ANGSANA Laguna Phuket is promoting its “friendship meetings” to meeting planners, a collection of fun activities that are meant to generate team spirit, and offering nett-priced room rates to go along with it.

Meeting planners who book their next event at the resort can secure room rates of 3,200 baht (US$95) nett, with those chalking up bookings worth 500,000 baht to receive a free iPad.

Also on offer is the resort’s range of friendship meetings, activities that will add a dash of fun to the daily schedule.

For instance, the half-day Cast Away session takes delegates back in time. Participants travel to Rang Yai island where they are unable to use smartphones, Wi-Fi or any other form of modern technology, and must work together in teams to overcome the challenges presented.

Educational experiences can also be arranged, whether in the form of a massage workshop, cooking classes, or cocktail-making sessions.

Angsana Laguna Phuket features a range of event spaces including the XANA beach club for after parties and function rooms for up to 400 guests, while a dedicated events team will ensure that each meeting proceeds without hiccup.

For more information, email mice-lagunaphuket[at]angsana.com.

THE more the merrier could be the slogan of the recently announced Trade Association Hub (TA Hub) scheduled to open by early 2017 and become both a work space and melting pot of ideas for local trade associations and chambers (TACs).

TA Hub, established by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI) and JTC Corporation at the old Jurong Town Hall, will allow the sharing of facilities and amenities among the 10 TACs permanently housed there to bring down operating costs.

Speaking at the Local Enterprise and Association Development (LEAD) programme 10^thanniversary dinner earlier this week, Thomas Chua, president of SCCC, explained the rationale behind TA Hub: “The chamber’s objective is to cluster the trade and industry associations under one roof, learn from one another’s experiences and stimulate innovative ideas.

“The TA hub is not just an office space and activity venue, but can provide professional services and be a hub of activities. It can be used to bring in targeted training programmes beneficial to industry development, or even tap on shared resources to organise overseas networking activities,” he added.

Also present at the dinner was Singapore’s minister for trade and industry, Lim Hng Kiang, who said: “Besides more efficient resource utilisation through the availability of shared facilities, the co-location will catalyse more cross-industry collaborations amongst the TACs. This is an important mark of this step forward in collaboration among TACs.”

He also hailed the 10-year old LEAD programme as a key form of government assistance supporting capability development and growth for TACs.

The scheme was rolled out in 2005 and has supported around 160 industry projects with a total of about S$100 million (US$74 million) in grants, for 31 TACs.

The 10 TACs collaborating with SCCCI are: the Association of Electronic Industries in Singapore; Association of Singapore Marine Industries; Association of Process Industry; Container Depot Association (Singapore); Singapore Renovation Contractors & Material Suppliers Association; Singapore Cranes Association; Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association; Singapore Precision Engineering and Technology Association; Singapore Plastic Industry Association; and the Singapore Timber Association.

THE Saujana Kuala Lumpur is targeting business events from the Asia-Pacific region after its extensive two-year refurbishment programme was completed earlier this week.

Peter J Hourigan, vice president of operations for Saujana Hotels & Resorts, and general manager at The Saujana Kuala Lumpur and The Club Saujana Resort, said: “Previously we were dependent largely on corporate meetings which made up 65 to 80 per cent of our business mix.

“But now we want to grow our incentives segment as we have the space for outdoor teambuilding activities,” he said, referring to the resort’s 160ha of tropical gardens.

Hourigan also pointed to the seven in-house concept restaurants, a 700-pax ballroom and 15 meeting rooms of varying configurations that make the resort suitable for business events.

“We are targeting meeting planners and incentive houses from the Asia-Pacific region as more than 70 per cent of Malaysia’s international tourist arrivals are from this region,” he said.

Costing RM100 million (US$27.3 million), the Saujana Kuala Lumpur’s top-to-toe refurbishment was conducted in stages over two years. The hotel sits in the heart of Shah Alam district and is a five-minute drive to Subang Skypark, a 10-minute drive to Sunway Lagoon theme park and Sunway Pyramid shopping mall, and half an hour to Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“Good accessibility is a boon for delegates and speakers on a very tight schedule. They have easy access to the resort and can immediately fly out afterwards,” noted Hourigan.

The resort will grow its meetings and incentives segment through participation at selected MICE shows and sales calls to overseas MICE organisers, and through its affiliation with Worldhotels.

THE CONVENTION Industry Council (CIC) has accredited the Singapore MICE Forum 2015, marking the first time the forum will be included in CIC’s Preferred Partner Programme.

It means that attendance at the forum will yield 14 Continuing Education Clock Hours, which are credits that MICE professionals must accumulate to qualify for CIC’s Certified Meeting Professional (CMO) programme.

This year’s Singapore MICE Forum is the fifth edition of the event and organised by SACEOS. It will run from July 2-3 at Marina Bay Sands.

Ong Wee Min, CMP, chairman of SACEOS’ education and professional development subcommittee, commented: “The accreditation by the CIC is a strong endorsement of the quality of our courses. Being a preferred partner of the Council shows SACEOS’ commitment to steer the content of our courses towards professional industry accreditation.

“It will also enhance the standing of Singapore’s MICE professionals in the region and beyond, cultivate and grow our pool of local talents.”

Singapore MICE Forum 2015 is part of Singapore MICE Week, which is held from June 29 to July 3, and will run alongside other MICE events including the Asia Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange, the Asian Federation of Exhibitions & Convention Association Board Meeting, the International Association of Exhibitions & Events Board Meeting, and two master classes.

MALAYSIA has won its bid to host the International Federation of Forwarders Associations (FIATA) World Congress 2017.

The annual get-together for international logistics industry leaders will attract some 1,200 delegates to Kuala Lumpur in October 2017, including freight forwarders, port and airport authorities and operators, government agencies, and related freight associations.

The total economic contribution from the six-day FIATA World Congress 2017 is estimated at RM10 million (US$2.9 million).

The bid was led by the Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders (FMFF), whose president, Alvin Chua Seng Wah, commented in a press release: “Freight logistics plays a large role in sustainable development, a pressing issue for many countries today. As such, we are pleased to play our part in supporting this global agenda by hosting the FIATA World Congress 2017.”

Zulkefli Haji Sharif, CEO of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, said: “With two ports listed in the top 20 of the World Shipping Council’s World Container Ports 2013, this event will reaffirm Malaysia’s reputation as a logistics hub at the crossroads of Asia.”