Northstar

JUL-AUG 2018 49 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM The 329-room W Brisbane, which opened in June, dedicates 1,100sqm to indoor and outdoor event space and is the only hotel in Queensland to feature built-in permanent LED screens. While the ballrooms are getting teched up, equally essential are the more intimate venues, she says. Chinese MICE groups particularly search for unique venues like poolside, rooftop or garden spaces and branded events, "such as R.E.N. Meetings at Renaissance, Eat Well Tea Break featuring signature Superfoods at The Westin and Creative Meetings at Le Méridien." Within her Asia Pacic region, Greater China is Marriott International's number one source market, "by a long shot", she conrms. For domestic and inbound travellers to Greater China, there are now over 300 hotels in the area with 300 more in the pipeline. To attract this lion's share of the tourism pie she has driven a collaboration with Alibaba to make travel planning easier with elements such as a global website that prioritises Chinese language, wallet-free travel through Alipay, VIP experiences particularly suited to Chinese travellers and next generation loyalty by sharing points across platforms. Software is equally in the crosshairs, with Marriott International busy upscaling sales teams, creating over 550 associates who can sell across all 30 brands, with a specialist team dedicated to luxury brands. "Meeting planners can easily access information about any of Marriott's 6,400 hotels around the world and we can cater to the organisers' individual needs, no matter what the size or style of their event is," says Fang Roe. "We've seen this leads to higher customer satisfaction." Note to organisers; trends suggest short and sweet sessions make more impact. "Meeting organisers are dealing with shorter attention spans accompanied with higher expectations, and attendees are seeking memorable experiences," she says. "Opportunities for interaction, collaboration, stimulation and shorter, quicker sessions are replacing long-form presentations." Getting out of the conference room is also a signicant part of the Marriott MICE business, while The Ritz-Carlton Impact Experiences programme links guests with their local communities in inspiring ways. "On property, this could look like partnering with the hotel's culinary team to prepare meals for a local hunger relief organisation during a coee break. Or it could look like a team building day o property, constructing bird nests to support migrating rare species. While the experiences are varied, all are designed to inspire and motivate delegates." As an executive who gets bored easily and loves to push innovation, her rst-person experience of travelling for business makes her the ideal gamechanger for MICE organisers who need to impress. Above: High-tech visual displays at JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach. Sourcing for local food and produce add to the authenticity of a culinary experience at JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa.

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