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MICEAFFAIRS Magazine | 1
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AUGUST 2020 1. “32.5 percent increase in venue enquiries last week is an encouraging sign of growing confidence among meeting and event bookers 2. Yet again the Chancellor and Government have not listened to the many outspoken voices of the business events and meetings industry Lex Butler, Chair, HBAA
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3. Cvent Announces Free Training and Certification Opportunities for Event and Hospitality Professionals Around the World 4. etc.venues’ survey reveals 73% of event planners will run a hybrid event in 2020 5. Meeting & event restrictions eased in Hamburg
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Editorial Sachin Manocha - Publisher & Editor Associate Editorial
6. venuedirectory.com’s New Safe Meetings database helps event planners book hotels 7. Hong Kong Tourism Board hosts World’s First Global Online 8. India can not become Atamnirbhar with outstraightening MSME
Ms.Anjali - Publisher & Editor Marketing Team Mr.Raj Kumar
9. International Association Event’s
Web Support
10. Experience Social Distancing in Style with the Beach Bubble on a Private Sandbank 11. MoU Inked between IPAMA and NASSCOM 12. MICECLUB contributor Sapna Gujral Sharing her thoughts on The New Normal 13. PlanetIMEX – Powering back into orbit with new October edition 14. MICE CLUB FIRST CONVERSATION BRINGS EXPERIENCE, PRACTICAL APPROACH, SUPPORT PARAMETERS & INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE TO THE FORUM 15. MCEC unveils VenueSafe Plan 16. Six steps to plan successful Virtual and Hybrid Events: a new White Paper by AIM Group International 17. Hamburg hotels 18. South African Tourism Organizes Mega-Conclave to Allow South African Travel Trade Deeper Insights into the Indian Consumer Market 19. Inaugural Communic Asia Awards to take place as virtual event during ConnecTechAsia
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Editor's Note
NAMASTE
Welcome to The New World! Some of us have entered the new world of new normal in various parts of world , while most of us are waiting for the same. The surprise is still unlocked for many. There have been new developments & new SOP’s are rolled out across businesses. And we all are learning to adopt the same and make the business transactions rolling. For MICE Industry, the point of most of discussion lately in various forums was the late recovery. Reason being it involves numbers, gatherings and stuff like that. Case to be considered for Exhibitions Business for sure, but then virtual expo has come to the rescue for many. We have also postponed our two events Travel O Manthan and The Mice Conference Expo & Awards 2.0 , so we are going virtual with main show of Life Expo 2020, organized by Exhibitions Experts. This would be a mega gathering of MICE, Travel, Corporate and Association Buyers for that matter. Three full days of power packed sessions and exhibition. It’s a support for
businesses to restart. We have to learn living with Pandemic till the time cure is announced. We follow this statement, and let’s keep on trying till businesses are back to their actual shape. Another update is of Mice Club, MCL, a community of Mice Professionals, where we had the first conversation recently, for more details you shall scroll few pages inside. Moreover I have also got this opportunity to be a founding member of Exhibition Think Tank, a community of Exhibition Players to help innovate the Exhibition Industry. Shall keep you posted for future updates. Rush me your suggestions, feedback on sachin@miceaffairs.com If you want a VIP Pass to attend Life Expo 2020, I am just an email away.
Stay Safe But Restart ! Sachin Manocha
MICEAFFAIRS Magazine | 3
GLOBAL NEWS
“32.5 PERCENT INCREASE IN VENUE ENQUIRIES LAST WEEK IS AN ENCOURAGING SIGN OF GROWING CONFIDENCE AMONG MEETING AND EVENT BOOKERS THESE ARE GREEN SHOOTS OF RECOVERY…” venuedirectory.com The UK’s largest and most widely used database of meeting and event venues, recorded a 32.5 per cent growth in the seven days ending Sunday 12 July in enquiries for venues for live events. Michael Begley Managing Director of venuedrectory.com observed This is an encouraging sign of growing confidence among meeting and event bookers even though the industry still doesn’t have a date for reopening and events are likely to be operating under social distancing guidelines.
Most revealing is that around a third were for Q4 this year, about two thirds for 2021 and nearly all are for the UK. We are still somewhat below our normal levels of 4,000 enquiries per week, but these are green shoots of recovery for Meetings and Events, and once we have a date from the government, hopefully very soon, for all venues to reopen their conference rooms and exhibition halls, then I expect volumes to shoot up much further and faster.
MICEAFFAIRS Magazine | 4
GLOBAL NEWS
YET AGAIN THE CHANCELLOR AND GOVERNMENT HAVE NOT LISTENED TO THE MANY OUTSPOKEN VOICES OF THE BUSINESS EVENTS AND MEETINGS INDUSTRY LEX BUTLER, CHAIR, HBAA
restaurants and leisure attraction businesses, how and when will business e v e nt s a n d m e et i n g s industry be considered? We need to save ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ in the £70bn business events, accommodation and meetings sector now. We do welcome the short term cut in VAT for hotel accommodation, food and leisure attractions and the Eat Out to Help voucher which will all support customer confidence. and we also welcome the job retention bonus, the Kick Start and trainee schemes, apprenticeship funding and green jobs.
Lex Butler Chair of HBAA said Ye t again the Chancellor and the Government have not listened to the many outspoken voices of the business events and meetings industry asking for financial help to save jobs and keep the industry alive. Why is this sector being excluded?
HBAA has tirelessly lobbied for our voice to be heard and for actions to take place, whilst working in collaboration with other industr y associations. Whilst we support and welcome the boost to hotel accommodation,
Sadly, these great initiatives and opportunities to take on young people and train them are arriving just as others are leaving the industry at the same time through redundancies. We need financial support immediately. We need a reduction in VAT for our sector, MICEAFFAIRS Magazine | 5
GLOBAL NEWS on venue bookings and event organising services, and we need a delay in paying corporation tax to support the many businesses which are in dire financial straits. The only good news today for the business events and meetings sector came before the Chancellor’s statement in Prime Minister’s Questions when, in answer to a question from Stephen Hammond MP about events, the Prime Minister said that there would be ‘news later in the week.’ We can only hope that it is good news. The news we desperately need is a start date for meetings and events. Although hotels have re-opened they are unable to host meetings and many conference centres and event venues remain closed. Many restaurants also rely on corporate groups, so the hospitality industry is only really half open and barely able to operate profitably due to the lack of business from the events, and meetings sector. Business events are now able to take place in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland but not in the UK, so the UK economy is losing income to these countries. Why are we so different? This £70bn industry was thriving and making a major contribution to the economy. It only needs support because social distancing will make it one of the last to reopen. We need a start date urgently and financial support to keep it alive. Too many talented people – over 30 per cent of agency staff - are on the verge of losing their businesses and their jobs.
Covid 19 and lockdown have been a hammer blow to business events, meetings and accommodation agencies, venues and suppliers, for the whole sector. By reducing social distancing to one metre plus and providing guidelines, the Government has wrapped the hammer in plastic. However, while we welcome the relaxing of this distance, damage has been done. The introduction of one metre plus social distancing makes meetings and events just about viable, keeping it at two metres they would not have been. The requirement for everyone to identify themselves as they arrive is an additional safety measure and giving everyone the confidence to visit venues and meet again safely is the immediate priority for our industry. Now, after chasing these guidelines for many weeks, the industry has less than two weeks to put these exact requirements in place. It’s a challenge but one we’re pleased to have at last. Even so, many thousands of people in the business events, accommodation and meetings industry will still be made redundant in the coming days, weeks and months. The industry still needs extra financial support - a special extension of the furlough scheme, continuing business rates relief, commercial rent relief, a delay in payment of Corporation Tax and a reduction in VAT on accommodation and meetings packages - until Spring 2021 to keep businesses alive when, we hope, the hammer blows will stop and business will hopefully return.”
Today’s announcement is yet another blow for an industry that is, quite frankly, on its knees and our people are massively affected today and potentially in the future
#HBAAfuturefit MICEAFFAIRS Magazine | 6
Cvent Announces Free Training and Certification Opportunities for Event and Hospitality Professionals Around the World
Cvent, a market-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, today announced that it has trained and certified more than 20,000 marketers, event planners, and hospitality professionals (2,100+ in the APAC MEA) through its free training and certification program, helping them sharpen their skills, expand their industry expertise, enhance their resumes, and prepare for the future. The company is temporarily offering all of its Cvent Certifications and training programs to anyone in the industry free of charge. Certifications typically have been offered only to Cvent customers, and it can cost up to Dh 6,600 for an individual to get certified and trained across the entire Cvent platform. Also included in the program are hundreds of free live, virtual training sessions and certification study groups, hosted by Cvent experts. “In early March, when the global pandemic really began to impact those in the meetings, events, and hospitality industries, we were looking for opportunities to not just give
back, but provide support in a way that could facilitate an even stronger industry post-pandemic,” said Cvent CMO, Patrick Smith. In times like these, it’s critical that we all find ways to lift each other up, support our communities, and work towards a brighter future, and we’re committed to doing exactly that. We’re extremely proud to offer our industry-leading certifications and learning opportunities to all meeting, event, and hospitality professionals at no cost to them. Our goal is to train and certify tens of thousands of industry professionals, giving them the tools and skills they need to more quickly bounce back once things start to go back to normal – boosting not only their confidence and careers, but also the industry at-large.
MICEAFFAIRS Magazine | 7
GLOBAL NEWS
ETC.VENUES’ SURVEY REVEALS 73% OF EVENT PLANNERS WILL
RUN A HYBRID EVENT IN 2020 A survey of event professionals by etc.venues during the first hybrid event in the industry since lockdown with a live panel has revealed that almost three-quarters (73%) of them are planning a hybrid event before the end of the year A fifth (19%) of planners said the biggest barrier to choosing a hybrid event is a lack of experience, followed by concerns over cost (17%), risk of failure (17%), perceptions of low attendance (17%), confusion with technology (16%) and getting stakeholder buy-in (15%). This revealing response came from 76 per cent of the 1,095 event professionals who attended the event virtually. Organised by etc.venues, in partnership with Glisser, the event took place at the brand’s iconic County Hall venue in London with virtual attendees tuning in from across Europe, the US and Central America giving the event a global reach. The showcase shared expertise and discussed best practice in arranging hybrid events such as how to make both those in-room and those taking part virtually feel equally engaged and how to produce broadcast quality presentations, all with the aim of boosting planners’ confidence in returning to a part-live event.
A concluding poll showed that the event had MICEAFFAIRS Magazine | 8
been effective in achieving this objective as confidence levels rose by 15% during the 60-minute session, with 70% feeling confident of organising a hybrid event by the end. The panel discussion, titled ‘Why compromise with a virtual event when you can maximise with a hybrid’, featured Nick Hoare, COO of etc. venues, Mike Piddock, CEO of Glisser, and Ralph Cochrane, co-founder of Event.Video and was moderated by industry expert Samme Allen. Nick Hoare said For the thousands of us who believe in the power of face-to-face events, it was encouraging to discover that, despite so many limitations upon our recent activities, three-quarters of the events and meetings professionals are planning to combine in-room and virtual in events this year. This reveals an overwhelmingly positive message, that this approach to unleashing the face to face benefits of meetings is on the agenda for the next six months “For those unsure whether to plan an online or face-to-face meeting, hybrid events offer the best of both worlds and can boost attendance. A first-class frictionless hybrid event really is possible if you combine world-class venue facilities, award-winning audience engagement technology and an expert team.” Due to the success of the first event and the level of engagement, etc.venues and its partners will be running another hybrid event before the end of July with the added dimension of two live locations. etc.venues recently announced a formal partnership with Glisser, which specialises in meetings technolog y and audienc e engagement, to offer a hybrid events solution in both the UK and US. It has also been working with Event.Video to provide broadcast grade filming and production, alongside its in-house team. The partnership offers tailored solutions for large events whilst all etc.venues offer “room in a box” packages, powered by RingCentral, for smaller video conferencing requirements.
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MEETING INDUSTRY
Meeting & event restrictions eased in HAMBURG Outdoor events up to
1,000 people; Indoor Events up to 650 People
The restrictions around meetings and events in Hamburg have been relaxed. On 1 July, the Hamburg State released new regulations for the business events industry as follows: ✓ Indoor events with fixed seating - 650 people max.
✓ Indoor events without fixed seating - 100 persons max, reducing to 50 people max if alcohol is served. ✓ Outdoor events with fixed seating – 1,000 people max ✓ Outdoor events without fixed seating – 200 people max, reducing to 100 people max if alcohol is served. As per German government regulations, the minimum distance of 1.5 metres between any two people at an event continues to apply. Large-scale events with 1,000 or more persons attending remain prohibited until 31 October 2020. Hamburg Convention Bureau is currently working with its members to help them implement the updated regulations. Florian Gerdes, Marketing Manager Conventions from the Hamburg Convention Bureau, explains: "The easing of restrictions around meetings and events is a real boost to the business
M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 10
events sector. It’s a clear sign to the rest of the business world that carefully planned and managed business events can be successfully and safely carried out. We’re now working closely with our partner – venues, hotels and agencies across the city – to ensure that these regulations are correctly implements and communicated to event planners" Under the revised regulations, event organisers are required to develop a written hygiene policy to present on request. In addition, the contact details of all persons attending an event must be documented. Hamburg Convention Bureau, together with MICECLOUD Solutions, recently launched a free tool that calculates the required room size in line with new Covid-19 regulations. A new Coronavirus criteria was added to venue search website, Micebooking.com. When searching for an event space, visitors to the site can click to apply the corona capacity calculation – this filters the venue options in line with current social distancing regulations, providing planners with a definitive list of spaces that will comfortably – and safely – host their chosen number of participants.
MEETING INDUSTRY
venuedirectory.com’s New Safe Meetings database helps event planners book hotels and venues with confidence From 15 June, hotel bookers and event planners will be able to use venuedirectory. com ‘s new Safe Meetings database enhancement to choose confidently from thousands of hotels and venues worldwide that have already uploaded their Safe Meetings policies. To make it easy for meeting planners to source venues that are suitable and ready to receive meeting delegates, there will be an icon on search results and within a venue profile to demonstrate that the venue has a policy in place. Determined to contribute to the recovery of the market by acting as a catalyst, venuedirectory.com is to allow access to this data free of charge through its existing distribution channels to all its current clients and to all industry partners who require this information. All venues globally are welcome to upload the details about what their venue is doing to restore attendee confidence and to demonstrate what the venue has put into place the steps to ensure staff and delegates are safe to meet at their venue. To give access to the most up to date information, they can also add a URL to the policy detail which venuedirectory.com recommends should be located on their website. As the industry leader providing the largest data centre of venue information to the UK MICE industry, venuedirectory.
com is also helping to increase awareness of venues that have gained accreditation to the Quality in Tourism’s Safe, Clean and Legal programme, which is supported by HBAA and several leading hotel groups and authorities. It will also work with other organisations in the UK and globally to carry these essential accreditations as part of its data on meeting and event venues. “We also believe that a venue’s Safe Meeting initiative should not become a competitive initiative for a venue or for the market overall and that’s why we think making the data free to everyone including competing websites is the right thing to do. People will be able to access the data via the venuedirectory.com website and via its data API. In addition, venuedirectory. com will be providing a unique URL to the venues which have a policy uploaded or the details stored with them. Michael Begley, managing director, venuedirectory.com. said It's vital that everything possible is done to restore attendee confidence as quickly as possible and get the events industry back up and running. Our Safe Meetings database should help everyone greatly "Many venues are going well ‘above and beyond’ in what they are doing within their Safe Meetings policies which is why we felt the need to allow venues to highlight what M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 11
MEETING INDUSTRY they are doing within the area. Venues that haven’t provided information yet should do so ASAP" venuedirectory.com’s initiative has already been acclaimed by many leading organisations right across the industry. Dawn Jaynes, Director of Sales Meetings, Events and Support Services at Accor Hotels said “With over 200 hotels in the UK and 5000 globally, offering customer confidence is key and is the reason why at Accor we have launched our ALLSAFE policy which we will be uploading to venuedirectory. com for all hotels. Having the conduit of venuedirectory.com to get our message out to the professional meeting planners is a key distribution partner for us and we welcome its support.” Andrew Deakin, co-owner of Conference Care commented “Restoring delegate and meeting planner confidence will be essential to get the events sector restored to volumes prior to March 2020. Having this valuable resource integrated as part of our proposal to our clients will be vital.” venuedirectory. com licenses its venue sourcing software to Conference Care and the tool will incorporate the Safe Meeting details throughout the search and select process and will provide a link on all client communications to the venues’ policy. venuedirectory.com specialises in meetings and events data and venue sourcing software and is a member of the Business Travel Association, Meetings Industry Association and Hotel Booking Agents Association. The company will be working closely with its association partners to distribute Safe
Meeting data and working with global partners to ensure that accreditations for safety in the meetings area are recognised and provided to everyone who needs it. Jane Longhurst, Chief Executive of MIA commented ‘As an association we have worked with venuedirectory.com for many years and rely on its data as the custodian of meeting and event venue information. The addition of the Safe Meeting information will be welcomed by our members and we will work with them to ensure as many people have access to this data as possible” Michael Begley concludes: “Covid-19 arrived with very little warning to the world of events and has decimated the industry overnight. The landscape of events going forward has got to change and it’s clear that venues everywhere have introduced many changes to make their facilities safe and ready for business. We believe our Safe Meetings Policy area in our database will be a key pillar of restoring people's faith in meeting up again. Sharing the Safe Meeting information with everyone in the industry for free is very important for us as thousands of jobs and lives rely on our industry and we need to do whatever it takes to get the industry back on its feet venuedirectory.com is a UK based business established in 1993 and has a database of over 400,000 meeting and event spaces globally. It provides venue data, websites and venue sourcing software to the meetings and events industry and in 2019 over £300m of business was confirmed through its platforms and distribution channels.
Douglas O’Neill, CEO of Inntel said We have been working with venuedirectory.com for many years and this is just what the industry needs. We already use its API and will be incorporating the Safe Meeting data and Accreditation information into our customer communications.
M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 12
TOURISM BUREAU
Hong Kong Tourism Board hosts World’s First Global Online Forum on Post Pandemic Travel for Hong Kong, Mainland and International Markets The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) hosts an online forum titled “Beyond COVID-19: Global Tourism’s New Normal” – the first event of its kind focusing on the post-pandemic tourism prospects for Hong Kong, Mainland, Asia, and the world. Over 4,000 tourism industry representatives, journalists, and academics registered for the event as global industry leaders share insights into the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on travel, how the industry should respond, and the trends to expect as people begin travelling again in the post-pandemic period. In his opening remarks, HKTB Chairman Dr YK Pang emphasised the importance of restoring consumer confidence. “As an industry, our central mission must be to give every traveller the confidence and reassurance that their trip is safe from start to finish,” he said. “Our cooperation must cross geographical and business boundaries. We must pool our knowledge and expertise
and draw on our collective ingenuity to navigate the challenges that lie ahead of us.” Dr Pang highlighted initiatives Hong Kong’s tourism industry has taken to stay ahead of the curve in containing the spread of the pandemic, and announced that the HKTB would team up with the HKSAR Government and trade partners to create “Open House Hong Kong” – a unique and region-leading travel platform to tell the world Hong Kong is a COVID-safe destination ready to welcome back visitors with attractive offerings and exciting experiences. He invited trade partners from around the world to support the platform by providing enticing offers for travelling to Hong Kong as a leading destination for visitors from every continent. Seven internationally-respected speakers representing different sectors discussed the latest consumer sentiments and behaviour, and gave their insights into the challenges confronting the industry. Here is a selection of their expert observations:
S
teve Saxon, Partner, McKinsey & Company "COVID-19 is a major humanitarian challenge. Yet there are implications for the wider economy and businesses. For instance, USD 0.9 trillion to 1.2 trillion has been lost in export revenues from tourism worldwide. While global tourism may return to previous levels in 2022, China, Indonesia, and the US stand out in optimism, with travel in China coming back to around half of the previous levels currently. However, traveller confidence is still low, and recovery is slower than expected. On the other hand, there is a major opportunity to capitalise on domestic travel and younger and family travellers, as most consumers are expecting to travel less – especially internationally – after COVID-19. China, the UK, and Germany are among those with greatest potential in domestic travel.”
M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 13
TOURISM BUREAU
H
ermione Joye, Sector Lead, Travel & Vertical Search APAC, Google “COVID-19 has led to a generational shift in the way the world operates, the travel industry almost came to a halt with global interest in travel dropping 3 times of that of pre-COVID times (based on search data). As a result, there is no longer a predictable normal when it comes to how consumers behave, and this is particularly true when it comes to the way they are thinking about travel. I am looking forward to sharing trends, consumer insights and principles that could help marketers respond in the ‘new normal’.”
J
ane Sun, CEO, Trip.com Group “At Trip.com Group, we believe it is our duty to guide travellers and the industry through this challenging period. That’s why from the onset of the pandemic, our teams have worked tirelessly to process over RMB 30 billion in cancellations, and we’ve given our partners over RMB 1 billion in financial support. Now, as things come under control, we’re seeing a rebound in demand, we’ve launched a USD 500 million fund for partners, and we’re offering flexible, safe, and discounted travel options for customers – to help our customers and the industry ‘travel on’.”
G
loria Guevara, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating global socio-economic impact, our recent research shows that more than 197 million jobs are at risk, which would cause a loss of more than USD 5.5 trillion to Travel & Tourism GDP worldwide. It is vital for the survival of the Travel & Tourism sector that we work together and map out the road to recovery, through coordinated actions, and rebuild the confidence that people need to begin travelling once again. Our recently launched ‘Safe Travels’ stamp will enable travellers to recognise the businesses and destinations worldwide which have implemented the WTTC global protocols and will encourage the return of ‘Safe Travels’ around the world. It will, in turn, enable the Travel & Tourism sector to reopen for business and move in a coordinated approach.”
M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 14
A
lexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, International Air Transport Association (IATA) “The revival of the travel and tourism sector is vital. Millions of livelihoods depend on it. As some parts of the world begin to reopen their economies, I have no doubt that people will still want to travel. But adapting to the realities of COVID-19 and rebuilding people’s confidence is a challenge that must be met head-on with cooperation. Aviation is a case in point. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) developed global guidelines to mitigate the risk COVID-19 transmission when traveling by air. Now governments need to align in leading the implementation with the full support of the industry. We will only be successful by working together.”
P
eter C. Borer, COO, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd “The hospitality industry will move forward towards a ‘new normal’, with unprecedented health and safety measures in place. As leaders of the industry, we must collaborate, leave behind the paradigms of the past and look towards a new future. The hotel industry was already moving towards digitisation, artificial intelligence and robotics, and the health crisis has accelerated this trend. In the short term, we must regain the confidence and the trust of our guests and reassure them that they are safe when they stay with us. However, in the long term, the fundamentals of hospitality will not change, and guests will always appreciate personalised service.”
K
ai Hattendorf, Managing Director & CEO, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) “Exhibitions and business events are the market places and the meeting places for every industry around the world. They are key to any economic recovery, and we have the know-how and standards to make them safe to attend. COVID-19 will lead to new procedures, standards, and processes. The pandemic is accelerating trends that were already shaping up around the ‘marriage’ of the on-site event with online services before, during, and after the event. Business events will become more digital. But the main element that is driving success is and remains the direct exchange, the face-to-face meeting. Clicks don’t discuss deals, and eyeballs don’t sign orders.”
TOURISM BUREAU A recording of “Beyond COVID-19: Global Tourism’s New Normal” is available for registrant to review from 8am Hong Kong time on 25 June 2020. Each registered account can view the recording on one device at a time.
Dr YK Pang, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, highlights the importance of restoring consumer confidence in his opening remarks at today’s online forum “Beyond COVID-19: Global Tourism’s New Normal”.
Seven internationally-respected speakers from various sectors shared business insights including the latest consumer sentiments, post-pandemic travel trends and industry protocols in the “Beyond COVID-19: Global Tourism’s New Normal” online forum.
M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 15
ASSOCIATION NEWS
International Association Event’s
Organisers Acknowledge Plea To Postpone & Not Cancel Following a survey conducted in June 2020, by Cape Town and The Western Cape’s Convention Bureau – a unit housed within Wesgro – it has been ascertained that out of the 126 international association conferences scheduled for the 2020/ 21 financial year, 65.9% have been postponed, 15.1% are still to be decided, 7.1% were moved to virtual platforms, with only 11.9% cancelled. The 126 conferences surveyed, were estimated to contribute close to R1.9 billion to the local economy over the course of 449 days - the sum of days the events spanned, with just over 71 000 estimated delegates expected to attend. Although around R163 million is estimated to be lost through the international association conferences that were either cancelled or shifted to a virtual platform, R1 billion plus will still be brought into the province through the events that are scheduled to take place at a later date and into 2022. The pending events stand to translate into an additional R183 million should they be able to commence later in the year. “Despite the impact COVID-19 has had on our local tourism economy, it is promising to see that the international association conferences sector responded positively to our plea to postpone instead of cancel, to help keep tourism alive,” commented Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris. The majority of postponed events (91.6%) are scheduled to take place within one year, with 8.4% postponed to 2022. The expected value for events postponed to 2022 is estimated at R140 million, with 23 event days and 5 900 estimated delegates expected to attend. Forming part of the events value chain are exhibitions - a key economic enabler for the Cape, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and co-operation between sectors. Globally, there were around 30 000 exhibitions hosted around the world last year totalling up to $137 billion worth of business. The global association for the exhibition industry (UFI) just released its M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 16
global barometer, revealing the impact of the COVID-10 pandemic globally. When looking forwards, the majority of respondents of the barometer expect “local” and “national” exhibitions to resume during the second half of 2020, and that international exhibitions will only resume in 2021. The outlook in the Middle East and Africa is less confident, with many indicating that they expect “national” exhibitions will only resume in 2021. In South Africa, 70% of respondents to the barometer expect this. "Key to the recovery of Cape Town’s economy is the reopening of travel and tourism. That is why I continue to call for, and engage my national counterparts, the unfettered reopening of travel and tourism sectors. The meetings, incentive travel offered by international businesses, conferences and events (MICE) industry is, and will remain, a key industry in our City and is central to our economic recovery because this sector also supports upstream and linked industries such as food and beverage, accommodation and transportation. From my recent visits to a number of conference venues to look at their state of readiness, I can confirm that they are ready to safely reopen,” commented Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management within the City of Cape Town. Harris concluded, “Even with COVID, it is clear that exhibitions will play a key role in reconnecting and restarting communities, sectors and industries. They will remain an important opportunity to connect businesses to marketplaces, and individuals to each other.” Yesterday, the events industry in South Africa successfully hosted a five-city Proof of Concept Business Conference to actively demonstrate that they are ready and able to host events with the guidance of the newly formed SA Events Council.
HOSPITALITY NEWS
W
hether you’re dreaming of where you’d rather be or planning a post-lockdown getaway, Seaside Finolhu’s Beach Bubble is the perfect place for a secluded stay and romantic reunion.
Experience
Social Distancing in Style with the Beach Bubble on a Private Sandbank under the Stars at Seaside Finolhu Maldives
Dramatically located in a secluded spot along Finolhu’s famous 1.5km sandbank, far from the buzz of the island’s social hub Beach Club, the Beach Bubble is available exclusively for incredibly romantic, one- night-only ‘Dream Eclipse’ experience under the stars. After a short Dhoni ride from the main island to Crab Shack, jetty a short sunset stroll leads guests to their very own Bubble Beach hideaway where they can chill out, enjoy a private beach BBQ with a Maldivian twist, and then retreat into their unique transparent suite for an unforgettable night under endless stars. On waking from this dreamlike experience, guests can watch the sun climb into the sky as they linger over breakfast at the water’s edge. Surrounded by the UNESCO-protected Baa Atoll in the Maldives, the Beach Bubble stay is an unforgettable experience. As the first and only member of Design Hotels in the Maldives, the resort’s design combines Maldivian-inspired touches with ultra-luxury modernity and the Beach Bubble is no exception. Under the luxurious clear dome, guests can expect a contemporary design mixed with a distinct organic edge, offering all the comforts of a hotel suite, including a double bed and bathroom.
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MCEC unveils VenueSafe Plan Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has launched its VenueSafe Plan, ensuring the venue is ready when it is safe to reopen.
It’s safe to say that things may look a little different. However, we’re confident that with new measures in place as part of our VenueSafe Plan, customers can continue to enjoy Melbourne’s leading destination for big ideas and inspirational events, when it is safe to return to our venue. “We’ve been working hard to ensure we have the right health measures in place to give our customers, visitors and people the confidence they need when our doors reopen,” Peter King, Chief Executive, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre said.
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
MoU Inked between IPAMA and NASSCOM forTechnology Upgradation An MoU was signed between Iqbal Singh, General Secretary, Indian Printing Packaging & Allied Machinery Manufacturers; (IPAMA) and Sudhanshu Mittal, Head – Gurugram Center & Director – Technical Solutions, National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) Center of Excellence – IOT & AI at Noida today. IPAMA is an association registered under the Societies Act, 1860, having its head office at NOIDA, UP. It has been assisting its Member companies in upgradation and adoption of latest Technology in Printing and Packaging manufacturing segments. NASSCOM Center of Excellence – IoT & AI is part of the Digital India Initiative by Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), in partnership with the State Governments and NASSCOM. It is a nationwide program to develop culture of thought leadership, digital transformation and co-creation in Industry 4.0, Automotive, Healthcare, Agriculture, Energy, and other industry verticals. CoE is also engaged in facilitating Technology adoption by the Industry, by bringing the latest and deeptech innovations for Start-ups and Technology Companies and to help grow and scale their business interests. It also provides largest Innovation platform for enterprises, governments and innovators in emerging technologies of AI, ML, IoT, Big Data, Analytics, AR/VR and Robotics for Digital Transformation. NASSCOM aims to be the primary catalyst for development and adoption of innovative digital solutions in different domains. On the eve of signing of the agreement,
Dayaker Reddy, President, IPAMA stated that This agreement will strengthen the Indian Printing and Packaging Machine manufacturers in upgrading their machines. In India, the emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and advance printing and packaging are user-friendly for end-customers and ensuring widespread use in different sectors of the industry. The situation will change more in the coming years and more and more companies will come forward to make investments in automation of machines for quality enhancement, increase the production, make economical etc. We are encouraging the companies for adoption of new technologies in the printing and packaging sector Sudhanshu Mittal stated that we are committed to helping Indian manufacturing sector with digital technology adoption to improve their quality, productivity, worker safety and any other area where they need help. Indian ecosystem has variety of solutions available to meet the requirements of manufacturing companies. Through this partnership we expect that IPAMA members will be able to leverage the expertise offered to adopt the digital technology in their operations and start their Industry 4.0 journey. The objective of MOU is to impart training to IPAMA Members in the emerging areas of IT based technology and to help them with digital technology adopt in their operations. The Scope of Work incorporated in the agreement reads as under: -
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ASSOCIATION NEWS • Enable access for the Members of • To organize Joint events and IPAMA to the latest innovative products workshops to build awareness about and solutions from the startups the implementation of technology in printing and packaging machine incubated by NASSCOM CoE and from manufacturing segments. the extended startup ecosystem. •
A deep-dive engagement program of • To make members aware of existing NASSCOM CoE to fast track discovery and new use-cases as they get created and application of innovative solutions to drive adoption of deep-tech within sourced from its network of deep-tech the industry ecosystem. curated startups /innovators, system Integrators and technology companies.
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REPORT
“Worldwide differences in definitions and guidelines of quarantine and self-isolation are creating confusion and difficulty for travellers” says Suzanne Sangiovese, Commercial and Communications Director of Riskline
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orldwide differences in definitions and guidelines of quarantine and self-isolation are creating confusion and difficulty for travellers. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, terms such as ‘quarantine’ and ‘self-isolation’ have become much more commonplace now. Indeed, with COVID-19 restrictions in place in almost every country or territory in the world, international and even some domestic travel at this stage involves some form of quarantine or isolation. But what exactly do these terms mean? Some governments have used these terms interchangeably, which complicates matters, but essentially quarantine or isolation are likely to mean one of two situations. Here is a brief guide to the two variants that travellers may encounter and some examples of countries which implement each. Quarantine/Government quarantine: Mandatory isolation for high-risk groups such as travellers, people with COVID-19 or those who came in direct contact with them, to limit the spread of the virus and prevent it from being transmitted further into the local community. Quarantine is usually done at government-approved facilities such as hotels, hostels and/or hospitals under close supervision, usually for a period of two weeks. While many countries initially absorbed the costs of quarantine, travellers are increasingly required to pay at least a portion of the costs. Depending on the country, international non-resident travellers may be required to pay the full cost of government quarantine.
Suzanne Sangiovese Commercial and Communications Director of Riskline M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 21
REPORT Examples of countries that have implemented mandatory government approved quarantine are: 1. Malaysia: Travellers eligible to enter Malaysia will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days. Travellers will be required to download the MySejahtera application and issued a wristband for identification and monitoring by authorities. 2. India: Indian nationals and residents returning from abroad are required to quarantine for seven days at a government-designated facility, followed by seven days of home isolation. Travellers will be required to install the Aarogya Setu application. 3. New Zealand: New Zealand nationals and residents returning from abroad are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival at government designated hotels. 4. China: All travellers arriving from abroad are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival at a government approved facility or hotel
Countries that have implemented mandatory self-isolation include: 1. Canada: All travellers entering Canada, excluding essential workers, must self-isolate for 14 days. Similar quarantine measures have been imposed by provincial governments. 2. Greece: Travellers may be subject to COVID-19 testing, depending on the QR code generated from their Passenger Locator Form. Upon being tested, travellers must self-isolate at a hotel or residence until they receive their results. Those tested positive are required to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine at a designated hotel. 3. Germany: Travellers arriving from designated high-risk areas must undergo a 14-day home quarantine. 4. United Kingdom: Most arrivals to the UK must self-isolate for 14 days, excluding travellers from select countries and territories exempt from quarantine. Travellers unable to guarantee a place of quarantine will be quarantined in a government-run facility or may be refused entry to the UK.
Self-isolation/Self-quarantine: Also called self-quarantine or home quarantine, it is a less restrictive form of isolation where the individual is allowed to self-isolate or quarantine at home or their accommodation for a specific period. The monitoring and enforcement of this period varies between governments, and some are stricter than others. It is important to note that this form of quarantine may be harder for authorities to monitor as the onus is on the individual to ensure guidelines are adhered to. In addition, self-isolation/self-quarantine can either be mandatory or recommended, depending on the respective authorities as well as the individual case of each traveller. The period of self-isolation can also differ, some governments only require individuals to self-isolate until they test negative for COVID-19, while others require travellers to isolate for a full 14-day period.
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MICE CLUB
A RELATIONSHIP : Soft Skills
SOFT SKILLS AND VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENTS MICE CLUB contributor Sapna Gujral Sharing her thoughts on The New Normal
• Awareness
Energy
• Acceptance
Collaboration • Action
The NEW normal, is nothing else but the NEED of the hour We know that Change is the only constant way to progress in our lives. But... Question is:
Am I WILLING to Change? Am I ready to APPLY that change? Do I COMPARE the ME to HE/SHE?
A RELATIONSHIP: SOFT SKILLS AND VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENTS
somewhere within 4.5 – 17 inches, putting your foot forward is possible only through your deliverance.
The NEW normal, is nothing else but the NEED of the hour. We know that Change is the only constant way to progress in our lives. But… best Question is: Am I WILLING to Change? Am I ready to APPLY that change? Do I COMPARE the ME to HE/SHE?
My friends, one of the most tangible parts of Human Behavior is the Non-Verbal aspect Here is the Answer: generally considered as the most ignorant A healthy attitude is contagious, but don’t wait to catch it from others. “BE A CARRIER”. by all. It allow us to understand the working preferences of others and flex our approach to In the current Environment when engagements have become limited to screens ranging somewhere within 4.5 – 17 inches, putting your best foot forward is possible only through your deliverance. navigate different styles.You will be surprised to know the fact that the Words we use, hold only My friends, one of the most tangible parts of Human Behavior is the Non-Verbal aspect generally considered as the most ignorant by all. It allow us to understand the working preferences of 7% of the total 100%. Much more valuable is our others and flex our approach to navigate different styles.You will be surprised to know the fact that the Words we use, hold only 7% of the total 100%. Much more valuable is our Vocal skill Vocal skill and the most contributive of all is the and the most contributive of all is the Non-verbal i.e. our Body Language. Non-verbal i.e. our Body Language. Non-Verbal Non-Verbal skills hold an utmost importance in the method of Communication as they lead to skills hold an utmost importance in the method Perceived Impressions which are difficult to be removed unless they are brought into our of Communication as they lead to Perceived awareness through a known body which can be termed as a close friend, family or a well-wisher. The same thing, if remains attended lead to False Beliefs thereby suppressing our Strengths and Impressions which are difficult to be removed strengthening our weaknesses. unless they are brought into our awareness through a known body which can be termed as a close friend, family or a well-wisher.
Here is the Answer:
The same thing, if remains attended lead to False Beliefs thereby suppressing our Strengths and strengthening our weaknesses.
A healthy attitude is contagious, but don’t wait to catch it from others. “BE A CARRIER”. In the current Environment when engagements have become limited to screens ranging
Today when physically our bodies are not traveling to communicate, it is our responsibility to take care that our Gestures have a Soft take off, Expressions are well served in-flight and M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 23
MICE CLUB
Movements make a safe landing. The Hygiene and Safety will be taken care by the words we will choose to use.
An example - Crossed Arms Gesture is universal but is decoded with the same defensive or negative meaning as it displays a disagreement with what one is hearing from the other person. I would like to conclude my thoughts with a known phraseGood manners often take people where neither money nor education takes them so don’t reserve your best behavior for special occasions.
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EVENT
PlanetIMEX –
Powering back into orbit with new October edition The virtual experience by the IMEX Group, launched earlier this year, is set to deliver more learning, networking and fun.
Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains: The October edition of PlanetIMEX will have a distinct IMEX America ‘flavour’ but without trying to emulate our annual live show in Las Vegas. Rather we will focus on using this online experience to unite the global business events community in learning, laughing and leaning into a new tomorrow. With October starting to look like a busy month for the events industry, our rallying cry right now is ‘save these dates - you won’t want to miss this
The October edition of PlanetIMEX will be directly shaped by business events professionals. The IMEX Group is currently surveying the global meetings, incentive travel and business events community in order to deliver relevant and timely content that supports the sector.
Carina continues:
“We originally launched PlanetIMEX as a gift to the industry, one that was designed to deliver high value – be that education, business or social opportunities – against the backdrop of an interrupted global economy. Now we’re in a place to ask the widest possible community ‘how can we serve you better’ - we know how much our industry has been disrupted and dislocated and our wish is to respond sensitively but positively.”
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Email :
DSIROHI@YAHOO.COM
MICE CLUB FIRST CONVERSATION BRINGS
EXPERIENCE, PRACTICAL APPROACH, SUPPORT PARAMETERS & INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE TO THE FORUM MICE CLUB International, an initiative of Mice Affairs Media Group organized the first conversation of its Contributors and Advisors on 11 July 2020 virtually. Contributors from various industry domains joined the conversation.
For the first conversation, Mr. Paul Colston – Managing Editor at Mash Media Group, Sh. O P Sahgal –Director In Orbit Tours, Mr. Ajay Seth – CEO, Delmos World and Sh. Karun Kumar – MSME DI Official were invited. MICE Club Contributors include Shirin Agarwal Gupta, Dhiirendra Siirohi, Sapna Gujral, Ravinder Singh, Meenal Barapatre, Shiv Charan, Amit Chaudhary, Harit Bhutani, Bindeshwari Prasad, Sunil Singh, Shyam Saini, Siddharth Gautam, Nagendra Dubey, Gurpreet Johar, Satish Saini, & Humesh Sharma. The first meeting was moderated by Saachin Maanocha, Founder Mice Club International.
listening to first hand Event market updates form UK, was an interesting factor for all the professionals. Paul also mentioned about the Industry Support Social Video released by Mash Media Group. Mr. Ajay Seth put forward the practical solutions out of the current situation of Pandemic. As per Mr. Seth, they are considering market to start not before than March 2021, and if they could get some business before the said period, shall be treated as a bonus. Moreover, he stressed on the point of being open to master the skill of selling other travel products, be it Domestic, FIT, Weddings or any other vertical. Another strong pint which everyone appreciated was “Come out of the Competition World and Pave the Way for Collaboration Model”
The session started with the journey of Sh. Om Prakash Ji, when he started the concept of Trade fair Visitors from India market. It was an eye-opener session for others as Mr. Sahgal aged 82 years and still actively involved in Business, is a true motivation for young entrepreneurs. Mr. Sahgal also stressed on the point of keeping in touch with Sh. Karun Kumar briefed about various your clients amid pandemic and start thinking schemes of MSME specific to Exhibitions, like a start-up. Mr. Sahgal also highlighted MICE and revised MSME guidelines. various factors involving the MICE Industry.
First conversation went off well with quality Paul, briefed the participants on the current discussion and apropos of the current situation in UK, where exhibitions hall has situation. been turned into Covid Care facility. Moreover M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 27
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AT
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CONVENTION BUREAU
MCEC unveils VenueSafe Plan Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has launched its VenueSafe Plan, ensuring the venue is ready when it is safe to reopen. We’ve been working hard to ensure we have the right health measures in place to give our customers, visitors and people the confidence they need when our doors reopen, Peter King, Chief Executive, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre “It’s safe to say that things may look a little different. However, we’re confident that with new measures in place as part of our VenueSafe Plan, customers can continue to enjoy Melbourne’s leading destination for big ideas and inspirational events, when it is safe to return to our venue.” The MCEC VenueSafe Plan includes a range of public health, hygiene and physical distancing practices including: Additional resources and support: MCEC’s safety and security team have been established as dedicated VenueSafe Advisors within the business, to work alongside employees, customers and
contractors to ensure that MCEC and Victorian Government health measures are followed. A detailed MCEC VenueSafe Plan has been developed and is available to download from mcec.com.au/venuesafe. All employees will be trained on coronavirus (COVID-19) safety and sanitisation protocols.Changes to venue access: When it is safe to reopen, MCEC will only be open to events and visitors in attendance - it will not be possible to use MCEC as a public thoroughfare to the surrounding precinct. Introducing health check stations, increased cleaning and sanitisation: Entry screening points will be located at all MCEC entry and exit points, this includes hand sanitising and temperature checks prior to entry. Sanitisation stations containing at least 60 per cent alcohol have been distributed across MCEC at key entry points, customer service desks and other high traffic areas. Frequency of routine cleaning has increased across the venue and the sanitisation of high frequency touch point areas is a priority. With the Victorian Government’s current coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, MCEC made the difficult decision this month to extend our closure until midnight 31 August 2020.
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E VENT NEWS
Six steps to plan successful Virtual and Hybrid Events:
a new White Paper by AIM Group International AIM Group International, a company specialised in congresses, events and communication with 60 years’ experience, today published a new White Paper entitled: Virtual and Hybrid Events: a guide to success, signed by the senior expert Annalisa Ponchia, Director of Innovation and Customer Experience AIM Group International.
short time frames. While the digital pivot is a necessity, in unprecedented circumstances, the need to become digital sometimes can pave the way for virtual events with little or no strategy and design, lack of creativity and professionalism.
That is why AIM Group decided to leverage the experience gained from our international The global pandemic has forced the event client experiences to prepare guidelines on industry to embrace and explore the realm how to plan and organise virtual events that of virtual meetings like never before. AIM satisfy the mix of different stakeholders Group has already organised more than 90 attendees, speakers and sponsors, leveraging digital events (congresses, CME courses and the new opportunities offered by the virtual corporate meetings) in the early months of formats and channels. 2020 and a further 180 virtual events will The organization of a virtual and hybrid event happen by the end of the year. During the pandemic many corporate and requires a DCO, not a typo (!), this is a DIGITAL association clients had their first experience CONFERENCE ORGANIZER, a team with of fully virtual event, often planning it in very specific knowledge and competences and the M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 30
E VENT NEWS ability to offer strategic guidance on planning events with full or partial digital components” outlines Annalisa Ponchia. Before embarking on a new virtual or hybrid event, you need to follow a strategic map and complete a number of actions. The methodology presented in the White Paper, downloadable for free from the AIM Group website, suggests six easy steps: • Content FIRST. Linking the content with the right communication format and style should come first, adapting the tone of voice, session formats and tools. • The Digital Event Team: strategic mind-set and tech skills. From the Digital Event Strategist to the Content & Resource Manager or the Digital Tools expert, there are several specialist skillsets and profiles that are needed for this kind of event. • Digital platform and the best user experience: how to choose the most suitable solution? Whether it is a fully virtual event, a hybrid or multi-hub digital event, you must assess your needs first and then choose the right technical equipment and tools. • Digital Sponsorship opportunities and Virtual Exhibitions. It is important to consider and find new ways to generate sponsor value and not simply replicate the ones used for in-presence events. • The importance of Communication. A focused effort on communication is needed to gain attention, reliability and trust from your target audience and engage users throughout their journey before, during and after the event. • Sustainable actions and CSR initiatives for virtual events. Online events can be much more environmentally sustainable than physical events, we must feature this and also look for opportunities to add CSR initiatives to leave a legacy on the community. “Organising a digital event can open a wide range of new opportunities because you are not limited by the usual physical barriers, you can very easily expand the audience and with the correct event duration and timetable you can even prolong the event lifespan” adds Annalisa Ponchia. “There is one extra tip that I would suggest and that is leveraging data and feedback to make sure that the event is fully measurable. If you set clear KPIs at the outset and leverage all the channels from analytics to social media and the event app then you will be in a great position to measure the event impact”. “Virtual is here to stay: online and hybrid meetings are expected to become an integral part of corporate and association meeting strategies, even when large in-presence events resume”, says Patrizia Semprebene Buongiorno, Vice President AIM Group International. “Planning a virtual or hybrid event is much more complex than you would imagine. Mastering virtual is the first step, but it is also crucial to leverage online event strategies to create memorable and engaging hybrid experiences. Our teams are consulting clients to embrace the innovation and are fully committed to explore the new possibilities and find new, creative solutions”. M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 31
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HOTEL NEWS
H A M B U R G Hamburg hotels share travel trend insights With hotels in Hamburg now open again for business, Hamburg Convention Bureau (HCB) is working with its hotel members to help them operate safely and successfully. HCB caught up with some of the city’s hotels to see how they’re welcoming visitors and discover the new post-Covid travel trends they’re now experiencing: Increase in domestic visitors & last-minute bookings The Westin Hamburg, part of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall complex, is benefiting from its prime waterfront location. & Demand is good and we’re already seeing occupancy levels over 70% on weekends. Bookings are coming in at very short notice, around a week in advance,& quot; explains Westin’s General Manager Madeleine Marx. “Most of our guests are leisure visitors from
H O T E L S within Germany, but also from neighbouring countries such as Denmark.” Three of Hamburg’s hotels have partnered up to launch the ‘Happy Hamburg Hopping Special’, offering a discount for residents staying the night in each of the hotels. Guests receive a 10% discount on a 4 night stay with a night spent at each of the hotels: Gastwerk Hotel Hamburg, The George Hotel and PIERDREI Hotel HafenCity. The Fontenay has launched its ‘Hamburg Package’ for locals to enjoy short holidays in the city. An overnight stay with breakfast, dinner or lunch costs from EUR 165 per person. & This allows you to experience the Hanseatic city from a brand-new perspective - low-emission travel included,& M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 33
HOTEL NEWS
says Claudia Bellmann, PR Manager. Long-term stays Meanwhile, the 25hours hotels group is encouraging hotel guests to stay a little longer. The hotel group aims to become a safe and secure home from home for guests on long work stints in the city. Florian Gerdes, Marketing Manager Conventions from the Hamburg Convention Bureau, explains: “Arise in domestic visitors, last-minute bookings and long-term stay are all new travel trends, driven by the pandemic and experienced first-hand by our city’s hotel operators. As customer-facing businesses, they have an insight into the current travel climate and we’re working hard to support them in this new business reality.”
Hamburg currently has over 300 hotels with a total of almost 60,000 beds. Planners can enjoy a virtual tour of some of the city’s hotels with the Hamburg Convention Bureau team.
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SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM
ORGANIZES MEGA-CONCLAVE TO ALLOW SOUTH AFRICAN TRAVEL TRADE DEEPER INSIGHTS INTO THE INDIAN CONSUMER MARKET the panel moderated by Mr. Rohan Kanchan, Managing Director – Strategy & Advisory, Weber Shandwick, included:
Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head for Middle East, India and Southeast Asia, South African Tourism
As travel businesses look to remodel value propositions and pivot marketing strategiesto remain relevant once borders reopen, South African Tourism India took a step into the future by hosting a mega-Conclave, featuring 7 experts across the travel value chain. Held on 29th July 2020, the aim of the virtual Conclave was to arm South African travel partners with insider knowledge and a holistic view of the Indian traveller segment, which is the 8th largest international source market for South Africa. It also sought to allow South African travel trade a peek into the future by helping them understand the dynamically transforming distribution system, thus enabling them to adjust strategy and proactively address the emerging needs of the Indian traveller. The interactive, two-way session had 120+ South African trade in attendance, with conversations ranging from the future of travel, evolving consumer behavior and trends, to emerging Indian source markets and the rapidly changing aviation, hospitality and media landscapes in India. Experts on
• Ms. Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – Middle East, India and South East Asia, South African Tourism • Mr. Manpreet Bindra, Brand Leader, FCM Travel Solutions • Ms. Tigist Eshetu, Regional Director – Indian Sub-continent, Ethiopian Airlines • Mr. Mayur Oberoi, Sr. Vice President, Yatra.com • Mr. Jai Prakash Thondak, Vice President & Global Head, nThrive Global Solutions • Ms. Kamal Gill, Director, OptiMICE Events • Ms. Ruchika Vyas, Sr. Vice President – Client Experience, Weber Shandwick • Mr. Pradeep Saboo, Chairman & Managing Partner, Guideline Travels addressed the audience briefly on his personal dealing with the virus. According to the expert panel, as Indians shift from group travel to FIT / family travel in a major way, packages and itineraries will need to be highly tailored and customized. Experience-seeking millennials, HNIs and the family-oriented middle-class segments are anticipated to be the driving force behind leisure travel recovery, while MICE travel can be expected to recover early next year albeit with smaller group sizes. A common thread through the discussion was the established resilience of Indian travellers, M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 35
who are eagerly awaiting the opening up of skies and borders as they look to travel again. These travellers are now actively seeking safety assurance and good deals. They may, however, now choose to travel differently – the industry can expect to see a rise in FITs, demands for drivecations, and flexible booking dates. India will remain a key focus area for South African Tourism in a post-Covid era, and the tourism board is leaving no stone unturned rebuild aspiration and consumer confidence in the destination. From January to December 2019, the destination welcomed 95,621 Indian visitors – a 2.3% YoY increase. The brainchild behind the Conclave, Ms. Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism, stated, “Being the second largest outbound traveller market in the world, India holds great potential. As we develop and package experiential products for this market, it is imperative that the South African travel industry understands the evolving thought process of the post-Covid Indian traveller. We have maintained that a greater level of collaboration is required within the supply chain, even if it means cross-border communication and deeper associations amongst provincial and city tourism boards. This Conclave is a crucial step in building a robust system that has well-thought through and researched strategy, as we M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 36
prepare to travel again.” We are pulling out all stops to ensure we engage meaningfully with the Indian consumer as well as our trade partners in India and South Africa. The fact that we’ve invested efforts in educating and training 4000+ Indian trade agents, through the lockdown period, is testament to this she continued. Starting June 1st 2020, South Africa relaxed regulations as the lockdown alert level was lowered from Level 4 to Level 3. At present, they have reinitiated intra-provincial travel for business and leisure – which means that, South Africans looking for quick getaways can book holidays and overnight stays in accredited accommodations, within their own provinces. The government is currently working with airlines and ancillary services, hotels, and other partners down the supply chain to identify effective standard protocols to put in place once South Africa is open for international travel again. In the meanwhile, we have put in place various sustenance measures, to help xxxxour local tourism businesses stay afloat, with a special focus on small and medium business. To this effect, the Department of Tourism has made an additional R200 million available to assist SMMEs in the tourism and hospitality sector who are under particular stress due to the new travel restrictions.
E VENT NEWS
INAUGURAL COMMUNIC ASIA AWARDS TO TAKE PLACE AS VIRTUAL EVENT DURING CONNECTECHASIA
– ConnecTechAsia - Asia’s leading Infocomm Media and Technology event organised in partnership with Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), announces the launch of the first-ever CommunicAsia Awards to be held on 30 Sept at this year’s virtual event. CommunicAsia, a brand synonymous with Asian telecoms, has seen the evolution of telcos and has been a key industry support beyond its business platform for the last 40 years. As the region embarks on the new era of 5G, the CommunicAsia Awards celebrates the advancement and excellence across the global service provider ecosystem in their endeavour to build next-generation networks that will form the backbone of future societies. The CommunicAsia Awards will feature eight categories to showcase innovation in telecoms trials, developments, automation technology, core network technologies and more. Open to both services providers and vendors, the eight categories are:
• Best Results from a 5G Launch in APAC • Most Innovative 5G Trial in APAC • Best Network Automation Solution • Best 5G CORE Technology • Best RAN Technology • Most Significant Contribution to Edge Computing • Telecom Service Innovation in Response to COVID-19 • People’s Choice: 5G Telecom Leader of the Year
More information on each category, submission criteria, as well as nominations for the CommunicAsia Awards can be found here. All entries will be assessed by an independent judging panel of six industry leading analysts and specialists. Commenting on the CommunicAsia Awards, Mr Ivan Ferrari, Event Director, Tech, Media & Entertainment Events, Informa Markets who spearheads ConnecTechAsia said, CommunicAsia has a long history in the regional telco ecosystem as the leading trade event where industry professionals gather to network, share and learn about the latest technologies impacting the space. It is therefore a perfect platform to launch the first ever CommunicAsia Awards in recognition of all the great talent and critical innovations that are happening now as we build up in anticipation of 5G’s coming of age. Pivoting to an online stage, ConnecTechAsia, incorporating BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia, SatelliteAsia and co-located with TechXLR8 Asia, will be a three-day virtual event held on 29 Sept – 1 Oct, thereafter turn into a 24/7, 365 days interactive marketplace. Attendees can look forward to a virtual exhibition show floor of the latest technology and solutions, as well as dedicated conferences including accelerateHER Asia and Elevating Founders, with live headliners, keynotes, Q&A and breakout sessions.
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INTERVIEW
MICE Affairs Media In conversation with Mrs. Nichapa Yoswee,
Senior Vice President - Business Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau
Q: Update on MICE Sector. What has been permitted to restart? Hotels, venues, airline, restaurants,service supply network
The Thai government approved in June the full operation of MICE industry, with no limit on sizeand maximum attendance, but the venues and organisers must strictly adhere to health and hygienic practices in line with the government’s directives. The approval of such operation and entry is attributed partly to TCEB’s collaboration with the stakeholders in the private sector to develop MICE Hygiene Guideline to ensure that holding M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 38
events under such guideline poses no health risk. The guideline was scrutinized by the government and finally won their approval. The permission to restart MICE business is also thanks to our performance in curbing the infection. We have experienced no local transmission for two months now and the cases that occur are all imported cases or Thai nationals returning from overseas who are all put under state quarantine. However, airlines still have to operate under limited terms and conditions because as of now only domestic flights are allowed. In July the government made one step further agreeing in principle to allow the entry of 4 groups of
overseas travelers and one of them is MICE travelers who are attending trade shows in Thailand. Again, the positive sign is partly due to TCEB’s collaboration with Thai Exhibition Association (TEA) in developing the health protocols for overseas attendants at trade show and now the detail of entry procedures is being worked out before it is put into practice.
Q: Update on TCEB Incentive Support for MICE Sector? TCEB looks ahead when international flight can operate again and realizes that cost burden of travel has been imposed by the pandemic impacts.
INTERVIEW We have, thus, worked with over 60 MICE suppliers (DMCs and hotels) to craft EASE UP support campaign under the initiative “I M People Focused”. The target is organisers of meetings and incentive travel. TCEB has set up 500,000 USD fund to serve as financial grant under this campaign, while DMCs offer complimentary services and products, such as sightseeing program, teambuilding or CSR activities and hotels provide complimentary accommodation.
Q: Exhibition Support –Update on future plans? • For exhibitions, we have crafted Extra Support Program providing fund for organisers to keep their business of running trade show alive under new normal condition. The fund will be granted for 3 activities of the organisers: hosted buyers, hygienic practice and technology for event management. • We have LOG-IN initiative, targeting trade show in logistics and infrastructure to help drive strategic economic policy of the country which aims to upgrade the infrastructure system and network in the country. Thailand has been now engaged in massive investment in motorway, dual rail, high speed train, deep sea port and airport. Of particular importance is the logistics and transport network in Eastern Economic Corridor set up to draw in investment in advanced industries, such as aviation, smart electronics, logistics, future automotive. We aims to help drive this progressive development by using trade show as a tool to propel such industries.
Q: Road to Recovery-Overseas Market?
intensively with our overseas representatives to gain deeper insights of the situation or new development of their markets impacted by the pandemic and connect our representatives with local Thai suppliers so that they grasp the trends and behavior of the prospective clients in a new normal condition and can plan their products and services accordingly. While waiting for the restart of international travel, TCEB and the stakeholders in the private sector have worked more closely than ever to craft joint incentive schemes to draw in future business. Our collaboration in developing health guideline and hygienic protocol for MICE industry which has won the government’s approval is part of our initiatives to win confidence of our prospective clients that Thailand can organise safe andresponsible events.
Q: Each country is expected to come up with protocols of quarantine for foreign visitors. How is Thailand planning to work out a feasible strategy?
The quarantine aims to control or prevent the infection. To make the quarantine as much aspossible and not limited to one choice,Thailand has executed both 14 day state quarantine and14 day alternative state quarantine. The first one takes place at the government-owned facilities. The latter one takes place at government-designated facilities, mostly being hotels of the private sector, where travelers must pay for their own expenses. If the second choice is selected, the travelers must reserve the room with the hotel directly and inform the hotel of their entry date. The hotel will then inform the authorities at airport and pick up the traveler.
During the crisis, TCEB has worked more
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E VENT NEWS
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR AFRICA MICE FORUMS
Registration is now open for the premier edition of Africa MICE Forums, a series of interactive high-end events designed to connect pre-qualified MICE buyers and local suppliers through fun and authentic experiences across different host destinations. Obinna Nwachuya, Convener of the AMF said “The goal is to propel MICE business across the continent in relatable ways that effectively spark ideas and foster real connections necessary to move minds and businesses forward.� Unlike other large gatherings, AMFs are intimate forums of about 40-60 participants with each event running for only two nights and one day; a short and effective stay for meeting, negotiating and building meaningful relationships with the best suppliers. AMF believes that the real magic of networking happens in small groups and facilitates this experience with thoughtfully designed one-on-one meetings, networking dinners, parties and activities that are unique and local to the host destination. Speaking further, the Managing Director, Cross River State Tourism Bureau, Utsu John Atsu expressed excitement at the prospect of co-hosting the event in Calabar and assured stakeholders involvement to ensure success and encourage repeat visits to the beautiful destination that is Cross River State. AMF invites both local and international MICE buyers including meetings and event planners, communication agencies, venue finding companies, corporates and International Associations interested in doing business in Africa to take advantage of its hosted buyer offerings to discover its diverse and rich host destinations. All hosted buyers at AMF are prequalified to participate based on the number and scale of events organized, budgets held and decision-making power. The first forum will be co-hosted with the Cross River State Tourism Bureau at the Marina Resort Calabar, Nigeria from 29-31st October 2020. Registration is still open both for Buyers and Suppliers at www.africamiceforums. com until 31st August 2020
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E VENT NEWS
AS BORDERS BEGIN TO REOPEN, GLOBAL DMC PARTNERS SHARES CONTINOUS COUNTRY-BY-COUNTRY UPDATES WITH THE MICE INDUSTRY COMPILING DATA FROM ITS GLOBAL NETWORK OF DMCS, GDP SERVES AS THE GO-TO RESOURCE FOR MEETING AND EVENT PLANNERS OPERATING IN THE NEW, AND EVER-EVOLVING, NORMAL “The only thing that is certain during this time of uncertainty is change,” said Global DMC Partners President and CEO Catherine Chaulet. “ At GDP we wanted to do our part to help the industry by pulling together our global resources and sharing the latest information for each destination. By having one go-to source of information, meeting and event planners can focus their time and energy on their programs’ stakeholders and attendees. As trusted, on-the-ground experts, DMCs are more valuable than ever before, and we are proud to lead this initiative to help our industry rebound and recover.
• When will the destination be out of confinement/expected to be out of confinement? • When are hotels opening? • When are restaurants opening? • When are groups going to be allowed to meet? • And for how many people? • When are your borders opening? • Which countries are being allowed? • Are there country restrictions? • What are the criteria for international travelers to enter the country? • What safety and health protocols are being implemented at the airport(s)? • What percentage of normal flights is coming into the destination? • When are flights expected to be fully operational?
The data collected by GDP is presented by region (Africa, APAC, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, the United States and Canada) and then by country or state/province, along with the date of the update. Each destination has been asked to supply the following valuable information for meeting planners:
TRAVEL O MANTHAN Discuss ✓ D eliberate ✓ D ecid e email to : pr@miceaffairs.com
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DESTINATION
THAILAND RANKED NUMBER ONE ON THE GLOBAL COVID-19 RECOVERY INDEX THE KINGDOM COMES IN FIRST OUT OF 184 NATIONS WORLDWIDE FOR ITS EFFECTIVE HANDLING OF THE VIRUS.
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hailand has ranked number one in the world out of 184 countries for its ongoing COVID-19 recovery effort, according to the Global COVID-19 Index (GCI). Thailand received an index score of 82.06, putting it on top of the global chart as an example of best practices in tackling the ongoing global pandemic. As of today, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand stood at 3,298, with 129 currently being treated, while 3,111 have recovered and 58 have died. South Korea ranked second with a recovery index of 81.09, followed by Latvia (80.81), Malaysia (79.37),
Taiwan (78.94) and New Zealand (78.55). Australia, which used to be number one in previous months, fell to sixth, with a recovery index of 77.18. In the previous GCI ranking published on 14 June, Thailand came in second for its COVID-19 recovery work among 184 nations across the globe. The GCI bases 70 per cent of its calculation on big data and daily analysis from 184 countries, while the other 30 per cent comes from the Global Health Security Index, an assessment of global health security in 195 countries prepared by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security in the United States.
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GLOBAL EVENT
WTM London and Travel
Forward reveal plans for 2020 • Shows announced activities taking place before, during and after the physical shows from 2-4 November 2020 at ExCel London • WTM London and Travel Forward create a safe forum to help travel industry recover, rebuild and innovate • Registration is now open for media and buyers attending both shows WTM London – the event where Ideas Arrive – and Travel Forward – the travel and hospitality technology event co-located with WTM London – are working closely with partners and experts to ensure a safe and successful experience at ExCeL London (2-4 November, 2020). Detailed plans are being made for every aspect of the shows, which is set to be one of the first major exhibitions to take place globally since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The preparations were given a boost earlier this month when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the green light for conferences and exhibitions to resume in October. WTM London’s Senior Director Simon Press announced the live shows’ highlights during a virtual press conference which combined more than 200 pre-registered journalists and digital influencers from nearly 30 countries. Simon Press also revealed the details regarding WTM Virtual event, which is taking place virtually from 10-11 November 2020 to embrace travel professionals from all over the globe, especially the ones who can’t attend the live event due to travel restrictions. WTM London – 2-4 November at ExCel London M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 44
UNWTO, WTTC & WTM Ministers’ Summit Expands into New Territories Tourism leaders from around the world will once again come together for the Ministers’ Summit – the largest annual meeting of tourism ministers – at WTM London to set out a roadmap for a safer, greener and smarter future for the sector. Given the unprecedented scale of the challenge facing tourism, the UNWTO and WTM will partner with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which is representing the global travel and tourism private sector at the event for the first time in its history, making it the UNWTO, WTTC & WTM Ministers’ Summit. The summit will feature a day-long think-tank on Monday 2nd November during WTM London. WTM London partners with ITIC to launch investment summit WTM London and ITIC will come up together to host a tourism investment summit that will help recover businesses and restore travellers’ confidence after the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference aims to explain the financial mechanisms that allow travel companies to recover and rebuild. Investment experts will also give guidelines on how to prepare for any
GLOBAL EVENT other future global disaster. Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman of ITIC and former Secretary-General of UNWTO said: It is a great honour and a privilege for ITIC to partner with WTM, the greatest and most impactful Tourism Trade Show in the world. It will focus to prepare a comprehensive tourism recovery plan, to rebuild destinations, encourage innovation and investment, and rethink the tourism sector. Ibrahim Ayoub, Group CEO, MD and Organiser of ITIC said: We are thrilled to partner with WTM for our third tourism investment conference where Ministers, Policy Makers, Tourism Leaders and Projects Owners will engage with Investors and Private Equity firms to discuss and explore new financial mechanisms and alliances in sustainable investments in the industry and readying for market recovery in the post COVID-19 era New Marketing Conference and Master Class Workshop in partnership with The Five Percent
marketing, sales, leadership, and financial skills. Simon Press said: We’re looking forward to a long-lasting partnership with The Five Percent and our continued commitment to up-level and bring the world's leading experts and expertise to our clients, partners and visitors. Enhanced WTM Buyers Club Program In 2019, WTM Buyers’ Club programme was revamped to create a new and exclusive experience for buyers, exhibitors and visitors. This year the programme will be even more exclusive. More than ever before, WTM London will refine products in order to give attendees the best experience possible. Our exclusive approach to the Buyers’ Club will produce fantastic results, making WTM London the location for the world’s top buyers to do business and to enhance the global travel industry, said Simon Press. WTM Speed Networking New Format
WTM London will partner with The Five Percent to launch Marketing Conference and Master Class. The Five Percent will be hosting a one-day workshop with globally acclaimed paid traffic, branding, and marketing experts who will be sharing their knowledge on what is working right now across the businesses they work with. The agency brings over 20 years of business training experience and due to its influential management team, it has rapidly become renowned for creating highly actionable content for entrepreneurs to improve their
WTM Speed networking will deliver a new format in line with new physical distancing procedures. There is a huge demand to gain access to speed networking from both exhibitors & buyers. The new format will deliver better connections and more meetings all in a safe environment with plans being announced by the organisers in the coming weeks. New Customer Experience WTM London’s organisers have been liaising closely with Public Health England, the M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 45
GLOBAL EVENT UK Government, ExCeL London and the Association of Event Venues to enable the safest possible experience in November. Simon Press, WTM London’s Event Director, said: “This year’s event might be slightly different but visitors can expect the same great WTM experience. “We’re working with partners to ensure we are confident in the safety measures they have in place for getting WTM and TF attendees to and from Excel. We’ll carefully manage the capacity of the venue, and make sure all protocols to allow physical distancing will be followed. There will also be hand sanitiser points, hygiene screens and increased cleaning schedules and every system. “We’ll use contactless technology for interactions such as scanning badges and payments at catering outlets, and food and drinks will be pre-packaged. “It’s exciting to think that, in just three months’ time, we will be welcoming professionals from around the world to the event where Ideas Arrive – to help our industry recover, rebuild and innovate.” WTM Virtual – 10-11 November WTM Portfolio has officially announced the launch of WTM Virtual, a two-day event that will take place from 10-11 November 2020 and will be an extension of WTM London and Travel Forward live shows. Following on from the success of ATM Virtual, WTM Virtual will feature a host of conference sessions, roundtables, speed networking, and one-to-one meetings. The virtual show aims to ensure participation and global reach and to M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 46
offset any attendee that cannot attend the live event due to travel restrictions. Simon Press says: Our virtual event provides us with the opportunity to work closely with the global travel professionals and ensure we can support the industry in recovering, rebuilding and innovating as quickly and efficiently as possible. “WTM Virtual will embrace travel professional’s communities around the globe. We’re very excited to provide to our clients and visitors the opportunity to attend both shows: live and virtual this year”. Travel Forward – 2-4 November at ExCel London Travel Forward is the travel and hospitality technology event co-located with WTM London. This year the brand is introducing The VIP Buyer Programme. A handpicked selection of buyers will be invited to attend prearranged meetings with exhibitors at the show. This is a brand new addition to TF and is in line with their commitment to deliver high quality interactions, according to the organisers. In addition, the Travel Forward Conference will now be free to attend. This year’s theme is Resilience, Innovation and Response and will focus on helping travel companies, from across the globe, steer a path on the road to a post-COVID recovery. The brand will also be joining WTM Virtual which will take place from 10-11 November 2020.
GLOBAL EVENT Travel Forward’s Event Manager Richard Gayle said: The VIP Buyer Programme will refine our products in order to give attendees the best experience possible. We feel our more exclusive approach to the Buyers’ Club will produce fantastic results, making Travel Forward the location for the world’stop travel tech buyers to do business and to enhance the global travel industry. London Travel Week – 30 October – 5 November London Travel Week will unlock invaluable networking and business opportunities for those who journey to London, and the UK, for WTM London this year and will be an essential stepping-stone in the recovery of the tourism industry. This series of events compliments the plethora of opportunities that are present for visitors of WTM London and will be a one-stop-shop for the travel industry to innovate into the future.
Exhibit Virtually
The event will aim to accelerate business growth through its unique combination of networking, knowledge sessions and sponsored, bespoke events. The industry has been hit hard by the effects of COVID-19 but London Travel Week, including WTM London and Travel Forward will be the start of the recovery as the global community comes together to build a more sustainable, responsible and better travel industry.
Enquire Now email to : pr@miceaffairs.com
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REPORT
CEIR Releases New Industry Insight Series Report Decoding Trade Show Sponsorship Opportunities The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has published a new Industry Insight Series report, Decoding Trade Show Sponsorship Opportunities, written by industry expert Dax Callner, Strategy Director at Smyle. Callner has more than 20 years of experience developing marketing programs for some of the world’s leading brands including P&G, American Express, Facebook, GE and others. Decoding Trade Show Sponsorship Opportunities provides an easy-to-read, practical overview of how brand marketers can effectively sort out which on-site sponsorship opportunities might be worth investing in to maximize the outcome of an exhibit program. Callner explains, “This report decodes trade show sponsorships and provides actionable guidance to help determine what to do, when to do it and how to explain to your stakeholders (critically) why you are doing it.” “Dax has extensive experience helping
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leading global brands use sponsorships effectively at trade shows,” said CEIR CEO Cathy Breden, CMP, CAE, CEM. In this report, he’s offering his expert guidance that has brought success to them. Here’s a chance to read what it is along with examples on how to apply this invaluable advice. This six-page report covers content relating to: • On-site sponsorship assets to consider • Criteria to assure one is investing in the right shows in the first-place • Considerations on how much to spend on event sponsorships • Positioning sponsorship investments tied to market penetration status of an organization • Aligning sponsorship buys to business goals for exhibiting • Shaking your moneymakers • Whether to buy a sponsorship package or a la carte
GLOBAL EVENTS
Virtual Seoul to host a Round Table for Association Delegates Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB) takes the annual Union of International Associations (UIA) Round Table in Asia-Pacific region to virtual on 17-18 September this year in close partnership with companies in Seoul MICE industry. The UIA Round Table Asia-Pacific is the first virtual Round Table where the invited delegates listen to keynote speeches and panel discussions, participate in discussions on various issues, join the networking activities at different virtual venues representing Seoul. The N Seoul Tower,
Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul Botanic Garden, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), and Floating Island Convention were selected to proudly show the charms of Seoul to the delegates on the virtual map. Programs are organized in a way to take on a resemblance to on-site Round Table and include all from the agenda. Keynote speeches, Database Training session, Presentations and
Workshop Discussion on various topics, and Panel Discussions are on the program list for delegates to listen and participate. Considering the character of Round table discussions that they are more enriched with much engagement from the attendees, the discussions are to be in real-time communications live on a virtual platform and this will also be applied for the casual conversations at the virtual lounge area. Seoul will present virtual tour videos introducing what made the city a top-class MICE destination. Attendees can choose and watch these 360Ëš VR videos that are arranged in arrays of different themes and available at a virtual Theater. Mini-games and surprising prizes are available to promote interactions within the attendees and entertain them at the same time. The delegate who likes to find out more about Seoul can visit the virtual Seoul booth for a live chat with SCB staff or download the information brochure on PLUS SEOUL support program. It seemed adventurous to host a Round Table virtually at first. However, as more things are fitting into the right place, it started to portray a successful event that will show the value of the city to the attendees. I hope the attendee will have opportunities to visit us in Seoul one day and take advantage of the PLUS SEOUL support program and of course, see the beautiful city for themselves as well, Jihyun Kim, a director of MICE Planning team at Seoul Tourism Organization mentioned. She also added that one of the main goals of this Round Table is to provide a place where attendees can freely meet, greet and mingle like they would do on-site. M I C E A F F A I R S M a g a z i n e | 49
CONNECTECHASIA GOES VIRTUAL 29 SEP - 1 OCT 2020
Experience the all-new virtual event and start conversations with infocomm media & tech industry leaders.
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