Northstar

August 2011 Feature Trends in the MICE Industry In the recent International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) 2010 rankings, Japan, China and South Korean were within the top 20 countries, at 7th, 8th and 17th places respectively. In the city rankings, Singapore occupied 5th place. Taipei (11th place), Beijing (joint 12th place), Seoul (16th place) and Hong Kong (20th place) were the other Asian cities within the top 20 MICE cites. Rankings were based on the number of meetings organised last year. Clearly Asian countries and cities are no slouches in competing with the best in the global MICE scene. What then are the latest trends in Asia's MICE scene? By James Chen • Incentives with the Sun, Sand and Sea meeting planners needs. With the greater affordability of cruises, more organisations are beginning to give them some serious consideration when conceptualising Incentive and Meeting programmes. Cruise liners are literally comprehensive fl oating resorts which are able to bring guests from one destination to another, at the same time being able to provide a myriad of meetings and incentive options. Royal Caribbean and Silversea provide the options for meeting planners looking for something different. Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas which sails in Asia offer packages for groups of unbeatable value with everything in the price: meals, accommodation, room- service, activities and entertainment. There are also plenty of options to enhance and tailor your events and activities, for example customised shore excursions, team-building activities and private events. Royal Caribbean coincidentally is also the only cruise company with dedicated onboard convention services coordinators providing round- the-clock personal assistance to ensure client's corporate events run smoothly. 6 Beach resorts are now the rage as Destination Management Companies (DMCs) try to fi nd new MICE propositions to excite their clients. Events Asia takes this opportunity to present some of the best beach resort meeting venues in Asia. Examples include Pullman Bali Legian Nirwana and The Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa. The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa features 202 spacious rooms and suites and 20 ultra luxury private pool villas. With 6 elegant and spacious conference and banqueting spaces, the meeting venues are suitable for business and social events. The Westin I and Westin II makes up the Westin Grand Ballroom which can accommodate theatre style conferences for up to 400 guests and dinner and dance for up to 180. Besides leisure travellers, the 353 room Pullman Bali Legian Nirwana caters to the meetings and incentives segments in Bali. It has a 320 square meters, pillar-free ballroom and 2 function rooms, which can accommodate up to 350 people. The Tjakra 7 spa, garden swimming pool and rooftop infi nity pool provide different options to incentive groups. ------------------------------------------------- • Cruising to new MICE options Looking for a really novel, refreshing incentive ideas? Nothing beats a cruise for a convenient, rejuventating and value-for-money vacation experience. One only needs to unpack once, no matter how many stops there are. Plus there is an ocean of entertainment and relaxation choices day and night. Special group packages that can be tailored to Silversea cruises provides all-inclusive fares cover a surprising collection of complimentary amenities: exceptional dining, catering services, live entertainment, audio/visual equipment and a fi ne selection of wines, champagnes and spirits. Its beautiful yacht-like ships ideal for incentivising employees, dealers and distributors; showing customer appreciation; staging conferences, consumer endorsement events or product rollouts; and hosting infl uential international clients.

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