June 2019

Under the new initiative, ITB Asia will provide complimentary hosting to partners that recommend 15 successful buyers to attend the show. This gives partners a platform to develop stronger trade ties with recommended buyers and secure more business opportunities together. The show has seen an increase in number of MICE buyers following the launch of MICE Show Asia earlier this year.

To uphold the quality of buyers at this year’s show, ITB Asia has been working closely with industry partners old and new from the MICE, Corporate and Leisure segments.

Corporate partners this year include the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), new partner Corporate Travel Management (CTM), and the United Networks of International Corporate Event Organisers (UNICEO).

ACTE will be returning with its Corporate Travel Day once more this year, while CTM will be hosting a conference for corporate travel, providing curated content for the corporate buying segment to learn and network with industry leaders.

ITB Asia has experienced a boost in partners from the MICE segment and with the launch of the new MICE Show Asia to take place alongside ITB Asia this year, it has attracted a pool of quality MICE buyers to attend the show.

MICE partners under the Buyers Elite Partner Programme (BEPP) include the likes of Advantage Meetings and Events, EVINTRA, Helmsbriscoe, who will be bringing the largest contingent of MICE buyers this year, Korea MICE Association (KMA), Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), Philippines Association of Convention Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (PACEOS), and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), who is taking part for the first time.

Building on the success of 2018’s Buyers Programme, this year’s ITB Asia has already seen about 35 percent increases in approved buyers. Buyers are coming from across the world but specifically from high-growth markets such as Southeast Asia, China and India.

“As the leading travel trade show, we want to provide a dynamic and diverse platform for our stakeholders to forge strong business relationships. We are pleased to have attracted a greater number of buyers to this year’s show, specifically from markets which have shown to have huge growth potential in travel and tourism. By working closely with our exhibitors and through the new Elite Partner Programme, we hope to spur more business opportunities for both parties,” said Katrina Leung, managing director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.

http://www.itb-asia.com/

The European Film Academy has announced that the European Film Awards will be hosted in Reykjavik in December 2020.  About 1,400 industry people and journalists from other European countries are expected to make their presence in and around the capital city during the ceremony.

Myriad of events have been planned to add a fun art buzz to the event rubbing elbows with European talent and producers alike and, Iceland’s most known director, Baltasar Kormákur.

The awards ceremony will take place at Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, as will various events and functions related to the European film industry. It will be a grand addition to all the events that Harpa has produced over the years.

Designed by Olafur Eliasson, Henning Larsen Architects and Batteríið Architects, Harpa Concert Hall is an ideally artful and statuesque venue situated by the Atlantic Ocean and graced by the juxtaposition of mountains and city life.

Reykjavík competed against two other European cities for the event and Meet in Reykjavík led the bidding process alongside stakeholders from both the public and private sectors in Iceland. Excited to win the prestigious honor of hosting the event is Thorsteinn Orn Gudmundsson, the Managing Director of Meet in Reykjavík, as he commented: “We can add this to a long list of Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre success stories. This unique architectural gem is the main reason why we can compete for events like the EFA awards.”

If you’re thinking about visiting Reykjavik in December next year, you might like to know that it’s going to be bustling with European film elite.

Influential thought-leader, disruptor and marketer, Kevin Jackson, is the first in the line-up of exciting speakers for its 2019 event, which will take place in Beijing from 28-29 August 2019.

Kevin will present a session on day one of IBTM China’s Knowledge Programme titled: ‘Growing your business: work less, win more’.  He will be taking a creative approach to driving business growth through his innovative methods focus on engagement, participation and action and, ensuring that every communications solution involves a memorable and meaningful brand experience.

Nicole Ci, event manager, IBTM China, says: “We are delighted to announce Kevin Jackson as one of our keynote speakers for IBTM China this year. Kevin has a vast amount of knowledge and experience to share, as well as fresh and novel approaches to solving business challenges.”

“We’ve put together a packed programme of inspiring educational content for IBTM China this year. As ever, it includes a high calibre mix of speakers drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds, with topics specifically tailored to the Chinese meetings and events industry. We’re looking forward to some lively discussions and to continuing to further knowledge and discussion around the Chinese MICE industry.”

Other speakers include: Jin Peng, senior director at Mafengwo Travel, who will discuss product innovation for destination bureaus and future tourism trends; Zhang Fan, CEO at Mioji, who will explore how to create ‘must visit’ destinations; and Steff Berger, MD of VOBE, who will discuss the importance of effective communication in crisis management.

Some of the international exhibitors signed up to attend so far are Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Melia Hotels, Visit Las Vegas South Africa National Convention Bureau, Busan Metropolitan City, Tourism New Zealand and Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute. Domestic exhibitors include Beijing Tourism, SIP Service Industry Development Bureau, Dalian Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jinling Hotels & Resorts.

https://www.ibtmchina.com/.

During the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau’s annual event TIME 2019, the bureau announced new campaigns and reiterated existing ones.

TIME to MEET campaign which offers up to 500  baht subsidy per traveller or 500,000 baht per group for companies with MI groups of 50 people or more that stay in Thailand at least three nights.

M & I Reward campaign provides a subsidy from 100,000 to two million baht for customers who hold MI events in Thailand a minimum of three times a year.

ASEAN MaxiMICE campaign has group privileges for 40 people or more from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, who travel on THAI and staying two nights or more in Thailand.

Fly and Meet Double Bonus Redefined campaign is for MI groups of 30 people from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam with a 300,000 baht subsidy for those who travel on Bangkok Airways and staying a minimum of two nights in Thailand. There are also souvenirs, traditional Thai welcome ceremony and MICE lane service as other forms of support.

TIME or Thailand Incentive & Meeting Exchange is an annual event and this year, was held from June 10 to 15 organised through the collaboration with Thai Airways International (THAI), Bangkok Airways and BMW (Thailand) under a ‘Togetherness Concept’.

The event is a joint business strategy that focuses on Asian culture, which generally values companionship and congeniality as a basis for strong business relationships.

In the first half of the 2019 fiscal year (October 2018 to March 2019), overall MICE arrivals for MI events held in Thailand totaled 348,645 – representing 58 percent of overall international MICE visitors – generating approximately 25.7 billion baht for Thailand which is, 57 percent of total MICE revenue.

Tonya Almond is the vice president of knowledge and experience design of PCMA, and has twenty years experience in business events. She stated that relevant, engaging and memorable are three elements that participants expect, and the challenge is providing that environment in a way, that seems personalised to hundreds or thousands of individuals.

Business event strategists according to Tonya, must dig deep to create relevant, engaging and memorable events that also fulfill a participant’s professional and personal goals.

Below is her take on the best practices in business events gleaned from her research and experience:

Visual, auditory, kinesthetic

Content tracks are a popular and proven approach to ensure educational programs deliver innovative and insightful industry trends. But that is just half of the formula for a successful program that truly creates engagement and retention. Understanding and accommodating different learning styles is equally necessary to generate value and ROI for business events participants.

There are more than 70 learner classifications, but the most common is the Dunn & Dunn VAK style of visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Visual learners respond best to demonstrations, videos and info graphics. Auditory learners engage best with explanations, podcasts and keynote presentations. Kinesthetic learners embrace hands-on learning via workshops and interactive sessions.

Identifying the most prevalent learner types in your audience, is an important first step, and you can do so by analysing how past sessions have fared, or creating fun and interactive learning style quizzes or surveys. You can also design your education sessions, to align with the more popular learning styles and provide business events participants a choice of where to focus their learning efforts.

 Learn from experience

Introspection is another key component to designing an event experience that resonates with the broader audience. PCMA recently partnered with Steelcase Inc.’s Event Experiences to conduct an honest, transparent self-examination of its own signature ‘Convening Leaders’, an annual flagship event to better understand the participant journey and experience. Hundreds of conversations and observations about content, experience, signage, venue, seating options and more yielded a set of event experience insights that PCMA and Steelcase will share during its 2019 EduCon event June 25-28 in Los Angeles.

The answer is within

PCMA also collaborated with Marriott International, to produce another key research piece ‘Future of Meetings & Events’ ‘ to identify the macro-trends affecting the business events industry in the next three to five years. Trends included orchestrated serendipity, creating unexpected, meaningful connections for participants and, bigger than oneself is creating events that also benefit the communities and societies.

These concepts can provide a strong foundation for event experience designed, as they put the customer, at the heart of events. One size no longer fits all for business events design therefore, as an industry we must endeavour to deliver more customised experiences.

The trade show is ahead in its  target for exhibitor confirmations with over 60 domestic and international exhibitors already confirmed to attend the event at China National Convention Centre (CNCC) in Beijing on August 28 and 29.

Part of IBTM’s global portfolio of meetings and events industry trade shows, and the most established event of its kind in China, over 9,000 pre-planned meetings are expected to take place this year between over 380 exhibitors and 400 hosted buyers – an increase of 37 percent compared to 2018.

International exhibitors signed up to attend so far include Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Melia Hotels, South Africa National Convention Bureau, Busan Metropolitan City, Tourism New Zealand and Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute. Domestic exhibitors include Beijing Tourism, SIP Service Industry Development Bureau, Dalian Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jinling Hotels & Resorts.

Meanwhile, over 3,500 trade visitors are expected to attend and an estimated 50 percent of hosted buyers are expected to be new to IBTM China this year.

To ensure attendees are kept on the cutting-edge of industry trends, several education sessions have been added to this year’s Knowledge Programme, taking the total to over 50 sessions on topics such as tailor-made tours, cruises, aviation, incentive travel and business travel.

The event itinerary also includes several networking sessions to help renew old connections and forge valuable new business relationships, and this year a Happy Hour has been added to the last afternoon of the show.

New Technology Zone for 2019 show

It will see IBTM China partnering with DAHLIA+ Agency to deliver an interactive educational experience for exhibitors, hosted buyers and visitors for its 2019 event.

The Technology Zone will feature a tech stage for event technology and event design experts to share their latest concepts and ideas. It will also include a tech bar run by the professionals at DAHLIA+ Agency –  a go-to area for event attendees to get answers to questions about professional branding, social media usage, digital marketing and tech solutions.

Selected technology-focused exhibitors will be able to display their products in the zone and deliver presentations showcasing their latest concepts and ideas. There will also be guided event tech tours specifically tailored towards the needs of hosted buyers to help them plan and execute outstanding events and establish strong business modules.

www.ibtmchina.com.

New Zealand has made its mark at the IMEX meetings trade show in Frankfurt with 10 international delegates receiving tā moko, a traditional Māori tattoo.

The presence of tā moko artist Arekatera ‘Katz’ Maihi from the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) certainly created a buzz on the 100% Pure New Zealand stand, stated Tourism New Zealand’s Global Manager Business Events, Anna Fennessy.

“He was so popular we had a waitlist for the waitlist. Some people who missed out were asking if we would be doing tā moko at our next trade show. It definitely attracted attention on the show floor, and proved a great way to engage and connect with our Māori culture.”

Once curious visitors to the stand had established that the tattoos were permanent, they were fascinated by the cultural aspect of tā moko and the stories they expressed, Fennessy says. In the tā moko process, no design ideas are shown in advance. The artist listens to the recipient’s kōrero (narrative) and, using their knowledge of traditional Māori designs, brings to life their individual story.

Maria Suurballe, conference manager at the Danish Institute for Sport Studies/Play the Game, admits getting tā moko at IMEX 2019 “was pretty spontaneous” but felt the artist quickly understood her personal story, paying tribute to three people she has lost that meant a lot to her.

“I am so happy about my tā moko. These three people have been my dearest relatives, friends and soulmates, and I miss them all every day. So now I have a tattoo that symbolizes a face which can be divided into three faces – and in this way I can carry my dearest loved ones with me every day.”

Christina Nordine, senior account manager at Creative Group Inc, adds: “The tā moko I received at IMEX Frankfurt, is a beautiful gift that I will always cherish. It represents the beauty in my journey, my son and all that is important to me, is such a unique branding that connects me in a really special way to New Zealand’s Māori culture.

The New Zealand Business Events team is optimistic that activity at the show will now help them ink some new contracts to bring more conferences and incentives to New Zealand. Business events not only provide economic benefits by attracting high-value visitors to the country, but also enrich New Zealand through knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities and by showcasing local research and innovation on the world stage.

Ross Steele, general manager of Te Pae, which is due to open October 2020, says: “It was a really good show and having tā moko on stand really got us attention in the marketplace. We had some very good appointments with American and European associations and have some solid leads to work on for the future.”

The Messe Berlin’s travel trade show has seen a 24.4 percent increase in exhibition demand from National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) compared to 2018.

Four months to go before ITB Asia opens its doors on October 16 and it has already, attracted a total of 58 NTOs and RTOs – representing a year-on-year growth of 23.8 percent (NTOs) and 25 percent (RTOs) in the securing of exhibition space compared to 2018 – surpassing previous levels set for ITB Asia.

This year’s event will see at least 19 new NTOs and RTOs. Thus far, the three contingents with the largest exhibition spaces registered are from Indonesia, Russia and South Korea.

The strongest participation comes from Asia with Southeast Asia well represented, and newcomers Myanmar and Jakarta taking part. North Asia will see an expanded South Korean contingent with RTOs from Gyeonggi, Jeju and Seoul securing their own booths. South Asia will also see a larger presence as new exhibitors such as Bhutan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka join India, while Central Asia is represented by Uzbekistan which will be taking part for the first time.

From Europe, the show has seen, a 37.8 percent increase in the number exhibitors buoyed by an increase in interest from Southern and Eastern Europe. The Balkan states of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia will be taking part for the first time along with the Czech Republic and Estonia. Compared to previous years, Hungary and Russia will also bring larger contingents. New RTOs from East Bavaria, Franconia, Frankfurt and Magdeburg will also be part of a larger German contingent with existing destinations like Berlin and Saxony.

“We had a remarkable turnout in 2018 and all the signs point to ITB Asia 2019 being even more successful. NTOs and RTOs are the backbone for creating established inbound and outbound travel. The increased interest and high confirmed demand for exhibition space from NTOs and RTOs at ITB Asia 2019 affirms the value associated with ITB Asia as the leading travel trade show for Asia and beyond,” said Katrina Leung, Managing Director, Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia.

The stunning growth in exhibitor demand is fuelled by growth in tourism globally. The World Tourism Organization (UNTWO) highlighted that, tourism is one of the most powerful drivers of economic growth and development. The predicted target of 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals by 2020 was reached in 2018.  The Asia-Pacific region contributed 343 million international tourist arrivals into the region for 2018, a growth of six percent compared to the previous year.

ITB Asia 2019 will return to its familiar venue of the Sands Expo & Convention Centre as part of its partnership with Marina Bay Sands as the official partner hotel. This year will see oneworld taking part as the official airline alliance for the first time.

http://www.itb-asia.com/