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Situated on the island of Langkawi in the Andaman Sea, the “tropical paradise” has always been considered as the most popular tourist destination of Malaysia, located in the north-west of the country, off the state of Kedah. Now the island is looking at making a foot hold in business tourism, with a new venue that has just recently opened – ready to compete in the international MICE arena.

Langkawi International Convention Centre or better known as LICC, with an area of 5,685 square feet (528.154 square metres), is said to be the largest purpose built venue on Langkawi. It has a grand ballroom of 17,868 square feet (1,660 square metres) in size, with a seating capacity up to 1,200. The centre was built within 11 months in time for hosting the ASEAN Summit in April 2015.

As the only most complete convention centre on the island, the venue can accommodate international conferences, global summits or any small local events. Among its meeting facilities, LICC has also the only VIP holding room in Malaysia with permanent set-up. LICC is managed by a team of professionals from the Starwood Hotels and Resort. It is owned by Garuda Suci Sdn Bhd and integrated Nautical Resort Sdn Bhd.

In 2007, UNESCO declared the 10,000 hectares of land which make up Langkawi and its 99 islands a Geopark.

LICC Officially launched by Michael Schlueter, Managing Director at a Ceremony in the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

The highly anticipated Chengdu International Tourism Expo (CITE) 2015 is fast approaching in a month’s time, and will be held from December 3 to 5 at the Century City New International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Organised by Conference & Exhibition Management Services Pte Ltd (CEMS) Singapore and CEMS (Beijing) Conference & Exhibition Co., Ltd supported by the Sichuan Provincial Tourism Administration, the Chengdu Municipal Tourism Administration and Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Exposition; CITE 2015 is expected to span over 10,000 square meters and attract over 300 exhibitors from 30 countries, as well as 4,000 trade professionals.

Several travel agencies and national tourism organisations from Europe, Africa and Latin America, have expressed their interest to be a part of CITE 2015. In the domestic section, provinces such as Beijing, Chengdu, Tibet, Yunnan Lijiang, Dali and Mongolia will also be showcasing their tourism resources at the show.

CITE 2015 will serve as a one-stop international networking hub for professionals in the travel and tourism industry. This year, CITE 2015 will feature stage performances and destination presentation sessions from more than 10 exhibitors. There will the 2016 tourism in spring in Sichuan by the Sichuan Provincial Tourism Administration, as well as various promotional activities and presentation sessions for trade and public visitors by tuniu.com.

A fast-developing city, Chengdu is ranked the 10th most developed tourism city in China in 2014. Its airport, the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, is one of the top 40 busiest airports in the world. Out of the 280 urban centres in China, Chengdu is one of the preferred cities for investment, and is named the fourth most livable city in China.

For more information on CITE 2015, please visit www.sc-cite.com.

MICE in Asia is the media partner of CITE 2015.

The restaurant specialises in Chinese Malaysian cuisine with a Cantones twist.  Located at the Saujana Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, the outlet is currently offering diners a special set menu: Weekday Special Set Menu; Weekday Set Lunch; Quick Weekday Dim Sum Set Lunch; and Daily Dim Sum Special.

MICE in Asia’s managing editor and photo journalist together with other members of the media, had the opportunity to sample the restaurant’s special seven-course menu prepared by its executive Chinese chef, Sam Lu. The evening’s sumptious dinner showcased:

Beijing Duck with Taiwanese Sandwich

Hot and Spicy Szechuan Soup with Seafood

Sweet and Sour White Tuna Fish on Ice

Deep Fried Bonless Chicken with Oatmeal and Thai Mayo Sauce

Stir Fried Hong Kong Kai Lan with Crispy Enoki Mushroom

Osmanthus Sweet Olive Lemongrass Jelly

Julia Douglas, Managing Editor of MICE in Asia with Ti Chen’s Executive Chinese Chef, Sam Lu.

To make a reservation at Ti Chen, please go to www.shr.my or email dine@thesaujana.com

For the first time 17 university student teams from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand will gather at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on November 12 to pitch their idea of a novel event, and why their city, should be the ideal international platform for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions.

They will be participating in the AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge 2015, which is organised by the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA). The federation represents the MICE industry in Asia with 28 MICE association members and 98 corporate members in 17 cities.

“The debut of AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge 2015, is an international challenge for all students majoring in MICE or business events, business management, hospitality and tourism related fields. We aim to provide an international platform for students in Asia, to develop their creativity and present fresh and unique ideas for the MICE industry,” said Walter Yeh, the President of AFECA.

They will have only six minutes to present and showcase their novel MICE event to the panel of judges. The champion team will receive USD 3,000, a champion trophy and certificates awarded to all the winning team members.

The countdown for the two events co-hosted by the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) and the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS), is now on. The AEC+ EXPO joins 150 or more exhibitors from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, China and other Asian regions to promote the best each nation has to offer during this three-day event beginning from November 11 to 13 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Walter Yeh, President of AFECA said, “This endeavour goes a long way toward establishing AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) which is based on robust regional development, with the ASEAN region composing the 7th largest economic region with 10 percent of the world’s population.”

AFECA he further stated, will do its part, to enhance the emerging AEC community by playing its role as the exclusive MICE association for Asia to exhibit at EXPO.

This November’s events will also include the AFECA Awards, AFECA Forum and the AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge to commemorate AFECA’s 10th anniversary that aims to inspire young MICE professionals by showcasing their achievements.

Left to Right: Dato’ Vincent Lim, President of MACEOS, Zulkefli Hj Sharif, Chief Executive Officer of MyCEB and Walter Yeh, President of AFECA at the press conference of the AEC + Expo to be held in Kuala Lumpur.

For more information on the AEC+ EXPO, please visit www.afecaaecepo.com or contact Patty Lin, the Taipei Liaison Officer at afeca@taitra.org.tw

During the opening ceremony of the show, Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, president of Thailand Convention Exhibition Bureau presented the bureau’s global branding campaign for 2016 that is: Thailand CONNECT – Our Heart, Your World which showcases the country as Asia’s top business events destination.

Meanwhile the IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2015 confirmed that the number of international destinations, convention visitor bureaus and corporate companies choosing to leverage on the event’s multi-engagement platforms, was at a record high. It also included sponsorship programmes of networking functions, media briefings and education tracks.

The 2015 edition saw a growth of 14 percent in exhibitor participation, with sponsorship engagements increased by more than 40 percent over 2014.

Once again the IT&CMA & CTW featured one of the largest collections of convention visitor bureaus. The international presence was witnessed by the entrance of new European, Middle Eastern and North Asian bureaus from Berlin, Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich, Dubai and Jeju. Returning destinations were from Switzerland, Philippines, Macau and India, who made a statement with a bigger showing this year.

They were also joined by all the leading Asian MICE destinations including Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Sabah and Thailand. This consolidated IT&CMA CTW’s position as the must-attend MICE-focused event in Asia.

This year saw multi-national corporations from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand participated in several exciting activities in Taiwan for three days, to showcase their creativity, execution and presentation skill. The campaign consisted of two phases of contest: the online proposal submission and offline tour of Taiwan.

Day 1: Contestants travelled from Taipei to Tainan. There they visited the Jing Liao farm village for a session on painting of bamboo hats, group challenge on making a scarecrow and lunch of local cuisine prepared by the villagers.
This was followed by a competition to shuck as much oysters at the Budai Zhounan Salt Field. Later, the contestants had to compete in harvesting salt from the water pond at the field.

Day 2: From Tainan, the whole team then moved to Chiayi. The contestants were given a briefing on the social responsibility work undertaken by the Maple Community such as making eco-friendly soap from recycled cooking oil. After which each group were tasked with making the soap.

They then headed for the Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park. Here the team witnessed a Taiwanese opera performance. Their challenge was to stage an opera and garner points from the audience and judges.

Day 3: Points were giving for every step of the way, with each competition carrying weight for the final presentation at the Taiwan International Convention Center. At the TICC, each team is given the opportunity to present the services of their business accompanied by a skit. The contestants were also quizzed on Taiwan as top-of-the-mind destination for incentive travel.

On the overall, the team from Australia emerged as the champion, who faced stiff competition from the other countries. They received an incentive package to Taiwan worth USD 50,000 (for up to 20 people), and MEET TAIWAN will donate USD 5,000 to the winner’s designated non-profit organisation.
The Taipei Asia Super Team is a contest for businesses in Asia designed to promote Taiwan, was first launched by MEET TAIWAN in 2014.

Asia Super Team 2015

Day 1 in Tainan

Painting of Bamboo Hat at Jing Liao Farm Village

Making a Scarecrow Contest

Day 2 in Chiayi

Competition to Shuck as Many Oysters

Harvesting of Salt Competition at the Budai Zhounan Salt Field

Day 3 in Taichung

Making of Eco Friendly Soap at the Maple Community Center

Taiwanese Opera Performance Challenge at the Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park

Day 4 in Taipei for the Final of the 2015 Asia Super Team

The Asia Super Team from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, took to the stage at the Taiwan International Convention Center, and showcased the cultural background of their country; as well as information on the services of their businesses. They were also quized on Taiwan as the top-of-the-mind destination for incentive by celebrity Janet Hseih, who hosted the final competition ceremony.

Team Australia emerged as the champion for the 2015 Asia Super Team (https://medium.com/raw-startupism/aftr-super-team-aftr-wins-asia-super-team-competition-2657a891af1a#.70viekaov).

This year’s edition from September 29 to October 1, is expected to bring together more than 2,500 Asia-Pacific and international delegates. The event is once again co-located with the CTW Asia-Pacific, a leading corporate travel management conference for the Asia-Pacific.

Close to 100 of the top corporate travel buyers in the region are expected at the upcoming 2015 event. As usual the show validates and handpick applicants from diverse industries across the region. Successful delegates hosted comprise of key decision makers within their organisation.

For more information, log on to www.itcma.com