THE Taiwan government is aiming to boost MICE arrivals from South-east Asia after making it easier for citizens in that region to obtain visas.

Announced in June, this new policy permits selected passport holders from Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to apply online for a ROC Travel Authorization Certificate, which grants them stays in Taiwan for up to 30 days, and multiple re-entries over a 90-day period.

Meanwhile, citizens of Thailand and Brunei have been granted visa-free access to Taiwan since August 1. This has been in place for countries like Malaysia and Singapore.

The policy also aims to expand a Tourism Bureau programme that simplifies the visa application process for South-east Asian groups, and extend online visa approvals.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly, Paul Wang, secretary general of Taiwan Convention Exhibition Association, said: “This has helped to make it more convenient for business travellers because visa application is one of their major considerations when they (deliberate on) destinations.”

According to Wang, Indonesia and Thailand are key markets the destination intends to court MICE travellers from.

Manager of Meet Taiwan, Kyleen Hsiech, said the bureau would be participating in more MICE-related tradeshows and exhibitions in selected South-east Asian countries to further raise awareness about Taiwan.

HILTON will launch its luxury brand The Waldorf Astoria in Chengdu, Sichuan province come December 2016.

The 289-room Waldorf Astoria Chengdu, located in the Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, will feature meeting venues suitable for mid-size events.

A spokesman said its 700m² Grand Ballroom, with a 7.5m-high ceiling, can accommodate up to 600 people theatre-style and be divided into three smaller spaces. The ballroom also comes with a dedicated entrance and spacious foyer. Another six mid-size meeting rooms can accommodate up to 370 people.

F&B outlets include the European-style Brasserie 99 for local and international cuisine; Peacock Alley for high tea and drinks; Infinite Luck for Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine; Limited Edition Grill and Sip Bar for a high-end dining experience; and Wall Street rooftop jazz bar on the 52nd floor.

The Waldorf Astoria entered the China market in 2011 with The Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, followed by The Waldorf Astoria Beijing in 2014.

LAUNCHED in 2013, Beijing-headquartered event management and mobile app platform EventBank is gearing up for its next phase of expansion, aggressively targeting local associations and corporations, and increasing its presence in Asia.

Eric Schmidt, CEO and founder, said an office in Silicon Valley was set up at the beginning of the year while a Hong Kong branch opened in March. EventBank also has a Shanghai office.

Describing EventBank as an “all-in-one” platform for customer relationship management, emails, event management and membership management for association clients, Schmidt said the proprietary system was suitable for clients with six or so events. However, he also counts Am Cham China, which runs some 400 events a year, as a client.

“Most of our association and chapter clients average around 100 events a year and it is a less expensive product for small events of about 30 people,” he said.

Schmidt added that that the cost structure is based on usage and could range from US$1,000 to US$100,000 annually.

In 2012, Schmidt ran 100 industry forums and conferences, and said that he created EventBank as he could not find a product that combined the components of what an event manager needed and was scalable.

“The biggest advantage is EventBank is all-in-one, centralised, does not use multiple technologies and was developed based on user experience, (which was) what I wanted for myself.”

As to why EventBank was launched in Beijing, Schmidt explained it was costly to build B2B software in Silicon Valley. Instead, he assembled a team of international creators in the Chinese capital.

His clients include professional service providers in accounting and law, financial institutions, technology, IT, and industrial product companies. Community, non-profit organisations and women’s associations are also using EventBank.

The app is currently available in English, simplified Chinese and Spanish. Three more languages will soon be introduced – traditional Chinese, Korean and one more Asian language (which has not been confirmed).

SITE Foundation has launched an online fund-raising auction, Auction 2.0, to support its mission to enhance the awareness and effectiveness of incentive travel.

The auction is open for bids from the public and proceeds will help fund research and educational programmes to elevate the knowledge and skills of incentive travel professionals worldwide.

“This year the Foundation partnered with Brojure to create an exciting digital portfolio where people can shop by region or experience and imagine their journey. We have also extended the auction dates to enable more time for potential bidders to explore amazing travel packages and share the opportunity with their friends and family,” said John J Iannini, who is both SITE Foundation’s vice-president of fundraising and Melia Hotels International’s vice-president.

Up for bidding are “dozens of exciting travel packages to destinations around the world – from the beaches of the Caribbean to historic European skylines and bustling cities in the Middle East”.

The auction also has a “Buy Now” feature, allowing participants to instantly purchase the auction item and close bidding.

Held in association with the Foundation’s premier events, SITE Classic and SITE Nite North America, the online auction opened on September 26 and will close on October 24.

To view what’s available and make your bid, visit www.siteglobal.com/auction.

SACEOS has established its first partnership with a university yesterday with the signing of a two-year MoU with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to promote learning and career development within the MICE industry.

As part of the agreement, SACEOS will help provide placement opportunities for SIT’s Integrated Work Study Programme, which requires students to undertake 8-12 months of paid employment during their studies.

Janet Tan-Collis, president of SACEOS, said industry exposure and soft skills remain important despite the emphasis on paper qualifications today.

“In today’s world, it’s not only important to be academically qualified but also street smart. It’s important to (have real-world experience), (learn about) disposition and also what’s the correct way to behave (in the industry).”

Similarly, professor Loh Han Tong, deputy president (academic) and provost of SIT, said: “SIT students will benefit from SACEOS’ strong global network and also the opportunity of real-world experience in the MICE industry, falling in line with our applied learning philosophy.”

For Tan-Collis, exposing students to the MICE sector through this programme has the added benefit of dispelling industry myths.

“For a long time, there’s been a misperception that MICE is (synonymous) with the hospitality industry. I (want to) show there’s a big difference – it’s not (all) about how you serve someone, making the bed, pairing food. It’s very much about business and entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, (and carving out) a professional career for yourself,” she said.

Without being shown how the industry functions and the gamut of prospects it offers, “it is hard for students to see how they can play a very important role”, Tan-Collis stressed.

And while the partnership could open doors for students, industry players also stand to gain. Participating SMEs could “achieve a reasonable bottomline, remain relevant in the industry and deal with the shortage of manpower (at the same time)”, she added.

But more importantly for her, she believes that young talents could help push the MICE industry to new heights.

“How do you think Grab, Uber and Airbnb came about? These guys came into the industry, saw a (gap), and went for it. That’s what the MICE industry needs – for young people to come in, know what the terrain is, then ask, ‘can we make it better’?”