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www.travelweekly-asia.com 2 | ITB ASIA OFFICIAL DAILIES talking point Published by NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SINGAPORE PTE LTD SINGAPORE 91 Bencoolen Street, #05-08 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652 • TEL: +65-6801-0450 FAX: +65-6801-0469 BEIJING Room 024, Building 8, Qijiayuan Diplomatic Compound, No.9 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District 100600, China • TEL: +8610-8532 3611 | FAX: +8610-8532 5293 SHANGHAI Room 2553, The Headquarters Building, No.168 Central XiZhang Road, Shanghai 200001, China • TEL: +8621-5179 8360 | FAX: +8621-5179 8360 Travel Weekly Asia is published on a monthly basis by Northstar Travel Media Singapore Pte Ltd. For reprints or copyright permission contact Travel Weekly Asia at +65 6801 0450 or email to twasia-salesmtg@travelweekly.com Printed by TIMES PRINTERS PRIVATE LIMITED (LOO7/08/2015) NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP (ASIA) GROUP PUBLISHER Irene Chua Tel: (65) 6801 0451 | ichua@travelweekly.com EDITORIAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Yeoh Siew Hoon Tel: (65) 6801 0450 | syeoh@ntmllc.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Esther Faith Lew Tel: (65) 6801 0457 | esther.lew@ntmllc.com EDITOR-AT-LARGE Ian Jarrett Tel: (618) 9433 6455 | ian.jarrett@travelweekly.com SUB EDITOR Vera Lye | veralye@gmail.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Lee Xin Hui Tel: (65) 6801 0453 | xinhui.lee@ntmllc.com WRITER Corinne Wan Tel: (603) 2201 1979 | corinne.wan@travelweekly.com HONG KONG CORRESPONDENT Catharine Nicol | cn@monsterpix.hk CONTRIBUTORS Mark Lean, Brittany Panter, Brooke Thio and Marissa Trew ART DIRECTOR Lim Bee Bee Tel: (65) 9750 8405 | bb.bbcreative@gmail.com SALES & MARKETING REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Ng Whey Whey Tel: (65) 6801 0460 | whey.ng@ntmllc.com REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Kevin Ng Tel: (65) 6801 0459 | kevin.ng@ntmllc.com MARKETING EXECUTIVE Rachelle Lee Tel: (65) 6801 0458 | rachelle.lee@ntmllc.com AD TRAFFIC AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Rena Koh Tel: (65) 6801 0455 | rena.koh@ntmllc.com IT & DIGITAL IT & DIGITAL OPERATIONS Ron Wee Tel: (65) 6801 0456 | ron.wee@ntmllc.com CHINA OFFICE GROUP PUBLISHER (China) Rebecca Zhang Tel: (8621) 5179 8363 | rebecca.zhang@ntmllc.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Shawn Li Tel: (8610) 8532 4021 | shawn.li@travelweekly.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Roger Wang Tel: (8621) 5179 8360 | roger.wang@travelweekly.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Susan Li Tel: (8610) 8532 3611 | susan.li@travelweekly.com MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES HONG KONG/MACAU ZAM International - Manna Ma Tel: (852) 9650 0518 | manna.ma@zamintl.com.hk KOREA Young Media Inc - Keon Chang Tel: (822) 2273 4833 | ymedia@chol.com INDIA MHI Communications - Smriti Khanna Tel: (9198) 1040 7483 | skhanna@mhi.com.hk AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - ASIA Patti Mo | patti.mo@travelweekly.com DATABASE & FULFILLMENT MANAGER Zoe Chu | zoe.chu@travelweekly.com FINANCE ASIA FINANCE MANAGER Julia Tham | julia.tham@ntmllc.com NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Thomas L. Kemp CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Lisa Cohen PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert G. Sullivan EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA Thomas Cintorino EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GROUP PUBLISHER David Blansfield SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lori Cioffi SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Arnie Weissmann SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Janine L. Bavoso VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING SOLUTIONS Michelle Rosenberg VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION Roberta Muller VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT LICENSING Sheila Rice VICE PRESIDENT, IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS Rich Mastropietro VICE PRESIDENT, DATABASE PRODUCTS Elizabeth Koesser TRAVEL WEEKLY EVENTS PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert G. Sullivan SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EVENTS, TRAVEL GROUP Alicia Evanko-Lewis Esther Faith Lew is a mass com- munications professional with over 20 years of experience in covering different beats in the name of self- development. In the inspirational realm of travel, Esther continues to push the boundaries to continu - ally discover, dream and deliberate. Carpe Diem! In the realm of meetings and events, where many factors come into play, to determine whether an event is a "good experience" or not becomes a schizophrenic task of trying to please everyone and accommodating diverse needs. So when we hear of idealists talking about the need to raise the bar in the industry by creating experiential events, the notion seems rather lofty and daunting. Or not. Creating an experiential event becomes a science in fact. For event management companies such as Maritz Global Events, they have developed a unique methodology to create experience designs with quantifiable metrics and analytics. For MCI Group, designing an experiential event becomes a question of identifying the client's desired outcome and objectives and revolving design creation around it to create an experience with tangible results. It then becomes a matter of creating structures and formats that are the most efficient for delegates. For SWIFT, the organiser of Sibos, an experiential event is all about the seamless experience from start to end; and this includes the pre- and post-experience. They identified the need to create different platforms for different delegates to ensure that each individual is fully engaged. Sure, its event in Singapore last year had great visual elements and special effects, with a giant cube that dropped onto the stage for its opening ceremony. But the visual element served as an underlying thread that was woven into the overall branding and design. And that made all the difference in garnering a satisfaction level of 96 percent from delegates and 95 percent from exhibitors. It is the job of industry leaders to be visionary and inspirational by painting a landscape of growth and transformation. Only by constantly moving the boundaries will the industry raise the benchmark. The old guards have heeded the call and are reinventing themselves. I spoke to several veterans in a feature on Asia's most influential leaders in the Sept/Oct issue of Meetings & Conventions Asia (www. mcmag-asia.com) and in my interviews with associations such as SACEOS and ICESAP, a few things are clear: embracing change is the only way to thrive; adoption of technology is critical; elevating the education and accreditation of industry professionals is a priority; and nurturing the next generations of talents is a must. Now, it is a matter of identifying the roadmap and taking concrete steps to effect that transformational change. Have a productive time at ITB Asia. WHAT DEFINES A GOOD EXPERIENCE?

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