SWISSOTEL Nankai Osaka in Japan has relaunched its brand new 1,120m² Grand Ballroom Naniwa, said to be the largest ballroom in southern Osaka, capable of hosting up to 1,400 guests in theatre-style.

The US$1.5 million makeover gave the venue new wall coverings, an elegant wall-to-wall carpet inspired by Swissôtel’s iconic Swiss Circles silhouettes, and ceiling paint. A rich colour palette of purple, blue and grey is applied to create an opulent ambience.

The expansive foyer space now features eclectic wall art incorporating natural and unique circular designs.

The renovation of Grand Ballroom Naniwa follows the recent refurbishment of the hotel’s Swiss Executive Club floors, which saw double rooms being converted to twin and triple rooms to cater to the growing number of MICE travellers.

In a media statement, general manager of Swissôtel Nankai Osaka, Christian Schaufelbühl, said: “We are already receiving a number of positive feedback from our guests. With our prime location in Osaka’s most established business and entertainment district, guests can enjoy a leisurely getaway, taking retreat from their busy schedule.

“With our unparallelled location, state-of-the-art meeting/event facilities, completed with a variety of casual and fine dining outlets and sophisticated fitness and spa offerings, Swissôtel Nankai Osaka demonstrates its commitment in providing high standards that has made the hotel a premier venue for any MICE and leisure travellers.”

IN ORDER to effectively compete with newer properties in Kuala Lumpur for business and MICE travellers, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur has invested RM100 million (US$24.2 million) on major refurbishments over a four-year period.

Among the new features at the hotel is the lobby area which has been redesigned as a multi-use space for casual and formal talks, and where guests can work at tables with in-built power sockets.

Hotel manager, Fauzy Wahab, said: “Our meeting spaces are lifestyle-inspired to offer delegates a stress-free ambience.”

Also new are shower rooms in the club lounge, built for hotel guests who arrive before check-in time or have a late flight to catch after checking out. More power points have also been outfitted in the 420 guestrooms for the convenience of business travellers who require to work on multiple devices. Broadband speed throughout the facility has been upgraded to 8mbps.

Fauzy explained that understanding the requirements of corporate and MICE travellers was paramount to ensuring the hotel continues to grow its marketshare well into 2017.

He said: “Most corporate events are held in the city on weekdays, but we are also strategically targeting niche segments that hold weekend events such as those for medical professionals.”

Fauzy is also keen on attracting business travellers who are involved in the numerous construction projects in and around Kuala Lumpur.

KHAO Yai Convention Center (KYCC) wants to attract more Europeans to meet in Khao Yai, and is working together with the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau to make that a reality by organising fam trips to the region.

Porn-Anun Khakhanmalee, front office manager of the Botanica Khao Yai who also manages KYCC, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “We’re trying to get more European guests, and currently have overseas sales offices in place. Right now, our MICE groups are 90 per cent Asians and 10 per cent Europeans. We’re aiming for a 60/40 split instead.”

Built in 2014, KYCC offers 3,800m² of flexible meeting space spread across two buildings. The largest facility is its Grand Ballroom which can take up to 1,300 people theatre-style, and be further broken down into three separate spaces.

Other meeting areas include the Exhibition Hall which can hold up to 600 people theatre-style, and seven meeting rooms of varying sizes. There is also a 1,900m² outdoor plaza.

Asia will remain an important source market for the venue, and according to Porn-Anun, KYCC’s largest corporate booking to-date was for a 1,500 pax group from China. The most recent Asian corporate booking was by Samsung in Thailand.

“From January until now, there have been about 100 (Asian) groups that have used KYCC and stayed in the hotels here,” he said.

The area that KYCC occupies is also home to two hotels – the 256-room Greenery Resort and 115-key Botanica Khao Yai – as well as a shopping area, an adventure park and a water park.

Olga Kovshanova, director of sales and marketing at Bangkok-based Asia World Enterprise, who was a participant in a post-IT&CMA fam trip to Khao Yai, opined that the destination could “be a very interesting alternative for MICE events in Thailand”.

She explained: “It is a little bit farther than Pattaya (from Bangkok), but it offers something different as many people have been to Pattaya already. Khao Yai offers different activities such as wine tasting and nature-based programmes.”

FOLLOWING a detailed research among its clients, Pacific World has developed seven incentive programmes that focus on experiences which are aligned to people’s emotions and motivation.

The series includes: Exclusive high end adventures; Inspirational special events; Authentic local experiences; Innovative technology concepts that challenge creativity; CSR activities that inspire; Holistic retreats that promote well-being and wholeness.

“Clients are increasingly searching for meaningful experiences that move their customers”, said Selina Chavry, global managing director for Pacific World.

“We are listening to our clients’ needs and observing trends which have shown us that experiences and engagement are deeply aligned with emotions and motivation. We then had to find out how emotions dictate programmes that delegates choose or what activities they might prefer. Understanding what drives each client is the key to designing a compelling programme, to help them engage and motivate their attendees.” added Chavry.

In Hong Kong, the new experiences can be had through a programme called “Discover the secrets of Hong Kong Real Estate tycoons”. Participants are taken into the world of the construction industry of Hong Kong through a hard-hat tour conducted by one of the engineers or the architect involved in the Zhu Hai-Macau Bridge project. Participants will get to share views and discuss the real estate and insurance scene in Hong Kong.

In India, the “Breathe” programme takes participants to the 40ha Maharaja’s Palace Estate which overlooks the spiritual Rishikesh and the Ganges river valley. Traditional Yoga and healthy organic cuisine is combined in an overall experience to restore well-being, balance and harmony.

To support these new experiences, Chavry said Pacific World has “strengthened our internal network of consultants to be able to deliver the best approach for our clients”.