Press Room

It was reported during the recent Business Events Tribal Meet @ Sibu that the business events industry in Sarawak, has  accumulated an economic impact of RM1.6 billion from 2006 to 2020.

In 2019 alone, Sarawak had a bidding success rate of 94 percent by securing 99 business events which was worth an estimated RM122.71 million in direct delegate expenditure.

Today, Sarawak excels in the conventions segment. Currently, conventions make up 80 percent of the state’s economic impact. As for secured business events, Sarawak has bagged 88 events for the years 2020 until 2022.

Corporate meetings and incentives segment will be the focus in 2021 with the aim, to increase the market share by at least 20 percent over the next five years in line with the objectives of the Sarawak Economic Action Council (SEAC).

The industry gathering, organised by Business Events Sarawak highlighted the development of corporate meetings and incentives segment, described as the transformative economic impact strategy for Sarawak’s business events industry.

Incentivised packages for future corporate meetings and incentives are available for planners. It has been proven for Sarawak, that these incentivised packages has been the key solution in minimising cancellations during the Covid-10, with 95 percent of business events still ongoing and three cancelled.

Other initiatives industry players can look forward to is the Tribe Digital Campus which is a product by BESarawak in collaboration with government agencies and industry partners.

Tribe Digital Campus is Sarawak’s business events industry’s first education and business exchange platform that offers its registered members complimentary and sponsored classes. Open to all interested parties regardless of location and profession and registration is free.

Commenting on the business events industry’s stance in Sarawak, Amelia Roziman, acting chief executive officer of BESarawak said, “This industry has shown a tremendous sense of unity, which we know it as #TRIBESPIRIT is a movement showing our ownership of our value that unity is the key to plough through a phase as challenging as COVID-19 pandemic.”

Since travel is a major concerned for many, this year, ICCA is showcasing a unique hybrid model of its event. While Kaohsiung remains the main venue, the 59th Congress is accompanied by regional hub events across the globe. For those who choose to stay at home, a virtual option will be available.

List of regional hubs are:

• Cape Town, South Africa
• Sarawak, Malaysia
• Latin America Virtual
• Luxembourg
• Malaga, Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain
• North America Virtual
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

While the North and Latin American Chapters will be hosting a bespoke virtual hub.

The congress will still have a unified theme of ‘Transforming Global Events Together’ whereby ICCA’s global community, are encouraged to connect and explore new ideas, formats and technologies – to combine efforts and create the ‘Kaohsiung Protocol’ – which will be the framework that identifies major trends and key strategies for international meetings industry to thrive.

In terms of registration, ICCA’s Congress will offer risk-free, flexible options that will allow attendees to change their registration type.

The hub events will feature live, streamed content from Kaohsiung as well as, bespoke local content in each of the destinations.

There will also be a six-week long interactive ‘Road to Kaohsiung’ pre-congress programme exploring key issues of the international meetings industry.

ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath said: “The regional hubs allow us to provide members with a variety of attendance options depending on their ability and attitude to travel. The 59th ICCA Congress has provided an opportunity to re-imagine the way we deliver the event and we are excited to be working with so many local and global partners to ensure it meets the expectations of all attendees. I take this opportunity to thank the regional hub hosts and commend their commitment to bringing the ICCA family and the meeting industry together.”

The three days of virtual expo and conference held in Delhi, India, ended on August 28 with lively discussions, networking and contributions from around the world on the new normal in life; showcasing latest trends in the travel and MICE sectors and the importance  of adapting  to Ayurveda for health and lifestyle.

Organised by Delhi based exhibition experts, forty over global speakers joined the event virtually over the three days and debated on the new norms of doing business, living wisely and adapting to new trends.

Among the topics during the conference, were challenges in the current MICE situation, the status of the travel and hospitality business and on restart business models.

There was also the power packed Ayurveda, Yoga, Health and Lifestyle with the second session dedicated to Ayurveda and its role in the current new normal. Together with focused sessions on emotional wellness.

Corporate think tanks brought together key corporate buyers from the industry aimed at safety and hygiene this presented a positive outlook on their future plans.

While Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau shared with the participants updates in Thailand MICE.

Travel is still, to be, one of the preferred leisure activities among Chinese consumers with the gradual mitigation of the pandemic outbreak. Chinese willing to travel according to report by ITB China, is rising every day

In the survey conducted by the report, over 90 percent of the respondents believe travel to be still one of the preferred leisure activities among Chinese consumers. Over 40 percent of those surveyed, have recently received inquiries from consumers on outbound travel products. From May to June 2020, nearly 60 percent stated that their clients are interested in travel products as well as, actively buying pre-sale travel products.

Asked about the average annual spending of Chinese households in the next year: 60 percent of those surveyed estimate the spending between USD700 to 2,800; 24 percent expect it to be between USD2,800 to 7,060; while 10.5 percent think, it might be less then USD700; and 5.5 percent believe will be more than USD7,060.

While the latest statistics on China’s travel market during holiday season shows strong consumer demand and restored confidence in travel.

Statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism show, that during the public holidays from May 1 to 5 this year, all nationwide destinations welcomed a total of 115 million visits and generated domestic travel-related revenue of USD6.79 billion.

The report is based on a survey among 200 Chinese outbound travel agencies and travel companies, including interviews with several industry experts. The report is a yearly publication, updating global travel suppliers and Chinese buyers with the latest needs of the Chinese travel market in order, to get best prepared to restart travel business in China.

The complete version of the 2020 ITB China Travel Trends Report is published on www.itb-china.com

Comprises of four key pillars of: ‘We Care’ by providing a safe and secure environment for business event that is controlled and regulated; ‘We are Flexible’ approach which is the willingness to work with clients to achieve an outcome that is of mutual success; ‘We Listen’ is to customise solutions to suit specific needs of its client; and ‘We are Supportive’ focuses on the venue’s commitment to professional development of the industry’s supply chain.

Mainly, the ‘We are here for you’ Engagement Programme is design by the Centre, to support the recovery and continuity of business.

“We have recognised that the environment for business events has been totally transformed by Covid-19 and this provided the motivation and inspiration to put our client’s needs at the forefront of our initiatives and to demonstrate our support, passion and commitment to our industry and its sustainability. We wanted our clients to know we are behind them and ready to support them and provide more choice which will help build confidence and give assurance as they navigate business events both at the Centre and in the new normal,” said Alan Pryor, the general of manager of Kuala Lumpur

At the same time, through this initiative, the venue has introduced new digital solutions under the banner of ‘STAY CONNECTED’ in its recently launched brand new website which now has several innovative features.

The website for example, is the first in Malaysia, to have a concierge AI chatbot which integrates directly with the contents of the website.  This together with interactive floor plans that incorporates ‘Visual Story Telling’ techniques. All of which are created for visitors and planners to have a more immersive experience in using the site.

To experience the new website of the Centre, please visit www.klccconventioncentre.com

Renowned global leaders from the industry will be joining speakers in deliberating on various developments and happening in the MICE industry for over two days of virtual summit beginning from September 11. It will also feature live chats where attendees are able to connect with other attendees over 40 languages.

The summit is a platform to connect with over 1,500 professional conference organisers, event venues, event management organisations, exhibition organisers, destination management companies, travel and tour operators, MICE stakeholders, MICE focused associations, trade and professional association heads and various chambers of commerce from around the world.

Main objective of the summit is to highlight on the significance of the MICE sector and reflect on the industry’s preparedness to open up effectively.

In terms of business opportunities, there is the virtual exhibition arena of participating exhibitors to connect with directly as well as, the opportunity to network with leaders of the Indian and International exhibition and convention industry.

Attendance is free and you can register at: https://forms.gle/3i5EQjNSsMWApnT2A

Some of the topics of the conference sessions that will run during the summit are on the global industry’s response to Covid-19, upcoming trends in the MICE industry, focus on sustainability in the industry, scope and relevance of virtual events, the industry post crisis and how far is the industry going to change.  Also will be discussed is the role of technology and innovation to revive the MICE industry, emergence of new models and change in  consumer expectation and leveraging on it to create demand.

For any queries, please feel free to write to raghav@exhibitionshowcase.com.

The study is the largest multi-country business event research conducted since the onset of COVID-19 which included 531 event industry professional participants consisting of 342 planners and 189 suppliers.

According to the research conducted by the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA): designing digital events is the key to success for events planners; China is more optimistic in the rebound of business events than other countries in the Asia Pacific region; and most want to stay close to home for business events.

Forty-one percent of planners believe smaller and regional events will come back sooner than larger international events, while 27 percent believe small in-person events will need to go hybrid and large events, wholly digital.

The survey revealed most business event planners have no intention of travelling any time soon with almost two-thirds (60 percent) of planners saying, they would only travel within their own country for a business event in 2020, while 10 percent would travel to another country in APAC.

Suppliers reported being more willing to travel with 48 percent saying they would only travel in their own country, 17 percent would travel within APAC and, 22 percent would go anywhere, ‘if it was worth it’.

Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) conducted its COVID-19 ‘Recovery Dashboard’ survey in the APAC region between July 7 to 15 across Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, China, Korea and Japan.

Planners it was discovered in the research are struggling, to budget for hybrid events, as they try to find the balance between taking an event online, and managing face-to-face attendee’s expectations with 61 percent of planners and 47 percent of suppliers are willing to travel within their country for a business event.

This survey said Karen Bolinger, managing director of PCMA APAC was important as it gives us, insights from the region, from which planners and suppliers can start devising their plans.

“Some of the results were as predicted, but the real impact COVID-19 has had on business revenue for 2020 was distressing. The suppliers have taken a bigger financial hit, with 66 percent of suppliers noting a decline greater than 75 percent in revenue, compared to 52 percent of planners. This is a massive impact and shows the vulnerability of many of the companies that deliver events.

The recovery in China is a major indicator for business events post COVID. The research reveals that the Chinese are expecting a ‘pent-up demand’ for face-to-face events, hence predicting a stronger recovery in 2021 compared to the rest of APAC.

Not surprisingly, both planners and suppliers need new skills to survive in a post-COVID economy. The survey revealed the educational and skills-based training needed right now, and these results are helping to shape the educational program PCMA is rolling out across APAC.”

PCMA will conduct further research in the APAC region over the coming months.

“Hybrid delivery of events, both large and small, will be with us for a long time,” Karen Bolinger, Managing Director of PCMA APAC.

Registration is now open for the Congress. This year, the theme is: ‘Transforming Global Events Together’ which will provide the structure for the future of global events.

The event allows ICCA’s global community to connect with each other and explore new ideas, formats, and technologies to combine the efforts in creating the “Kaohsiung Protocol” a framework that identifies major trends and key strategies, to thus enable the international meetings industry, to thrive now and on into the future.

This years’ Congress format is designed to enable ICCA’s global community of member-suppliers and associations, to experience the future of global events: Either live in Kaohsiung, at the regional hub, or virtually from November 1 to 3. The innovative virtual platform will give all attendees the opportunity to network, as well as engage in the contents of the Congress during the three days.

In response to the uncertain situation, and to give participants full control of how they wish to attend, ICCA is offering a flexible and adaptable approach to registration and the accompanying fees.  This means delegates can sign up now, but change their registration type later, allowing them to choose between a virtual attendee, a hub attendee, or an in-person attendee in Kaohsiung.

ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath concludes: “We believe in the power of meeting face-to-face but know this isn’t always possible. Still, we want to make sure our global community can take part and make their voice heard from wherever they are.”

For more information visit www.events.iccaworld.org/congress2020

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) made the difficult decision, to extend its closure until midnight of August 31, in view of the Government of Victoria’s current coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.

In the meantime, MCEC has launched several safety and security measures under its VenueSafe Plan in preparation, when the venue gets back into business.

Peter King, chief executive of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre said. “We’ve been working hard to ensure we have the right health measures in place to give our customers, visitors and people the confidence they need when our doors reopen.”

“We’re confident that with new measures in place as part of our VenueSafe Plan, customers can continue to enjoy Melbourne’s leading destination for big ideas and inspirational events, when it is safe to return to our venue,” he added.

The MCEC VenueSafe Plan includes a range of public health, hygiene and physical distancing practices such as: additional resources and support from the venue’s safety and security team; changes made to access of the venue for, it will not be possible, to use MCEC, as a public thoroughfare to the surrounding precinct; establish health check stations as well as, increased cleaning and sanitisation and temperature checks before, entering the venue.

For more detail on MCEC’s VenueSafe Plan visit mcec.com.au/venuesafe 

ITB Asia, MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia come this October 21 to 23 will be held in a virtual platform, while the live event, has been postponed to 2021 in Singapore

It will be hosted on a newly developed platform known as the ITB Community. The ITB Community is set to launch on August 12. In addition to hosting this year’s edition of ITB Asia, MICE Show Asia and the inaugural Travel Tech Asia, ITB Community will also facilitate a year-long virtual engagement programme for key stakeholders.

“We undertake a huge responsibility as Asia’s leading travel trade show to adapt and serve the travel trade community in recovery. Taking into consideration the need for businesses to connect, it is imperative for us to unite the community to enable business meetings to take place for a seamless knowledge exchange. ITB Community will be the latest permanent addition to a wide variety of offerings we have for our customers to tap into for their business success,” said Katrina Leung, managing director of Messe Berlin (Singapore).

The three-day virtual event for ITB Asia, MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia will incorporate key features such as: business matching between buyers and sellers; top notch conference sessions; and virtual exhibition.

For more information please visit www.itb-asia.com