NICCOLO Chengdu, which opened its doors on April 15, has unveiled two new meeting and conference packages – the Niccolo Conferences+ and Niccolo Meetings+.

The Niccolo Conferences+ package includes a welcome cocktail, a themed tea break, and use of two complimentary breakout meetings room. Planners will gain a complimentary guestroom with breakfast for every 10 guestrooms booked.

The Niccolo Meetings+ includes lunch at the hotel’s Yue Hin Chinese Restaurant and two tea breaks for full-day meetings with at least 10 delegates. A half-day meeting package is also available, and it comes with one tea break. Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi and the use of an LCD projector will be provided.

The hotel in the centre of the city offers 20 function venues including The Conservatory and Niccolo Ballroom.

THE Philippine Council for the Advancement of Association Executives (PCAAE) has developed a programme that assembles a group of “ambassadors” from among its members to bring MICE into the country by bidding for and winning events.

President and CEO Octavio Peralta said that since the programme was soft launched on May 28, two international conferences that may materialise in 2017 have already been referred to the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board (TPB).

He also told TTGmice e-weekly that “we have also at least two PCAAE members with forthcoming international events here”, one on the medical field and the other is related to women’s organisations.

The TPB Ambassadors Programme to Attract International Events to the Philippines, or TAP-In initiative, “is deemed as an ‘additionality’ to TPB’s marketing efforts to increase holding of international conferences by associations in the country without draining its budget since PCAAE is undertaking this as a volunteer programme,” said Peralta.

As a test pilot, PCAAE’s board of trustees will compose the first “ambassadors”, but it is enjoining other members who can represent their industry or profession, have international network, have organised and held events, and are able to motivate to organise events in the country.

FOLLOWING its partnership with the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration (SMTA) to conduct two professional education programmes during the city’s Business Events Week in April, the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) is moving into Kunming next.

In Shanghai, SACEOS provided corporate travel and association meetings professional education to 40 and 30 MICE practitioners respectively.

SACEOS education chair, Ong Wee Min, said the partnership with SMTA in Shanghai was a “dipstick” and there would be further development in China.

Lilian Kuan, SACEOS executive director, announced new MOUs to provide professional education to MICE professionals in Kunming have been signed.

Kuan noted: “MOUs have been signed with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Yunnan Sub-Council and the Kunming Exposition Affairs Bureau.”

“SACEOS will be providing PEM (Professional Exhibition Management) education (with continuing education unit credits) for 30 people,” she said. Dates for the programme in fall have not been fixed.

Apart from China, SACEOS president Janet Tan-Collis named Malaysia, Macau, Thailand and India as professional education partners.

“We signed an MoU with MACEOS (Malaysia Association of Convention and Exhibition Organiser and Suppliers) two months ago to conduct a train-the-trainer programme,” she said.

In Singapore, the number of MICE professionals with CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) accreditation has doubled from 15 last year to 30 this year, which Ong notes is the largest concentration outside the US and Australia.

He added: “The focus of SACEOS continues to be professional development. So far we have targeted our members in Singapore for CMP accreditation. Next, we will be reaching out to the hotels and other sectors.

“Our goal for Singapore is to have 100 CMPs by mid-2016,” Ong said, adding it is not an ambitious target.

AN INCREASING number of conferences and incentives are sweeping onto Sri Lanka this year, with around 80 international conferences already in the bag for 2015, up from 62 in 2014.

MICE arrival numbers are also being boosted by a 1,600-pax Philips India conference and incentive in January, said to be Sri Lanka’s single largest event so far.

To further grow the country’s MICE business ­– specifically to increase the MICE component in tourism to 15-20 per cent of total arrivals, up from the current 10 per cent, a trade event targeting planners and travel writers was held last week. The first such initiative by the local authorities, the event was attended by 40 participants from China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and the Middle East.

Zian Ameen, general manager of Aitken Spence Exhibitions and Conventions and president of Sri Lanka Professional Conference, Exhibition and Events Organisers, said the event’s programme, which included a tour of various sites, helped raised the destination’s visibility.

“We want to target more incentive groups from China,” said Ameen, adding that the MICE travel mart will be held again next year and there are plans to make it an annual affair, with each edition involving a new pool of buyers.

Vipula Wanigasekera, CEO of state-run Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) said the MICE industry has experienced a leap forward in the last few years with over 144,000 MICE visitors to the country in 2014, many from the incentive travel segment.

SLCB is due to release its first comprehensive MICE data and analysis on July 20, which Wanigasekera said will provide an understanding of the MICE market and its spending patterns.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is pitching to host the annual general meeting of the French Travel Agents Association SNAV in 2016. The group is 600-strong and normally holds its meetings outside France.

“We have made a bid and are confident that SNAV will respond positively,” said Wanigasekera.

A high-powered team led by tourism minister Navin Dissanayake will attend the IFTM International French travel show on September 29 to further promote the bid.

THE Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has implemented the new year-long Travel Stimulation Programme from July 1 to boost the development of business tourism in the destination.

Unveiled at the Guangdong & Macau Sales Mission and Destination Presentation, a trade event organised by MGTO in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, the programme provides non-monetary support to organisers of incentives, teambuilding activities or award dinners who have a minimum of 25 non-Macau participants staying at least of two consecutive nights.

Basic support includes free admission to the Wine Museum and Grand Prix Museum, and facilitation in liaison with other relevant Macau SAR Government entities.

Organisers and their delegates can also benefit from complimentary tourist information kit and souvenirs.

In addition, incentive groups of at least 40 non-Macau participants will be eligible for a cultural performance, while those with at least 101 non-Macau participants will be offered for a half-day history tour.

Elisa Ng, director & deputy general manager of Macau-based Top Holidays-P & E International Travel, told TTGmice e-Weekly that the new programme is “very encouraging for organisers as it rewards even small groups”.

She pointed out that the previous programme which ended in June, required organisers to achieve a minimum of 50 people.

Antony E Box, regional director of sales Hong Kong and new markets development with Artyzen Hospitality Group, said: “The incentives offered will motivate foreign MICE organisers to consider Macau. Hotels have become more affordable now, after a period of price adjustments since 4Q2014.”

Rocky Kho, managing director of Skyzone Tours & Travel in Kuala Lumpur, said: “The adjustments in hotel pricing has made the destination more attractive this year and the new travel stimulation programme is an added incentive for Malaysian planners  to consider Macau which is usually perceived to be on the (pricey) side.”

CHINA’S proposed law – The Non-Mainland Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Management Law of the People’s Republic of China – could impact foreign associations wishing to hold meetings in China.

It is in its second reading draft and observers in China did not express concern but are keeping an eye on the progress.

One foreign meeting professional who has been based in China for many years said the draft will have to go through a lot of government discussion before legislation is passed.

Jeffery Huang, deputy secretary-general and associate researcher of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, does not think there will be any negative impact.

However, Kimberly LaBounty, president and founder of US-based association management company, Apex Management and Special Events, expressed concern. She is keen to organise a publishing association conference in Beijing or Shanghai in spring 2017.

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) – with more than 21,000 individual members and nearly 10,000 industry partners from tax-exempt organisations – believes the draft legislation will make it extremely difficult for US trade associations and professional societies to be active in China.

ASAE president and CEO John Graham, in a letter to the Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, said the legislation would significantly impact US and China economic and commercial relations.

He added that major restrictions would be placed on the ability of its association professionals to meet, share knowledge, conduct business, and share best practices with Chinese associations, severly curtailing association programmes in China.

Graham said ASAE was “particularly concerned” with the overly broad definition of NGO, that all foreign NGOs would have to have a government-affiliated sponsor approved by an Industry Supervisory Unit and that “the overall tone of the legislation treats all foreign NGOs as threats to the national security of China”.

While the proposed law has the potential to streamline the process for associations active in China for a long time, the current draft would have major negative implications and ASAE has asked for an opportunity to discuss the issue further.

THE Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) is partnering the Malaysia Association of Convention and Exhibition Organiser and Suppliers (MACEOS) to jointly launch AEC (ASEAN Economic Community)+ Expo 2015 in Kuala Lumpur from November 11 to 13.

Edward Liu, immediate-past president of AFECA, which marks its 10^th anniversary this year, said AEC+ Expo is the first major AFECA event in a decade.

Supported by Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, the event will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

It will comprise a one-and-half day conference and an exhibition, and be the launchpad of the inaugural AFECA awards to honour those who have contributed to the success of MICE in Asia.

Liu said Kuala Lumpur was chosen to host the event as Malaysia is the 2015 ASEAN chair and the new event takes place one week before the 27^th ASEAN Summit and related summits in the capital.

The AEC is expected to contribute to freer flow of goods, services and people in ASEAN and the integration framework to remove economic obstacles will be completed on December 21.

Malaysia’s Fairs & Events Management is managing the MICE-focused event and Jonathan Kan, CEO, and the event’s project director, said exhibitors from the 10 ASEAN countries as well as Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China and India are expected to participate.

Kan, immediate-past MACEOS president, added negotiations are under way with Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia to provide international and regional access to the event.

Liu said: “The event will give AFECA the opportunity to dialogue with the young and to invite hosted buyers.”

“For example, we are talking to IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events) to bring a number of US event organisers to AEC+ Expo,” he noted.