A SOCIAL dining company which connects hosts across the world with travellers keen on enjoying homemade flavours of the destination in a local home has begun its courtship of the corporate events market, encouraged by a 20 per cent monthly increase in corporate event bookings.

Since coming into operations in 2014, VizEat now has a network of 17,000 hosts in more than 100 countries including Italy, the US, India, China, South Korea and Taiwan.

While the VizEat website now caters to leisure travellers seeking and booking social dining experiences, cooking classes or market tours, the company will soon debut an online support for corporate events.

Jean-Michel Petit, co-founder of VizEat, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “In the coming weeks we will have a separate section on the website where corporate event planners can connect with our team and describe the type of event they are looking to organise. Based on the information provided, we will then select the hosts and set up a co-branded website with the organiser.”

VizEat’s track record in putting together major events built around the social dining concept includes the Airbnb Open in Paris last November – said to be the world’s biggest event of its kind – where more than 1,000 Airbnb members from all over the world dined that evening in local VizEat hosts’ homes in the French capital.

The company will run OuiShare Fest for 1,000 participants this month, and a dining event for a major insurance company as part of an annual meeting in June, with more than 2,000 delegates expected to attend.

While the bulk of corporate bookings comes from Europe, Petit said the company is determined to expand its reach into Asian source markets and had participated in IMEX Frankfurt last month to build awareness of its specialisation.

“We are also planning to (establish) strong curated host communities in Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul by 4Q2016 (because these destinations are most active in securing corporate events) and expand quickly across more key Asian cities by 1Q2017,” Petit said, adding that VizEat will work with the local tourism bureau to promote the experience to corporate clients.

THE MICE sector will get its own full-day conference programme for the first time at ITB Asia this October, with SITE and Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) coming in as new show partners to bring content to attendees.

Taking place on October 20 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, MICE Day @ ITB Asia will be held in a conference room and include sessions from a wide range of industry partners.

SITE will conduct two sessions under the theme of Managing Incentive Travel Programmes, while SACEOS will have a high-level dialogue session discussing the latest industry developments and their impact on the industry.

Returning partner Incentive Conference & Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP) will have two of its advisory board members speak at and curate a meetings and incentives themed session.

Last year, ITB Asia attracted close to 760 exhibitors from 73 countries, as well as 880 buyers and more than 10,300 attendees over three days.

ADELAIDE has won the rights to host the World Fisheries Congress in 2020, following a joint Australia-New Zealand bid.

More than 1,500 delegates are expected to attend the congress which will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Adelaide Convention Bureau CEO, Damien Kitto, said: “The sciences, innovation and sustainable practices employed by the Australian fishing industry have led to it being recognised globally.

“We are thrilled via this win to be able to showcase South Australia’s industry and our enviably clean environment on which it is built.”

According to South Australian minister for agriculture, food and fisheries, Leon Bignell, the seafood industry is a “vital part” of the state’s economy, generating revenue of AU$876 million (US$670 million) in 2014/2015.

Bignell said: “The congress will provide a significant opportunity to promote our South Australian seafood industry and demonstrate the sustainability of our fisheries to the broader community.”

Held every four years, the WFC aims to advance and promote international developments and cooperation in fisheries science, conservation and management.

The last time Australia hosted this congress was in Brisbane in 1996.

AT LEAST 20 association executives and association meeting planners in Asia-Pacific will now stand a chance to secure funding for a trip to Singapore where they will attend the two-day educational PCMA Meetings Forum.

The inaugural PCMA Asia-Pacific Scholarship was created by the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB), an effort that comes on top of their annual PCMA Meetings Forum Singapore which sees high-profile speakers from various industries addressing key topics related to association and conference management.

According to Sherrif Karamat, COO of PCMA, the scholarship will draw support from other destinations and suppliers who will also recommend local association executives and clients as applicants.

Explaining the inspiration behind the scholarship, Karamat told TTGmice e-Weekly: “We want to create an educational and networking environment for the Forum that includes viewpoints from all over the region. We believe (the scholarship) will provide more fruitful discussions and lead to greater collaboration.”

He added: “Professional development is critical for an individual’s growth and we realise that not all budgets include this expense. We want to support the costs and increase the ability to attend, as both PCMA and SECB believe in education to advance the industry.”

Jeannie Lim, executive director for conventions, meetings and incentive travel with SECB, said: “PCMA Meetings Forum Singapore has grown to become a pivotal platform that provides education and networking opportunities for association executives in Asia-Pacific. We felt that it was timely to create this scholarship to further encourage education and develop promising industry professionals in the region. This will help boost capabilities in the Asia-Pacific MICE industry over time.”

To qualify, the applicant must be based in Asia-Pacific and has planned one rotating event with a minimum of 100 delegates in the region in the past year; or is intending to plan at least one rotating event with a minimum of 100 delegates in the region in the upcoming years. Applicants can also be a core PCO or AMC based in this region that has managed at least three conferences for an Asia-Pacific/international association that has rotated in three countries (one of which must have been in Asia) with at least 200 delegates in attendance.

Further details are available on PCMA’s website.

INBOUND business events to Busan have made a “significant” recovery since the South Korean government’s official all-clear declaration on October 29 last year, following a spate of MERS infections in the country.

In an interview with TTGmice e-Weekly, Peter Jang, chief marketing officer with Busan Tourism Organization (BTO), shared that “exaggerated media reports” on MERS cases in South Korea between May and July 2015 had dented inbound tourism including business events.

During that period, incentive events fell from 54 to 26, seven international business events were cancelled, attendance at events tumbled, and 200 domestic business events were either cancelled or delay, according to Jang.

However, recovery came swiftly, a result of persistent destination marketing by the port city.

Between August and November 2015, Busan welcomed a number of high profile business events such as the 2015 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry 45^th World Chemistry Congress and 2015 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry 48^thGeneral Assembly in August; ASEAN +3 Task Force Meeting and IT Expo Busan 2015 in September; IEEE Sensors 2015, 25^th International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference and G-STAR 2015 Global Game Conference in November.

“We are confident about being able to (reverse) the damages (to our MICE business) brought on by the MERS incidents,” remarked Jang, who added that Busan has gone on to clinch two association bids in recent months – the 2017 IUPAP International Cosmic Ray Conference and the 2019 International Conference on Tritium Science and Technology.

Jang pointed out that while Europe and North America contribute the bulk of association meetings coming into Busan, the top source markets for inbound corporate meetings and incentive travel are China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.

To keep interest high, Jang said BTO is attending “all MICE exhibitions and roadshows in the Asia-Pacific” and investing in marketing and branding efforts “to enhance the image of the city and position it as the most attractive MICE destination”.

“We also cannot underestimate the importance of strengthening our network with associations and academic societies in order to attract new international congresses to Busan,” he added.

Fam tours for MICE media and industry buyers are also being conducted.

Meanwhile, Busan’s eager bid for World Expo 2030 has resulted in a number of related international events being held in the destination.

Jang said the city is heavily involved in backing the event bid.

He said: “A steering committee for the event has been spearheading several promotional campaigns while the Busan Metropolitan City and Busan City Council have enacted a municipal ordinance last August to attract the event.”

Explaining the importance of scoring the World Expo 2030, Jang said: “(It) is the one of the biggest mega events in the world, (and it will) catalyse Busan’s economic growth and raise its (global) image.”