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On The Ground 6 SEP-OCT 2018 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM Korea MICE Expo 2018 Hello, Hallyu The Korean MICE Expo 2018, South Korea's annual MICE industry exhibition, gave attendees a fresh perspective on the country's MICE offerings with the incorporation of an event theme, interactive meeting formats, and tours for overseas buyers. An estimated 3,000 people attended the two-day event held from 14 to 15 June, with the theme "Hallyu meets MICE" and a keynote by executive director of SM Entertainment Soo-Wook Ahn. In addition to the usual exhibition and business meetings, new Knowledge Café talks and activity booths invited lively interactions among buyers and sellers. A networking party also replaced the conventional gala dinner and attendees were treated to specialty cuisines from different regions of the country while enjoying a performance by K-pop artistes, which is a new hallyu-themed offering in the Korea Incentives & Meetings Support (KIS) programme. "Hallyu is one of the most influential factors why many groups visit Korea, especially with groups coming from China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Western Europe," said KTO Meetings and Incentives Team Director Chulbeom Park in a statement. HICAP 2018 Hotel investments heat up Happening from October 17- 19, 2018, at The Kerry Hotel Hong Kong, Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacic (HICAP) 2018 features an impressive line-up of keynote speakers. James A Whittaker from Microsoft will explore the future of technology and how it will impact the hotel industry as a whole. A series of 'Meet the CEO' sessions has also been planned with IHG's CEO Keith Barr and Frasers Hospitality's CEO Choe Peng Sum among the speakers. For nearly three decades, HICAP has been the go-to conference for the region's hotel investment community, attracting the most inuential owners, developers, lenders, executives and professional advisors from around the globe. To register, log on to: http://hicapconference. com WORDS ESTHER FAITH LEW (TOP LEFT) LLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES A new research by Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE Global) in collaboration with American Express Global Business (GBT) found that the demand for family-friendly corporate travel is on the rise in the Asia- Pacic region. The study, 'Balancing Business Travel Tools & Policy for the Traveller Experience', also found that 47% of travel managers in Asia Pacic reported an increase in enquiries about exibility to mix business and leisure. Furthermore, 29% of travel managers in APAC reported an increase in concerns about work-life balance, highlighting the importance for employers to review ways to appropriately support business travellers. Corporate travel report Is it business or leisure?