FOUR Points by Sheraton Bangkok, Sukhumvit 15 has rolled out two new customised events that organisers can weave into their overall meeting programmes at the hotel.

The ExecutiveChef is a dinner party where guests compete in a cooking challenge under the guidance of the hotel’s own executive chef. Inspired by the popular reality show, MasterChef, guests will have to create a dish that will impress the judges.

After the event, guests can sit back and enjoy their choice of soup and appetisers, and free flow of beer, wine and soft drinks.

The package, suitable for a group of up to 30 people, is priced from 3,500 baht (US$119.60) per person or 5,000 baht per team of two pax.

Event planners can also pick Movies Under The Stars for a post-meeting gathering. The movie party will be held on the hotel’s rooftop Garden Terrace, and is perfect for groups of 15 to 30 people. Priced from 2,000 baht per pax, the package includes selected cocktails, prosecco, beer and wine, as well as a menu of savoury and sweet nibbles.

Contact sarut.maneerat@fourpoints.com for more details.

KUALA Lumpur Convention Centre is encouraging event planners to inject a sense of relaxation into their meetings, training sessions or forums at the venue by switching chairs for colourful beanbags.

Under the new TenOnCall Beanie Experience, event participants can snuggle up in large, comfortable beanbags in various set-up configurations such as circle, half-moon and straight rows.

Angeline Lue, the centre’s director of sales & marketing, said the option was “ideal for clients who wanted to give a slight innovation to their meeting format”.

“It’s particularly ideal for training, brainstorming, teambuilding and creative networking. And with the beanbags’ funky colours, the meeting atmosphere will definitely be lightened,” Lue added.

TenOnCall Beanie Experience is enhanced with takeaway beverages, and complimentary Bean-ovation value-adds such as titbits, energy drinks, energy bars, comfortable slippers and a stress ball.

A beanbag can also be rented on its own at RM20++ (US$6++) a day.

THE 482-room Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral opened in the Malaysian capital last Friday, marking the entry of the Aloft brand into the country and setting a record for being the world’s largest Aloft hotel.

Its general manager, Paolo Campillo, is keen to attain a market mix of 50 per cent leisure, 30 per cent corporate and 20 per cent MICE.

The hotel will leverage on its good location in the commercial and transportation hub of Kuala Lumpur Sentral and its collection of event spaces to attract corporate business.

Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral boasts a large ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,000 people in a theatre setting and seven other function rooms.

Ganneesh Ramaa, manager of Luxury Tours Malaysia, said: “New international hotel brands in Malaysia will attract more global conferences and events to the capital. The hotel fills a niche as there are not many hotels in the city with large ballrooms.”

The hotel is looking at an occupancy rate of 65 per cent in its first year of operations, according to Campillo.

Meanwhile, the hotel had a roaring good start, achieving full occupancy over the F1 Malaysian Grand Prix weekend, which ran from March 22 to 24.

SINGAPORE will add the River Safari to its latest collection of attractions come April 3, a development that some DMCs here said would further boost the city’s appeal in the eyes of incentive clients.

Hailed as Asia’s first river-themed wildlife park, the River Safari was built between the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari at a cost of S$160 million (US$128 million). The 12-hectare park features over 150 plant species and 300 animal species in eight river habitats including the Mississippi, Nile and Amazon rivers. It also contains the world’s largest freshwater aquarium.

It will join other new attractions in the city-state such as the Marine Life Park in Resorts World Sentosa, Gardens by the Bay and the Giant Panda Forest.

Pacific World’s regional director, Singapore and Malaysia, Selina Grocott, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “Singapore may be small but it certainly commands an enormous presence in Asia’s incentive industry. (The) ever-changing tourism landscape and constant opening of new and exciting developments continue to position Singapore as a preferred destination in this region.”

Daniel Chua, managing director of Singapore-based conference organiser, Aonia, said the River Safari would add to the country’s dense collection of attractions, an attribute that appeals to time-starved business event travellers.

“Clients need to minimise the travel time between destinations and attractions, and Singapore’s density of attractions means event participants can pack their days here with a variety of things to do and places to see,” Chua said.

Dennis Law, managing director of Star Holiday Mart, a travel company that specialises in both leisure tours and business events, pointed out that Singapore’s “new nature-based spots will enhance (the country’s) image as an eco-friendly place and not just a city destination”.

“Singapore in itself is already attractive for both business and leisure travellers…and new options such as the River Safari will complement all our existing attractions,” Law added.

Entrance fees during the soft opening phase, beginning April 3, are S$25 (US$20) for adults and S$16 for children aged three to 12.

Additional reporting by Karen Yue

THE Taiwan Chemical and Engineering Society has won the rights to host the 12th World Filtration Congress (WFC12) in 2016, an event that has always rotated in the US and Europe.

Although the International Delegates on Filtration (INDEFI) comprised only three Asian members – Taiwan, Mainland China and Japan, Guo-zhen Huang, a professor with Tamkang University’s department of chemical engineering, felt that Taiwan’s odds at winning were quite promising and made a bid for the event’s hosting rights.

Huang, who was joined by several other professors in putting forth the bid, expects WFC12 to attract an estimated 2,500 domestic and foreign visitors from more than 40 countries.

He believes that, besides establishing international academic authority in the filtration industry, hosting WFC12 in Taiwan will create opportunities for younger scholars to participate in international academic activities, internationalise Taiwan’s academia, and stimulate commercial activities and industrial development.

“Having won the rare opportunity to host (the congress) in Taiwan, we must be sure to impress the world, so that Taiwan may shine in this international professional arena,” said Huang.