NAT Wong, former deputy president and COO of Reed Exhibitions Greater China, steps into his new role as head honcho of the company this week.

Wong replaces Preecha S Chen who had relinquished his appointment as president at the end of 2012.

Chen will return to Thailand to pursue his personal interest but will remain a board member of Reed Tradex, a joint venture of Reed Exhibitions in Thailand and Vietnam.

THE Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) has promoted Alice Lem Chu Hong to sales manager-exhibitions.

Lem has more than 13 years of experience in the meetings and events industry, and had joined KLCC in July 2011 as exhibitions floor manager.

In her new role, she is responsible for delivering and implementing a commercially effective sales plan to achieve optimum venue occupancy and profitable business mix in the exhibitions division. She is also expected to elevate the centre’s image and identify new opportunities for business growth in the exhibitions division.

Hilton Tokyo will begin an overhaul of its 630 rooms and suites this month as part of its three-year, multimillion-dollar master plan, which has already seen the completion of the hotel’s refurbished banquet facilities and chapel last April.

The renovated guestrooms are expected to be unveiled from April, and new touches will include a custom-made deep soaking bath with rain shower, original lacquer accents, Japanese timbers, and a glass and chrome work desk.

In keeping with Hilton’s tradition of incorporating cultural elements of the destination the property operates in, Hilton Tokyo will continue to feature Shoji and Fusuma screens as part of key décor elements in all guestrooms.

Offering a spectacular view of Shinjuku’s cityscape, the renovated guestrooms will be redesigned with both business and leisure travellers in mind.

DUSIT Thani Laguna Phuket has completed a 10 million baht (US$329,245) renovation of its meeting spaces which will allow it to better cater to an anticipated increase in demand this year.

The 223.7m² Dusit Laguna Hall, which can accommodate up to 300 pax theatre-style or 150 for seated banquets, now features new carpets, antique carvings, textured fabrics and furnishings that are complemented by state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment including a 55-inch LED TV, ceiling and mobile projectors, and screens.

Suriyan, Chantra and Dara rooms, which can be used as boardrooms or break-out rooms, have also been remodelled.

Besides refreshing its hardware, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket has also enabled free Wi-Fi Internet access throughout the resort.

Meeting planners can leverage on a limited time offer to experience the resort’s refreshed event spaces. The Maximizing Meetings package allows planners to book at best available rates and receive 25 per cent of the first night’s rate as a credit against additional spend at the resort.

The package includes dining, cocktails, delegate packages, teambuilding activities, spa treatments and an array of other services.

The offer is valid for new bookings made between January 5 and March 31, with meetings held between April 1 and July 31. Contact dtlpsmevsmgr@dusit.com for more details.

THE Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCVB) has made changes to its representation in North America and offices in Asia.

In North America, Myriad Marketing will replace Mondotels, which has represented the Australian city in a sales capacity for the past 14 years. The appointment will see two dedicated Melbourne resources working within Myriad Marketing.

MCVB CEO, Karen Bolinger, said the change of representation was a strategic decision designed to bring business development activity in the North American market in-line with the organisation’s new Strategic Business Plan, which aims to have Melbourne recognised as one of the world’s premier business events destinations.

“Our new Strategic Business Plan has already seen us implement a number of initiatives, including a major restructure of MCVB’s marketing department, the implementation of a dedicated research unit within the Business Development team and the development of a new positioning campaign, Melbourne IQ: The Intelligent Choice for Conferences,” she said.

“As we progress with our plan, we will be pursuing the North American market with a more streamlined and vigorous approach, and we believe Myriad Marketing is the right organisation to assist us in achieving our long term goals.”

Commenting on the new representation, chief executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Peter King, said: “It is imperative that we continue to build robust leads and strengthen our ties in this important market and I believe Myriad Marketing will provide us with a platform to grow our presence and output from within North America.”

In a press statement by MCVB, Myriad Marketing, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles, is described as “specialists in international travel marketing” and as having “extensive experience within the travel and MICE sectors, with a 25-year history in working with Australia, including current client, the Northern Territory”.

In addition, as part of MCVB’s commitment to servicing the Chinese market, the bureau will close its office in Hong Kong and place an additional resource in Shanghai following Jennifer Tung’s departure in December 2012.

SITE India Chapter has been formed, and with its launch, the global association for incentive travel specialists now boasts 29 chapters worldwide.

Anup Nair will lead the new chapter as president, while other governing council members for 2013 include Ranganathan Parthiban as vice president, Pudukottai Nagarajan Nageshwaran as secretary and Amaresh Kumar Tiwari as treasurer.

Nair told TTGmice e-Weekly: “The opening of the chapter is a big boost to incentive travel professionals in the country, as it will provide members an enormous opportunity to network and learn on a global platform.”

Rajeev Kohli, who is director on the SITE Global Board and the 2013 vice president of SITE International, added that the new chapter would offer members a joint platform where they could share ways to maximise their revenues and work with airline and hotel partners for mutual benefits.

Kohli described SITE as a “very strong association globally, with members who are more mature, sophisticated and experienced”.

“We plan to collectively market our products with SITE India Chapter. Competition is good but it is an era of cooperation today. A few of us have been working together on joint initiatives and the formation of the India chapter will give us a formal umbrella branding when we talk to the world. We expect to be taken more seriously,” said Kohli.

Nair added: “I have been a member of SITE for the last 14 years and have benefited a lot. Besides increasing our membership, we will work towards bringing the SITE International Conference to India by 2016.”

Membership at SITE India Chapter is open to all MICE professionals at an annual fee of US$445. An admission fee of US$50 applies.