micenet ASIA Apr-May 2013

April-May 2013

The gold-studded team behind Malaysia’s MICE accolades

Pattaya drops the sleaze Beyond Macau’s casinos Case studies from Navitas and AIME 2013

editor’s letter The floor is now open Anyone who first enters the working world will be hit with a harsh reality: that experience speaks louder than any scholarly labels attached after the name.

And the same goes for this industry: Be it companies that are searching for an established PCO to help run an event in a new market, or a hotel looking for a veteran to take the helm of its sales and marketing department prior work experience remains highly sought after.

I was given the opportunity to attend the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) held in Melbourne, and I combed the show floor, attended press conferences and participated in pre-show tours like a bright-eyed doe seeing the world for the first time.

At AIME, the level of enthusiasm from both exhibitors and buyers seemed

to pulsate off the walls of the exhibition centre. Exhibitors attended to their appointments with such dedication, while buyers tirelessly lugged tote bags of information from one booth to another.

It is evident there that while some countries may remain bigwigs in the industry, they have been facing heat from markets such as Malaysia, China and Thailand.

Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy said, “Bureaux and exhibition organisations have become very sophisticated, and many have already caught up.”

You've read in the last edition that Bali, is doing all it can to beef up infrastructure and accessibility in anticipation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit this October.

In our cover story, the young but powerful Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (Page 20) shares some initiatives and targets it has to strengthen its presence in business events.

I watched the newer markets vie for attention alongside the established ones at AIME. As many barriers as there may be, the one thing that distinctly gives the latter a winning edge is the confidence buyers already have in them, due to years of gaining ahead of the others.

But the persistence and optimism in Asia is heart-warming, particularly when a Vietnam exhibitor bumped into me at the show and said, unable to contain his excitement, “We wanted to be a part of this, and now we are. We want to be a part of this, every year.”

And who wouldn’t?

Kristie Thong Editor

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD • • • • •

4

Andrew Chan, ACI HR Solutions Damion Breust, Barclays Daniel Chua, AONIA Danielle Puceta, American Express Business Travel David Lim, Everest Motivation

micenet Asia

• • • •

Maureen O’Crowley, Seoul Tourism Organization Nino Grüttke, Messe Berlin Rosalind Ng, SACEOS Selina Grocott, Pacific World

Join American Express Meetings & Events for a discussion on the evolving meetings marketplace at our exclusive Quarterly Forums.

Asia Pacific is evolving in terms of how we manage meetings. As an experienced provider of end-to-end meetings management solutions, we at American Express Meetings & Events understand that this evolution creates new challenges and exciting opportunities.

We invite you to join us for a quarterly Forum programme to discuss meetings and events priorities, challenges and practices. You will get the opportunity to network with your peers and share experiences, gaining exposure to best practices to enhance your own meetings management programme. American Express Meetings & Events will share insights from our experience and perspective, as well as engage experts across the industry.

Participation is limited. If you are interested in joining, please contact Stephanie.Ong@aexp.com to request your place.

CONTENTS

news & events

departments

UP-TO-DATE

UPCLOSE

08 09 14 54 58 60

18 Q&A

• Starwood Hotels & Resorts Nichlas Maratos, senior director of sales and marketing operations Asia Pacific

• Pacific World Selina Grocott, regional director of Singapore & Malaysia 45 WE ARE Y

• Messe Berlin Singapore Doreen Soh, assistant project manager 52 PROFILE: Women of Inspiration

• Royal Cliff Hotels Group Panga Vathanakul, managing director

• Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau Ho Yoke Ping, general manager of sales & marketing 61 CURTAIN CALL

BUREAU BRIEFS NEWS GLOBAL WATCH PEOPLE VENUE UPDATE TASTE MAKERS

MICE MATTERS 16 TECHNOLOGY An appetite for interaction 56 HOW TO Find the voice 57 CAREER STRATEGIES Through the grapevine

CASE STUDY 26 Navitas Business Partners Conference 41 AIME Welcome Reception 2013

Cover image: Courtesy of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau.

The contents of micenet Asia which are covered by copyright may not be reproduced or copied without the written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. micenet Asia does not accept responsibility for damage to, or loss of, unsolicited material submitted for publication. The content and accuracy of advertisements accepted are the responsibility of the advertiser. All prices and conditions quoted in micenet Asia are based on the latest information received. The publisher cannot be held responsible for any inconvenience or expense resulting from a subsequent alteration to prices or conditions.

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destinations

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REGION FOCUS 20 COVER STORY: MALAYSIA A young but formidable convention bureau armed with a rich local flavour 34 DARWIN Top end innovation 42 MACAU More game 46 COUNTRY UPDATE Thai hotel investments boom 48 PATTAYA Sleaze no more?

OFF-SITE 30 FAMIL TRIP Sandakan 32 ITINERARY Sarawak 40 MEET & EAT Sydney & Melbourne

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Bureau briefs

MyCEB’s stellar performance on 2012 stage

Spotlight cast on Central Coast Vietnam VIETNAM A new initiative known as the Central Coast Vietnam Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) sees industry partners working together with Danang Tourism to brand Vietnam’s central coast as Southeast Asia’s next go-to tourism destination.

With an aim to promote the region as a contender to established market leaders such as Bali, Phuket and Koh Samui, its founding partners include hoteliers, resort and golf course owners, and travel operators: The Nam Hai; Crowne Plaza

Danang; Hyatt Regency Danang; Fusion Maia Danang; Furama Resort Danang; Grand Mercure Danang; The Ocean Villas; Angsana Lang Co and La Residence Hue; Montgomerie Links and Danang Golf Club.

Its marketing campaign coincides with the launch of direct Dragonair flights between Hong Kong and Danang from March 28.

Having identified Hong Kong as a key target market, the new thrice-weekly flight services are expected to facilitate more traffic between the two destinations.

MALAYSIA The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) achieved a fulfilling year in 2012, securing business events worth RM634.9 million (US$204.3 million) in economic impact for Malaysia for the year. Some significant wins include the 127th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session 2015, Asian Congress of Architects 2014 and the Offshore Technology Conference Asia 2014, expecting a total of 35,482 foreign delegate arrivals into the country.

During the 2012 financial year from January to December, it had also successfully secured 26 association meetings, to be held in Malaysia over the next five years. “Bids won cover a wide spectrum of industry sectors especially those identified as National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) under the country’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). The breakdown of delegates can be divided into 58 per cent of association meetings and 42 per cent corporate and incentive meetings,” said Zulkefli Haji Sharif, chief executive officer of MyCEB. In the same year, MyCEB also supported 255 business events, with 50 per cent comprising corporate and incentive meetings, 44 per cent association meetings and 6 per cent exhibitions. These events supported have been estimated to drive a total economic impact of RM1.2 billion, with more than 130,000 delegate arrivals.

Melbourne Convention Bureau LURES GLOBAL INCENTIVES market AUSTRALIA The Melbourne Convention Bureau, together with 30 hotels, venues, attractions, and team-building companies, is offering global incentive and corporate travel reward planners a series of special promotions designed to make booking and planning events in Melbourne seamless and more cost8

micenet Asia

effective. Almost 80 complimentary services or discounts come under the programme, Melbourne Values You, providing planners value-added benefits such as free wireless, upgrades for hotel rooms, reduced entry into attractions and F&B packages. The offer is applicable

to corporate meetings, incentive programmes and conferences with a minimum of 100 delegates travelling at the same time, with at least two nights’ stay in Melbourne. Groups will have to be confirmed for Melbourne by 31 December, 2013, and travel by 31 December, 2014.

news

New survey app available on the market

13 Macau hotels to take part in monthly Earth Hour MACAU 13 hotels in Macau are now committed to making Earth Hour a monthly affair, as part of ongoing environmental sustainability efforts. Seven hotels have recently joined Conrad Macao, Cotai Central; Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central; Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central; The Venetian® Macao; Four Seasons Hotel Macao and Sands® Macao Hotel in switching off all exterior façade and nonessential indoor lighting for an hour from 8:30pm.

“We are glad to see major corporations taking the lead in saving energy in Macau, and are pleased that Sands China has taken the initiative to raise the bar for sustainable operations with this important effort to make Earth Hour a monthly exercise in conservation,” said Arnaldo Santos, director of the Macao SAR

Government Office for the Development of the Energy Sector.

Sands® Cotai Central’s Conrad Macao had previously posed a friendly challenge for 10 hotels to join its monthly lightsout initiative. With the challenge met, Conrad Macao will be revising its monthly commitment to every fortnight.

Such sustainability measures have saved an estimated 12.9 million kWh in energy consumption at The Venetian Macao in 2011, and also secured The Venetian Macao and Sands Macao the Macao SAR government’s coveted Macao Green Hotel Award.

Outside Macau, Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands and Africa’s Cape Grace hotel have also joined the monthly sustainability commitment after participating in the worldwide Earth Hour on March 23.

GLOBAL IML Worldwide has launched an interactive survey app that functions as an “in-meeting” tool for customisable questionnaires. Managed via an online control panel, surveys are pre-loaded and made live before, during or after an event. Event attendees are able to input ideas or opinions at their own pace whilst maintaining focus on the main event programme and content, while meeting organisers are able to schedule feedback at any time.

The app is capable of churning out individual or group-based reports for further analysis, with questions and answers coming in a wide variety of formats with features such as “bypassing” or skip logic.

Available on iOS or Android operating systems for smartphones and tablets, other features of the app include GPS and image capture, unlimited responses and a multi-lingual facility. It also supports offline data collection so an Internet connection is not required to conduct surveys.

Starwood wants to hire

ASIA PACIFIC After a successful pilot programme in over 100 hotels across Greater China last year, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific held its first division-wide recruitment event in March. Held on March 6 in more

than 85 cities including Beijing, Sanya, Shanghai, Bangkok, Delhi and Seoul, the Starwood Asia Pacific Recruitment Day looked to fill approximately 5000 positions across all levels and functions in over 240 hotels, including sales and marketing, events, finance, revenue management, accounting, administration, concierge, human resources, front office and concierge.

Candidates were given the opportunity to explore career options and meet with human resources specialists from different hotels and brands in the city. micenet Asia

9

NEWS

Switched on

A new survey has found more companies using interactive event technology as a way to gain insights to the audience. By Kristie Thong While interactive event technology has been growing in prominence worldwide over the past five years, a recent independent survey commissioned by IML Worldwide and conducted from November-December 2012 revealed knowledge gaps in the industry that prevent event stakeholders from fully maximising its benefits.

This was based on insights gathered from over 300 event companies and stakeholders in key regions such as the UK (25.5 per cent), Australia and New Zealand (22 per cent), Europe (19.6 per cent), US (16.6 per cent), South Africa (5.8 per cent), Asia (4.1 per cent) and others (6.4 per cent).

Using technology at events is now the norm, with only 0.1 per cent of respondents saying they had never used some form of it. Out of the myriad tools that include texting/messaging, wireless microphones, voting/polling, social media, data tracking and more, voting/polling remains the most commonly-used feature.

The way technology is used at events has seen a shift – only 1 per cent of survey respondents use it primarily to entertain audiences. This also shines light on the use of interactive event technology for gaining audience insight, where 59.5 per cent of respondents believe it is 10

micenet Asia

very or vitally important. 79 per cent of respondents believe not using interactive event technology tools would cause their organisations to lose audience insight.

It allows event stakeholders to capture post-event analysis and feedback from insights captured at the event, which up to 74.9 per cent of respondents believe is very or vitally important.

However, the survey highlighted that whilst the industry values the usage and how it effectively captures more audience insight, 88.7 per cent of respondents feel their organisations could do more to maximise it.

Understanding that there’s more to learn about interactive event technology tools, 95 per cent of respondents believe specialist advice is important, both in terms of assisting in the maximisation of insight harvesting and maximising the event’s overall success.

Contrary to belief that price is of utmost importance, the key selection criteria when it comes to interactive event technology is its ease of use (41.3 per cent), functionality (22.3 per cent) and reliability (20.6 per cent).

The future is bright for interactive event technology; close to 98 per cent of respondents believe it will play an even bigger part in events, especially in audience engagement and the level of data and insight gained. Approximately three quarters of respondents surveyed believe it will in fact become much more important, or one of the most important components of events.

TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY USED TO GATHER AUDIENCE INSIGHTS Texting/Messaging 13.3% Wireless Microphone 16.3% Voting/Polling 19% Portable PA 7.7% Agenda 8.3% Social Media 10.6% Simultaneous Translation/Interpretation 8.5% Sponsorship/Branding 9.0% Data Tracking 5.8% Have not used any 0.1% 0

5

10

15

20

Source: IML Worldwide December 2012

news

Two-way allure

Brisbane.

Australia may be keen to attract Asian buyers, but its Asian counterparts are just as eager to entice buyers from Down Under, evident from this year’s AsiaPacific Incentives & Meetings Expo. Story by Kristie Thong

Taking the lead each year by hosting the first official industry exhibition for the region allows Australia to set its tone, and this year the objective was clear: To demonstrate value.

Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy told micenet ASIA: “Competition is a huge challenge we currently face. When we got into handling business events in the 80-90s, there were only a few around doing the same thing.

But now, there are 200 destinations trying to do similar things.”

From the established cosmopolitan bigwigs Melbourne and Sydney, and Brisbane and Adelaide’s growing capacity to host large events, to the exotic Uluru and famous Great Barrier Reef, the continent is chockfull of opportunities for

MICE buyers. Yet settling for sufficient isn’t enough, and this seemed to be a general consensus among the team of Australian convention bureaux at this year’s AsiaPacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) held in Melbourne.

The Melbourne Convention Bureau launched a convention district that encompassed a four-kilometre-wide area boasting Melbourne’s highest concentration of conference facilities.

Business Events Week was also held in the city, featuring a week-long programme of activities designed to showcase the value of business events, with AIME as its centrepiece.

Not to be outdone, Business Events Sydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith was quick to point out in a press conference that the

bureau had shifted its focus on business events in New South Wales (NSW) to include both visitor and knowledge economies through extensive Beyond Tourism Benefits research projects. Having gained insights into the social, economic and educational value of business events, the bureau was able to strengthen governmental relationships and also contribute to the business case for a new convention centre – the ICC Sydney – slated to open in late 2016.

Melbourne skyline.

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11

I personally enjoy working in Asia because unlike Australia, everything is negotiable (including data projectors and screens). From my experience, they ‘understand’ the importance of a twoway relationship and offer value-adds that are actually valuable and meaningful, and not just a marketing term.”

Shanghai Pavilion.

Exterior of Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

SHELLY PAGE THE EVENTS AUTHORITY GENERAL MANAGER

demonstrating value and competing.”

Apart from mainstream advertising, an initiative to expose Asian buyers to the prowess of Australia is a programme known as Dreamtime, which will see buyers and media travel around the country to experience what it has to offer.

“We know it’s powerful; we did it two years ago and we know we’ve gotten business from that trip because people went home and got motivated, and presented Australia to their clients,” he added.

Asia speaks

Brisbane also put up a strong case by announcing the launch of Australia’s newest convention centre, the Royal International Convention Centre, which welcomed its first guests in February.

Located 1.6 kilometres from Brisbane’s central business district and 15 minutes from the city’s international airport, the 10,000-square metre two-level property features three halls, seven adaptable meeting rooms, two boardrooms, an open foyer, 140 car parks, and state-of-the-art rigging and catering facilities.

The south too revealed projects such 12

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as the Adelaide Convention Centre, SA Health and Medical Research Institute and the Adelaide Oval nearing completion, while the Rundle Mall shopping precinct, Riverbank promenade, Festival Centre Plaza and the Casino are currently in various planning stages.

Mr McEvoy said that the motivation level was high amongst Asian buyers, evident from the response garnered from AIME’s pre-show tours and the growing number of business events in the country.

“But we are a high-cost destination.

Our dollar is strong, so we need to keep

Australia may be keen to attract Asian buyers, but its Asian counterparts are just as eager to entice Australian buyers due to the strong dollar Down Under.

“They are able to do more in Asia at a lower cost, and in recent years the quality gap is becoming less significant as Asia is doing all it can to level the playing field,” an incentive tour operator based in Hong Kong said.

There is a strong level of sustained interest in Asia Pacific, with most Australian buyers citing Singapore, Hong Kong, China and South Korea as worthy destinations to consider running events in. The exotic cultures in Asia, combined with a budding reputation of great service delivery and

news cost-effectiveness, make running events in the region more appealing than ever.

“I particularly like bringing the cultural aspect into the event and supporting a worthy cause that is close to the country,” The Events Authority general manager Shelly Page said.

However, what’s holding many Australian buyers back is a general lack of knowledge about dealing with talent and logistics in the region, leaving them daunted about venturing into the East.

“I wouldn’t know where to start,” the director of an event management company based in Sydney admitted.

Furthermore, the volatile economy has caused companies to tighten their purse strings. Particularly in the finances sector where event budgets are determined based on the performance of European headquarters, Australian buyers are constrained to settle for inter-state events.

“I personally enjoy working in Asia because unlike Australia, everything is negotiable (including data projectors and screens). From my experience, they ‘understand’ the importance of a two-way relationship and offer value-adds that are actually valuable and meaningful, and not just a marketing term,” Ms Page said.

Contrary to belief that Asia pales in comparison to the high standards in Australia, she said service across all levels have been consistently good, with the quality of accommodation and meeting facilities “much superior to what you can get in Australia”.

Villa in the tropical garden of Moevenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket.

“The service staff is immaculately dressed and groomed, and always have a welcoming smile and genuinely look as though they are pleased to see you.”

Yet running events in Asia is not without its host of challenges.

According to Ms Page, the biggest barrier is language and the understanding of what is needed, which can be misunderstood easily on e-mail.

“I feel it is really beneficial when there is an expatriate in the hotel that we can work with initially and who understands our expectations from the start.

NUMBER OF CONVENTION/CONFERENCE VISITORS TO AUSTRALIA BY COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE (YEAR ENDED DEC 2012) New Zealand

3.5%

USA

26%

China

23%

Japan

15.1%

United Kingdom

17%

India

33%

Korea

2.1%

Singapore

-6%

Malaysia

16%

Canada

6% 0

10

YEAR ENDED DEC 2011 YEAR ENDED DEC 2012

20

30

40

50

60

The above chart represents percentage changes in convention/conference arrivals in year ending December 31, 2012 compared to 2011.

SoURCE: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Overseas arrivals and departures.

“Another barrier is that whilst some bureaus offer amazing support to assist in getting business into a country, others do not have the financial backing or support.”

Buyers have also expressed interest in the huge resort and spa culture in Asia, believing that an incentive trip to exotic beach destinations such as Phuket, Thailand, would be an exciting experience.

“I do think working in this type of environment is soothing to the soul and assists in seeing and seeking solutions with a different mindset,” Ms Page said.

Resorts and spas may have piqued the interest of Australian buyers, but she felt there is still a lack of marketing efforts promoting the combination of spas and conferences. “We all know there is a spa, but it would be good to see how this can be used. For example, a value-add could be head and shoulder massages during the conference break.”

While some markets in Asia have established themselves as strong contenders in the business events space, it’s undeniable that some still fall short due to language, logistics and infrastructural barriers. But as the industry takes in the heightened activity amongst Asian exhibitors at AIME and their readiness to participate in more tradeshows globally, the inevitable day where Asia stands proudly on a level playing field is fast-approaching. micenet Asia

13

ICCA stats have bureaux holding their breath While some convention bureaux anticipate they have done enough to maintain their status on the ICCA international association meetings rankings others are less confident, citing greater competition for a potential slip in standings.

By Brad Foster with initial reporting by Graeme Kemlo

The release in May of the International Congress & Convention Association’s annual list of country and city rankings of top performers in the association meetings sector could bring a few surprises for 2012.

Long considered a benchmark of how destinations around the world are faring in comparison to others it holds a different level of importance depending on who you are talking to and perhaps how their ranking stacks up against others.

In 2011, the cities of Vienna, Paris, Barcelona and Berlin were the top four, with Singapore nipping at their heels.

These European cities respectively hosted 181, 174, 150 and 147 association meetings that fit the ICCA criteria, with Singapore a close fifth with 142 meetings.

In country rankings, the United States was a clear leader, hosting 759 meetings in 2011. Germany was second with 577, China was eighth with 302, Japan was a respectable 13th with 233, South Korea was 15th hosting 207, and Australia was 16th with 204.

Historically, there has not been a lot of changes at the top in terms of ranking, and not a lot is expected to change for 2012 in both the city and country rankings. The US will remain on top and

14

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Germany will be hard-pressed to lose its second-place mantle.

The big mover in the country and city stakes will probably be China although it remains a long way from the European powerhouses which include Spain, the UK, France and Italy.

Many Australian bureaux are being coy about predicting whether it will remain around 16th place in the country standings. What they are quick to point out is that competition is fierce.

Some, like the Gold Coast Convention Bureau, are developing strategies to lift their rankings, as CEO Martin Winter explained recently.

At last count the Gold Coast ranked 316th, hosting six international association meetings in 2011. Mr Winter said the launch of an ambassador programme – tapping into the expertise of those working at the city’s three universities and the teaching hospital (the largest in the southern hemisphere) – was aimed at boosting international association business.

“We want to take our ICCA ranking from where it is now to where it should be – a second tier city with a leisure outlook to among the top 100 in the world in the association meetings sector,” he said.

To make it into the top 100, the Gold Coast will probably need to be hosting at least 22 international association meetings annually.

Singapore, on the other end of the scale, is expected to remain the number one position in the Asia Pacific. In 2011, the city hosted 142 association meetings that fit the ICCA criteria and should record similar numbers for 2012.

Singapore Tourism Board regional director ASEAN & Oceania, Kenneth Lim, said Singapore’s reliability, quality delivery of meetings, and its constant reinvention and refinement are all helping to maintain its popularity.

“We are constantly pushing and selling our destination, and we are always developing new products, offering new experiences and attractions,” he said.

Competition hots up Any city or country that wants to up its ranking, and in many cases maintain its current standing, will not find it easy without greater investment.

In March this year, Abu Dhabi launched a convention bureau with the specific goal of being ranked among the world’s top 50 association meetings destinations within five years.

global watch

Gold Coast.

“We will provide free and non-biased assistance and support to professional convention, incentive and exhibition planners, corporations and associations so that they can bid for, win and hold conferences, major business events, business meetings and congresses in Abu Dhabi,” said His Excellency Jasem Al Darmaki, Deputy Director General, TCA Abu Dhabi, on the launch of the new division.

“We are targeting six major business wins this year, a further eight next year and a total of 10 wins in 2015,” he said.

“Our strategy will be to target inmarket opportunities that will generate incremental business in the short term while building on international relationships for the long term.”

In 2011, ICCA ranked Abu Dhabi 234th in the world for the eight major meetings held in the destination.

“We have more than doubled that last

year and realistically expect to be within ICCA’s Top 150 when the rankings are announced,” he said.

Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, currently ranked 20th by ICCA (hosting 83 association meetings in 2011), is also seeking a greater share of the market, with the secretary general of the Taiwan Convention & Exhibition Association, Thomas Tsou, recently announcing his country’s plans to boost its MICE business through financial stimulus.

With a long-term objective to “ improve service efficiency, enhance international visibility and competiveness”, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau is offering subsidies for air charters, subsidies for foreign cruise ship stopovers, subsidies for advertising budgets, incentives for premium itineraries, development of incentive tours for large companies and grants for schools hosting educational tours throughout 2013.

In terms of international events,

over the next four years the Bureau of Foreign Trade will provide up to US$16,000 for preparation of bidding or marketing, up to US$90,000 for an implemented international meeting, and up to US$70,000 for an implemented international exhibition. Also available is up to US$10,000 per event as a tour allowance for participants.

A DVD document released to the media revealed further details of Taiwan's financial support from local government and detailed Taipei City's efforts to provide subsidies to attract overseas companies to host MICE events, free admissions to major attractions like the National Palace Museum, Taipei 101 Observatory and Maokong Gondola – a sponsorship of up to NTD 1,000,000 (US$340,000) for banquets and free Easycards for travellers to tour Taiwan.

It also listed Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan as wanting to host MICE activities to support its local MICE industry, the Kaohsiung government subsidises international congress, academic conference and exhibition up to NTD 800,000 (US$27,000) per case. It also said that those who applied for a government subsidy may obtain up to NTD 300,000 (US$10,000) for international events.

Back in Australia, Mr Winter agreed that securing international meetings is challenging.

“It’s fair to say that in the last few years, Australia has not attracted as many international events as previously primarily because of the increased competition we’re seeing in these new destinations within Asia,” he said.

“In saying that, the Gold Coast is renewing its work in this area.”

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15

An appetite for

interaction

With an endless stream of event apps popping up in the market, a new technology aims to increase audience participation instead of settling as a mere information repository.

STORY By Kristie Thong

From pre-event web apps to native mobile apps to full-blown, bespoke event apps, interactive technology is now an accepted part of the corporate events landscape.

But while their use may be widespread, the true value of these solutions is often debatable. As ever, the key questions facing marketing and communications

teams are, firstly, does the technology improve audience engagement and, more importantly, does it add value to the event and represent a satisfactory return on investment?

In response to these questions, some developers are taking a more advanced approach to event apps – one that treats

interactive technology as an integral part of the event. This new approach is exemplified by the Dynamic iPad Apps offered by Concise Media Design (www.concisegroup.com), a global events supplier with offices in London, New York and Hong Kong.

By not only designing a unique app – with whatever interactive functionality the event may require – but also pre-installing it on a fleet of iPads that are hired out for the duration of the event, the Concise system aims to make the iPad the heart of the event experience for each delegate.

Beyond delivering presentations and

In areas such as voting, Q&A and feedback, getting the audience to interact via a touchscreen tablet has big advantages. Put simply, when the process of interacting is slick and simple, audience participation goes up.”

Concise Dynamic iPad App.

16

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Technology acting as a repository for event information, perhaps the most exciting aspect of this new breed of event apps is the potential for audience participation. In areas such as voting, Q&A and feedback, getting the audience to interact via a touchscreen tablet has big advantages. Put simply,

when the process of interacting is slick and simple, audience participation goes up. Hence by providing a more engaging experience for delegates, it can bring major gains in the quantity and quality of data collected by event organisers.

For Concise’s Winston Hammill, it’s all about finding better ways to engage with the audience.

“The iPads give delegates the means to leave feedback or ask questions without feeling any pressure,” he points out. “In a situation where you would expect five questions in an hour from delegates speaking into a microphone, we regularly collect over 100 questions via the iPads in the attendees’ hands.

“It’s better for the host too,” he adds.

“Through our system, presenters can select which questions or comments are displayed, allowing them to steer the discussion in the most productive direction.” The system’s ability to stimulate

interaction is equally marked when it comes to audience feedback, Mr Hammill says. “We're regularly seeing participation rates in excess of 95 per cent, as compared to a typical 10 per cent when delegates are left to fill in a feedback form using pen and paper,” he explains. “That’s hugely valuable in itself, but the fact that our feedback is digital also makes using the data incredibly easy. Organisers can analyse feedback at the end of each day and react instantly.”

So is this the future of corporate events in Asia? Unsurprisingly, Mr Hammill’s answer is a resounding “yes”.

“This is a global marketplace, and once audiences have experienced the potential of this system, they expect to see it everywhere,” he says. “It’s the same for event organisers. Once they’ve used this solution, suggesting they go back to voting keypads is like asking them to go back to the horse and cart.”

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Q&A

Our golden age of travel NICHLAS MARATOS STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING OPERATIONS ASIA PACIFIC

Starwood's Nichlas Maratos opines that smaller budgets for general meetings have in turn led to a growing demand in incentive travel.

Story by Kristie Thong

The St. Regis Beijing - President Suite.

What are some lessons learnt in 2012?

Despite the slowdown in recovery in the second half of 2012, Starwood performed well, strongly growing our footprint and sustaining high RevPar and occupancies in an uncertain environment.

We are bullish as ever on long-term growth and we believe we are on the cusp of a new golden age of travel. Across Asia Pacific, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are booming. China hit a pause button in the midst of a once-in-a-decade leadership transition but the prospect for both domestic and outbound travel is looking bright for 2013.

What are some trends in the MICE industry that you have witnessed recently?

Based on forward bookings, we expect meeting spend to increase, in line with an expected increase in the number of 18

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events held in 2013 and the number of participants per event.

We have also noticed increased demand from the incentive travel segment at our high-end luxury properties. This indicates that while the budget per head has fallen for general meetings, companies are willing to spend more to reward their top performers in a bid to retain them and to keep them highly motivated.

More and more companies are building corporate social responsibility into their meetings and incentives programmes. Many of our clients now combine corporate meetings with a bit of community service or environmental activities on the side. There are various ways in which clients choose to do this, including half-day meetings or community service programmes such as building schools. For example, at The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, we offer an environmental programme called coral nursery that allow groups to participate and learn about coral rescue and rehabilitation.

We also have had to be very flexible and nimble. In some markets such as China, the booking window is often just a week. This means that everything we do now – the process, contracting, billing etc – has to be done at lightning speed.

We organise site inspections on the same day or the next day. We have a Meetings Planner Satisfaction Index to tell us what needs more attention. We now do business the way our customers want.

Which markets are of utmost importance to Starwood this year, and how does Starwood intend to reach out to them?

China will continue to be our key growth driver because its domestic group travel remains quite strong. Meetings and incentive travel to tourist spots such as Hainan, Changbaishan and other resort destinations are expected to be strong.

Starwood has a very strong sales platform that helps ease the ways customers interact with us. We believe selling is a global affair. No matter where our customers are in the world, our global and on-property sales and marketing teams work collaboratively to reach out to them. In addition, we also attend tradeshows and expos to expand our network and outreach, as well as organise our own Starwood Expos to provide a platform for our customers to receive updates and meet with our hotels’ teams face-to-face.

The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort.

Q&A

Photo: COURTESY OF Seoul Tourism Organisation.

Off the map SELINA GROCOTT PACIFIC WORLD, REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SINGAPORE & MALAYSIA

The fuel behind Pacific World’s strategic expansion into South Korea is the discerning customer’s appetite for fresh and exotic destinations.

What is the outlook of MICE in the two markets you are responsible for?

I am responsible for the Pacific World operations in both Singapore and Malaysia.

Singapore is constantly reinventing itself to become more attractive in the marketplace with new developments. It is an on-going effort to make clients understand the wonders that tiny Singapore can offer for both business and leisure. As for Malaysia, the rising government investments in infrastructural projects, attractive luxury destinations and hype in the food sector are expected to generate tourism growth.

Malaysia is also attractive due to its sheer diversity of destinations, from the high-tech city of KL, tropical islands, to numerous pristine beaches and the world’s oldest tropical rainforests. Overall, it remains a pressing year for industry players to continue to balance clients’ increased demand for quality and expectations for value.

In your opinion, which Asian market is likely to be the next ideal MICE destination and why?

South Korea is really hot right now; it has firmly established itself as a leading global MICE destination with its increasingly fastmoving and modern capital. To position itself as MICE-friendly to international visitors, South Korea has undertaken significant upgrading and advancements in its transport, traffic and communication network. The state-of-the-art Korea International Exhibition Centre is the fifth largest exhibition space in Asia. With excellent tourism infrastructure and

What are some trends in the MICE industry that you have witnessed recently?

The demand for meetings is on the rise; although companies are not splurging, luxury venues are not being ruled out either. The traditional space setting is being replaced by more innovative approaches and different kinds of seating; the focus is on creating conducive settings. Requests for unique and customised packages are high on demand; clients are looking for exotic destinations that offer great value and a relaxed atmosphere with facilities for meetings and recreational opportunities.

cosmopolitan environment, the city’s multi-faceted characteristics appeal to international travellers.

What is Pacific World’s expansion or growth strategy this year? What are some plans in the pipeline?

We have recently opened to new destinations such as South Korea, Monaco and France. We will continue to find ways to offer something fresh and new either through our presence in emerging MICE destinations or through our ability to access unique venues and places that people cannot access on their own.

Requests for unique and customised packages are high on demand; clients are looking for exotic destinations that offer great value and a relaxed atmosphere with facilities for meetings and recreational opportunities.”

Aerial view of Southern Seoul.

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The young but formidable Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau believes an emphasis on the rich Malaysian culture is what gives the country the edge to secure large international events.

Story by Kristie Thong

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Cover Story

Chingay-themed event.

During the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) in February 2013, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) took the Malaysian cultural experience to a new level.

Together with 24 industry partners such as Langkawi Development Authority, Penang Global Tourism, Sarawak Convention Bureau, Borneo Convention Centre (BCCK), Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and Pullman Kuching, the formidable group hosted a “Spice Market” cocktail reception where a mock set-up

of a thriving spice market was enacted to capture the country’s vibrancy and capabilities to conduct business events.

Taking visitors on a time travel back 600 years complete with Arab, Chinese and Indian traders, the spice market saw attendees using supplied fake Malaysian currency for specialty items such as fabrics, spices and embroidery, amid featured activities such as Islamic and Chinese calligraphy, tea-making and Indian henna and batik painting.

While the concept had previously been showcased at previous tradeshows, MyCEB alongside partners Borneo Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and Pullman Kuching took this experience a notch higher by sponsoring the Malaysia Spice Market Restaurant. AIME attendees at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre were able to savour authentic Malaysian cuisine such as “nasi lemak” (fragrant coconut rice), “char kuey teow” (fried flat noodles) and “"satay" (barbecued meat on skewers).

MyCEB’s decision to play the culture card to highlight the country’s advantage for business events may be the key to pivot the destination to greater success.

The country has seen a steady increase in visitors year-on-year, with business tourists

making up 5 per cent of the 25.3 million tourist arrivals last year. The goal, however, is to bolster the figure to 8 per cent of total tourist arrivals by 2020, generating an estimated total revenue of RM168 million (US$54 million) for the local economy and also positioning Malaysia as one of the top five destinations in Asia Pacific for international meetings.

MyCEB CEO Zulkefli Haji Sharif told micenet ASIA: “Malaysia has a true local flavour; a combination of the society that puts us at a competitive edge.”

We’re participating in their tradeshows and meeting [buyers] personally to make sales talks. Together with our co-exhibitors and partners, we will present Malaysia as a destination, and develop solutions to make travel and running events in the country easier.”

ZULKEFLI HAJI SHARIF MALAYSIA CONVENTION & EXHIBITION BUREAU, CEO micenet Asia 21

Cover Story

Spice Market-themed event.

C

M

Y

Only established in 2009 by the Ministry of Tourism, MyCEB has managed to strengthen its global presence in the business events industry. Launched initially with a Business Events Unit (BEU), the team added an International Events Unit (IEU) to its portfolio - aimed at attracting major global events including those revolving around music, arts, entertainment, sports and lifestyle, on top of supporting home-grown events. With the appointment of Tony Nagamaiah to head IEU alongside MyCEB’s BEU general manager of sales and marketing Ho Yoke Ping, the association has managed to secure 24 bids for international association meetings in 2012, bringing in approximately RM342 million in economic impact. On the arts and culture front, the IEU was able to support major events such as the MTV World Stage 2012, J Lo Dance World Tour Concert and Future Music Festival Asia.

Unique push But with competition heating up amongst Asian counterparts, MyCEB has to do more to win the hearts of MICE buyers. In 2011, it launched an incentive campaign aimed at leveraging Malaysia’s various unique selling points to event planners under four themes – unique venues, 22 micenet Asia

CM

Malaysia has a true local flavour; a combination of the society that puts us at a competitive edge.”

MY

CY

CMY

K

ZULKEFLI HAJI SHARIF MALAYSIA CONVENTION & EXHIBITION BUREAU, CEO

themed events, corporate social responsibility and team-building.

During a press conference, Mr Zulkefli highlighted the option of running themed events in culturally-strong areas such as Little India and Chinatown.

“Participants can dress up in traditional Indian costumes when an event is held in Brickfields, which is a medium-sized neighbourhood just outside KL, dominated by the Indian community.”

One strong emphasis under the incentive campaign is Malaysia’s Let’s Meet and Green programme, which was first launched in 2010 in support of the government’s commitment to offset carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2020.

Just as sustainability gains traction in the Asian business events space, MyCEB’s programme operates on the simple premise where delegates of an

event hosted in Malaysia can contribute a minimum of US$10, which will be channelled to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia’s tree-planting activities.

As the demand for unique venues grows and conventional event spaces see a decline in popularity, heritage off-site venues have never been more important.

MyCEB has turned the Putrajaya Maritime Centre, Central Market and Thean Hou Temple into shell sites for off-site business event venues, which present the opportunity for meetings within the cultural and natural elements of Malaysia. Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding was also penned with Chin Swee Caves Temple, turning the Temple into its fourth shell site.

Moving ahead MyCEB is making heads turn with their seemingly never-ending efforts to capture a

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Cover Story

Spice Market restaurant at AIME.

bigger share of the global MICE business.

But standing in its way is still a general lack of awareness, especially amongst its Western target audience.

“Associations and incentive groups in long-haul markets such as the UK or US are waiting for the right information. Once they know more about Malaysia, they may decide to come,” Mr Zulkefli said.

“It’s not easy because of the travelling time and the distance, and also the time it takes to explore different parts of Malaysia.

Hence, we want the time spent in Malaysia to be memorable and fun-filled, and that means giving them the right information and talking to the right people.”

MyCEB’s participation in various tradeshows around the world is an integral part of building awareness amongst event planners. The team is expected to take part in approximately 11 tradeshows, ranging from AIME, the Incentive Travel & Conventions Meetings China (IT&CM) in Shanghai, to the Americas Meetings and Events Exhibition (AIBTM) in Chicago and The Global Meetings & Events Expo (EIBTM) in Barcelona.

“We’re participating in their tradeshows and meeting them personally to make sales talks. Together with our co-exhibitors and partners, we will present Malaysia as a destination, and develop solutions to make travel and running events in the country easier,” he added.

The outlook, however, remains bright for Malaysia. Just this year, Malaysia hosted Automechanika at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, an international automotive trade fair comprising more than 180 exhibitors 24 micenet Asia

from 18 countries targeting ASEAN trade visitors. It also secured the 61st Les Clefs d’Or UICH International Congress and the Million Dollar Round Table Experience for the first half of 2014.

Adding to its success is an overwhelming response generated from MyCEB’s Twin Deal programme launched last year in Beijing, China.

The initiative, which offers incentives for both delegates and organisers, has since expanded to Australia, Europe, India and Korea.

“We have 64 groups to date under the Twin Deal programme, totalling 17,500 delegates and generating approximately RM203 million in revenue.”

And because no man is an island, partnerships are important to get ahead.

Under the Industry Partner Programme (IPP) Networking Session, MyCEB’s

partners are able to gain access to sales leads and business referrals, as well as professional development opportunities. With 237 recruited since 2011, MyCEB is aiming to recruit 70 more industry partners under the IPP. “It creates a platform to bring industry partners and players alike together to share knowledge and expertise; and to further enhance the quality of our services in order to compete internationally,” Mr Zulkefli concluded.

Spice Market cocktail reception at AIME.

Case Study Compiled by Kristie Thong

Name Of Event: Navitas Global Business Partners Conference Organiser: The Events Authority Type: Conference Client: Navitas Ltd Venue: Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia DATE: November 17-20, 2012 Pax: 200 Budget: Undisclosed

Success

through Diversity Event Overview The 6th Annual Navitas Business Partners Conference was held for the second time in Kuala Lumpur, providing major networking opportunities for approximately 90 key Business Partners and the wider Navitas marketing team, and also allowing the companies’ some 30 business units to showcase their full range of programmes.

The theme “Success through Diversity” was a spin-off from the AGM and annual report, and was carried across all aspects of the conference, from marketing and promotional collateral to the websites, speakers and on-site activities.

EXECUTION Why KL? Kuala Lumpur was chosen as the conference destination due to its strategic

Navitas CEO Rod Jones.

Navitas group GM of marketing & sales Tony Cullen officially launches the conference.

location, price and suitability for the guests. Global air access was one of the first factors considered, and Malaysia Airlines had a great networking across the globe servicing Navitas’ key ports – Australia, China, UK and the US. Compared to other Asian cities, the team felt KL was very affordable without having to compromise on service or quality.

The team at the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau was very flexible and accommodating, in addition to support provided such as video footage, photos and promotional materials on the destination.

The Events Authority (TEA) worked with a number of local suppliers for the event.

Audio-visual technology was arranged by AV Solutions, while Amatara Tours provided local transportation in the form of coaches and mini-vans.

The hotel The Shangri-La Hotel was selected as the venue because it fit Navitas’ conferencing requirements; conference floors were easily accessible across two floors, which worked out well logistically. Service across all levels of the hotel was exceptional, and Navitas’ decision to return to the hotel in 2012 was testament to the hotel and the entire team.

The organising committee The organising committee was made up of two fulltime staff at TEA and six Navitas employees, representing different areas of the business and globe. Weekly teleconferencing meetings were scheduled to maintain open communication.

The content The event comprised a combination of formats – workshop sessions, anexpo and interactive presentations including International keynote speakers Dan Gregory and Kieran Flanagan (Directors of the The Impossible Institute who between them have a 20-year history of collaborating on some of Australia’s most successful product launches). Both leaders in the advertising and marketing fields, they have won various awards for their creativity and work. Dan is also a regular on the ABC’s TC series ‘The Gruen Transfer’.

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS Team-building One of the highlights of the conference was a movie-making event named “A World of Difference”. A team-building element is always included in Navitas’ events to get agents and staff to network due to the group’s cultural diversity. Guests were split into pre-allocated teams of five or six, and tasked to create five-minute videos based 26 micenet Asia

Case Study

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Case Study

on the theme in half a day. An editor was on-site to edit the top 10 films, and a judging panel selected the winners, who were then announced during a mini Oscars/Gangnamstyle ceremony that evening.

Acceptance speech for an award.

Technology With the conference theme being all about diversity, the working party thought that this would be a good time to move from a printed conference brochure to an app with all the information on there and available at everyone’s fingertips. The app included all details of the conference such as floor plans, itinerary, photo galleries, interactive Q&A for speaker sessions and a feedback form, as well as alert features to highlight information that required urgency.

CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS All flights were booked and handled through The Events Authority Parent Company – The Travel Authority Group. A website and registration site was set up for the conference to capture all data required. A fully-integrated system allowed TEA to provide all guests with confirmation of all relevant flight, accommodation and conference details.

A conference logo was produced and carried across the stage design and on-site registration areas. The design was produced by Navitas’ in-house design team. All the stage and set designs were printed in KL because it was a much more cost-effective option. Suppliers were selected in conjunction with the hotel recommendations.

One of the main challenges TEA faced during the printing of all stage and registration collateral was the lack of understanding over e-mail correspondence and trying to explain expectations over the phone, resulting in delays. TEA also tried to source a green carpet for the stage, which again was a challenge getting samples of the carpet. However the Shangri-La assisted and followed up on TEA’s behalf, explaining in detail to the suppliers what TEA needed.

Social events One of the two social events was off-site at the trendy Sultan Lounge in the neighbouring Mandarin Oriental, chosen because there are limited venues that can seat 200 guests in KL. Despite logistical challenges due to the venue’s long and narrow space, guests were able to mingle and dance the night away with a good mix of both sitting and standing options. The second social event was the formal awards dinner held at Shangri-La, where the room was styled with colour schemes and branding requirements.

A fully-integrated system allowed Navitas to provide all delegates with confirmation of all relevant flight, accommodation and conference details.”

EVENT OUTCOME The event saw 222 guests in attendance, comprising 90 Business Partners, over 100 Navitas employees and 18 university partners.

Navitas Limited group general manager of marketing and sales Tony Cullen said that The Events Authority once again exceeded expectations for their attention to detail, service and professionalism, having worked with them for the third time.

“Shelly and her team are a pleasure to work with and always feel like an extension to the Navitas team. I would have no hesitation recommending The Events Authority to anyone and would very much hope to use them again for our large-scale corporate events,” he said.

Navitas is a leading global education provider that offers an extensive range of educational services through three major Divisions to students and professionals including university programmes, creative media education, professional education, English language training and settlement services. Further details about Navitas are available at www.navitas.com Flawless event management by an award-winning team: The Events Authority, a specialist division of The Travel Authority Group, creates unique world-class events, conferences, incentive travel programmes and meeting experiences. The team offers knowledge, initiative and expertise – and a stunning result. Find out more about The Events Authority at www.ttagroup.com.au

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You don’t have to travel far to experience the world’s best.

Located just 20 minutes from downtown Kuala Lumpur, One World Hotel in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, has been recently awarded the Best International Convention Hotel at the International Hotel Awards 2012 in London, recognised as the hotel industry’s only true 5-star status award. Before that, we were named the Best Convention Hotel in Malaysia and Asia Pacific.

None of these would have been possible without your trust, confidence and support.

We look forward to serve you better. Thank you for making One World Hotel a truly global brand.

Find us on:

The BrandLaureate SMEs Signature Brands Awards 2012

Cinnamon Coffee House Malaysia Tourism Award 2008 - 2009 Innovative Restaurant Premier Award - International Restaurant

Best City Hotel Excellence Award

first avenue, bandar utama city centre, 47800 petaling jaya, selangor, malaysia. toll free domestic: 1300 88 7888 toll free international: 1800 88 7888 tel: 603 7681 1111 fax: 603 7681 1188 email: cne@oneworldhotel.com.my website: www.oneworldhotel.com.my

Sweet surrender to Sandakan

Skyline from Four Points

by Sheraton Sandakan.

Sandakan has been Borneo Island’s best kept secret… until now. Story by Sandra Hernandez Life can get too busy and despite the allure of posh commercialism and delightful epicurean adventures, we reach a tipping point where our inner selves long for a calm respite – a getaway where we can rest our busy minds, momentarily curb our fast-paced lives and attune ourselves to the beauty of nature.

Head east of Borneo Island In a world of endless choices and 24/7 connectivity, Sandakan offers an uncomplicated intermission. It brings us

back to the core of life – nature!

Sandakan is the second largest city in Sabah, located on the east coast of Borneo Island. During the British colonial period, Sandakan was the capital of the British North Borneo and was at some point the notorious site of a World War II Japanese airfield that was built by forced labour of Javanese civilians and allied prisoners of war.

Today, Sandakan is the epitome of tranquillity that’s fast gaining popularity as an emerging MICE destination in Southeast

Asia. With its historical and cultural past as backdrops of an enriching stay, Sandakan is modernising. A newly-opened Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan is proof that the city is on its way to attract more visitors, particularly those who wish to refresh or get away while getting in touch with nature to fortify the mind and body.

The presence of Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan boosted the city’s capability to host meetings and conferences with its 1600 square metres of event space – a space worth noticing by event and meeting planners.

Sandakan’s heritage trail Experiencing Sandakan’s heritage trail is similar to going for a personal retreat.

One looks back at the past to move forward into the future. A few must-see attractions include:

SANDAKAN MEMORIAL PARK

Orang Utan at Conservation Centre.

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St Michael's and All Angels Church.

As part of the site of the original Sandakan prisoner of war (POW) camp, the Sandakan Memorial Park commemorates the bravery of the 2400 Australian and British POWs and the atrocity of war.

By August 1945, only six POWs – all Australians, survived the death marches the men were subjected to.

malaysia ST MICHAEL’S AND ALL ANGELS CHURCH St Michael’s Church was the first stone building erected on Sabah soil.

It was designed by a New Zealander, BW Mounfort, and was completed in 13 years.

The church houses the commemorative window of remembrance, a stained glass masterpiece by famed artist Philip Handel from Australia, in memory of the Australian and British soldiers who died at the death marches.

Sandakan adventure The unadulterated beauty of Sandakan is what captivates, and no trip to Sandakan is complete without going to a few ecotourism stops that can offer some of the most fun and socially-responsible teambuilding activities.

Rainforest Discovery Centre.

SEPILOK ORANG UTAN SANCTUARY Set in the lush 4300 hectare Kabili-Sepilok sanctuary, the

Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary rehabilitates orphaned baby orang utans to fend for themselves in the wild. Visitors can witness the sanctuary rangers in action during the scheduled feeding times.

BORNEO SUN BEAR CONSERVATION CENTRE Looking into the needs of one of the most neglected mammals in Southeast Asia, the sun bears, visitors can sponsor one of these mammals or help build a natural habitat for them for a truly meaningful CSR group activity.

RAINFOREST DISCOVERY CENTRE Learn and appreciate the rainforest ecology and biodiversity while walking along a network of self-guided trails in the forest. Night walks along the trail provide opportunities to witness nocturnal wildlife such as tarsiers, mouse deer, geckoes, stick insects and civets.

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Itinerary

Sarawak

Kolo Mee (Dry Noodles with Meat), Manok Pansuh (Bamboo Chicken) and Midin (Jungle Fern). Take some time off to look for unique handicrafts and antiques along the Kuching Waterfront Main Bazaar – one of the oldest and busiest streets in Kuching, where trading took place since

style

Wonder how you can get the most out of Sarawak? Here’s a sample itinerary of what incentive groups can look forward to in the scenic wildlife sanctuary.

Kuching City.

compiled by Sarawak Convention Bureau

Day One Upon arrival at the Kuching International Airport, you will be greeted by a group of Musical Cats before proceeding to Pullman Kuching for your check-in. As the evening approaches, prepare to take a Journey to the Mighty Yellow Streak aboard the Sarawak River Cruise. A leisurely sunset cruise takes you along the Sarawak River, sailing past historical landmarks and catching a glimpse of all aspects of traditional life by the river and city. As the sun sets, enjoy the calming breeze and the sweet sound of the Sape – a traditional Orang Ulu musical instrument.

White Rajah Dinner.

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As the boat docks at the Kuching Waterfront, relive the days of the British Empire with The White Rajah Theme Dinner Party on the banks of the Sarawak River. Experience a classic British dinner party at one of Kuching’s Brooke-period buildings, accompanied by an old-style brass band and performances from that era. Socialise and dance the night away under the boughs of lush trees on a perfectly-manicured lawn.

Day Two On the second day, after checking-out of the hotel, take a journey to Meet Sarawak’s Man of the Forest at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre. This amazing wildlife rehabilitation centre strives to rehabilitate injured or orphaned wild animals taken out of jungles all over Sarawak. Next, be On the Prowl in Cat City and explore the charm and warmth of Kuching and take in the sights of newly-developed meeting venues and accommodation facilities, ideal for your next visit! We make a quick stop-over at the Kuching Waterfront Lodge to savour famous local delicacies such as the Sarawak Laksa (Spicy Noodle Soup), Kek Lapis Sarawak (Layer Cake),

Sarawak River Cruise.

the era of James Brooke, the White Rajah.

Our next stop takes us to Damai Beach Resort, located just outside Kuching near the legendary Mount Santubong, where guests will take part in Cook Up a Storm, a group challenge to prepare Sarawak-style dishes from the village, be it an Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu or local fusion recipe. Each team will be guided through the paces of creating a culinary masterpiece. In the evening, guests will proceed to Permai Rainforest Resort for a themed BBQ dinner, The Survivor- Sarawak Style. Set within an eco-resort built between rainforest and sea, experience a tribal procession and welcoming ceremony by the tribal chief before the feast begins.

After an adventure in Borneo, check out from Damai Beach Resort and depart for Kuching International Airport for your flight out.

EXCELLENT CONNECTIVITY Strategically located at the tip of Jalan Putra and connected to the Putra World Trade Centre, Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur is conviniently located near the Putra Komuter Station as well as the LRT service which allows easy access to many parts of Kuala Lumpur.

GREAT LOCATION A popular choice for corporate,meetings, seminars,conferences and events, Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur offers 14 different sized meeting rooms and one ballroom that offer over 527 square metre of meeting floor space.

HAVE YOU MADE YOUR RESERVATIONS? Just 10 minutes away from KLCC, The Curve, prestigious shopping mall and entertainment complexes.

Lets us take care of your meeting needs and more.

Simply book your meeting package by April to enjoy the complimentary deluxe upgrade.

Jalan Putra , 50350 Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia Tel : + 603 4042 5555 Fax : +603 4041 7236 Toll Free : 1800 88 555 Email : fbservice@seripacific.com / resv@seripacific.com Website : www.seripacific.com

d n e p o T

innovation The Northern Territory’s capital of Darwin – Australia’s gateway to Asia – is a quiet achiever for the country despite being the intelligence hub of many of the country’s strongest industries. Story by Edwina Storie

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australia

Darwin is the closest Australian business events destination to Asia with close business links and initiatives such as the AustralAsia Trade Route that offers significant competitive advantages to manufacturers, producers and distributors.”

Only a two-hour flight from Denpasar and four hours from Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, Darwin is a centre of culture and innovation. The Northern Territory is rich in natural resources, has a prosperous economy, and a diverse land of lush tropics and red desert rich with indigenous culture. From such abundance has grown industries and knowledge centres. The combination of all these elements has lead to fascinating and informative experiences for conference attendees.

Sitting at the state’s northern tip, Darwin has a world-class convention centre that sits opposite quality hotels and the city’s best restaurants. Its 1,685,176 square kilometres of land is made up of a

growing urban sprawl, beachfront, sandy plains and verdant wilderness.

From a business perspective, the region is known for its renewable energy leadership, oil and gas resources, desert knowledge, trauma and specialty medicine healthcare, and progressive mineral development.

With such strong fields, the region has attracted some of the country’s leading industry experts who are pioneering worldfirst research and education.

The Northern Territory Convention Bureau can connect professional conference organisers with industry leaders from oil and gas exploration companies, pipeline operators, infrastructure and

engineering companies, medical research centres, investors and consultants. These professionals can engage with delegates, lead technical tours or site visits, or showcase the progress and discoveries being made in their respective fields.

A powerhouse of oil and gas Australia’s strong economy is due in no small part to a strong energy and resources sector. Just north of Darwin, vast gas resources are under development in the Bonaparte Basin, while the Timor Sea hosts oil and gas fields under various stages of construction and operation.

The Northern Territory is an energy centre of global significance with many

Darwin Convention Centre.

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australia

Medicine

ERA ranger mine.

The Northern Territory is rich in natural resources, has a prosperous economy, and a diverse land of lush tropics and red desert rich with indigenous culture.” companies and initiatives utilising these resources and spearheading the industry making them great sources of information to base conferences and seminars around.

In a world first, the ConocoPhillipsoperated LNG plant was the only one at its completion to have used innovative aero derivative gas turbines as refrigerant drivers, making it capable of producing 3.4 million tonnes of LNG per annum from the Bayu Undan gas field in the Timor Sea. Darwin is also home to the first helium plant in the Southern Hemisphere. Valued at AUD$49.1 million (US$50.3 million), it supplies around three per cent of the world’s helium and around 150 million cubic feet of helium each year. Darwin is also the base for the LNG plant that services the Ichthys Project. The Ichthys Project is a major gas field 850 kilometres southwest of Darwin, which is piped into the region for processing before being exported to markets such as Japan. Its resource estimates are 12.8 trillion cubic 36

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feet of gas and 527 million barrels of high value condensate and is believed by experts to be a major element of Darwin’s future significance.

Minerals The Northern Territory hosts some of the largest mines and mineral deposits in the world with the second-largest uranium mine in the world, and is the country’s largest producer of uranium and manganese. Mining accounts for AUD$2.5 billion in revenue each year, making it the single most significant contributor of gross state product for Australia. It has been ranked by the mining industry as having some of the highest mineral potential of any Australian jurisdiction.

Initiatives such as the seven-year AUD$25.8 million Bringing Forward Discovery project will continue to search for more of the region’s major mineral and petroleum deposits, particularly in under-explored areas. The search for deposits of copper, diamonds, tungsten, vanadium, phosphate and iron ore is also being undertaken. The Ranger mine operated by Energy Resources Australia is one of only three mines in the world to produce in excess of 100,000 tonnes of uranium oxide, and is the country’s longest operating mine. From June 2013, close spaced underground exploration drilling will commence in the mineralised zone which contains some of the most significant uranium discoveries in the world.

Following the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005, the Sanglah Hospital of Indonesia were unable to handle the influx of victims.

To assist the Indonesian Government, the Royal Darwin Hospital stepped in, receiving, treating and stabilising the overflow of victims.

Its disaster response efforts in Bali prompted the establishment of the Royal Darwin Hospital’s National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) by the Federal Government. It is now recognised internationally for its ability to hastily deploy trained staff to disasters throughout Northern Australia and overseas, as well as acting in a forwardreceiving capacity for critically-injured patients to ensure their safe transfer to other medical centres across the country.

Working with Combined Communication Solutions, the centre has developed a barcode triage scanning device that allows real-time mass casualty tracking of victims from the catastrophe site to the hospital so that staff is prepared for the number of victims and the severity of their injuries.

The Menzies Research Centre in Darwin has been conducting groundbreaking research for 25 years, and is Australia’s leader in knowledge fields of indigenous health and tropical health research. Recognised for its leading research, investments continue into Darwin’s medical practice and research centres, with a respiratory health unit recently commissioned while a new team will soon be focusing on indigenous cancer. These investments have also been translated into equipping the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre with the very latest radiation technology.

Along with these strengths, Darwin is the most immediate Australian business events destination to Asia with close business links and initiatives such as the AustralAsia Trade Route that offers significant competitive advantages to manufacturers, producers and distributors.

It also has world-class casinos, uniquelyAustralian experiences such as crocodile farms and indigenous performances, and is an exotic and safe holiday and business destination for Asian visitors.

Australia motivates and inspires Amway A global leader in direct selling with over three million independent business owners (IBOs) in over 80 countries, Amway has repeatedly chosen Australia as the destination offered to incentivise its top IBOs.

In December 2012, more than 4,000 Indian delegates experienced Melbourne for the Amway India Leadership Seminar 2012 - the largest Indian business event to be hosted in Australia. The event saw successful Indian IBOs attend a business session at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), enjoy exclusive access to Phillip Island Nature Parks and participate in a cricket match on the hallowed turf of the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during a gala dinner.

least, delegates experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as they climbed Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge for a breathtaking 360 degree panorama of the city.

The week prior to the Amway India Leadership Seminar in Melbourne, a delegation of around 800 Amway IBOs from Malaysia visited Sydney on a business event program.

According to Mr Carl Wen, Amway China Director of Special Events, this was the fifth time Amway China had chosen Australia for its large scale business events. In his view, very few cities around the world can offer high quality accommodation, sufficient transport systems and boast the natural beauty that Sydney does.

The Malaysian delegation took in a range of memorable Sydney experiences including sailing the Sydney Harbour, horse riding, kayaking in Glenworth Valley and an ‘amazing race’ adventure in the Botanical Gardens. Last but not

Twice a year, Amway China holds large-scale, overseas business events to help drive employee motivation and performance. In 2011, Amway’s events team carefully selected Sydney for its natural outdoor attractions, vibrant culture and fantastic business events facilities.

“A good leadership seminar can elevate staff morale and instil a sense of pride, but can also

Visit

businesseVents.australia.com for eVerything you need to plan your australian eVent.

benefit the local host community,” said Mr Wen. The group took part in the highly acclaimed ‘Amway Charity Health Walk’ that saw almost all of the 8,000 delegates take on Sydney’s most iconic landmark – the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Guests met for a motivational session shortly before walking across the bridge under the careful guidance of Amway events staff. With the assistance of the City of Sydney Council, one lane of traffic was closed to motorists to ensure safety and convenience. The Walk raised AU$130,000 for Technical Aid to the Disabled NSW (TAD), a first for both Amway and Sydney.

Australia’s extensive business events resources, accommodation capacity and beautiful landscapes all contributed to the success of recent Amway business events.

Visit www.businessevents.australia.com for more information and to plan a business event in Australia.

EVENTS HAVE A SPECTACULAR NEW HOME IN SYDNEY

Our $100 million Event Centre has opened its doors, completing The Star’s transformation into a total entertainment destination. Boasting stunning harbour views, the latest technology and over 2,200 sqm with a capacity for over 4,000 guests – there’s simply no better place to host your next event in Sydney.

The Star Event Centre is taking enquiries for events. Visit us at AIME – stall #1308, call +61 (02) 9657 8568 or email starsales@echoent.com.au

EVENT CENTRE | LEVEL 3, 80 PYRMONT STREET, SYDNEY | STAR.COM.AU/EVENTCENTRE

Meet & EAT AUSTRALIA Compiled by EDWINA STORIE

Diamond at the Crown Everything the famous Australian chef Neil Perry touches turns to gold. But with good reason – because he knows the perfect formula to simple but flavour-rich food and stylish design. Rosetta from Melbourne’s Crown Towers stems from the regional recipes Perry found and created while exploring Italy’s coastlines

Gowings nostalgia The moody Gowings Bar & Grill is the newest addition to a long history for the old Gowings building. The QT Hotel brand saved and transformed it into the city’s first design-driven hotel which reflects Sydney’s after-dark character and mystery. As you notice signs of the structure’s previous life in gargoyles and

Canton magic

S

ydney’s Mr Wong is an ode to the Cantonese eateries of a bygone era. The twostorey restaurant welcomes you for a ceremonious and leisurely long meal its exposed brick walls, jade green tiles, golden lighting and shelves of antique Chinese trinkets. While there are traditional and innovative creations on the dim sum lunch menu, dinner

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and inlands. The interior of the restaurant is a theatrical spread of chandeliers, highbacked red velvet banquettes, marble tables and luxurious bunches of roses; the outside is an Amalfi-style mix of swirling green, blue and white Pucci fabric, oversized wicker furniture and geometric tiled floors. From the wood-fired oven comes thick steak – a Neil Perry signature; from the char-grill comes crisptipped baby octopus or smoky fish fillets slicked with olive oil, garlic and lemon; and from the dedicated pasta-making room downstairs comes tagliarini stained with squid ink or fettuccine tangled with lobster, mint and chilli. With such flavourful food, Rosetta is designed for indulging in long lunches, late afternoon antipasto, and impressive business dinners.

T: +61 3 8648 1999 W: www.rosettaristorante.com

vintage tiles, find your way up industrialstyle cement stairs and into the blackclad restaurant where the bar is aglow in gold from its halo of liquor bottles. The rotisserie-roasted quail is stuffed with sage, parmesan and double-smoked ham; crispy organic suckling pig is served with marinated cumquats and mint; while the humble schnitzel is served as goldencrusted veal tenderloin crowned with an organic fried egg, Ortiz anchovies and nut brown butter. With its brawny, spirit-strong cocktails and dramatic dishes, Gowings Bar + Grill embodies Sydney’s classic corporate luxury.

T: +61 2 8262 0062 W: www.qtsydney.com.au/food-drink/ gowings-bar-grill/

serves five-spiced pork belly, fleshy mud crabs ready to be plucked from their tanks and given their salt-andpepper coating, and vegetable hotpots bejewelled with zucchini blossoms and studded with fresh shiitake.

Dessert is Sydney-renowned chef Dan Hong's specialty - green apple ice with osmanthus jelly, water chestnuts and coconut sorbet.

T: +61 2 9240 3000 W: www.merivale.com.au/mrwong

Palette of the palate

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elbourne is not only a city but an attitude – one of out-of-the-box creativity, dark and minimalist style, statement embellishments and innovative thinking - the Trocadero is a perfect mix of all these elements. Attached to the Arts Centre Melbourne, the Yarra River and its sparkling urban backdrop can be appreciated from Trocadero’s astroturf-lined patio.

The bar reflects the Arts Centre’s sleek glamour with its palette of black, white, gold and chrome, while the carpeted dining room brings together moody charcoals, mirrored walls and concrete features in elegant, industrial style. The menu gets creative with comforting flavours, with onion risotto transformed with delicate onion tuille and baby onions pickled in honey vinegar, while effortless pastas and slow-cooked meats all favour local Victorian produce.

Desserts are as innovative as the mains – the caramel-cooked cream is laced with pear, layered with thick caramel and topped with popcorn crumble.

T: +61 3 8698 8888 W: www.trocadero.co

Case Study

Name Of Event: 2013 AIME Welcome Reception Organiser: DG global Creative Event Agency Type: Networking event Client: Melbourne Convention Bureau Venue: Showtime Events Centre, South Wharf Promenade, Melbourne When: February 25, 2013 Pax: More than 2000 Budget: Undisclosed

Street style Melbourne Event Overview The Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) organised an evening welcome reception for hosted buyers and media the night before the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME). Staged at the Showtime Events Centre, South Wharf Promenade adjacent to AIME venue Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the event themed Melbourne LIVE! sought to showcase the city’s varied entertainment and epicurean choices and provide a relaxed atmosphere for networking.

EXECUTION Produced by DG global with catering from Showtime Events Centre, the event site incorporated four unique venues surrounding a “pop-up” inspired outdoor bar and entertainment space.

Roving waiters were seen dressed in black with white aprons bearing the names of their internationally-influenced dishes served at various stations – from Australian open grill specialties such as dry aged porterhouse steak and lamb loin drizzled with pomegranate dressing, Vietnamese rice paper rolls with green chilli, seafood and paella, Bratwurst sausages with caramelised onions, Premium King Island cheeses and bite-sized mini lime and coconut tartlets.

A diverse mix of entertainers was engaged for this event, including celebrity emcee and host Tim Campbell, Australian musician Jon Stevens, Music Theatre Australia’s solo pianist and vocalist Vinja Prtenjaca, Spanish guitar and dance duo Fiesta Flamenco, and one of Melbourne’s new bands Collective LIVE. At 9pm, the sky above the venue exploded into a spectacular display of fireworks.

Challenges and Triumphs The main challenge was getting the logistics of the night to work, according to regional director and executive producer, Jon Smith.

“This meant thinking of the best place to locate the bars, stages and toilets; there was also limited space back indoors for catering for these numbers. It took quite a number of attempts and site plans before we were happy with the venue, and that Showtime was also comfortable.”

Disturbance was also a cause for concern.

“It was the first huge event for that area, so it was important the event went well and didn’t upset any of the venues and residents close by,” Mr Smith said.

The team staggered the bump-in over five days. After securing the permits for fireworks, the team made sure to inform tenants and residents about any expected noise on the event night and set up the night before.

“To ensure smoother entry for guests, it would have been better to have the media wall for photography inside the venue to avoid obstruction but in the scheme of things this is quite minor and overall we were extremely happy with the event,” Melbourne Convention Bureau CEO Karen Bolinger added.

EVENT OUTCOME The event saw more than 2000 guests in attendance, comprising over 500 hosted buyers and more than 40 international media.

Ms Bolinger felt the event was a great success as it perfectly showcased the city’s strengths in creating unique and memorable events while meeting the objective of encouraging guests to network.

“It really was a fantastic way to kick-start the two-day event and also highlight the city’s passion for food, wine and entertainment and its vibrancy,” she said. micenet Asia

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Macau

Up the stakes Macau’s unrivalled reputation as the top gaming market combines undying efforts to transform the destination into a mecca for meetings and incentives.Story by Kristie Thong with initial reporting by Brad Foster

T

he Macau of today, positioned in the Pearl River Delta near China’s Guangdong province, just 60 kilometres from Hong Kong, thrives on old-meetswest characteristics, with recent additions complementing its historic legacies, many of which are protected by UNESCO World Heritage status.

Tourism remains as one of Macau’s primary industries, fuelled by a lucrative gaming market which saw over 28 million tourist arrivals in 2012. But as the Macao SAR and central governments sought to diversify the economy by expanding the net appeal to non-gaming visitors, MICE is one market that has made substantial headway in recent years.

“The MICE market has developed along both demand and supply lines,” Galaxy Macau hotel operations assistant vice president Tim Gan said.

On the supply end, the Macau

Banyan Tree Macau ballroom, Galaxy Macau.

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Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has recently launched an incentive travel stimulation programme. Applications will have to go through a pre-qualification process conducted by MGTO; on top of a strict focus on incentive travel activities, the support will only be extended to events that employ local suppliers legally registered in Macau. This criteria allows Macau to ensure MICE business brought into the country fully experience the value and quality of its suppliers.

MGTO is also focusing a lot of its attention on MICE tradeshows around the world, including a presence at the AsiaPacific Incentives and Meetings Expo in Melbourne, the upcoming Incentive Travel & Conventions Meetings in Shanghai and the Worldwide Exhibition for Meetings, Incentive Travel and Events (IMEX) in Frankfurt.

These efforts have succeeded in a gradual boost to Macau’s reputation as a

business events destination, evident by an 8 per cent increase in the number of events hosted in Q4 2012.

“On the demand side, visitors to Macau are clearly looking for experiences that provide all the great aspects of a luxurious weekend getaway, one that offers the very best in accommodation, dining, entertainment, meeting facilities and more, in a way that makes them feel at home and catered for,” Mr Gan said.

Despite the growing potential of Macau as a MICE destination, some event planners cited the lack of air access from key cities such as Singapore and Malaysia, which are popular transit hubs for other parts of the world such as the US and Europe. While flying into Macau from most parts of China is not an issue, a more common and less convenient way for delegates is to fly to Hong Kong and then take a ferry into Macao.

However, additional access from Hong

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Macau

Visitors to Macau are clearly looking for experiences that provide all the great aspects of a luxurious weekend getaway, one that offers the very best in accommodation, dining, entertainment, meeting facilities and more, in a way that makes them feel at home and catered for.”

Galaxy Macau exterior night shot.

Kong and Zhuhai is in the pipeline. The area is witnessing the construction of a US$10.7 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which by 2015-2016 will be a series of bridges and tunnels connecting Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai, situated on the west of the Pearl River Delta.

“It will shorten travel time between the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong/ Macau, hence encouraging more visits,” Mr Gan said.

COTAI BUZZ The Cotai Strip is where the new MICE action is happening. In mid-2011 the impressive US$1.9 billion Galaxy Macau resort opened, giving the MICE market more options for meetings and incentives in Macau. The mega resort boasts an array of stylish restaurants, vibrant bars, great shopping and expansive conference space. Also located here is a Banyan Tree hotel, the 1500-room Galaxy Hotel and 410-room Hotel Okura Macau.

Galaxy has announced plans for a HK$16 billion (US$2 billion) Phase Two expansion, which will be completed in 2015. MICE will be a large part of this focus; following completion, Galaxy will feature new group function spaces, bringing the collective hosting capacity of the property to 3000. Its hotel portfolio will be joined by five-star brands JW Marriott 44 micenet Asia

Sala Pool, Sheraton Macao.

TIM GAN GALAXY MACAU HOTEL OPERATIONS ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT

Macau and Ritz-Carlton - the largest JW Marriott in the world and the Ritz-Carlton's first all-suite hotel. It will also be home to the world’s largest Skytop Wave Pool and Grand Resort Deck.

Another new collection of properties is the Las Vegas Sands Corporation’s “hedgerow of hotels” with leading international hoteliers Starwood Hotels (St Regis and Sheraton) waving the flags.

In particular, Sheraton Macao is highlighted by two distinctly different towers each with varying class of offerings.

It is billed as the largest hotel along the Cotai Strip and the largest in Starwood’s global portfolio.

Along with 3896 guestrooms and suites, it comprises 14,000 square metres of event space, including a 4891-square metre pillar-less Kashgar Grand Ballroom which can take up to 5000 guests theatre-style and has the option of dividing the floor space into 16 smaller breakout rooms.

Often described as Asia’s “ultimate meetings destination” is the impressive Sands Cotai Macao which provides an unbeatable range of 10,000 guestrooms from five international hotel brands: The Venetian Macao; Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central; Conrad Macao, Cotai Central; Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central and Four Seasons Hotel Macao.

Boardroom, Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16.

NEW PATHS Apart from the infamous Cotai Strip, Ponte 16 Resort Macau is also undergoing revival.

Located on Pier 16 of the inner harbour on Rua do Visconde Paco de with a clock tower landmark, the integrated casino resort is staging its third phase of development to include more entertainment, dining and retail facilities occupying approximately 370,000 square feet (34,374 square metres).

French-inspired Sofitel Macau, located on Ponte 16, will be one of the key beneficiaries of this development.

The completion of the new facility will steal some limelight from the Cotai Strip, which has been overshadowing the property’s MICE offering.

Macau is also in the midst of developing Hengqin Island, which the government has high hopes for to become the country’s third state-level area after Pudong, Shanghai and Binhai, Tianjin.

The Hengqin Chime Long International Ocean Resort located there is slated to open this year, catering to more cultural festivals, religious activities, conventions and exhibitions.

We are Y

The show, my stage DOREEN SOH MESSE BERLIN SINGAPORE ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER

A talented Gen Y in the ITB Asia team speaks of her desire to see more certification to increase the perceived value of an events career. Story by Leila Botham

As assistant project manager, Doreen Soh is an integral part of the Messe Berlin team overseeing one of the most important events on the Asian travel market calendar – ITB Asia. Having worked closely with her mentor, founder of ITB Asia, Ng Whey Whey, for the past two years, she is a prime example of the talented Gen Y demographic in the industry.

Ms Soh took some time out from her busy schedule to share her thoughts about Gen Y, the industry and her future.

being constructed during the build-up day, and the show floor was really packed! That was the moment when I was certain that this was the career I wanted.

What attracted you to a career in the events industry?

I have always felt that the events industry is where I can start a career that is exciting and allows me to meet different people.

No matter what type of event or exhibition you do, you will get to meet people from all areas. Most importantly, I enjoy working as a team, and in events / exhibitions, it is all about teamwork and effort!

Was there a moment when you knew that this is the work you wanted to do?

During my first show in ITB Asia 2011, I felt a huge sense of satisfaction and an adrenalin rush when I saw the booths

What do you think Gen Y uniquely contribute to your workplace, projects and the industry?

With most of Gen Y having just stepped into the working world, they have a fresh perspective that allows new and innovative ideas or suggestions to be introduced to our show. Their passion for the industry and the drive to overcome challenges are important in events and exhibitions; where workload can get quite demanding, especially during peak periods where working hours are much longer.

Do you feel that Gen Y faces certain challenges in the industry that others do not?

Unlike other sectors such as accounting or banking and finance, professional certifications for the events and exhibitions industry are not prevalent. Some parents may not be supportive of their children who express interest in this path as they see careers in this industry as humble and not

worthy of degree holders. It would be good to see the relevant government authorities promote professional certifications for the industry to increase the perceived value of a career in events.

What are your personal aspirations for your career?

I am currently in charge of the operations aspect of ITB Asia and I very much enjoy what I am doing so far. However, I look forward to learning and experiencing other aspects of an exhibition (e.g., sales, conferences, etc.), or to be involved in a different show so as to equip myself with a different set of skills.

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

There is a lot of potential growth for the Singaporean travel industry that when aided by more support from relevant government authorities, will in turn provide greater cohesiveness amongst trade partners.

ITB Asia 2013 will be held on October 23-25, 2013 at Suntec Singapore.

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Country update

Thai hotel investments

boom

Thailand is expected to welcome 24.5 million visitor arrivals in 2013 or a 23.5 per cent growth over 2012, and to generate tourism income of 1149 billion baht.”

The future is a picture of optimism for Thailand as several pending hospitality investment deals are expected to come through this year. Story by Sirima Eamtako 2013 is expected to be another strong year for hotel investment in Thailand with several deals anticipated in Phuket, Bangkok, Pattaya, Samui and Chiang Mai. At press time, Jones Lang LaSalle’s Hotels & Hospitality Group was marketing two properties in Phuket, one of which is eligible for a Board of Investment’s incentive that allows a majority foreign ownership.

Mike Batchelor, the firm’s managing director – investment sales Asia, said the anticipated formalisation of the new real estate investment trusts legislation in Thailand this year was also expected to provide a source of investor interest across the country.

Jones Lang LaSalle also cited 2012 as a strong year for hotel investment in Thailand, with Phuket accumulating four major transactions worth over one billion baht (US$33.6 million) each.

Movenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach was transacted on behalf of Kingdom Hotel Investments to Malaysia’s TA Global at 2.87 billion baht, Bundarika Villas & Suites (to rebrand to Anantara Phuket Layan Resort) was traded at 1.1 billion 46

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baht to Minor Hotel Group, and Evason Phuket Resort & Bon Island (to rebrand to InterContinental Phuket Rawai Beach Resort) traded at 1.4 billion baht to an interest associated with Singapore’s LC Development.

There were also several properties transacted in Bangkok and Pattaya last year, including the sale of Siri Sathorn serviced apartment, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. However, most transactions were not made known to the public as it is still widespread in Thailand for hotels to trade directly between owners and investors.

Thailand’s TCC Hotels Group also expressed confidence in their plans to invest over 15 billion Baht in the next three to five years through management agreements with Marriott International for seven hotels, totaling 3000 rooms.

The group owns and manages 46 hotels in 11 countries. The collaboration with Marriott will increase its portfolio to 51 hotels by 2018 – with five newly-built hotels and two conversion hotel projects.

The seven hotels include the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel, Imperial Adamas

Exterior of Imperial Queen's Park.

Phuket Beach Resort, Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa Jomtien Beach, JW Marriott Pattaya Resort & Spa, Bangkok Marriott Hotel and Executive Apartments Surawong, and The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok.

Thailand is expected to welcome 24.5 million visitor arrivals in 2013 or a 23.5 per cent growth over 2012, and to generate tourism income of 1149 billion baht.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s expectation is based on the grounds that Thailand will survive this year without any crisis, similar to last year when the country achieved record-breaking visitor arrivals, crossing the 22 million mark for the first time.

Thailand

Sleaze no more?

While Pattaya has clinched the recognition as a MICE City alongside its counterparts Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket, it’s up to industry players to further refine the destination’s image and sharpen its edge amongst the pack. Story by Sirima Eamtako In recent years, Pattaya’s image as a destination of choice for MICE visitors, corporate travellers and families has been strengthened, and in the process has slowly lessened its somewhat sleazy reputation.

Pattaya is geographically located in the centre of five major industry estates and is near to Suvarnabhumi Airport and one of the country's largest seaports, Laem Chabang. Coupled with its wide array of in- and off-site tourism and lifestyle facilities, the beachside city makes an ideal location for MICE events. "Pattaya has it all, except casinos and snow," one stakeholder said.

Leading the MICE charge is the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH), built nearly 15 years ago by Royal Cliff Hotels Group managing director Panga Vathanakul, upon realisation that the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions industries have “a sustainable advancement” in Thailand.

Mrs Vathanakul told micenet ASIA: “To-date, PEACH is facilitating an average of three events per month – each with over 700 delegates. PEACH is versatile, offering column free halls for 7000 delegates and 40 breakout rooms of various sizes. For events with over 1000 delegates, PEACH can accommodate.”

PEACH is situated within the grounds of Royal Cliff Hotels Group, which offers four five-star hotels totalling up to 1090 rooms and 18 F&B outlets. In the last two years, the group has spent over one 48 micenet Asia

billion baht (US$33.6 million) upgrading guestrooms and facilities. All of its rooms and suites now offer IPTV system and free Wi-Fi, while meeting rooms provide video conferencing, Skype and high speed internet access.

Ties that bind Pattaya has been declared a MICE City alongside Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket by the country’s official MICE body, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, as part of its plans initiated in 2010 to highlight key Thai cities with comprehensive MICE offerings. These include nearly 50,000 hotel rooms and various types of MICE activities such as

MICE events rely on confidence in the destination. So when the market is confident in Thailand as a MICE destination, we can then propose Pattaya and its fullfledged MICE offers as an alternative destination after Bangkok.”

CHATCHAWAL Supachayanont THAI HOTELS ASSOCIATION EASTERN CHAPTER VICE-PRESIDENT

Infinity Bar at Horizon, Hilton Pattaya.

adventure tourism, history and culture, factory site inspections, green tourism activities, corporate social responsibility projects and luxury tourism products.

In 2015, if everything goes as planned, Pattaya will be made even more accessible to Bangkok by the Thai government’s Suvarnabhumi-Pattaya high speed rail line project. The travelling time between Bangkok and Pattaya will be shortened to 30 minutes, from the current 90 minutes by car. Within the city, a monorail project is being floated by the local administration in a bid to tackle the current gridlock traffic especially during rush hours and public holidays.

Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter vice-president Chatchawal Supachayanont said: “We expect to see a 20 per cent growth on the volume of MICE events for Pattaya city-wide this year. Businesses are now coming from all parts of the world in contrast to the past

Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall.

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Thailand that saw Pattaya attracting only certain markets. But there is still room to grow more international events to make use of Pattaya’s one-stop MICE capabilities.”

Mr Supachayanont, who is also general manager of Dusit Thani Pattaya, said the government must help to reiterate that normalcy had returned to Thailand following years of uncertainty in order to build market confidence. “MICE events rely on confidence in the destination. So when the market is confident in Thailand as a MICE destination, we can then propose Pattaya and its full-fledged MICE offers as an alternative destination after Bangkok.”

Pumped up hoteliers As the city makes advances, hotels are putting in more effort to lure more MICE business. A group of MICE hotels in North Pattaya, including Dusit Thani Pattaya, Amari Orchid Pattaya, Cape Dara Resort Pattaya, Pullman Pattaya Hotel G, Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya and The Zign Pattaya, is forming a northern Pattaya hotels alliance, offering offering a combined 3000 guestrooms and a host of F&B outlets and events and function spaces.

Amari Orchid Pattaya general manager Brendan Daly said that on top of the alliance initiative, the hotel planned to step up its marketing efforts in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong to attract more business events from these markets. The hotel also looks to handle more Indian weddings and maintain its market share as the largest outside catering provider in

Pattaya. “The relocation of large factories from the low lying areas to the eastern seaboard region will also bring more MICE demand.”

In Central Pattaya, the two-year-old Hilton Pattaya has become the preferred accommodation in the area thanks to its location atop Southeast Asia’s largest beachfront shopping complex, Central Festival Pattaya Beach. The hotel’s design, that captures 180-degree bay view for guestrooms and facilities, allows it to fetch one of the highest room rates in Pattaya.

Offering 302 rooms and two floors of events facilities, including a 635-square metre ballroom with sea views, the hotel has recently opened Pattaya’s highest rooftop restaurant and bar, Horizon, with three private rooms.

Sheraton Pattaya Resort, however, opts to position itself as a secluded destination resort within the vibrant beach resort city, targeting small gatherings of between 20 and 60 rooms per group, while

its five meeting spaces can hold up to 200 people theatre-style. The resort recently enabled bookings of its Pool Villa for private parties and gatherings of up to 35 people. Its private beachfront can hold up to 250 people banquet-style.

Tomo Kuriyama, general manager of Sheraton Pattaya Resort, said MICE business constitutes about 20-30 per cent of the resort’s overall businesses.

Turning heads Pattaya is not only luring more visitors; investors likewise continue to invest in the overall expansion of the city. About 3000 new hotel rooms are expected to open within the next five years, including the 1.1 billion baht Centara Grand Resort and Spa. Its general manager, Dominique Ronge, said the 165-room “luxury” hotel was slated to open in the middle of this year with an aim to fetch an average room rate of 4500 baht a night.

Existing hotels in Pattaya are recording

Outdoor banquet at Amari Orchid, Pattaya.

Beach area theme party, Sheraton Pattaya.

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an average room rate of more than 4000 baht for five-star hotels, just above 3000 baht for four-star and just above 2000 baht for three-star, according to Mr Supachayanont.

On top of existing off-site MICE venues and excursion options such as nearby Larn Island, golf courses, cultural and extravaganza shows, shopping venues and tourism attractions, Pattaya is also getting new tourism sites. Mimosa – the City of Love themed venue was opened on February 14, while the world’s first Cartoon Network-themed water park is slated to open later this year.

by Sirima Eamtako

women of inspiration

Joy of a luxury hotel pioneer Visionary Thai hotelier Mrs Panga Vathanakul has never stopped working since she pioneered one of Pattaya’s first five-star properties in 1973.

Her 64-acre private headlands overlooking the stunning Gulf of Thailand is now the empire of luxury, comprising four five-star hotels with 1090 guestrooms and suites, a world-class convention and exhibition venue – one of Thailand’s largest, with 18 F&B outlets, two luxurious spas, six swimming pools and the list goes on.

PANGA VATHANAKUL ROYAL CLIFF HOTELS GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR

I am happy to work. I love to work.

Every morning I wake up, I want to go to work. I am very happy to face every challenge of the day.”

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working closely with agents. I am doing what I have always been doing best: focusing on guests’ needs and wants. Hotel improvements, in part, are introduced based on guests’ recommendations. I have seen our market mix shifting from 70 per cent European and 30 per cent Asian to a good mix of international markets – and I improve facilities and services based on this trend.

Over the years, the Royal Cliff Hotels Group has received close to 100 awards and accolades, and three prestigious certifications: ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System); ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) and TIS 22300 (MICE Security Management System).

How do you motivate staff?

By keeping a flat organisation, a family business. Of over 1500 staff, about 70 per cent are long-term employees – many are the second generations after their parents.

My staff has been empowered to manage their responsibilities and voice ideas to improve guest services.

How do you maintain this 40-year old property?

I do not see my hotels as 40 years old.

They are only two years old, and will always be a few years old because I carry out renovations every five years.

The latest renovation started in 2009 and finished in 2012.

Given all the awards and certification received, is there any other area for improvement at Royal Cliff?

I want to maintain our environmental and social commitments, and provide seamless service both in software and hardware to guests. This reflects in the constant facility upgrades and staff trainings.

How are you coping with changes in the way the market is trading and interacting?

The marketplace is shifting towards online platforms, especially social network. I am embracing these new trends as they come, but I am still

What motivates you in your work?

I am happy to work. I love to work. Every morning I wake up, I want to go to work. I am very happy to face every challenge of the day. But at the end of the day, I switch off work completely by simply reading a book.

profile

by Kristie Thong

Humility and passion go hand in hand As an industry veteran with over 10 years’ experience in business development and marketing, Ho Yoke Ping’s portfolio includes stints at the Macau Government Tourist Office, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau in Malaysia, and Pacific World Travel.

Her current role as general manager of sales and marketing at the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has her overseeing bid development efforts and marketing and industry partner programmes to achieve Malaysia’s business tourism objectives.

HO YOKE PING MALAYSIA CONVENTION & EXHIBITION BUREAU GENERAL MANAGER OF SALES & MARKETING

How did you begin your career in the business tourism sector?

I have always been in the hospitality industry so tourism is a natural transition for me. My first break was in public relations for a hotel, and in order to learn more about the industry, I made a move to

the sales and marketing department which provided me great experience, skills and a platform for the business tourism sector.

I was attached to the sales and marketing department for the National Tourist Office and MICE business.

Then the opportunity to join Malaysia Convention and MyCEB, a new unit established to further strengthen Malaysia’s business tourism brand and position for the international business events market came in 2010 – I didn’t hesitate to take it up. The idea of starting something new and contributing to the development of MICE in Malaysia was very challenging and rewarding. In my career, I have had a few opportunities to set up new units/operations and I liked the challenge. While doing something on a bigger scale for the country seemed very daunting at first, I’m enjoying it very much now. As the Bureau is still very young, there is still a lot that has to be done.

What are some challenges you face in your current role at MyCEB, and how do you break down these barriers?

Prior to MyCEB’s establishment, biddings for business events may not have been executed as smooth as possible or in the most effective manner. Our presence

now is to not only assist the various associations when it comes to bidding and getting support from all strategic partners to ensure a successful bid, but also to ensure that there is growth and development in the industry as a whole.

To this end, we are rolling out training and support programmes for associations under the Industry Partner Programme (IPP), PCO Partner Programme (PPP), Association Support Programme and Events Support Programme.

What keeps you motivated at your job?

Knowing that we are making a difference and that has produced some encouraging results, and of course, having the support from the young and passionate team at MyCEB. How important is teamwork for you?

How do you relate that to your team at MyCEB? Very important. MyCEB would not have come this far if not for the excellent teamwork dynamics I have with the team.

I’m a very hands-on person, hence I try my best to identify their challenges and problems. Upon doing so, I will encourage them and give them opportunities to grow.

What advice would you give a young woman taking on a role in the business tourism sector?

Be humble but passionate – it will take you a long way.

Take each step as a learning process and do not be afraid of hard work and failure. You need to have the right attitude and have a mentor to look up to and be inspired.

What do you do to keep growing and developing as a leader?

Stay focused, work hard and never be afraid to share your experience. I’m very involved with the team and lead by example. I believe in our team – which is our biggest asset. micenet Asia

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Compiled by GINA SIN

JESSIE KHOO DIRECTOR OF SALES PAN PACIFIC SINGAPORE

DEAN ROSSILLI GENERAL MANAGER PAN PACIFIC ORCHARD SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE Jessie Khoo is the new director of sales for Pan Pacific Singapore, leading the hotel’s sales, catering and event services teams in achieving overall revenue targets. She will be working closely with the Singapore National Sales Organisation and Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s Global Sales Offices to ensure that both corporate and leisure accounts achieve their budgeted objectives.

Ms Khoo has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, starting out as a sales executive before moving on to various DOS roles. She was most recently based in Shanghai at the Pudong ShangriLa for three years as director of sales – convention before joining Pan Pacific Hotels Group.

SINGAPORE Dean Rossilli joins Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore as the new general manager who will lead the team to achieve new targets in customer sales, guest satisfaction and associate engagement.

An Australian, Mr Rossilli has more than 20 years of industry experience in Malaysia, Australia, United States and United Kingdom, where he oversaw diverse operational units at luxury hotels.

Mr Rossilli began his hospitality career in Australia under Sheraton and in the United States under Renaissance Hotels & Resorts before moving to the MacDonald Hotels and Marriott Hotels in the United Kingdom where he steered several extensive refurbishment projects in his capacities as general manager, operations manager and rooms division manager.

VINEET MAHAJAN DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING AYANA RESORT AND SPA BALI

FEDERICA BRUGNARA DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING PARK HYATT SAIGON

INDONESIA Ayana Resort and Spa Bali has appointed Vineet Mahajan as director of sales and marketing to strengthen the brand and develop new markets as the resort enhances its meeting and conference facilities. Mr Mahajan will also be part of the pre-opening team for a separately-branded resort scheduled to open in late 2013.

With more than 16 years of experience in the hospitality, telecom and investment banking industries, Mr Mahajan was most recently complex director of sales & marketing for Westin Gurgaon and Westin Sohna Resorts and Spa. Mr Mahajan’s earlier career experience included various projects with Intercontinental Hotels, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and the Strategic Capital Corporation.

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VIETNAM Park Hyatt Saigon has appointed Federica Brugnara as the new director of sales and marketing, where she will be responsible for the overall management and leadership of the sales and marketing department.

Ms Brugnara brings over eight years of experience in five-star hotels, focusing on the MICE and corporate market. Her experience and knowledge in the luxury hospitality industry is expected to help formulate effective planning to achieve successful business development and enhance relationships.

An Italian national, Ms Brugnara has a Master in Tourism Management from the University of Trieste, Italy.

MOHD RAFIN CHIEF CORPORATE OFFICER PARK HOTEL GROUP

SINGAPORE Park Hotel Group has promoted Mohd Rafin from senior vice president to chief corporate officer.

In his new role, Mr Rafin will continue to reinforce and expand the Group’s network of hotels in the existing markets as well as spearhead the Group’s expansion plans in new markets within Asia Pacific.

Mr Rafin joined Park Hotel Group in 2007 as vice president and was involved in asset enhancements, rebranding of acquired hotels, setting up the management teams for new hotels and putting the business strategies in place. With over 30 years of experience, he is well-recognised for his strength in people development as well as strategic business alignment and expansion.

K.B. KACHRU CHAIRMAN OF SOUTH ASIA CARLSON REZIDOR HOTEL GROUP

INDIA K.B. Kachru has been promoted to chairman of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group in South Asia, reporting directly to Simon C. Barlow, president of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Asia Pacific.

In his new role as chairman effective July 1, 2013, Mr Kachru will continue to drive the growth of the company’s hotels in South Asia. Founder of Carlson Rezidor’s hotel business in India, Mr Kachru has been instrumental in building the company in India over the past 15 years.

people

YANN LE ROUGE ASIA SALES REPRESENTATIVE PACIFIC WORLD

FRANCE Pacific World has recruited Yann Le Rouge as the new sales representative for Asia in the French market as part of Pacific World’s rapid expansion.

Following a career spanning 10 years in the MICE industry, he joins the organisation to support Pacific World Asia with outbound events into Asia. Commenting on his new role, Mr Le Rouge said: “I have experience in many areas of the MICE industry and, as I have spent a lot of time travelling, I have a deep understanding of Asia – for me this is a dream job. The skills that I have developed from years of working in the industry and my familiarity of the destination will enable me to provide the best possible service for Pacific World customers.”

RAJ RANA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER CARLSON REZIDOR HOTEL GROUP

INDIA Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has welcomed Raj Rana to the South Asia management team, succeeding K.B. Kachru as chief executive officer.

With a wealth of international hotel management experience, Mr Rana is a 22-year veteran of Carlson Rezidor and has held numerous senior positions at Carlson Rezidor hotels in the United States and in Europe. A US national born in Delhi, Mr Rana is an alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, where he was awarded a diploma in Hotel Management.

In addition, he has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Dowling College in New York.

MANDY TRAN DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING SHERATON NHA TRANG HOTEL & SPA

JESSICA KOH DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING INTERCONTINENTAL HANOI LANDMARK 72

VIETNAM Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa has announced the appointment of Tran Thi My Dung (Mandy Tran) as its new director of sales & marketing, the first native Vietnamese to hold this role in Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Ms Tran has eight years of expertise in leisure & MICE segments at international hotels and is a graduate of the Economics Faculty in Vietnam National University, as well as numerous corporate sponsored training courses. Ms Tran says: “This milestone in my life is a great opportunity to learn new things and to further develop my expertise. I’ll use that to maintain and where possible, constantly improve the high standards of service that our treasured clients have come to expect.” In her free time she loves spending it with her three-year-old daughter and cooking for her family during the weekend.

VIETNAM Jessica Koh has been appointed director of sales and marketing for the soon-to-open InterContinental Hanoi Landmark 72, where she will be playing a key role in delivering sales results and fostering a high-performing sales and marketing team.

Prior to this role, Ms Koh was director of sales and marketing for the InterContinental Asiana Saigon Hotel & Residences where she led her team to achieve consistently strong RevPar ranking in 2012.

A Malaysian descendant, she has over 10 years of hospitality sales management experience with a strong understanding of the Asia Pacific market. Ms Koh spent five years with IHG working within the InterContinental and Crowne Plaza brands for city hotels in Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh city.

MARCEL KROMHOUT DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING INDIGO PEARL RESORT PHUKET

THAILAND Marcel Kromhout has been appointed director of sales and marketing at Indigo Pearl Resort Phuket, overseeing the resort’s principle travel agent and tour operator relationships.

Mr Kromhout joins Indigo Pearl from The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa where he held the position of director of sales and marketing. He brings an extensive 27 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry, having worked at Taj Exotica Resort & Spa and Vivanta by Taj, Taj Maldives and the InterContinental Hotels Group.

SHERONA SHNG HOTEL MANAGER THE LANGHAM, HONG KONG

HONG KONG Sherona Shng has been appointed hotel manager of The Langham, Hong Kong.

A seasoned hotelier with extensive experience in marketing and communications, Ms Shng is an accomplished communications specialist with 20 years experience in international communications and media relations.

She started her career in marketing communications in the broadcast industry, working in production as well as advertising and promotions at the national television station. Ms Shng joined Langham Hospitality Group (LHG) in 2003 as part of the pre-opening team of Langham Place Hotel in Mongkok and was most recently vice president – communications and public relations at LHG.

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how to

Find the voice DAVID LIM CERTIFIED SPEAKING PROFESSIONAL FOR MICENET ASIA

A speaker with the right expertise may be the determinant between a memorable event and a mind-numbing session of white noise.

In my 14-year career helping organisations improve though leadership and motivational presentations, I’ve seen the best and the worst speakers on the platform. Here are some tips to help MICE professionals pick the right speaker for a client’s event:

the content that has been spoken of.

What’s that worth to a client?

Get absolute clarity about the outcome Fully understand what the client expects the outcome to be. Get information about the context of the audience, in terms of their spoken and unspoken issues, and their emotional subtext as the meeting date approaches.

Understand what the speaker is supposed to achieve. In my case, I often ask what people need to start THINKING, DOING and BELIEVING slightly differently after I leave. What’s the call for action at the conclusion?

Remember, you are not filling a one-hour “slot”, you are getting someone to create an impact, create better alignment with the host’s key themes, and most of all, have people thinking and talking about

Do the homework Get one or two iron-clad referrals of a specific speaker for the event or topic. If you can’t, do your research on Google and make an intelligent approach. I can’t count how many times I encounter someone totally unprepared, shopping around Google and asking me if I am available to speak on a particular date and the rate that I charge for it. This is a stupid way to approach what is supposed to be a multi-faceted requirement. It’s like walking into a tailor’s shop and asking how much it is to have a suit made. If you have fulfilled the first point above, you would share this information with the speaker to find out what they propose, and how they price what they plan to deliver meaningfully. Costs can vary, depending on time, preparation or customisation, and expertise delivered. For example, a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) is a speaker who has earned an audited

credential that only 11 per cent of the world’s 6000-odd professional speakers possess. But that is just a baseline – look at who they have worked with, and the quality of their videos to make an informed decision. Some speakers mainly conduct full-day workshops, so how often can they deliver their expertise in a compact one-hour conference? This is a factor as well.

Work with the speaker before the event Use the speaker’s experience to make the whole conference a better one. A professional speaker may be able to suggest two or three other ways to structure the meeting flow and content at no extra cost. Get the speaker to assist in the lead-up to the event. Ask them to share video clips, white papers or other materials beforehand. Running out of ideas for the goodie bag? Include a book written by the speaker, rather than one more corporate hat/bag/file that most attendees toss away when they get home.

David Lim is a leadership and negotiation coach and can be found at http://www.everestmotivation.com, or subscribe to his free e-newsletter at david@everestmotivation.com

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career strategies

Through the grapevine Andrew Chan ACI HR Solutions CEO

Gossip, a common source of unhappiness in the workplace, can be reduced if both management and employees play an active role in keeping communication channels open.

Gossip is often inevitable in the workplace. What are some detrimental effects?

Gossip in the workplace can be a serious issue, having detrimental effects to both individuals and the company itself if left unchecked. It is one of the biggest causes of employees being unhappy at work and can destroy reputations, cause people to be disrespected and result in workplace conflicts.

Lost productivity for an organisation can be a direct result of staff spending excessive time “gossiping” and wasting time otherwise spent on their core duties.

More alarmingly, it has the potential to create an impact on an organisation’s culture by creating a toxic work environment and severely erode staff morale. These are serious outcomes and some organisations have gone as far as to craft formal policies against workplace gossip.

As a manager, it’s important you make it clear that you aren’t interested in listening to gossip if an employee approaches you with one, as simply listening is an endorsement from management that gossiping in the workplace is acceptable.

A simple response of “I don’t think it’s productive or fair to talk about other people when they aren’t present” should make your position clear.

During staff meetings, through firm but gentle announcements, make it clear to staff that gossip is not acceptable in your department. You can use the opportunity to explain the damage that can be done through gossip. However, you need to walk the talk. If you want gossip to stop, you must ensure that you will never participate.

How can a manager keep office gossip at a minimum?

Management can play an important role in reducing gossip, but for the best results, both management and employees should work together.

There is a bad rumour about the company spreading in the office and employees are starting to get affected.

What can a manager do to contain the situation?

Start by improving the communication flow and addressing the workplace issues openly. Gossip (or grapevine information) tends to occur when there is a vacuum of information. With the lack of official information, staff will speculate and

circulate rumours. By keeping staff better informed and being more open about information, you can remove the need to create false information to fill the gap.

Also, if you identify one or two people who are leading the gossip mill, you may need to speak to them individually, and privately.

Explain to them the damage and problems they are causing, and explain that while spreading gossip seems harmless, they themselves could eventually become victims of it.

If the problem continues, you may need to make this a performance issue, since it can severely affect productivity, and team cohesiveness and effectiveness.

How can a manager ensure office gossip will carry no weight on a staff's performance appraisals?

Managers have to maintain objectivity.

They should strive to make appraisals based on clear, irrefutable information when determining performance in the workplace.

Using objective methods prevents complaints from employees who feel their performance evaluations are biased or unfair. micenet Asia

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Compiled by KRISTIE THONG

Kempinski indulgence

Boutique city experience THAILAND Luxury hotel Hansar Bangkok’s new offering brings a new events space combining sophistication and comfort in the heart of bustling Bangkok. The 19th floor Rooftop Sky Terrace, both indoor and alfresco areas, can seat up to 200 people, and is open to private parties, cocktail and networking events, as well as executive meetings complete with dining and coffee break facilities.

Hansar Bangkok also houses a penthouse featuring double storey-high ceilings with natural light and a view over the adjacent outdoor garden. Doused in a living room design concept, it has an indoor capacity of 50 guests.

The hotel comprises 94 suites, with the Studio Suite spanning 60 square metres.

W: www.hansarbangkok.com

Heritage style Australia An extensive AUD$215 million restoration in its final stages will see the heritage-listed Brisbane City Hall reopen in April with 12 redesigned indoor function rooms capable of hosting business events, gala and award dinners, exhibitions and concerts for up to 2000 guests.

The main auditorium, Brisbane room, Ithaca auditorium and Balmoral suite will also be re-launched to offer more event options. The main auditorium can take 58

micenet Asia

up to 1644 guests, with a newly-restored timber floor, large stage, semi-circular balcony and grand organ surrounded by a decorative frieze by Australian artist Daphne Mayo.

Brisbane City Hall’s outdoor venue King George Square will also leave event planners spoilt for choice, with over 3000 square metres of flexible space.

Managed by venue management and catering company Epicure, all events held at the function spaces of the

INDIA European luxury hotel brand Kempinski’s next commitment to Asia Pacific is its first independentlymanaged hotel in the commercial district of Shahdara, East Delhi.

The recent launch of Kempinski Ambience Hotel Delhi saw 480 rooms and suites designed in a contemporary style in two towers connected by a sky bridge.

Catering to a blossoming MICE demand in India, the hotel offers over 6500 square metres of banqueting facilities, including India’s largest pillar-less ballroom within a luxury hotel that can accommodate up to 6000 guests.

The events offering is accompanied by varied dining options including Indian, Asian, and Italian cuisine.

The hotel also has a scenic glassenclosed bar, two business centres, two outdoor heated swimming pools, fitness centres and a salon.

Commenting on the destination for the property, Kempinski Hotels president and CEO Reto Wittwer said: “Shahdara fits our vision perfectly, through its unique blend of a rustic Old Delhi charm coupled with an early embrace of the most sophisticated modern infrastructure and technology. Asia, as a whole, is a very dynamic region.”

W: www.kempinski.com/delhi

Brisbane City Hall can take advantage of a brand-new commercial kitchen run by Epicure’s executive chef, Russell Armstrong.

W: www.epicure.com.au/Venues/ Brisbane-City-Hall-Home.htm

venue update

One lavish

charm

MALAYSIA One World Hotel is an awardwinning 438-room five-star hotel located in Petaling Jaya’s business district, just 20 minutes from downtown Kuala Lumpur. It is adjoined to the newly-renovated 1 Utama Shopping Centre that houses exciting retail brands, in addition to the 650 trendy shops across six retail levels for your shopping pleasure.

Only 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the hotel’s six

categories of guestrooms and suites ranging from 40-100 square metres are lavishly furnished with hi-tech interactive services managed via LCD TVs with complimentary in-room 24-hour Wi-Fi access, complimentary shuttle service to Kuala Lumpur; as well as privilege@one shopping privileges in more than 50 retail outlets at 1 Utama Shopping Centre.

The hotel also features seven signature restaurants and world-class meeting and conference facilities

New star power AUSTRALIA Sydney now has a new landmark and a state-of-the-art concert and conference venue, The Event Centre at The Star. Built on the rooftop of The Star with views over the Sydney Harbour and the city skyline, the venue has been designed to host A-list performers from around the world in intimate concert settings as well as domestic and international conferences, exhibitions and functions. Aiming to fill a gap in the Sydney entertainment and convention market, the AUD$100 million (US$102 million) venue is the largest of any hotel event space in the city. Multi-purpose in every sense of the word, it is able to accommodate 4000 patrons in concert mode, 3000 with half seating, up to 1200 in a banquet or ballroom setting and 1300 people in conference/business mode.

Designed by world renowned company Sceno Plus, which has also created The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the 1077 square-metre columnfree venue houses the latest technology

spreading over 5000 square metres, including the magnificent pillar-less Imperial Ballroom with variable mood lighting and colour illumination that seats up to 3500 people theatre-style. The ballroom also features seven built-in projections screens, live feed facility, WiFi access and SIS system (simultaneous translation services). 15 other versatile function rooms offer meeting organisers the convenience of venue for smaller meetings, private dinners and weddings for groups of 20-1000 people. Three individual holding rooms for dignitaries and a secretariat room are also available.

For the fitness enthusiasts, work out at the state-of-the-art gymnasium, luxuriate at the outdoor swimming pool or enjoy a relaxing massage at the spa.

The newly-opened KidZania edutainment centre for children is just five minutes away from the hotel; adding to the list of leisure attractions around the hotel is Camp5, a gym that features state-ofthe-art climbing walls in a breathtaking 24 metre-high glass building.

W: www.oneworldhotel.com.my

million redevelopment and expansion to become a one-of-a-kind entertainment destination. The Star offers more than 20 restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and cafes, a five-star boutique lifestyle hotel called The Darling, a 16-room day spa, a luxury retail collection, and upscale gaming areas.

W: www.star.com.au

and production facilities, including a retractable seating system.

The Events Centre boasts sweeping views over Sydney Harbour and the city.

Internationally-renowned architects Fitzpatrick & Partners have designed the building’s unique glass structure which is shaped like a jewel with many facets and inspired by reflective city lights.

The Star itself has recently undergone an $870 micenet Asia

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Taste MakerS

At the Roasting Lab.

A fine brew

Southeast Asia’s booming tea and coffee culture sees its first trade exhibition held in Singapore last month. Story by Kristie Thong

Latte A

rt Cham

pioship

.

There’s no better time to tap into Asia’s coffee and tea culture than now. For starters, four of the top 10 markets that produce Robusta coffee beans are right here in Southeast Asia – Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand; Sri Lanka, China and India also make up almost half of the world’s tea exports.

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The import of coffee beans in Singapore alone has increased from S$1.1 billion (US$880 million) in 2008 to S$1.4 billion in 2011, in line with the growing group of brunch enthusiasts who have collectively decided that coffee consumption alone is insufficient unless appreciated as a craft.

Hence the first-ever exhibition organised for the coffee and tea industry was held at the heart of Southeast Asia. Parked at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from March 14-16, 2013, Café Asia 2013 saw 95 exhibitors from 22 countries displaying a fine range of Arabica and Robusta flavours as well as various tea blends, alongside cafeteria and supplies. This was held concurrently with the International Coffee and Tea (ICT) Industry Expo 2013, which focused on the upstream sector of the coffee and tea industry.

These two exhibitions, jointly-organised

by Conference & Exhibition Management Services (CEMS) and EXPORUM, and hosted by Singapore Coffee Association,

attracted an estimated 7000-8000 trade and public visitors in three days.

According to CEMS managing director Edward Liu, the objective of the event was to provide industry players with the handson knowledge and technical expertise necessary to cater to increasing demands.

“The skillset of an industry is tied to the demands of the market. As the consumers develop more diverse and sophisticated needs, so too will the skillsets evolve.

Events like this offer vast entrepreneurial opportunities for trade visitors to network and take their businesses to a higher level,” he said.

Sustainable practices in the coffee industry were a key highlight. Industry experts such as W.C. Hay Coffee Consulting’s Willard Dub Hay, EDE Consulting’s Dave D’Haeze, Columbian Coffee Growers Federation’s Santiago Pardo and ASEAN Coffee Federation & Singapore Coffee’s Victor Mah shared their expertise on the subject during educational component Asia Coffee Summit.

“We wanted to highlight the challenging working and financial conditions coffee workers face and examine ways the industry can work with organisations such as NGOs to educate the coffee farmers and improve their living conditions,” Mr Mah said.

World-class roasters Stephen Diedrich and Daniela Nowitzki conducted workshops and labs on how to brew and roast a perfect cup of coffee. Neuhaus Neotec, a visionary who started to translate creative ideas into new solutions for coffee processing 35 years ago, was also onsite conducting workshops that taught participants the differences in existing roasting technologies and how greater results could be achieved by changing roasting parameters.

Interested non-trade visitors were welcome to experience the boom of the coffee and tea trade on the second day.

Along with tasting sessions much sought after, another favourite was the Singapore National Barista Championships held onsite giving local coffee masters recognition.

The event sent a clear message: The industry may be fervently working to improve its skillset, but coffee and tea lovers are just as eager to see the results.

curtain call Compiled by Kristie Thong

Cash that thought Meet the varied personalities behind some of micenet ASIA’s valued contributors, faced with a burning question: What would be the first thing you do if you received US$1 million today?

SIRIMA EAMTAKO If US$1 million just falls on my lap without me having to lift a finger to earn it, I will split it into three parts. The very first thing I would do is to donate 10 per cent of the amount to charitable organisations – those that help orphans or needy kids.

I believe in giving opportunities to the needy by providing education.

Then I will see to the needs and wants of my family members – my dad, older sister, niece and son – and fulfil their needs. Whatever they want, I will source for them. Depends on how much I have left from the second part, I will use the last part to travel to visit magical places such as Machu Picchu and Galapagos, or go live in Australia or Italy’s Tuscany for a year or two and come back as a fat wine connoisseur lady.

ANGELA URETA First, I would fall on my knees and thank God for this great blessing! Then I would sit down with financial advisers to devise a way where I can invest half of the money so that it becomes self-sustaining and can see me comfortably through my retirement years.

A percentage will go to supporting several foundations that work with the environment, animal welfare, education and livelihood opportunities. Whatever is left will be for me to enjoy life with family and friends, especially travelling which I really love to do. No plans to buy a new home or fancy car for me. I am likely to maintain the same lifestyle choices I have now, except with more means to pursue them.

LEILA BOTHAM

ROB COTTER I would immediately pop open an ‘82 Chateau Latour and savour its bouquet, the fullness and maturity of three decades of cellaring a tease for the wonder lurking inside. Such a wine naturally needs time to breathe, time I use to consider the industry I’m fortunate to write about, one that like a fine claret has also matured over the last three decades. Today it rewards as much as seeks its own rewards, human connections are pivotal to its success, CSR is way beyond marketing or a tick-box exercise... when suddenly those million dollars (minus one bottle of fine wine!) springs to mind. The industry has rubbed off on me - this is my opportunity for improved human interaction, for CSR. Although the world offers many options, we have an abundance to choose from here in a Europe currently re-defining itself, and a million is a useful start. Eco-farms in Portugal, renewable energy in Ireland, Greek orphanages... all good causes best determined by bringing people together, brainstorming, hammering out great ideas... in short, by meeting. And in today’s world what better ROI can there be than belief and hope, smiles and hugs? I’ve worked up a thirst thinking about the possibilities. Oh, do excuse me, I’ve poured my first glass...

First thing, I would call my Mum back in Australia.

But after many years of practical jokes, I don’t think she would believe me – it would take a lot of convincing… Something like photographic evidence of me frolicking in a mountain of $20 bills would suffice.

Jokes aside, I believe that with wealth, like all forms of power, comes great responsibility.

Wisely invested and properly managed, US$1 million would be enough for me to travel the globe and live an idyllic, nomadic lifestyle without the constraints of finding permanent work. From the savannah in Africa to the jungles of Asia and the glaciers of Patagonia, I would live my snail-like lifestyle with all of my worldly belongings in a pack on my back.

Yet with this freedom I would want to commit my time and talents to the charitable causes that I am passionate about. I am an advocate for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and believe that one day people will endeavour to protect animals from exploitation in the same manner.

I would see this money as a way of dedicating myself to both of these causes.

And just to balance things out – I’d invest in a Stella McCartney Falabella Chamois Tote and her fabulous Linda Patent (Faux) Leather and Leopard Print sandals. After all, I’m carrying all my worldly possessions on my back, so every single one would be FAB-U-LOUS. micenet Asia

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目录

2013年 4月至5月双月刊

编者

特写

的话

机会永远属于 勇敢的攀登者 63 精彩行程：砂拉越 64 封面故事：马来西亚

成立不久但实力强大的会展局打 起文化牌，积极拓展马来西亚的 会展业 66 澳门：让您尽情体验博弈激情 68 采访：喜达屋酒店及度假酒店 国际集团, Nichlas Maratos, 喜达屋亚太地区高级销售及 市场营销总监

任何刚踏入社会工作的人都必须面对 这样的残酷现实：比起学历，工作经验更 重要。同样的，会展业更关注的是丰富的 经验：无论是公司在寻找一个专业会议组 织者来帮助会展的成功举办，或是某一家 酒店在寻找一个资深的销售和市场营销总 监，丰富的经验仍是至关重要的。 我有幸能够出席在墨尔本举行的亚太 区奖励旅游及会议博览（AIME）。我巡视 了整个会场、出席了新闻发布会，并参与 了会前导览，身处会场的我就像一只眼睛 明亮的小鹿初次看到世界一样。 出席博览的参展商及买家浑身热情澎 湃，连展览中心的墙壁似乎也感受到了他 们的热情，微微地颤动着。参展商个个富 有献身精神，而买家们有如寻宝似的到每 一个展览摊位索取重要信息。 很明显的，一些国家将继续成为会展 业强国，然而，近期崛起的会展业国家如 马来西亚、中国以及泰国却让这些强国感 到了一定的压力。 在上一期，我们报道了巴厘岛正如火 如荼地作好一切准备以迎接在10月份举行 的亚太经济合作组织峰会（APEC）。在这 一期的封面故事中，成立不久但实力强大 的马来西亚会展局也将与我们分享他们如 何以以小搏大之势站稳世界会展舞台的秘 诀和新目标。 我在AIME亲眼目睹了新进会展国如 何使出浑身解数与实力强大、专业性强的 会展业大国角逐商机。然而，我也注意到 了明显区分新进会展国与会展业大国的是 买家对后者的信心。这种信心来自多年来 的励精图治和持续发展的能力。 然而，亚洲会展国的坚持和乐观让我 们值得庆幸。在AIME中，一个来自越南的 展商非常激奋地告诉我：“一直以来，我 们都希望成为MICE的一部分，今天我们终 于实现了这个梦想。我们每年都要参与这 个盛会” 。 而谁又会错过呢？

唐艳敏 编辑

欲知更多详情，请浏览网址: 封面：由马拉西亚会展局提供。

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精彩行程

砂拉越

风格

砂拉越作为一个商务和会奖旅游的目的地具备 了什么魅力？可曾想过在风景秀丽的野生动物 保护区举办会展活动？砂拉越会展局建议的精 彩行程肯定为到访代表带来难忘的经验。

第一天 一抵达古晋国际机场，著名音 乐剧“CATS”的人物将热情迎接 你。接着，即可前往普尔曼古晋酒店 （Pullman Kuching）办理入住手续。 傍晚时分，准备开始落日巡游之旅。 夕阳西下，悠闲地乘坐在游船上，沿 途您可以看到砂拉越河旁的历史地标 以及目睹当地的传统生活习俗以及 迷人的市景。夜幕低垂，习习凉风迎 面而来，此刻，砂拉越独有的传统 乐器—“沙贝”的优美旋律在耳边荡 漾，肯定让你如痴如醉。游船在古晋 河滨靠岸后，随即在砂拉越河边重温 大英帝国时代的“白人拉惹”主题晚 白人拉惹”主题晚宴

宴，试着体味那个逝去年代的波澜壮 阔。您也可以选择在一座美丽的布洛 克时代旧建筑，边享受丰盛的经典英 式晚宴，边欣赏布洛克时期的老派铜 管乐队的表演。随后, 您不妨将自己的 夜晚交给舞池，随着曼妙的音乐，在 修剪整齐的碧绿草坪上翩翩起舞, 重回 砂拉越白人拉惹的时代。

第二天 办理退房后，前往实蒙谷野生 动物保育中心(Semenggoh Wildlife Centre)与砂拉越的“丛林之人”（ 红毛猩猩）会面。这个了不起的野生 动物复原中心专门收留受伤及被遗弃 的野生动物。接着，到“猫城”感受 古晋的魅力和参观新开发的会议场地 和酒店设施，为您的下一次到访作好 准备。在古晋河滨公园停留片刻，品 尝道地的著名小吃，如砂拉越的“叻 沙”（Laksa带辛辣味的面食）、“ 千层糕”（Kek Lapis Sarawak）、干 捞面（Kolo Mee）、竹筒鸡（Manok Pansuh）、米丁（Midin）等，选择简 直是不胜枚举。除了享用美食外，不 妨花点儿时间到位于河滨公园的市集 逛一逛。这里是古晋历史最悠久、最 热闹的市集，或许您可以找到独特的 手工艺和珍贵的古董。这个市集的历

砂拉越首府—古晋

砂拉越河上游轮

史可以追溯至布洛克皇朝时期。 我们的下一站是靠近富有传奇色彩 的山都望山的达迈海滩度假村。在这 里，宾客将接受一场团队烹饪挑战， 一起烹饪一顿砂拉越风味的佳肴，无 论是伊班族、比达友族、乌鲁族的传 统食物或其它的当地融合料理。每个 团队将在师傅的细心指导下，创造他 们的烹饪杰作。到了夜晚时，宾客们 将到设在热带雨林和海洋之间的柏迈 热带雨林度假村（Permai Rainforest Resort）享用一顿以“生存者－－砂 拉越风格”为主题的烧烤晚餐。除了 可以穿梭于海洋和雨林之间外，宾客 还会接受族长的祈福。这样完美的安 排，肯定让客人留下美好的印象和感 受。 体验了婆罗洲的热带森林之旅后， 回到达迈海滩度假村办理退房，然后 根据航班时间，前往古晋国际机场。 micenet Asia

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独特 的地域

文化 成立不久但实力强大的马来西亚会展局认为， 马来西亚丰富独特的文化为会展旅游的发展提 供了良好的条件，是马来西亚赢得主办大型国 际商业活动的关键因素。 编纂：Kristie Thong 在2013年2月份举行的亚太区奖励 及会议旅游展上，马来西亚会展局成 功地向与会者展现了马来西亚的多元特 色。 连同24个强大的行业合作伙伴， 如浮罗交怡开发局、槟城环球旅游、砂 劳越会议局、古晋婆罗洲会展中心、吉 隆坡会议中心和普尔曼古晋酒店，会展 局主办了一场“香料市场”鸡尾酒会。 这场别开生面的酒会模拟一个蓬勃发展 的香料市场，宾客仿佛回到600年前与 阿拉伯、中国和印度的商人进行香料贸 易。与会者利用“游戏钞票”来购买诸 如布料，香料和刺绣等物品。除了“香 料市场”活动外，伊斯兰和中国书法、 茶道、印度彩绘指甲花和蜡染画都为酒 会增添色彩。充分显示了马来西亚的活 力以及举办商务活动的能力。 虽然“香料市场”这个概念曾在 以往的展览会上用过，但是马来西亚会 展局连同古晋婆罗洲会展中心、吉隆坡 会议中心和普尔曼古晋酒店并肩合作， 通过赞助马来西亚Spice Market餐厅， 将这次的活动提高出一个档次。在墨尔 本会展中心出席亚太区奖励及会议旅游 展的与会者有机会品尝到正宗的马来西 亚美食，如“nasi lemak”（椰浆饭） 、“char kuey teow”（炒粿條）以 及“satay”（沙爹）。 64

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马来西亚会展局这一次打起文化 牌，旨在突出马来西亚作为商务活动举 办地的优势，这个策略将让马来西亚的 会展业更上一层楼。马来西亚的游客数 量每年都稳步攀升，去年的旅客达2530 万人次，而商务旅客就占了全年旅客数 量的百分之五。然而，其目标是希望在 2020年，将目前的百分之五提升到百分 之八，预计这将为马来西亚带来1.68亿 零吉（5400万美元）的旅游收入，并让 马来西亚成为亚太地区召开会议的五大 重要地点。 会展局首席执行官朱基菲利 (Zulkefli Haji Sharif) 告诉micenet亚 洲：“马来西亚具有独特的地域文化， 其多元文化、语言及生活方式使她成为 亚洲的一个缩影及国际会议的首要驿站 港，这也是我们的优势” 在2009年才成立的马来西亚会展 局由马来西亚旅游部设立，在短短的3 年内，该局已在全球商务旅游业中获得 举足轻重的地位。除了作为推动国家产 品开发的重要渠道外，会展局也致力于 协助会议和活动策划者在马来西亚申办 区域和国际商务活动，包括与音乐、艺 术、娱乐、体育和生活方式有关的国际 大型活动。在国际项目总经理东尼那佳 玛亚（Tony Nagamaiah）和会展局销售 及市场推广部总经理何玉萍的英明领导

下，该局在2012年成功获得24项国际协 会会议的主办权，为国家带来3.42亿的 经济效益。在艺术和文化领域方面，国 际商务活动单位（IEU）以其强大的实 力支助大型活动，如2012年MTV世界舞 台、珍妮弗·洛佩兹世界巡回演唱会以 及亚洲未来音乐节。

独特的驱动力 随着亚洲会展业同行之间竞争趋 于白热化，马来西亚会展局必须百尺竿 头，更进一步，以便赢得MICE客户的 心。在2011年，会展局向活动策划组 织推出了企业奖励宣传活动，以独特场 馆、主题盛事及体验、企业社会责任和 团队建设作为主要的卖点。 会展局首席执行官朱基菲利在记 者招待会上告诉大家，人们可以在文化 气息浓厚的小印度和唐人街主办主题盛 会。他表示：“如果主题盛会的地点在 吉隆坡的十五碑（一个以泰米尔人为主 的族裔社区），参与者可以穿上鲜明亮 丽的传统服装纱丽，感受马来西亚印裔 社群的民俗色彩”。 奖励宣传活动的重点之一是“让 我们一起相约环保”计划，这项计划在 2010年首次提出，以支持政府的措施和 承诺，在2020年将碳排放量减少40％。 正如许多亚洲企业将环保及可持 续性课题融入会议活动一样，凡在马 来西亚举办会展活动，与会者可捐出至 少十元美金，会展局将把所筹得的捐款 用于马来西亚森林研究局所推行的植树 活动。 由于寻找另类活动场地的需求不 断增加，而传统的活动场地已失去其

封面故事

吸引力，具有深厚文化积淀的场地也 因此而应运而起，成为许多MICE客户 的新宠。马来西亚会展局已把布城海运 中心、中央艺术坊及雪隆海南会馆天后 宫列入国际会议活动场地的名单中。最 近，会展局也与云顶清水岩庙签署谅 解备忘录，把位于清水岩庙的天坛大广 场推广为另一个活动场地。这几个被列 入国际会议活动场地名单的地点皆具特 色及标志性，除了作为商务会展活动场 地，也充分向出席者展现马来西亚丰富 的文化和大自然奥妙。

未来的展望 马来西亚会展局在促进MICE产业 及展现马来西亚为亚洲商务活动枢纽方 面可说不遗余力，但该局面对的一个挑 战是对MICE市场需求缺乏认识，尤其 是对西方国家的潜力客户的了解。 朱基菲利表示：“在远处的市场， 如英国或美国的协会及奖励团体都需要 我们提供正确的信息，一旦他们知道更 多关于马来西亚的资料，或许他们就会 造访我国。由于旅途遥远，航程花费时 间也很长，再加上探索各地也需要时 间，所以我们必须确保宾客在有限的时 间内度过一个难忘的欢乐之旅。为了做 到这一点，我们必须为客户提供准确的 信息，并且与相关的人洽谈”。 会展局积极参与世界各地展览会的 措施是为了向活动策划者推广马来西亚 为首选的会议和奖励旅游地点。预计会 展局今年将参与11个展览会，包括澳

独特的地域文 化使马来西亚成为 倍受青睐的国际会 议集聚地。” 朱基菲利 马来西亚会展局首席执行官

大利亚墨尔本AIME会奖旅游展、将在 上海举行的国际奖励旅游及大会博览会 （IT＆CM）、法兰克福的国际会议及 奖励旅游展（IMEX）、于芝加哥举行 的美洲会议及活动展（AIBTM）、将在 泰国曼谷举行的亚洲国际奖励旅游及大 会博（IT＆CMA）及巴塞罗那欧洲会议 与奖励旅游展（EIBTM）。 “我们参加展览会，亲自与客户见 面，与他们作面对面的销售洽商。连同 参展商和合作伙伴，我们积极推广马来 西亚作为一个会展旅游目的地，并制定 解决方案，简化在我国旅游和举办会展 活动的程序。” 朱基菲利补充说。 马来西亚会展业的前景一片光明。 刚在今年3月份，马来西亚在吉隆坡会 议中心举办了汽车工业最具领导地位 的国际贸易展览会品牌展览国际汽配展 （Automechanika），这次展会共吸引 了超过180个来自18个国家的参展商参 与其中。除了国际汽配展，马来西亚也 获得了2014年第61届国际金钥匙年会及

独特的“香料市场”活动

百万圆桌会议（MDRT）的举办权。 除了赢得多个国际活动的举办权 外，会展局去年在北京推出的双重优惠 计划也取得了热烈的反应。这项为企业 会议及奖励团体和策划员推出的奖励配 套该计划取得非凡的成功，促使会展局 也在其他有潜质的国家如澳大利亚、欧 洲、印度和韩国推出这项优惠计划。 到目前为止，在双重优惠计划下， 我们拥有64组共17,500位的代表，他们 将为马来西亚带来2.03亿零吉的经济效 应。 会展局并非孤军作战，与其他行业 伙伴合作是极其关键的。在行业合作伙 伴计划（IPP）下，会展局的合作伙伴 能够获得销售线索和业务转介，以及专 业提升的机会。自2011年以来，会展局 共招募到237家行业合作伙伴，该局计 划今年能够再招募超过70家行业合作伙 伴加入其阵容。 “通过实施这项计划，我们不断 加强与业界的沟通、交流及合作，并 且向合作伙伴普及最新行业资讯、提供 更多机遇，从而提升马来西亚会展业在 国际市场中的竞争力。” 朱基菲利总结 道。 micenet Asia

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百尺竿头 更进一步 无与伦比的博彩业市场，加上多年不懈的努力 使澳门成为会议及奖励旅游的“圣地”。 编纂：Kristie Thong with initial reporting by Brad Foster 澳门，地处珠江口以西，靠近中 国的广东省，离香港仅60公里，是一 个中西方文化交汇的国际旅游城市。在 这里，中式建筑与西式建筑文化交接发 展，充分反映了中西建筑文化上的共融 和历史价值。澳门历史城区更被列入联 合国教科文组织的世界文化遗产名录。 旅游业是澳门的主要经济产业，而 博彩业更构成其经济的重要部分。2012 年本澳入境旅客总数为2800万人次。除 了优化旅游博彩业之外，澳门政府亦冀 望能趁势重新将澳门定位，增加更多非 博彩元素以吸引更多旅客，会展业也因 此逐渐成为带动澳门经济发展和产业适 度多元的新兴行业。 澳门银河酒店业务助理副总裁Tim Gan表示：会展业的需求和供应同步发 展。在供应方面，澳门旅游局推出了激 励商务旅游市场发展计划。申请者除了 必须通过资格鉴定考核，还必须确保所 安排的活动以奖励旅游为重点。此外， 旅游局只会对在澳门合法注册并采用本

澳门银河度假城悦榕庄酒店宴会厅

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地供应商的公司给予支援。这个标准有 助于确保会展服务流程管理的质量。 澳门旅游局也非常关注世界各地的 展览会，其代表将踊跃出席在澳大利亚 墨尔本举行的会奖旅游展（AIME）、 将在上海举行的国际奖励旅游及大会博 览会（IT＆CM）以及法兰克福的国际 会议及奖励旅游展（IMEX）。 这些措施大力推进了澳门会展业的 发展，并将澳门打造成亚洲重要的会展 中心之一。其成效从2012年第四季会展 活动增幅近百分之八中可以看到。 在需求方面，到访澳门的旅客显然 在追求一种极致的奢华享受，他们希望 拥有最舒适的住宿、最精致的美食、最 有趣的娱乐及最齐全的会议设施等，因 此我们致力于为宾客缔造出门在外的家 的体验，让他们享受极品休闲的超凡快 乐。 尽管澳门在发展商旅会展不断重拳 出击，有些活动策划者却认为该国的国 际航线网络不够发达，尤其是连接诸如

新加坡及马来西亚等主要城市的航班。 这些城市都是通往世界其他地区如美国 及欧洲等国家的重要中途站。虽然从中 国的多个地区到澳门不是一个问题，但 是对其他国家的旅客来说，从香港乘船 到澳门就不是很方便了。 当耗资100.7亿美元的港珠澳大桥 在2016竣工后，将会大幅度地缩减穿越 三地的交通时间。届时，往来三地的人 数将会剧增。

金光闪闪的路氹城

路氹金光大道是会展业活动的重 地。于2012年中旬开始营业、耗资19亿 美元建造的澳门银河综合渡假城为会展 活动新添了一个优质的场地。这个大型 的渡假城拥有超过60多家星级食肆、酒 吧及酒廊、超过600家世界级品牌商店 以及宽敞的会议会展场地。除了这些完 善的设施外，高端豪华的悦榕庄酒店、 拥有1500间富现代风格客房的银河酒店 以及410间客房的大仓酒店也为您提供

澳门

了各种品位的住宿选择。 澳门银河第二期发展规划已经获得 批准，预期于2015年中开幕。斥资港币 160亿（20亿美元）的发展计划将以会 展设施为重点项目。届时将有宽敞的会 议及展览场地，总容量可达3000人。二 期项目还包括两间全新豪华酒店——丽 思卡尔顿酒店旗下首家全套房酒店和全 球最大的JW万豪酒店，共提供1300间 客房及套房。此外，银河也将拥有世界

到访澳门的旅 客显然在追求一种 极致的奢华享受， 他们希望拥有最舒 适的住宿、最精致 的美食、最有趣的 娱乐及最齐全的会 议设施等，让他们 有宾至如归之感， 体验极品休闲的超 凡快乐。” TIM GAN 澳门银河 酒店业务助理副总裁

上最大的立天波浪池和酒店甲板。 将隆重登场的还有喜来登金沙城中 心酒店和圣瑞吉斯饭店。这是拉斯维加 斯金沙集团与喜达屋酒店及度假酒店国 际集团最后敲定的一项合作协议。 值得一提的是拥有3896间客房和套 房的喜来登酒店，两座别具一格的高楼 为旅客提供不同类别的产品和服务。这 家具有地标性的酒店是全澳门最大型以 及喜达屋酒店与度假村国际集团旗下全 球最大的酒店。 除了拥有3896间客房和套房外， 喜来登还设有 14000平方米的会议空 间——包括一个4891平方米无柱式的 “喀什大型豪华宴会厅”。宴会厅可容 纳5000位宾客，而且还可以将其分隔成 16间小型的精致宴会厅。这里肯定是您 举办晚宴或婚礼、私密会议或国际大会 的理想之地。 常被誉为亚洲“首屈一指会展目 的地”的金沙澳门金光大道集酒店、会 展、表演和娱乐等元素为一身，是澳门 一个重要的新兴旅游区域。五大国际酒 店品牌——澳门威尼斯人度假村酒店、 喜来登金沙城中心酒店、澳门金沙城中 心康莱德酒店、澳门金沙城中心假日酒 店以及澳门四季酒店共提供约10,000间 客房、数个会展场地以及多个大型表演 场馆。

另辟蹊径 除了众人注目的路凼金光大道外， 澳门十六浦渡假村也在积极发展其项 目。 十六浦位于内港16号码头古老钟 楼的右侧，其综合性娱乐场度假村的 第三期发展项目包括增添多项娱乐、 餐饮及购物商场等设施，总建筑面积约 370,000平方英尺（34374平方米）。 具有法国风格的澳门十六浦索菲 特大酒店将是这一发展项目的主要受益 者之一。当发展项目全面完成后，或许 人们的目光将从路凼金光大道转向十六 浦，重新看待十六浦作为会展目的地的 优势。 除了多项发展项目外，澳门也在 开发横琴岛。政府对此寄予了厚望，希 望横琴岛能够继上海浦东新区及天津滨 海新区后，成为全国第三个国家级的区 域。预计坐落在岛上的横琴长隆国际海 洋度假区将于今年开放，为旅客们提供 更多精彩的文化节庆及宗教活动和会议 及展览服务。

喜来登酒店豪华套房

澳门十六浦索菲特酒店 的“Baccara”多功能厅

喜来登金沙城中心酒店外观

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采访

旅游的 黄金时期 NICHLAS MARATOS 喜达屋酒店及度假酒店国际集团 高级销售及市场营销总监 亚太地区

喜达屋亚太地区高级销售及市场营销总监 Nichlas Maratos认为企业会议预算的缩减 反而拉动了奖励旅游的需求。 编纂：Kristie Thong

2012年你学到的最重要的经验是什么？ 尽管2012年下半年的复苏放缓，喜达屋 仍旧在外部环境不确定的情况下取得持 续成绩和平均可出租客房收入，业绩表 现颇为出色。 我们看好业务的长期增长，我们正 处在一个旅游的新黄金时期的浪尖上。 整个亚太地区、印尼、泰国和马来西亚 的旅游业都在蓬勃发展。虽然中国的旅 游业在每十年一次的领导层权力交接中 有放缓的迹象，但在2013年，国内和出 境旅游的前景仍是一片光明。

的员工，希望借此来激励他们，继续为 公司效劳。 此外，越来越多的公司将企业社会 责任融入到他们的会议及奖励计划中。 我们的许多客户将企业会议与社区服务 或环保活动结合在一起。公司可以选择 不同的方式来进行，他们可以半天开 会，半天进行社区服务如建设学校。例 如在安达曼豪华精选度假酒店，我们设 计了一个称为珊瑚幼儿园的环保计划， 让团体参与和了解珊瑚的救援和重建。 我们也需要非常灵活和为客户提供 快速的服务。在某些市场，如中国，预 订的窗口期通常是一个星期。这意味着 所有的工作程序，包括承包和计费等都 必须以闪电般的速度完成。我们必须在 当天或隔天就安排现场检查。 我们也有一个会议策划满意度指数 告诉我们哪些事项更需要关注。总之， 我们以顾客为中心，竭尽所能满足顾客 的一切需求。

会奖旅游业的发展趋势又是如何？ 从目前的订单来看，随着2013年企业活 动及活动出席率的增加，我们预料会议 花费也会相应地提高。 我们也注意到以高端豪华酒店作为 奖励旅游场所的需求也在增加。这显示 了虽然一般会议的平均花费下降，但是 公司却愿意花更多的钱来奖励表现优异

今年，哪里是喜达屋最重要的市场？ 喜达屋又将如何开拓这些市场？ 中国仍旧是我们业务中主要的增长动 力，因为其国内团体旅游仍然相当强 劲。以热门旅游景点如海南、长白山和 其它的度假胜地作为会议及奖励旅游的 目的地预计将持续发展。 喜达屋拥有一个非常强大的销售平 台，有助于促进客户与我们之间的交 流。我们相信，销售是一个全球性的活 动，无论客户身在何处，我们的全球和 在地销售及营销团队都会携手合作，竭 尽所能去满足他们的需求。此外，我们 还参加展览会和博览会，以扩大我们的 网络和宣传。为了向客户提供最新的信 息以及与他们作面对面的交流，我们也 组织自己的喜达屋博览会，以此作为一 个与客户建立亲密关系的平台。 68

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14 & 15 August 2013 Sydney Australia

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2013年 4月至5月双月刊

辉煌业绩 马拉西亚会展局背后的功臣

亚洲