YOKOHAMA Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB) has developed a new brand and tagline to better reflect the Japanese city’s status as a destination for conventions.

Kana Nomoto, chief coordinator, convention sales department of YCVB, told TTGmice e-Weekly that the new brand and tagline, Japan’s First Port of Call, “was constructed to target the international and regional associations, with a focus on life sciences, environment, medical, IT and biotechnology industries”.

Japan’s First Port of Call was inspired by the city’s history – it was the first Japanese port to open up to the rest of the world, some 154 years ago.

Nomoto said: “(We found that) Yokohama is first in many ways, from being the first Japanese port to open up, to hosting first-time-in-Asia congresses, and to being the first in innovation, research and development. For international meeting organisers who want to bring their events to Yokohama, YCVB is, of course, their first port of call as we are a full service bureau.”

The new brand is reflected in a logo that uses a Japanese nami pattern, representing waves and reinforcing Yokohama’s status as a harbour city that is open and dynamic, and at the same time offering Japanese tradition, hospitality and efficiency.

A key image, capturing the port of Yokohama and the main convention area which is anchored by PACIFICO, has also been created.

Besides adopting a new and targeted MICE branding, YCVB is also revamping its website to incorporate fresh content and brand visuals, as well as creating a promotional movie that will be made available to event planners.

Meanwhile, Nomoto revealed that MICE business was promising for Yokohama last year.

“Last year, YCVB secured multiple high-profile meetings like the Goldschmidt Conference (2016), Biennial Congress of the Asian-Pacific Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association (2017) and the International Orthodontic Congress (2020).

“Also in 2012, Yokohama hosted large-scale international meetings such as the 2012 IEEE 75^th Vehicular Technology Conference VTC2012 Spring (800 delegates), Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (3,500 delegates), 15^th International Conference on Behçet’s Disease (500 delegates), 4^th Congress of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (3,000 delegates), and the 48^th Session of the International Tropical Timber Council (1,000 delegates),” she said.

Yokohama continues to be on a roll this year, with the 5^th Tokyo International Conference on African Development coming to town for the second time. The event, hosted by the Japanese government, United Nations, United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, will be attended by more than 3,000 attendees.

The city will also host the International Congress of Chemotherapy and Infection (2,500 attendees) and the Human Proteome Organisation Congress (2,000 attendees) this year.

THE capital of Central Java is developing infrastructure to support its goal of becoming a MICE destination, with a convention centre among the first of several facilities to open.

The new Marina Convention Centre, slated for a July opening, can accommodate events with up to 5,000 people, while another venue is now on the drawing block of the regional government. The latter will be part of the 40-hectare Recreation and Development Centre near the airport. It will have capacity for 15,000 to 20,000 people, and is expected to be ready by 2016.

Currently, a toll road connecting Semarang and Solo – Central Java’s other future MICE city – is under construction.

Achmad Yani International Airport in Semarang will start work on a new terminal this year, while Tanjung Emas Seaport is being expanded to enable larger cruise ships with more than 2,000 passengers to dock.

Air access improvements will come in the form of a Singapore-Semarang flight by SilkAir. The thrice-weekly service will commence on July 29.

Central Java Tourism Office director, Prasetyo Aribowo, said: “We expect Semarang to have good MICE facilities and infrastructure within the next three years, enabling it to compete with neighbouring destinations.”

However, the concept of MICE is not unfamiliar among tourism players in Semarang. Hotels in the city have been drawing corporate meetings, and most of these properties are equipped with function rooms of various sizes.

According to Horison Semarang regional general manager, Benk Mintosih, corporate events contribute an average of 40-46 per cent of business for all hotels in Semarang.

Benk said: “The meetings segment is important for the city, especially during weekdays. We hope that both the Central Java and Semarang City governments will focus on further developing the MICE sector.”

A BUOYANT economy and rising domestic and international investments in Indonesia are spurring the growth of business travel within the country.

Buyers attending the Indonesia Corporate Meeting & Incentive Travel Mart 2013, which concluded in Semarang, Central Java last Saturday, told TTGmice e-Weekly that their clients were spending 10 to 20 per cent more on business travel and taking their events to more destinations in Indonesia.

Carlson Wagonlit Travel programme executive, Deesy Ngelyaratan, said: “We have been getting new businesses since last year, especially from the energy service sector. This year we expect business to grow up to 50 per cent compared to 2012.”

Illustrating how better business sentiments are encouraging companies to invest more in events, pharmaceutical company Sandoz Indonesia has allotted more budget for training this year, in anticipation of a 20 per cent growth in business.

Business events are also spilling out of major Indonesian cities and into secondary destinations, as companies expand their business network deeper into the country.

Insurance firm Tugu Pratama, which has been expanding its business across Indonesia, is sourcing for hotels located around its branch offices in cities such as Balikpapan, Medan and Surabaya.

“Business growth leads to more movements, be it for training, meetings or sales. It is more convenient for our travellers to be accommodated in hotels near our offices,” explained Gilang Gita Purchila, senior administrator – HRD and GA Group with Tugu Pratama Indonesia.

Agility general affairs manager, Lina Salim, said the development of event facilities and services outside of key cities gave her an opportunity to organise events in new destinations.

“I met a seller who offers teambuilding facilities in Garut (located two hours from Bandung), which can be suitable for my company’s events,” she said.

According to Aston Pontianak Hotel and Convention Center’s director of sales and marketing, Bambang Wijanarko, corporate clients tend to first explore the more familiar or developed cities in Kalimantan, before bringing their events to other destinations in the region.

Bambang said: “They will start with Balikpapan and Samarinda in East Kalimantan, followed by Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan and then to Pontianak. Hence, the number of corporate events (at Aston Pontianak Hotel and Convention Center) may not be that many yet, although we have groups from heavy equipment, building and construction, and pharmaceutical companies with 50 to 100 pax each.”

THE first Ramada property in Singapore will throw open its doors in nine days’ time, placing a selection of indoor and outdoor event venues in the heart of the Balestier heritage district.

The four-star Ramada Singapore at Zhongshan Park is said to be the first international hotel of that category in the Balestier and larger Novena area, where the central business district is mere minutes away by train. The hotel is armed with 540m² of meeting and banquet space which will be filled by local and regional corporate events, according to general manager Tony Cousens.

The Balestier Ballroom is a pillarless space with a six-meter high ceiling, adorned with eye-catching red lanterns. It can accommodate up to 300 guests in a theatre setting, and be divided into three smaller function rooms.

The Zhongshan meeting room, well-lit with floor-to-ceiling windows, can seat 150 guests in a theatre setting, and be converted into two separate rooms.

“We expect 80 per cent of our business to come from Asia-Pacific, so we are targeting the powerhouses of Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and Australia for our meetings segment,” said Cousens.

“There is a good catchment of companies (across Singapore) and we know that (corporate event planners) in the central business district want to come out here and not do their meetings in Orchard Road, where they will lose the attention of their audience. On top of that, more companies are seeking mid-market properties to conduct training events, and we have been getting a lot of interest from technology and banking firms,” he added.

The first corporate event at the hotel will be a two-day conference with 200-300 pax, taking place on May 18 and 19.

Meeting packages and corporate dinner deals at Ramada Singapore at Zhongshan Park are priced from S$50⁺⁺ (US$40.70) per person and S$648⁺⁺ per table of 10 pax respectively. Guestrooms are priced from S$180⁺⁺ per night during the promotional period, ending August 31.

Besides indoor venues, event planners can also use Zhongshan Park, a tree-lined space next to the hotel that overlooks the iconic Sun Yat Sen Memorial Museum. It is suitable for cocktail receptions with up to 500 guests.

A breezy terrace by the pool on the third storey is also available for private hire. It can take 150 guests for standing events and no more than 100 for sit-down dinners.