SWITZERLAND has developed new initiatives to grow its MICE numbers from South-east Asia, a market that grew by 20 per cent in 2015.

This strong growth, noted Dominique Oi, Switzerland Tourism’s MICE manager South-east Asia, helped cover for the slowdown in business from the US and Europe last year, following the revaluation of the Swiss franc which made inbound pricier.

Oi said the new initiatives included sending MICE information directly to companies including pharmaceuticals and direct sellers, and conducting webinars for travel agents every other month starting from March.

The workshop component of Switzerland Tourism’s South-east Asia MICE roadshow, which will be attended by up to 30 Swiss companies next month, will also be more interactive unlike the previous ones.

Other tourism regions have their own value added offerings. VAUD Lake Geneva Region, for instance, is lining up something for implementation next year. Francois Michel, vice president and marketing director, said the plan is to offer one complimentary product out of five on offer to groups that satisfy a size requirement.

She shared that South-east Asian groups tend to be “pretty large”. The smallest could comprise 70 to 80 delegates, while the largest can go up to 200 to 300 people.

Singapore has a “fixed” frequency, she added, with one big MICE group every two to three years.

From the Philippines, Switzerland welcomed 66 delegates from Westmont Pharmaceuticals and 400 delegates from Unilab this year.

THE Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers (SACEOS) is offering sustainability certification for MICE industry members to encourage greater adoption of the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) sustainability guidelines.

The STB guidelines were developed based on feedback from those within the MICE sector who were at a loss over how to start pursuing environmental sustainability practices, according to a SACEOS statement.

“SACEOS, in collaboration with the STB, encourages its members, partners and the broader event supplier community to embrace (sustainable) meeting practices and become stalwart managers of carbon emission and model business ethics that protect the environment,” SACEOS president, Janet Tan-Collis, said.

The association offers a sustainability masterclass, which has generated “strong interest (from) the state’s events industry”, Tan-Collis added.

Two organisations have successfully attained MICE Sustainability Certification (MSC) as of July 2016 and their efforts were recognised at the Singapore MICE Forum 2016 Dinner held on July 28.

Marina Bay Sands received certification at the Intermediate level under the category of Venue while Globibo Singapore gained Basic certification as Audio-Visual Provider.

Categories of certification include Audio-Visual, Event Activity Organiser, Exhibition/Conference Organiser, F&B, Hotel, Stand Builder, Freight Forwarder, Transport and Venue.

A DESTINATION marketing campaign by the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) earlier this year that covered seven cities in India has resulted in several wins.

According to the SLCB, at least four incentive groups of various sizes have been scheduled for August and September. They are: Ambuja Cement, 660 pax; JK Ansell (Raymond), 55 pax; Bombay Chartered Accountants Society, 150 pax; and Kesari Tours Pune, 400 pax.

Some of the recent promotions by the bureau were directed at southern India, specifically Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore, as these cities are merely a few hours of flight time away from Colombo.

“The south is India’s economic dynamo and this is where the action is,” said SLCB’s chairman Prema Cooray, who had also earlier told TTGmice e-Weekly that the bureau’s focus in 2016 is “simply to concentrate on India”.

He opined that there is good connectivity thanks to SriLankan Airlines’ 100 weekly flights to various Indian cities.

Moreover, the scheduled March 2017 removal of minimum rates in five-star hotels, in Colombo and the suburbs, will also be helpful in boosting MICE visitor numbers. Previously, several DMCs have complained that these rates at more than US$125⁺⁺ per room were too high to attract MICE visitors from India.

IBTM world has introduced a turn-key hotel space for individual properties that wish to exhibit.

The Hotel Pavilion is a dedicated area on the show floor and provides everything that is needed to exhibit including an individual stand space, electricity and furniture as well as a hosted buyer diary of appointments over the three-day show.

Exhibitors will also be able to join in the networking, education sessions and functions.

Graeme Barnett, senior exhibition director of ibtm world, said: “This is a fantastic solution for smaller hotels or individual properties. We have had lots of requests and feel that this is the best stress-free alternative. This area has been specifically created to meet the demands of the hosted buyers and trade visitors attending the show who want to see new and different hotel properties.”

The tradeshow will be held in Barcelona from November 29 to December 1, and 17,000 participants are expected to attend.