THE second edition of the rAWr (Recognising Award Winning Results) Awards will include a Special Award category this year to recognise incentive operators who have brought large groups to Malaysia in 2013/ 2014 with the support of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB)’s Twin Deal ++ global campaign.

Three international operators will receive the Special Award – the International Incentive Operator Award for Excellence at the event on November 12 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The annual rAWr Awards, a joint collaboration between MyCEB and the Malaysia Association of Conference & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS), also features four other categories – Business Events, Conventions, Incentive, and Exhibitions. Winners must be Malaysian registered companies that are members of either MyCEB and/or MACEOS, and event owners such as national associations.

Zulkefli Sharif, CEO MyCEB, said: “It is important we recognise extraordinary and innovative excellence in the business events industry to lift Malaysia’s stature in world rankings. Winning a rAWr Award seals your reputation as an events professional, instilling a sense of awe and respect for your company and individuals who are game-changers, challenging boundaries and continuously adding value to clients and the industry.”

Entries will be accepted until September 30, 2015. For more details visit www.rawrawards.com.my.

THE Union of International Associations (UIA) will be holding its annual Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the support of IT&CMA and Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

Running from September 29 until October 1, the event will feature keynote presentations and round-table discussions between international associations.

Nancy Carfrae, coordinator of the UIA Associations Round Table, explained that the event aims to promote and facilitate the work of international associations by providing learning and networking opportunities.

“Our sign of success is that association representatives leave the Round Table with ideas, information, and contacts that will help and inspire them in their association work,” she added.

The event targets people working in and with associations, mainly international and regional ones but also national and local, and participants are expected to come from diverse associations.

Carfrae added: “For the Round Table Asia-Pacific, we invite in particular associations based in the Asia-Pacific region, or those with members in the area.”

Programme highlights include the opening keynote by Laura Lopez, a representative from the UN regional office, and case studies during the “Crisis and Victory” session. Participants can also join in interactive discussions and panel forums on other major topics.

“Governance and communication, which are topics of perennial interest and necessity to associations, will be featured this year,” Carfrae added.

By Samual Ng

US-BASED Lanyon, which specialises in cloud-based software for managing business events and travel programmes, has released an enhanced version of its Smart Events Cloud.

The solution, which helps business event planners through the entire lifecycle of their events, now offers a new navigation and user interface that simplifies the meeting and event process into logically ordered key components.

The attendee management module for meetings and events is also completely redesigned, making it easier for the user to plan, design and manage tasks such as theme builder, registration and reporting.

 Event theme are also now configurable and business event planners can choose from an existing library of themes or edit a template to create a customised version. A preview feature is also available.

David Bonnette, CEO of Lanyon, said in a press statement: “We have put a particular focus on the user experience for meeting planners, and designed tools to be easy to use and mobile friendly. This is vital as we help companies consolidate their programmes and drive adoption around the globe.”

Additionally, with the increased usage of mobile devices, Lanyon has released a new mobile app, Lanyon Mobile, which aims to improve attendee experience and deepen engagement between the organiser and attendee.

A MULTIMILLION dollar refurbishment has boosted InterContinental Wellington’s conferencing capability with what is said to be the most technologically-advanced conference spaces in Wellington, New Zealand.

Interactive whiteboards that allow presenters to wirelessly connect via iOS and Android devices, and space-saving disappearing projector screens and data projectors are among the new highlights of the hotel’s six meeting rooms. These venues are also equipped with a wall-mounted touch-screen control panel for lighting, sound and visuals, and they all sport a contemporary sleek interior design.

New conference menus have also been developed to allow for broader dietary requirements and dining preferences during events. The hotel has observed a rise in breakfast meetings, for instance.

 The upgrade of InterContinental Wellington’s conference floor was the final stage of a two-year refurbishment project that brought sweeping changes to the property’s Club InterContinental Lounge, club rooms, Chameleon Restaurant, The Lobby Lounge and the reception area. It also carved out a new Deluxe Guest Room category.

NATIONAL carrier SriLankan Airlines is planning to increase services from India, the island nation’s largest source market, in an effort to support Sri Lanka Convention Bureau’s (SLCB) goal of growing inbound MICE business.

The airline is studying the feasibility of flying to Visakhapatnam, Chandigarh and Hyderabad in addition to increasing frequencies to other popular destinations in India.

Gayan Peiris, a senior manager at SriLankan Airlines, said the company now operates 86 flights to seven destinations – Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Cochin, Trivandrum, Trichy and Bengaluru, and frequencies to some of these destinations will increase.

Meanwhile, SLCB general manager Vipula Wanigasekera told TTGmice e-Weekly that the CVB is bringing forward an October roadshow in Bengaluru to September 6-8, coinciding it with PATA Travel Mart that will be held in the Indian city that week. SLCB is also planning to run a MICE promotion for some 200 to 300 buyers during PATA Travel Mart.

MICE promotions in Mumbai and Delhi are also in the pipeline.

Wanigasekera said these efforts are aimed at “reviving interest from our neighbours” and added that the CVB “didn’t do much MICE promotion in India last year”.

India is Sri Lanka’s largest source market, contributing 170,134 arrivals in the first seven months of 2015, up 27.4 per cent from the same period last year. Indian MICE travellers account for around 30,000 arrivals a year.

SINGAPORE Tourism Board (STB), Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) have joined forces to lure business travellers and events from the Philippines with generous perks and intensified marketing.

The trio “have been working individually behind the scenes in the Philippines” but have decided to come together due to the “huge volume of traffic from the Philippines,” said Carol Ong, SIA general manager Philippines, Guam and USTT (United States Trust Territories).

“The three parties have high confidence in this market when it comes to MICE and corporate segments. We have an ambitious target of 15 to 20 per cent increase”, said Ong.

Total Philippine arrivals to Singapore reached 676,000 last year, of which 20 per cent is MICE.

Adrian Kong, STB area director Philippines and Brunei, said arrivals from the Philippines is “consistent” and is Singapore’s seventh biggest Asian market.

Targeted at BTMICE to and through Singapore via SIA and its subsidiary SilkAir, perks from STB, SIA and CAG include customised packages featuring land and air components with preferential rates, and financial grants depending upon group size, among others.

Under this falls the trio’s collaboration called Singapore MICE Advantage Programme (SMAP), valid till December 31, 2016 for events taking place by December 31, 2017, and Be in Singapore 2 (BEiS2) which offers different qualifying criteria for different BTMICE segments.

Likewise, all MICE bookings made on SIA and SilkAir from now till October 31 for travel before January 1, 2016 will receive travel incentives.

Adeline Lee, CAG assistant manager for passenger development, said that as the first point of contact for MICE visitors, the airport wants to ensure a seamless passage and a world-class airport experience. CAG is offering perks like Changi Dollar vouchers as part of SMAP.