fifth of all global travellers, meeting owners and suppliers are looking for ways to appeal to the millennials who make up a growing and significant portion of meeting attendees. If the demographics of your participants are getting younger or a key event objective is to have deeper crossgeneration engagement, consider making your event more experiential and community-focused.

According to Adult Learning Australia, an organisation that specialises in Andragogy, adult learners want to be engaged in life-centred or problemcentred learning experiences. They want to learn what will help them to perform tasks or deal with problems they see in their lives now. Adult learners: apply to their lives, jobs, etc. learning. useful to them.

Community-foCusEd

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or be felt with the heart.”

Helen Keller

The 2017 Meetings and Events Forecast

ExpEriEntial Invest in quality event production and programme design that engage all five senses. Instead of a sit-down passive learning experience, have participants involved in the event. For example, interacting with products would allow them to solve organisational problems in smaller discussion groups. Utilise a virtual reality head gear for an augmented reality product presentation.

and inspirational themes into your events such as charitable efforts and sustainability. “Go local” experiences have proven to add substantial learning values to incentive programmes. For example, visiting a sustainable project in Thailand can let participants understand how rice straw and husk can be turned into biomass materials. Above that, how this project creates jobs and provides better knowledge in materials that otherwise will be treated as polluted waste.

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#TheTrendsEdition

TREnD

02

Event participants, like consumers, want their opinions heard. They care and they want to be part of the solution. Although controversial, The Learning Pyramid has indicated that humans learn best through participatory methods like teaching others, practise by doing and in-group discussions. To curate a conversationbased event experience, you must focus on producing (or harvesting) the content, be creative in the set up and use technology in optimising communication efforts.

ConTEnT is king, so is harvEsTing iT! Similar to design, the content must be tailored to the target audience.

Above all, it must be well-researched, fact-based and up to date. Although it sounds overwhelming in times of shrinking budgets and resources, here are some ways of harvesting your content:

-

-

understands your industry and who can turn around materials timely and at your direction. This will free time up from your busy schedule to manage internal expectations and the approval process whilst the writer is focused on content quality. what content your event needs and curate your content through: - Past event surveys.

- Sourcing agenda from target audience (case studies, areas of concerns, frustrations).

- Identifying key persons from the list of registered participants and engage them in mini

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Conversationbased Event Design

brainstorming sessions that are filmed and shared via social media.

Record subject matter experts.

Universities and independently paid research companies.

Social media channels like LinkedIn, YouTube videos and TED.com videos.

Trade and other valid news channels and websites that propagate usable content.

Content you have previously paid to create.

Sales and marketing language.

collect are combinations of text, image, audio and video. through: - Editing and repurposing.

- Forming the key language for your content.

- Conducting further interviews. the harvested content. post harvesting in all suitable channels. social media using dedicated hashtags.

during and post-event. Also use it as inspiration for the set-up.

kEy To dEsign Once the event objective is decided and the content is created, consider stepping out of traditional meeting setups like classroom or theatre style.

Try an informal set up that change

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21-23 March 2017 3HANGHAI s #HINA

Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing

$ISCOVER ! 7IDE 2ANGE /F -)#% Solutions And Destinations Proven to showcase the widest range of destinations from across China and around the World &/#53 /. 4(% #().! -!2+%4 A dedicated MICE exhibition showcasing destinations, products, and services across China and internationally, with exclusive presentations and briefings that make sourcing a breeze.

76% of Exhibitors Expect Orders After The Event

3/52#).' %&&)#)%.#9 Through our unique business matching system, up to 100% of your business appointments can be scheduled ahead of the event to maximize your discussions on the show floor.

USD 170 Million Procurement Value Generated On The Show Floor

+./7,%$'% '/!,3 Educational sessions curated for relevance by industry experts on salient topics impacting the industry.

Benefit from the Opening Keynote Address, Campfire Knowledge Sessions, Association Days @ IT&CM China Forums and more!

.%47/2+).' /00/245.)4)%3 Explore new collaborations and ideas with key industry players in hosted functions, dinners, cocktails and tours.

Daily Networking Events Guaranteed!

(/34).' 02/'2!--% Hosting places are offered to our best Chinese and International Buyers, covering flight and accommodation for fully-hosted buyers.

More Than 400 Hosting Places Available!

I enjoyed lots of opportunities to exchange views with industry peers, establish a platform for cooperation and seek common development through the pre-show appointment system. I benefitted tremendously from the educational forums during the event!

6)-%) 4/523 #/ ,4$ #().!

Managing Director | Vicki Zhang-Lehne

I am glad that our participation in IT&CM China was very fruitful as we were able to confirm partnerships with several suppliers.

I have broadened my business contacts by interacting and exchanging information with many different participants at the event.

)#/- ).4%2.!4)/.!, #(2)34)!. /2'!.)3!4)/. /& 4(% -%$)!

37)4:%2,!.$ Secretary General | Jof Calstas

04 -5,4) (/,)$!9 ).$/.%3)!

Managing Director | Rudy Techrisna Satyadi

Associations | PCOs | PEOs | AMCs | Agencies | Meeting Planners | Incentive Houses Register Here For Priority Hosting Consideration

www.itcmchina.com/hostme/bizevent Event Website: www.itcmchina.com | Email: itcmchina@ttgasia.com | Tel: (65) 6395 7575

Supported By

:

Official Media

:

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Follow Us On WeChat For The Latest Updates WeChat ID: )4#-#(

Onsite Technology Partner

22/1/17 3:06 pm

#TheTrendsEdition

a casE study CrEaTing ConvErsaTions In July 2016,

started

we base ourselves in a different location. This concept was created for the team as we had the desire to create new conversations beyond the ones we have during the work week. We also wanted to think differently hoping that the shifting of our mindsets will generate new ideas.

“Meetings are about the ‘mental chemistry’ that humans are capable of creating and sensing.

They are about the incredible and fascinating processes that can take place between individuals and groups of human beings at lightning speed and at levels often beyond consciousness.”

Eric dE Groot and MikE van dEr vijvEr Founders, Mind Meeting.

delegates (passive) into participants (active) for better outcomes. For example: smart dress code as business attire often insinuates a serious agenda. by having them create their own space in smaller teams. Like in rounds of chairs for discussion purposes.

In addition, have them suggest one that contributes to the source of the challenge. the lower management and newer generation of talent, have them lead the groups in discussion whilst senior management scribe out key action points and facilitate necessary resources for the agreed actions. schedule, have the facilitators from the breakout sessions pitch their sessions to the audience at the end of the plenary session under two minutes. The breakout session with the most participants get to design

FEEL GOOD VIBES Meeting organisers are always on the lookout for creative ways to conduct team building, especially one that keeps participants relaxed

entertain the participants during breaks to keep the day light and friendly.

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Here are some of the locations we used: Sentosa Cove where we gained current insights of the hospitality industry, allowing us to better understand how planners and hoteliers work. the organising committee of The Gang Charity event and raised enough money to purchase 1,000 pairs of shoes for under-privileged children. We also experienced a made-from-scratch cooking experience that gave us better understanding of the importance of a good food source.

BEA Office Anywhere, W Singapore Gang Charity

Singapore, where we got to know Singapore’s cultural and art scene better, encouraging us to be creative.

The direct result of #OfficeAnywhere was the creation of our new brand DigitalBEA. The new brand sparked our new approach in digital marketing and social media engagement. It also led to the creation of The “Voice” Community of our brand new website where the industry can self-publish an opinion or thought leadership article.

matter how wonderful a space or environment, we all get `tired’ of seeing and experiencing the same thing on a daily basis. Hence, the challenge is the consistent reinvention of the space which we live and work in.

That’s the motivation behind moving furniture around, switching art pieces around and the change of music to give the space we are familiar with that little spark to inspire and recharge.” To boost creativity and productivity, the team will be whisked to a mysterious location every other month.

such as mobile apps, registration systems, and more has emerged as part of at least a third of policies, from 31 percent in Central and South America to 47 percent in Asia.

Book a venue with the right technological capabilities and connectivity bandwidth. It is better to pay for the right bandwidth than to compromise on the quality of the connectivity. Here are several ways to enhance your event success with an event app:

like easy-to-read articles in bullet points that will contribute to meeting the event objective. communicate and exchange ideas via the app. pre-conference coffee ordering and other services that will make the arrival experience stress-free and easy. use the app during the event.

For example, reward the top five pre-event users at the opening

through accessing an “early bird” registration discount through the app.

wifi connection at the venue.

Technological communicaTions

through the app prior to the event.

anonymous voting, questioning and surveying. Or even as a channel to download important information from the respective sessions.

that the use of meeting technologies

games via the app.

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TREnD

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Responsible Food According to the CWT M&E report, food and beverage is a key trend in 2017. Recent years saw venues offering innovative menu; that are healthier, boost more energy through superfoods and delectable farm-to-plate concepts.

The concern for quality food source has global event planners looking into environmental impacts (buying from local farmers instead of importing ingredient), community impacts (how their event spend generates income for the local community) and scientific impacts (against the use of additives, hormones and genetically modified foods). Venues that offer responsible food will have sufficient detailed information to assist you in making the correct choices.

One venue that is making a positive impact on the community and environment is the newly opened ICC Sydney. Its food sourcing policies give them direct access to local farmers without going through a middleman (food distribution companies). The community of farmers gain better understanding of the centre’s needs and focuses on producing the amount needed throughout seasonality of the weather and the centre’s business.

Chef David King, the Director of Culinary for both Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and The St. Regis Macao is a major advocate of sourcing sustainable foods and giving guests the opportunity to choose from a variety of healthy dishes.

El Kwang & nichlas Maratos

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“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.”

Chef Paul Prudhomme

“We need to know where our food comes from and who hunts it, fishes for it or grows it for our kitchens,” Chef King says. “We must have a relationship with our suppliers and place credible trust with them. Therefore, our mantra is sustainable fishing and farming.

Animals must be humanely treated, while seafood farmed or wild must be harvested without harm to its population or habitat.”

In March 2016, Biz Events Asia experienced the nature conservation efforts of the Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi. We saw the award-winning coral nursery programme supervised by an in-house marine biologist, walked through the rainforest located at the front of the resort to learn more about nature before ‘Dining with nature’, an innovative beachfront dinner experience where electric power supply is swapped for candles, torches and bon fires, while coconut shells replace glassware, bamboo stems replace drinking straws and banana leaves replace crockery.

When it comes to the menu, the resort’s culinary team uses only locally sourced produce where possible.

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TrENd

04

New experiences often inspire the shift in paradigm. Familiar locations are suitable for events that want to keep logistics and expenses predictable. Events that want to inspire change of mind set and new learnings are now sourcing the newer destinations and locations.

The desire to connect with the local community also ignited the pursuit of spirituality (not religion) amongst modern professionals.

The commercial “rat race” tires the souls and as a way to reconnect with themselves, more corporate groups are exploring tomorrow’s Asia.

Bhutan From their visionary Gross National Happiness index to having the locals dressed in their traditional national dress, Bhutan is the ideal place for anyone looking for a new and exotic meeting and incentive trip location.

Having meetings in destinations like

Off the beaten track

Bhutan provides a sense of discovering something new together, allowing participants to create a shared memory that can have a positive impact on their teamwork. In addition, Bhutan also offers great activities for meeting attendees such as temple visits, experiencing amazing landscapes and local culture or even watching a game of traditional archery.

“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.”

Henry Miller

The Tourism Council of Bhutan website has useful information as the country places restrictions on tourism as part of their cultural conservation and “high value, low impact” tourism efforts.

For example, visitors must book their holiday through a Bhutanese tour operator. There is a broad range of accommodation suited to different travel

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objectives. The country offers fivestar hotels, guest houses, homestays and farmstays.

Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal

Nepal Besides being known for Mount Everest (Sagarmatha to the Nepalese) or gentler trekking expeditions, Nepal has many historic sites worthy of wondrous deep breaths. Taking deep breaths is a new form of travel as it allows the mind to delve into considerations that modern cities are fond of distracting. Whether it is exploring traditional buildings in ancient Patan or the recently rebuilt Boudhanath stupa since the devastating 2015 earthquake, visitors will be inspired by the people’s strengths despite having very little resources and help.

According to Guy Bigwood, MCI Group’s Sustainability Director, the company’s Dreambuilders journey to the village of Nagarkot in Nepal has raised USD40,776.9 and invested JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay

1,200 hours to rebuild two schools since 2013. The fund raised will also support the training and development of teachers with English language workshops.

phu Quoc

JW MARRiott Phu Quoc EMERAld BAy Located on the pristine island called Phu Quoc, just off the southern coast to Vietnam. The resort offers a selection of 243 lavish rooms, suites, apartments and villas. Meetings are redefined in this imaginative 1,100 sqm meeting space, 715 sqm Grand ballroom and spacious breakout rooms elegantly designed to suit every meeting purpose. Whether you are looking to organize a world-class summit, conferences or an unforgettable wedding reception our dedicated event professionals will ensure all requests are flawlessly fulfilled.

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The largest island in Vietnam is known for its endless stretches of whitesand beaches. It is easy to design an itinerary from visiting temples like Dinh Cau Temple situated on a rock in Duong Dong town to the Reunification Hall which was the residence of President Ngo Dinh Diem of the former South Vietnam until 1975.

Visit the Ham Ninh Fishing Village and organise a cooking class where the menu is based on fish sauce and black pepper, two ingredients that the island is renowned for.

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Goa

W Goa

Historically known as an “East meets West” location which was liberated from Portuguese colonisation in 1961, this is a great destination to create an “aligning of the minds” programme. Stretch delegates’ mindset with activities ranging from visiting churches and temples to hiking the Sahyadri mountain range. When in India, yoga and meditation lessons are a must!

Experience the unique flavours of Goan cuisine which is based on different cultural influences over the centuries. Create a MasterChef “fusion” food challenge made up of key Goan ingredients like seafood, coconut, pork and vegetables.

W Goa Overlooking the Arabian Sea, the resort spans 21 acres of private sandy beach, the setting of an ever-changing countercultural landscape. W Goa features approximately 4,200 square feet of function space and meeting rooms, fully equipped with world class audiovisual facilities to set the stage for lively and vivid presentations. The sprawling 350-sq m Great Room raises the celebratory bar on a grand scale, while the lushly landscaped Vagator Beach Gardens cover 200-sq m of oceanfront area for atmospheric festivities.

EVENTS WITH A DIFFERENCE When you choose the Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford, you gain access to more than 70,000 square feet of state-of-the-art and multi-functional conference and meeting space at the Raffles City Convention Centre.

Strategically located at the heart of Singapore’s business district, just 20 minutes away from the airport, enjoy unparalleled convenience and accessibility. Our team of outstanding conference concierges offers support every step of the way and helps ensure that your meeting or event is a rousing success each time.

For reservations, please call +65 6431 5534, email sales.singapore@fairmont.com, or visit www.fairmont.com/singapore.

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#Delve into

MALAYSIA

The 55th ICCA Congress held in Sarawak was a significant moment for Malaysia as it advances its position as a gateway to business events opportunities.

Rocky beach of Teluk Pandan Kecil in Bako National Park, Kuching, Borneo

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a y e a r t h at Sh i n e d Words: Jennifer SalSbury

delegates showing off their first-timer bracelets

The GaTherinG of The Tribe there’s a definite tribal thing going on in Kuching, Sawarak. flocking in over the weekend, 835 of the convention industry’s finest flew in to borneo and discovered the delights that the incredibly creative folks at the Sarawak Convention bureau (SCb), together with mascot brooke the Orang utan, have been telling us all about at trade shows and industry events around the world for the past year or so since being awarded the 55th international Congress and Convention association (iCCa) Congress. the tribal element was clear from the start at the first timers session where traditional beading bracelets were shared between small network meetings for the first timers, so other delegates could clearly see who was there for the first time and help them out – a much more colourful identifier than a subtle dot on a badge! this theme extends to the way the SCb works with their ambassador programme: “tribal Wisdom”, whereby local experts are selected as ambassadors for Sarawak and encouraged to go out and bid for their industry or professional conferences.

they are shown how to stand out from the crowd, trained to speak and tell some customs of their actual indigenous tribe plus a story from childhood that influences them today in their daily work.

Opening the congress, dato’ Sri dr. leo Michael toyad, Chairman of the SCb, shared the custom of fishing with his tribe and likened iCCa to the fishing net with the fish representing the many business opportunities flying around at the event! day One kicked off with “Monday morning wake-up call” and the exceptional tina altieri leading delegates through feel good songs from Sesame Street to abba’s Waterloo, to break the ice and get the tribe into their comfort zone and talking to each other.

Selected speakers gave tasters of their sessions running that day. there certainly were some innovations in the meeting styles as well as in the content, and the one word that kept coming up was “engagement”. in a session moderated by veteran Gary Grimmer, “homegrown innovation from the asia Pacific region” speakers talked about crowd sourcing as a powerful

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tool to help entrepreneurs prepare for venture capital funding with the help of a Chief Momentum Officer. The question “Where’s a nice place to meet?” got turned on its head to become “Where can we knowledge-share?”, showing clearly that associations these days want to go where they can engage new markets.

ASSOCIATIONS ON FIRE Association executives were very much in the spotlight on Day Two of the 55th ICCA Congress in Kuching.

Sessions brought association executives and supplier delegates together for the opportunity to ask hard questions, ranging from handling feedback to those who didn’t win the bid for the congress, the ethics of site inspection and familiarisation trips, as well as designing meetings to bring young people back into the fold.

Very quickly, the issue of “Client versus Supplier” or “Partners in Success” came up, and the clear preference was for working together as partners towards the success of an event.

Hotel negotiations were highlighted as being fraught with inflexibility when it comes to providing services that are actually needed rather than those that the venue thinks the organiser need.

The high cost of technology in venues was a particular gripe of Iain Bitran,

Executive Director of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management, along with the inflexible arrangements around food and beverage, often leading to excessive food wastage.

When the subject of greenwashing against real efforts to create sustainable meetings arose, Chris Trimmer, Executive Director of the World Obesity Federation, outlined their Healthy Venues Accreditation programme which works with venues to provide facilities that help people live healthier lives.

The accreditation process looks holistically at the attendee experience including healthy meals and snacks, food content labelling, encouraging the use of stairs rather than lifts or escalators and signs posting physical activities around the venue.

Trimmer added that their role is often a balancing act between a very traditionally minded board or committee and the actual needs of the delegate, for which they genuinely need the partnership and input from the specialist supplier trade.

Creating a legacy was something all clearly had strong desire to work together on and the associations really look to the convention bureaux or destination marketers to help them become connected to their community.

Putting the bureau under the area of Economic Development for a city is a clear indicator of how the local authorities view the international association congress business.

Auckland was cited as a clear example of this, whilst Abu Dhabi was mentioned as being particularly constructive in connecting associations to their community.

IN SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION Opportunities to spend time with the keynote speakers were greatly inspirational and a revealing moment was shared when a small group of delegates went on a boat on the river with Professor Jonathan Jansen, President of the South African Institute of Race Relations, a Fellow of Stanford University and a former Dean of a university in Cape Town.

Congress delegates engaging in a discussion

Team ICCA

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Drawing on his experiences as a leader on campuses and communities in South Africa after the end of apartheid, Professor Jansen shared ideas on how international conferences can be an effective platform for building bridges in an unequal world.

Known as ICCA’s Ship of Serendipity, there were three one-hour river boat trips running during the congress with different speakers and different groups – each one being a session connecting different topics and ideas in various ways in order to stimulate new ways of looking at familiar issues. It was noted

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that the definition of “serendipity” is the act of finding something valuable or delightful when you are not looking for it.

The quality of sessions during the ICCA Congress has steadily improved over the last five years or so and sitting down with Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA, he explained how a team of imaginative moderators, all interested in how people interact, had been selected

and steered sessions to accommodate different learning styles. One example was Bo Krüger, the meeting designer who worked on “Meetovation” the Danish meeting concept designed to ensure ROI on meetings is achieved.

Sydney (UTS) to prepare case studies on meetings for a knowledge bank to be used for research with results being shared through the newsletter The Iceberg, communicating achievements for the Beyond Tourism theme.

There were some great outcomes from the congress sessions including the basis for a guideline document for second tier cities bids, the beginnings of a quality control document to counter bogus meetings and the issue of progressing a standard for achieving a real Legacy measure was a key project that ICCA had progressed.

On stage as the baton was passed from Sarawak to Prague, the location for the 56th ICCA Congress running November 12-15, 2017, the whole tribe of the Sarawak hosts came up as delegates applauded their tremendous teamwork, friendliness and attention to detail in creating an outstanding event in Kuching.

As a member of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), ICCA has signed up to funding academic research at the University of Technology in

For more in-depth articles on the congress’s educational sessions, visit www.bizeventsasia.com and search for “ICCA”.

Sarawak passes the baton to Prague

another proud moment for malaysia Weini Tan, Senior Business Development Executive at the Sarawak Convention Bureau has been selected as one of the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) 20 in their twenties programme.

“I was chosen as one of the 20 in their Twenties, Class of 2017, and was given the opportunity to attend PCMA Convening Leaders in Austin, Texas this year. It was certainly the highlight of my journey in

the business events industry. As the one and only candidate from the Asia Pacific region, Malaysia and from Sarawak, I am proud to be presenting Sarawak Convention Bureau and my country for the award. One of the most memorable experience was to have Matthew McConaughey to kick-start the conference itself. The audience were blown away by the surprise appearance of a big movie star like himself at the conference.

PCMA Convening Leaders 2017 has truly been an eye opening experience.

I had my fair share of conferences for

the business events sector but never have I seen anything close to PCMA Convening Leaders.

I would love to see a full-fledged PCMA conference held in Malaysia. Given how the focus of PCMA has always been North America centric, there is so much Malaysia can learn from these markets. From new technology and socio-cultural differences, to creative and innovative ideas that push beyond the boundaries of all conferences, Malaysia can definitely learn a thing (an understatement) or a few.

I hope I will be able to attend the PCMA Education Conference in June this year, yearning and hungry for more knowledge.”

20 in their Twenties Class of 2016 at PCMA Convening Leaders FEB-MAR 2017

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San FranciSco The dense city with the biggest heart is still in demand despite the redevelopment of their convention centre.

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Black and Gold Words: El kWanG

Port of San Francisco

Yes, we all know that famous Frank Sinatra song. after spending four days in San Francisco post-IMEX america 2016, I truly understood the meaning of that song. This city brings “Easy like Sunday Morning” convenience yet, it is intimate enough to make one let down one’s hair, feeling right at home.

Planners who have organised an event here will agree that the city has a serious undersupply of hotels and venues. Most of the hoteliers I met during the trip stated that the average hotel occupancy in San Francisco sits above 90 percent.

The high office vacancy caused by the global financial crisis (GFc), along with Mayor Ed lee’s GFc recovery tax incentive, made San Francisco the solution to the office space constraint

in Silicon Valley. Tech giants like Google, Twitter and linkedIn have set up campuses here. currently, Mission Street towards the bay is getting ready to welcome another building for Salesforce.

An unstoppAble conference If creating innovative solutions is what tech start-up companies are known for, the Salesforce “dreamforce” conference in october 4-6, 2016, certainly proved that. Instead of letting the lack of accommodation (hotels and private home rentals) supply get the better of them, the event partnered with celebrity cruises docked at San Francisco Bay’s Pier 27, giving the event not only more accommodation rooms but also event spaces.

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TO

W San Francisco

“

me... San Francisco is an ideal city, intellectually stimulating and naturally beautiful. The oceans and forests are close enough to refresh the spirit; the architecture is always exciting.” - Ruth Bernhard, photographer.

171,000

people regIStered

3,300

83

CoUntrIeS

CloUd expo pArtnerS

San Francisco International Airport Our flight into the completed multimillion dollar redevelopment of Terminal 3 delivered a smooth arrival, with dining and retail experience worthy of the expected LEED Gold accreditation.

The new boarding area is estimated to accommodate passengers on more than 50 arrivals and 50 departures each day.

The unmissable new Air Traffic Control Tower that replaced the 1954 one has been certified LEED Gold by the US Green Business Council.

Moscone Center At an estimated cost of USD500 million, the preliminary plans for the expansion focus on three key areas: An increase of 110,000 gross sq ft (10,219.3 sq m) in exhibit space

40

25

keynote SeSSIonS

125

globAl vIewIng pArtIeS

183,000 SoCIAl MedIA MentIonS

3.5 MIllIon

MIllIon rAISed For ChArIty

Economic-boosting dEvElopmEnts

15

MIllIon people joIned onlIne

400+

breAkoUt SeSSIonS

USd10.3

“

nUMberS x dreAMForCe 2016

gAllonS oF wAter SAved throUgh MInIMISIng wAter-IntenSIve prodUCtS

creating approximately 550,000 gross sq ft of contiguous exhibition space.

43,000 gross sq ft increase in meeting space.

Expanded lobby space in Moscone North and South and demolition of the current Esplanade Lobby.

Scheduled to complete in 2018, the centre will host approximately one million visitors each year and generate more than USD1.6 billion in visitor spending. The expansion is expected to benefit the city in the following ways: Create 3,424 long-term jobs (in addition to construction jobs). inject USD713 million in direct Spending in the first seven years after expansion completes.

Contribute USD320 million more in incremental hotel tax revenues to the General Fund over the life of the District.

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EvEnts by DEsign The following experiences were inspired by my visit and venue site inspections at the different areas of San Francisco city.

The boutique experience The 200-room Hotel Vitale is located on the renowned The Embarcadero and corner of Mission Street. Besides having accommodation rooms overlooking the stunning San Francisco Bay, the Ferry Building and the Oakland Bay Bridge, the hotel has some outside-the-box event spaces: Americano, the hotel restaurant located on the ground floor has three event areas. Of which, the 278 sq m outdoor “Patio” fits 300 people for a stand-up cocktail event and up to 100 for a sit-down dinner. During winter, a clear marquee complete with heaters will be erected to give guests the much needed comfort without compromising the view.

Rooftop terraces and suites. The hotel has rooftop event spaces on levels five to eight with capacity ranging from 10 to 120 guests for a cocktail reception.

The cluster experience The Stanford Court is located in one of the city’s most historic areas, Nob Hill.

Whilst its history dates back 140 years, the 393-room hotel caters to modern travellers with its high-tech access, ultra-high speed internet connectivity, and the love for contemporary art and design.

The hotel community located along the same walking street formed the Nod Hill Connection to tackle the venue scarcity challenge. The Stanford Court along with Fairmont San Francisco, InterContinental

Cielo Terrace Studio, Hotel Vitale Stanford Court, Exterior

Mary Hopkins San Francisco, The Ritz Carlton San Francisco, The Scarlett Huntington and The Masonic now offer a total of 15,872 sq m of event spaces, 1,837 accommodation rooms, and one central point of sales contact. Large residential conferences and incentive groups can now save on transport costs and reduce their carbon footprint with this cluster experience.

The SPG-VIP experience If you are a fan of the SPG Pro loyalty programme, you should not walk past 3rd Street in the city where both The St. Regis (260 rooms) and the W Hotel San Francisco (404 rooms) reside. Perfect for a mid-sized incentive programme, split your delegates into two luxurythemed groups: “The Opulent-Lux Celebrity” and “The Funky-Lux

Americano Patio, Hotel Vitale

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The St. Regis San Francisco

Celebrity”. From there, create activities around these themes amongst the two hotels.

The St. Regis has a total of 1,393 sq m of indoor meeting space and an outdoor terrace providing an additional 696 sq m for social events. The hotel features 12 meeting rooms, ranging from a 431 sq m ballroom to a 90 sq m boardroom.

The W Hotel has 14,500 sq m of event space across nine function rooms. Do not forget to book the E-WOW Suite for that once-in-a-lifetime experience designed for the high achievers. In the middle of these hotels is the new San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, a fantastic offsite venue that delivers that aspired glamourous and cultured lifestyle.

The Fang experience Plan a one-hour pre-dinner bar crawl and stroll towards Howard Street for the Fang experience. In the heart of South of Market (SoMa) neighbourhood is Fang, a restaurant co-owned by celebrity Chef Kathy Fang. Besides the a la carte restaurant where contemporary Cantonese dishes like Salted Pork Belly with Japanese Pumpkin and Crispy Shortrib Over Marinated Bok Choy are served, Fang offers private event spaces within the building.

Fang’s Meeting and Event Spaces Sesame chicken by Fang’s

If your delegates are culinary fans, book the top-floor private dining room and a cooking experience for 50 guests with Kathy Fang. Let the delegates design and prepare one dish inspired by a main local ingredient. Whilst the dishes are being prepared, invite a few local startup personalities who specialise in topics of interest to share their entrepreneurial journey with the audience.

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San Francisco Bay

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ways to leave your heart in San Francisco Wharfing the breakfast run Kick-start the day with a charity walk and run from the Fisherman’s Wharf at Pier 39, down along The Embarcadero and finish at Ferry Building. Create a breakfast experience and mingle with the locals at The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market that opens every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Cruise to the roCk Embark on a harbour cruise to the legendary Alcatraz before sending delegates to a secret location for a “murder and crime” themed gala dinner.

Walk over the golden gate bridge Take a deep breath along with the view when strolling across the 2.74-kilometre bridge. Create an Instagram photo competition for your delegates and let them be part of the social media buzz! ride a Cable Car No delegate can leave the city without this late 19th century experience. This is an affordable way to sightsee around the city or transport delegates to dinner venues and shopping district.

Confessions of a shopaholiC Delegates will get spoilt for fashion label choices when shopping at Union Square. Built in 1850, this heart of the city location houses culturally diverse dining and lifestyle experiences suited to a wide range of budgets.

Winery by napa valley The best way to wind down at the end of a multi-day conference is a visit to Napa Valley (www.napavalley.com).

It offers numerous ideas and sample itineraries suitable for day trips and overnight visits. First timers must certainly try the charming historic Napa Valley Wine Train experience over lunch or dinner.

Walk the Culture San Francisco is known for its easy climate. A city cultural stroll will do the mind and soul a lot of good. Be inspired by works of art at The New San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), the Contemporary Jewish Museum and the Museum of the African Diaspora – all located around a 100 sq m block. eating your heart out at WorldClass restaurants Name your cuisine and you can have it in San Francisco. A respected dining city of USA, the restaurants offer a wide range of authentic flavours with fresh local ingredients. If you like fusion food, this city will let you eat your heart out. disCo in san franCisCo The hottest clubs are in the South of Market and Mission districts offering live and recorded music from different genres. Don’t forget to remind delegates to drink and party responsibly.

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FIjI

A destination in the South Pacific is cashing in on the burgeoning demand from Asia for its purity of resources and a genuine local community.

InterContinental Fiji Watercourts Conference & Events Facility

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PrISTINE I S L AN D S I N T H E S O u T H P A C I FIC WordS: JENNIFEr SALSBury

Say Bula Vinaka (hello) to this gorgeous island nation. Answering the call to try out the newly established Fiji Airways service from Singapore to Nadi in Fiji, a select group of Singapore-based event planners set out for an action-packed “crash course” on what seemed like a myriad of choices on offer in this newly re-invented destination.

Coral Coast and Pacific Harbour to the south is, very simply, one road around the edge and volcanic mountains in the middle. Mountains around Sigatoka, graphically referred to as the “Sleeping Giant”, form the backdrop to several event locations.

Fiji has opened up to new access from Southeast Asia. With twice-weekly direct flights from Singapore and visas on arrival for most countries, nothing could be easier for gathering international groups in this welcoming island paradise.

Today’s Fijian community is a melting pot of primarily Melanesians, Polynesians, Micronesians, Indo-Fijians and Asians.

Historically brought together by trading, attracted by boat building skills plus trees for canoe wood and clearly influenced by European explorers overlaid with a British colonial past, these communities make a developing nation.

Early Fijians of Melanesia are descendants of seafaring explorers from today’s Tanzania settling in the archipelago that is spread over approximately 710,000 sq km (with less than three percent being land). There are more than 330 islands and a further 500 or so islets – of these only around 110 are inhabited. The largest of which is Viti Levu, a derivation of which gives its name to Fiji – no wonder so many resorts are islands of their own.

One cannot escape this heritage as the highly individual characters, acting as tour guides for all our hosting DMCs, proudly introduced their culture to their guests, who very quickly slipped into the Bula greetings, catching the unavoidable mood of friendly informality – an effective “stress buster” that quickly leads to singing. In fact, singing is a strong tradition to welcome guests, entertain in the evenings and also to say fond farewells.

Compelling heritage

SuStaining eConomiC development

On Viti Levu, Suva to the east is the official capital of Fiji and Nadi (pronounced “Nandi”). The other side of the island is the main tourism hub, the home of Fiji Airways.

With a population of less than 900,000 people, the traditional industries around fishing and sugar cane cultivation still provide the major income to the Fijian

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economy. Tourism is well-established with Australia/New Zealand forming the largest market, with North America growing and China catching up.

Total visitor numbers sit at 785,552 for the 12 months leading up to November 2016 – not far behind the total population but due to the genuine welcome from local people you never feel uncomfortable. Far from it, the tourism product has been carefully designed, many with villas influenced by the style of traditional wood and straw huts known as Bure, and created for a true island experience.

For the islanders, and particularly those in the hill villages, the impact of the tourism dollar is an immediate and visual way of seeing their country develop.We experienced this firsthand when visiting one village along the Sigatoka River with a new church building and where electricity had arrived only a couple of months prior – much of this funded by tourism revenue.

TRADITION AND NOVELTY BLEND Attracting visitors throughout history, modern tourism started with the establishment of Denarau Island in the late 1960s, followed by the opening of the first resort in 1975: the 300-room Regent of Fiji. Today, this location has nine resort hotels (including three Starwood properties), spas, a shopping centre, marina plus golf, and racquet club facilities. This was the first port of call for the travel-weary Singaporeans and it certainly worked its influence in reviving the folks at the Westin’s Whisky Room and in the evening at the Flying

Day 5

After a briefing by Anthony and Tom of DMC Pacific Destination, we wrapped up in the provided sarongs, elected our “Chief” and joined the village formal greeting ceremony. This was followed by a shared lunch and, needless to say, plenty of singing and dancing. Social exchanges like these are a great way for companies to see first-hand the CSR impact from running their events on the island.

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n

“

ow that we’ve literally had a taste of the best of Fiji, we will definitely be looking forward to proposing Fiji as a destination.

“

LesLie Leo of Campaign Technologies Pte Ltd, Singapore

Day 6

The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa

Fish beachside open-air restaurant where we sampled the delights of Fijian seafood.

Along the ocean-side road is Coral Coast with Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa, on its own Yanuca Island, and the Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa in natadola Bay, and with Hilton’s Doubletree Resort on Sonaisali Island between there and nadi. All resorts boast romantic pools, wonderful outdoor function spots set in beautifully tended gardens where, during December, the Flame of the Forest trees are massively in flower hence their local name, Christmas trees.

Further on, a 2.5-hour transfer by coach from nadi leads to Pacific

Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa

Harbour’s stunningly unique The Pearl Resort, located directly opposite the traditional home of the famous Fire Walkers of Beqa (pronounced “Benga”) Island – where better to watch the hot stone walking ceremony!

Getting out on the ocean is a must to take a peek below the waves at marine life either by snorkelling or gathering around sleek viewing ports on glass bottom boats. There is a great choice of luxury yacht charters and even a large – very luxurious – raft, Cloud 9, moored out in the middle of nowhere with its own wood-fired pizza oven. All of these can be organised and co-ordinated

by DMCs like Tour Managers, Pacific Destinations, Rosie Holidays and Tourist Transport Fiji (TTF), but those seeking

more action should try the rivers with the thrills and spills of zip-lining, jet boats and jungle safaris.

Amongst all this energetic action, it was a relief to discover the many spas both in the resorts as well as those individually set up in peaceful village outdoor locations. It is really worth tearing oneself away from the coast to explore more of the interior and experience home-grown cuisine.

Sensitively managed by the DMCs, visits to farms, villages and communities can be adapted for groups of around 100 people – you will be sure of a deeply felt, sincere welcome.

Our chosen “Chief”, Leslie Leo of Campaign Technologies Pte Ltd in

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Singapore, summed up the feel of the whole trip: “We were pleasantly surprised at how warm and friendly the people are, and the part of the trip that really touched our hearts was the visit to the village. That was indeed an eye-opener and something that we’ll remember for a long time. Now that we’ve literally had a taste of the best of Fiji, we will definitely be looking forward to proposing Fiji as a destination to the various incentive programmes that we manage for our clients.

The direct flights from Singapore and easy visa access for many countries are definitely strong benefits.”

Sheraton Denarau Villas

Denarau Island

The main Denarau Island Convention Centre is located in the grounds of the Sheraton Fiji Resort. Offering a capacity of up to 1,700 persons theatre-style, the 1,755 sq m event space offers organisers a standalone convention facility with not only a private entrance off the main driveway to the Port Cochere but also support areas in the resort complex including the Golden Ballroom (600 sq m) and the Boardroom (48 sq m) plus outdoor areas on the various beachfronts, gardens, Croquet Lawn and the ProShop Lawn.

Sheraton Fiji Resort – a five-star resort with 297 large, modern resortstyle rooms arranged in groups around either a swimming pool or facing a beach area. With indoor and outdoor

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event spaces in the resort, functions of 400 persons for a banquet or 800 persons for cocktails can be arranged.

The resort links as one complex to the two other Marriott properties (Sheraton Denarau Villas and The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa) plus the standalone Denarau Island Convention Centre and the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club.

The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa – this resort features a more classic feel to the 273 guest rooms and suites. Reflecting Fiji’s cultural heritage and style, it is the location of the Coco Palms performance where the traditional dancers and hot stone walkers perform during functions arranged in amphitheatre style for up to 240 person for banquets or 300 persons cocktail-style for a South Pacific setting. This resort includes the aptly named Heavenly Spa.

T

Sheraton Denarau Villas – supporting the two resorts, this complex has 82 two and three bedroom villas, and can hold a cocktail party for up to 1,200 people.

Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa – this property with 296 beach-facing rooms and suites has meeting spaces for up to 794 and an outdoor space for 640 attendees.

Sheraton Fiji Resort

“

he direct flights from Singapore and easy visa access for many countries are definitely strong benefits.

LeSLIe Leo Campaign Technologies Pte Ltd, Singapore

“

A destination in its own right, the island opened in 1975 with the Regent of Fiji resort and a tennis club (now The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji). 10 years later work on the Sheraton Fiji began and between 1988 and 1993, the community was greatly expanded with a new USD200 million infrastructure development over the rest of the 600 acres of the island. This include land reclaimed from mangrove swamps, resort hotels, shopping centres, restaurants, marina and golf courses. Properties in this area are listed in the next two pages.

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Golden Cowrie Restaurant, Shangri La Fijian Resort & Spa

Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa

The Coral Coast and Natadola Bay DMcs Pacific Destinations www.pacificdestinations.com.fj Rosie Holidays www.rosiefiji.com Tour Managers www.tourmanagersfiji.com Tourist Transport Fiji (TTF) www.touristtransport.com www.feejeeexperience.com

Aviva Farms

Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa – situated in Yanuca Island, Coral Coast.

With 442 rooms and suites this resort has a series of flexible function spaces with particularly high ceilings. The 648 sq m Ratu Makutu Events Centre seats 650 for meetings and the 264 sq m Davui Hall seating 400 are close to each other whilst the Pavilion is a large open hall with exposed beams in the six metre-high ceiling. Support offices can be put into a series of breakout rooms and there is a set of 5m x 5m mobile tents for extending functions – keeping with the nature of the resort, there is a traditional Bure that has been equipped with meeting facilities for use as an executive boardroom.

InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa – located in Natadola Bay, Fiji.

Comprising 266 rooms, an 18-hole golf course and four pools, this resort stakes the claim to own the longest stretch of natural white sand beach on the island. The main function room, the Natadola Ballroom, is suitable for meetings of up to 660 people. It is divisible into three separate rooms along one side of a water courtyard – a really calming space for breakouts.

Around the other sides are six breakout rooms plus a boardroom and business centre. The dramatic function space of the Kama Lounge is where the dance performances are right on the beachside. Its barbecue and the lounge/bar area are behind the main

Porte Cochere and the more intimate and secluded 130-seat Navo breakfast room overlooks the lagoon and Navo Island.

Pacific Harbour The Pearl Resort, Spa & Championship Golf Course – this unique, design-conscious resort is just a short hop from the Capital Suva on the south side of the island around 2.5 hours’ drive from Nadi – though one could get creative with boat transfers as it has its own marina. With 210 rooms, design is paramount and six suites are individually themed.

DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Fiji – A four-star beach resort, this property has Sonaisali Island to itself, along with 120 rooms including 88 of the Bure style. The resort has a meeting space for around 100 people. Arriving by the marina brings guests into the heart of the resort and it is an easy check-in to the villas right on the beach. One of the highlights is to catch the great poolside band as the sun goes down. attractions Sea Fiji Reefs – glass bottom boat yacht charter Sigatoka River Safari – jet boat and village experience Cloud 9 – escape your world Aviva Farms – agrotourism destination for farm or garden visits and horseback riding

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YOUR KNOWLEDGE PLATFORM STARTS HERE 50

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STREN GTH TO STRENGTH ibtm events’ flagship show in Barcelona continues to stay ahead of the game with its strong lineup of Knowledge sessions and innovative showcases.

WORDS: GINA SIN

Held from November 29 to December 1, 2016, ibtm world trade show saw 3,000 international exhibitors showcase themselves using the latest virtual reality technology, videography, giant LED walls, illuminated flooring, and more.

Thailand 360 used virtual reality to transport buyers and trade visitors on a journey through their culture and hospitality, Marriott took attendees on a virtual reality tour of their brands, Korea gave VR ski jumping sessions to celebrate the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, while Cvent Express created the very first live challenge for buyers and visitors to pitch themselves against each other to see who was the quickest to set up an event website, launch the event, register and print their badge.

AccorHotels celebrated their new Pullman in Sarawak, and the launch of a new brand Jo&Joe; Novotel Suites shouted out its debut in Vietnam, and Hyatt Regency Tashkent announced its opening in Uzbekistan. Other exhibitors focused on sustainability and CSR issues, with Flanders Meeting & Convention Center launching A Room with a ZOO, the only convention centre in the world set in a zoo.

EventMB led a number of inspiring sessions pertaining to event technology trends to look out for in 2017 globally and educational topics (search for article 2601 on www.bizeventsasia.com for ways to increase attendee engagement), while Meeting Professionals International (MPI) created a lot of buzz on the show floor with its how-to sessions for both buyers and suppliers (search for article 2618 on Biz Events Asia website to find out what venues do that make planners mad).

“We want to enable planners to deliver more inspirational meetings and provide them with leading-edge content – content that helps them make their meetings different”. The ACS Knowledge Village is one of the innovations created by the show to do just that. Designed with meeting design elements, planners tell us what they think,” said Graeme Barnett, Senior Exhibition Director for ibtm world.

MICE Knowledge’s Dr. Rob Davidson once again packed a room full of delegates as they pensively waited for the annual 2017 Trends Watch Report. Whilst the world is concerned about the effects of Brexit and the Trump presidency, growth is expected for Asia Pacific – particularly a robust one for the Indian market. Thailand and Indonesia was named as the top five emerging automotive markets.

It has also been forecasted that Asia Pacific’s largest business source will remain within its region. Asian buyers are tipped to be wanting more adventurous options when it comes to destinations, experiences and unique venues. Asia’s favourite revenue stream – the incentive travel market – is forecasted to allocate slightly more budget in 2017. ibtm world 2017 will return to Barcelona from November 28-30, and we hope to see more sessions and data related to the Asia Pacific region.

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#TheBuyersVsSellersEdition

Bridging differences

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The arT of negoTiaTion has never been more valid in sofTer economies and The less TransparenT. Words: el Kwang, Theresa lee, daniel Tay PHoTos: chUa yi KiaT

anyone working in asia will know or quickly learn that the key to business success here is relationships. it is much harder getting the “foot in the door” and beneath the communication surface lies a complex, opaque network of trusted relationships and friendships. in asia, the line between professional and personal relationships is greyer than 50 shades. a company’s good reputation gets them business. The team’s ability to manage crises during the sales process makes or breaks the foundation that the relationship is built on. Universities around the world may offer degrees in marketing. The “art of sales” degree offered by the University of “hard Knocks” attainable only by experience, makes a huge difference in business sustainability during economic downturns. respectable sales professionals in asia must be adept in managing clients’ demands (or demanding clients) and establishing trust.

They should be humble, good at gathering key information, optimistic, opportunistic, and superbly convincing without the hard sell. Those who stand out from the crowd have the ability to read body language and face objections. They are expected not to take criticism personally and handle all pressure points with a smile. sounds impossible?

“personal relationships are always the key to good business. you can buy networking: you can’t buy friendship.”

Lindsay Fox aUsTralian bUsinessman and billionaire.

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#TheBuyersVsSellersEdition

FROM THE BUYERS’ PERSPECTIVE

TWO

factors that affect buyers’ trust at first contact

Listen, ask and have a meaningfuL soLution

don’t be nato – no action, taLk onLy

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THREE

things to know when closing a deal

Form respectFul relationships

the negotiator important things to buyers:

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FROM THE SELLERS’ PERSPECTIVE

T H E REAL C O S T The sellers’ desire to establishing relationship-based negotiations over price WORDS: EL KWANG PHOTOS: CHUA YI KIAT

”The ability to convert is based on your ability to tailor the suitable solutions.

Be giving to establish a relationship.”

JESSIE KHOO-GAN

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JESSIE KHOO-GAN

Executive Assistant Manager, Sales & Marketing and Rooms Divisions, One Farrer Hotel & Spa.

Know your competitors Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of competitors is a key to successful negotiations.

Negotiators from the sellers’ side must take keen interest in knowing what is happening in the industry through visiting news channels and frequent networking with key contacts. Equipping ourselves with knowledge will empower us to be more open during negotiations.

Understanding buyers’ needs Knowing the buyers’ needs and what is important to them allow the negotiators to tailor the correct propositions. Every buyer has a reason to negotiate so utilise your listening skills. Knowing their reason for shortlisting your venue will give you some bargaining power. Empathising with their needs may improve your relationship with the negotiating buyer.

The audience and event objectives Even the buyers have their customers – their audience and participants. Align yourself with the customer by understanding the experience that the buyers are creating and their event objectives. No buyer would want to compromise the experience and they know that there is only so much cost they can cut before it affects the experience.

Pricing versus budget Negotiation is not about pricing. It is more about seeing value. Start the win-win negotiation process by respecting the buyer’s responsibility to negotiate for their business interest. After seeking understanding on why the buyer is negotiating, be open to explaining your pricing structure, constraints and how you can value add to their event. Knowing the information mentioned in the above points will empower you to do the right thing by the customer and your venue. Although it is easier said than done, always try to remain calm and professional during negotiations. Losing a deal is better than losing your energy and reputation.

Gain trust and respect Trust and respect are two elements in relationship money can’t buy. To gain these, one must know how to break the ice when establishing relationships. Find out what matters to the client - what makes them tick, what upsets them. Get to know the client through “small talks” when meeting with them.

Never undermine any relationship especially when working with event agencies. Agencies should be treated like the extension of your sales team. Remember that one agency has access to numerous end-user clients.

Event agencies are an integral part of the event puzzle as they offer services that a venue cannot offer.

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#TheBuyersVsSellersEdition

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KERRY HEALY

Vice President Sales, Asia Pacific, AccorHotels.

“LONG-TERM AND MUTUALLY REWARDING RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE END GAME. NEGOTIATION WITHOUT A PURPOSE IS A MISTAKE.” KERRY HEALY

Think before acting Do not rush into negotiation. Instead, take the conversation focus away from the “price”. Sellers must first acknowledge and respect the client’s interest in negotiating. Buyers must play fair by providing all the necessary information at the point of negotiation as it will empower sellers to make valid win-win decisions.

Buyers who don’t wish to share such information could in the sellers mind be considered a “shopper”, or a seller must ask themselves if they have created rapport with the buyer. Venues need to understand clearly who they are compared against and what areas of the proposal caused concerns. Sellers will need to know how their product and services are stacked against competition. It is the job of any seller to yield the desired revenue.

The way we act Do not be intimidated. Show your interest in negotiating by picking up the phone to call the client or better still, set up a face-to-face meeting. Be professional, communicate transparently and act ethically. It is perfectly fine to say “no” to protect the brand and relationship however it is important to mind the tone and attitude in the way the message is delivered. It is also fair to expect buyers to sign the contract on time once they accept the revised offer.

Understand the full objective Ask the buyers what they really want as the end result.

Sellers need to fully understand what the venue is expected to deliver long term and if they can deliver quality at the asking price. Both parties should question how will the agreed proposition protect the delegates’ experience as well as the “payer’s” (CEO of the company) expectations?

The cost of doing business In a competitive market, many sellers are excellent at value-adding. Some will remove elements from the event package to close the price gap. Whether it is accessing lower rates during lower demand periods or filling a gap at the venue due to last minute cancellations, buyers and sellers would need to carefully consider not to compromise on the intangible quality and prestige especially when holding events in luxury venues. Savvy attendees expect service excellence and for both buyers and sellers to honour their brand promise. Sellers should not be afraid to explain the cost structures and justify their proposals.

The preferred relationship It is important for sellers to find the right client fit for their respective products. Everyone wants to invest in establishing long-term relationships. A long-term relationship is a two-way street and negotiations must have that desire in mind. Negotiation without a purpose is a mistake because discounting could de-value the product and set a precedence. Some clients access better rates during peak periods because they reward the venue with a good piece of business during softer periods. The preferred relationship is one that is fair and provides equal growth opportunities for both buyers and sellers.

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#Talent and Mentor

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AG A IN ST ALL O DDS Nguyen Xuan Dinh (Danny), the Account Manager Pacific World in Vietnam, shares with Biz Events Asia his journey and passion for the business events industry to become the first Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) in Vietnam.

WORDS: EL KWANG

Pacific World Vietnam Team

How long have you been in the meetings and events industry?

I have been in the meetings and events industries for 10 years since 2006.

Before that I worked for Sofitel Legends Metropoles as events manager working on meetings, caterings and banquet services.

Why do you love what you do?

Because I want to find new experiences and make things possible: from what I imagine into what is delivered. Creativity is also one thing that I want to develop.

Every event is different, and creative thinking makes things happen closer to what you expect and want it to be. I also get to meet new people in the industry, see our clients happy with our delivery, and share and talk to people doing the same work I do.

What is the best part about your job?

The freedom to think out-of-the-box and find new things that meet clients’ expectations. Every event, from large to

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small, from short lead time to long-term planning, we need to foresee things that may or may not affect the events and find a solution for each of them. I also get to be in touch with new technology and new trends within PW and at industry events.

What are the three challenges your destination face when it comes to professional industry education and development?

There are no professional networks here in Vietnam that I can join, discuss with and build. There are only people working together for events and they talk and share. It is like a closed group and they are not willing to share about new things, new technology or what event professionals need to know in order to stay ahead of the game.

It is hard to find a class that teaches you the knowledge needed. For example, you can’t find an Audio/Visual class when you want to be an AV professional and working with AV in events.

There is also little support from the local government: when you have a request of a large conference group that looks for grants or sponsorship from the local government in order for them to bring the conference to your destination, you can’t find any sponsorship or grants (unless you as a planner work with the contacts that you know are government officers).

Why did you choose to complete the CMP certification?

First of all, CMP is an inviting title for me. I did not even know the certification exists until I joined the PCM and CMP courses organised by SACEOS. I really want to acquire the certification as this is created by and for the meeting

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Tai Chi activity for delegates in the park

professional. When I study for it, I know what event professionals think, do and apply to their works. I get to know the professional standard. Above all these, it provides me with a necessary tool to be successful in my work.

What was the process like for you? Any challenges?

The word CMP is new to me and to the event professionals in my country. I want to explore what it is and attend the training in order to know what it is. After the three-day course in Singapore, I spent time to read and really study. Even when I read the books two times, some of the knowledge feel new to me.

Challenges: CMP study group: there is no study group in my destination so I needed to search online and find one to join for three months.

Language barrier: as English is not my first language, I needed to look up the dictionary and Google for the new terms that are not available in the dictionary. I had to record the lectures and listen again when I have some free time when I don’t understand what the trainer is saying in English.

Difference in time zones: the class is at 8 p.m., while it is 8 a.m. in my hometown – time to work. So I needed to organise my time well.

Buddy: I did not have anyone speaking Vietnamese to discuss with and ask questions when I didn’t understand. Instead, I have to read again and again, guess, and look up the internet.

Sitting for the online exam for four consecutive hours. I had to do a trial twice before sitting for the exam.

Why is professional development important?

It is important to get updated with knowledge in the industry. In connected communities, there are many channels a meeting planner can find information and compare. Planners are now younger and more technologically savvy. In order to be selected as a DMC for their event in my destination, I need to know what they expect, study new things and be ready when asked. We also need to speak the same language as clients.

What is the business events industry currently like in Vietnam?

More and more events are happening in Vietnam. The events come in different

sizes. More and more organisations want to bring their events to Vietnam, as some of them said they want to bring the meeting out of the US and Europe.

Event companies in two big cities Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi can handle large corporate events or international events in Vietnam.

How do you mentor new talent in the industry?

I brief them about what we are doing daily, train them on preparing proposals, how to deal with suppliers, hotels, delegate projects to them and supervise them. I also encourage them to ask questions and contribute to the event planning process and operations.

We also brainstorm on the new and fresh ideas in the destination.

What makes you happy?

Winning a big meeting or incentive group and passing the CMP test. This has been the happiest moment and I think this will last for a decade when you think about it. The feeling is so good.

I also enjoy reading books (like I am gifted, so are you by Adam Khoo or the Harry Potter series) as well as watching movies like Fast & Furious and God Father.

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#Knowledge

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T H e M e ANI NG Of T RU S T I N THe C OL L A B O RATIve eC ON O MY Guest speaker Rachel Botsman at the PCMA Convening Leaders 2017 spoke about the power of collaboration and trust enabled by technologies, and gave audiences much to ponder about trust in the digital age.

Words: GINA SIN

Botsman is the co-author of What’s Mine is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live, as well as a visiting academic at the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School. She studies and teaches how technology is transforming collaboration and trust between people.

The evoluTion of TrusT In the digital age, there seems to be almost no room for error.

It can take one failed event for consumers to lose trust in a

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brand, or one lie to question all truths.

Yet, we trust the things that technology has created for us.

Citing BlaBlaCar, one of the world’s leading long distance carpooling services, Botsman illustrated how barriers of mistrust have been torn down by the rapid growth of technology. Despite how people from a young age are typically told not to get into a stranger’s car, BlaBlaCar has managed to become a billion-dollar company through idle capacity.

“essentially, technology creates efficiencies for matches to happen.

You have a need and I have a have, and we find each other through technology. We’re at the nascent stages of how technology is creating trust to allow us to have interactions with total strangers in ways and scales never possible before,” said Botsman.

BlaBlaCar managed to include information that has become a social identifier; relevant information such as preferences for music and what/ who the person you will share the ride with is bringing along, and other habits.

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launched Airbnb Trips for authentic and unique experiences.

Uber is increasingly able to recommend and influence where people go to, eat, and even the music they listen to.

“The collaborative economy is fundamentally an economic system that takes all these unused assets and matches them through marketplaces and platforms that creates greater efficiency and access.”

What can you do in your industry to change the way trust has been used in the digital age?

Online tO Offline interactiOn “Trust is a confident relationship of the unknown. There has to be a certain certainty of the unknown, allowing people to take a leap into the unknown, and a force that will pull people over to the unknown, and the only way is to reduce the amount of unknown, to make the unfamiliar strangely familiar.”

Botsman highlighted how Airbnb was able to put people’s idle capacity assets online, and letting people trust these spaces enough to experience them in person. It was creating a community and a sense of meaningful belonging through technology. At the heart of everything they do, it was all about feeding the social self.

This is why events and conferences are here to stay. The rise of virtual and augmented reality allows people to see and trust enough to want to engage and experience things first-hand. The rise of farmer markets, music festivals and the likes feed the authentic self that seeks connection and a sense of belonging.

the influence Of trust People need to trust the idea, platform and users before they can be engaged.

Just when we thought Airbnb was doing all it could to let people experience travel in a way not possible before, it recently

The PCMA Convening Leaders 2017 conference was held in Austin, Texas, from January 8 to 11, 2017. The annual event for the business events industry attracts thousands from all over the world each year to engage in peer exchange, attend inspirational presentations and get access to solution providers.

The Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) hosted the delayed telecast of two PCMA Convening Leaders sessions for Asia on January 10, 2017 at the Singapore Polytechnic. More than 100 students and event professionals turned up for the broadcast.

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#SoulSearching

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W A L K I NG F O R F EEDS CSR, the love we experience whilst giving back WORDS: EL KWANG

The mindset of CSR begins with self. Meeting and incentive participants must have the desire to “give back” before they can fully embrace the objective of meaningful CSR activities.

Meaningful because participates no longer want the “go through the motion” type of activities without getting a “feel good” moment in return. They want to know the history, the story, what impact they are making and the progress of their impact with a trusted charity organisation. However, the organiser must also bear in mind that there is a human being within every participant who will be happy to contribute in efforts that are beyond financial means.

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE As 2016 drew to a close, I was breathlessly exhausted. Initially reluctant to travel due to fatigue, my curiosity in seeing how Nepal was recovering from the earthquake and my personal love for feeding street dogs motivated me.

Two friends and I chose to work with a few local friends we met during previous visits. These

friends devoted themselves to full time, self-funded animal rescue. We allocated the private funds raised from Singapore amongst them and a local organisation called Street Dog Care.

For the rest of our eight-day trip, we walked and fed as many street dogs as possible. I realised that the moment we squatted and our bodies were relaxed, the most hesitant street dog would approach to greet us with a head nudge, smelling the food in our hands and eating them calmly.

In the still of a winter’s day, they found a spot in the sun, laid on the “dirty” floor

at peace and let out a deep breath.

They felt like they belonged. The streets were their homes and their pack was their community. I, too, let out a deep breath that was not an empathetic sigh. It was a breath of peace as I felt freed from my worries.

The dogs didn’t want our pity, they just wanted our love through a gentle pat on their head. I hope that one moment in time gave them hope in experiencing love; something that we human beings long for but too often don’t make time to experience it ourselves.

I was glad I took the leap of faith to embark on this trip which in return gave me the respite I craved for.

“Your entire life consists of the present moment” ECKHART TOLLE

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