THE KOREA Tourism Organization (KTO) Singapore Office has launched a campaign which seeks to obtain experiences of Singaporeans who had attended or are going on MICE-related events in South Korea between September 2011 and October 2012.

Participants in the Inspiring & Sharing campaign are required to share their MICE experiences gained from incentive programmes, meetings, seminars, conferences, exhibitions or industrial visits in South Korea through a photo story or video format. Entries will be judged on uniqueness and creativity, and the best entry will win one return economy class air ticket to Seoul by Korean Air, two nights’ stay in a deluxe room at the Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Times Square, and breakfast.

Prizes are also offered to the second and third best entries, as well as seven consolation winners.

Entries must be submitted to koreamice.singapore@gmail.com by October 31, and winners will be announced by November 16. Conditions apply.

To further engage MICE travellers from Singapore, the KTO Singapore Office will publish updates and information on MICE products and facilities on its Facebook page and other promotional vehicles throughout the eight-week campaign.

HILTON New Delhi/Janakpuri Hotel, located 20 minutes from central Delhi, is offering an all-inclusive meeting package for Rs7,000 (US$125) for single occupancy and Rs9,000 for double occupancy.

The package includes a day’s accommodation with Wi-Fi access, one complimentary room upgrade during the meeting duration, use of a meeting venue from 09:00 to 18:00, standard conference stationery, two coffee/tea breaks, business lunch and dinner on the day of check-in and buffet breakfast, among other perks.

Meeting planners are also offered discounts on business centre services, audiovisual facilities, laundry services and F&B services in the hotel.

This offer is valid till September 30.

Terms and conditions apply.

AMERICAN Express Business Travel has appointed Andi Budd vice president and general manager for Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.

Budd brings with him close to two decades of experience working across a spectrum of roles in business travel and corporate payments within American Express. Since joining the company in 1992, Budd has held various senior executive positions including president of the American Express Nippon Travel Agency, the business travel joint-venture between American Express and Nippon Travel Agency, in Japan from 2004 to 2007.

He has also lived in the UK, India, Australia and most recently Singapore.

AGORA Hospitalities has opened the 175-room Hotel Agora Osaka Morugichi in Osaka, Japan, bringing with it 15 meeting facilities of various sizes.

The hotel’s meeting rooms are said to be ideal for small private dinners, company events, workshops and meetings, and can accommodate 20 to 500 guests. The grand ballroom can cater to events with 460 people in theatre style or 210 in banquet style.

As a result of its extensive meeting and F&B facilities – six dining outlets in all, the hotel will target business travellers and corporate guests.

According to Agora Hospitalities CEO and president, Aya Aso, the hotel’s main target markets are North Asia and attention is being paid to pharmaceutical, academic, finance, IT and medical industries.

The hotel is located at 10-5 Kawahara-cho, Moriguchi, 40 minutes by train from Osaka International Airport.

THE BIENNIAL congress of the Combustion Institute will head to Seoul, South Korea in 2016.

To be held at the capital city’s Coex Convention & Exhibition Center, the 36^th Symposium on Combustion is expected to attract more than 700 international experts from 70 countries, along with more than 500 local participants.

The secured bid is one of the many wins for associations in South Korea that have benefited from bidding support offered by the Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB).

Along with strong local association chapters and a rapidly growing meetings industry, bidding support offered by the SCB and the Seoul Metropolitan Government has led to over 100 bid wins for events in Seoul to be held from 2012 to 2018. These events are expected to bring in over 1.3 trillion won (US$1.15 billion) in revenue for the city.

Upcoming events in Seoul include the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians, the 26^th International Society of Hypertension Biennial Scientific Meeting 2016, and the General Session of the International Association for Dental Research in 2016.

THE LONDON 2012 Olympics Games has come to a close, but its legacy lingers on, as Britain is now capitalising on the hype generated to draw corporate travellers and MICE delegates from Asia to its shores.

“Brand Britannia is on the rise, and hopefully, the country will be able to sustain its newfound popularity and ultimately, benefit from all the hype centred around the Olympics. The UK showed the world and the travel trade exactly what London can do. The capital’s infrastructure coped with an influx of arrivals, even in the face of security issues and strike threats. To top it off, the media projected Britain in a positive light, which could serve us well in marketing campaigns targeted at Asian (corporate travel) markets,” said James Alba-Duignan, regional sales director, Hogg Robinson Group.

VisitEngland, which opened its first Asian regional headquarters in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) in July, has been assigned to bolster corporate travel and MICE from Asia-Pacific to London and the rest of England.

Alba-Duignan believes that London will be the main beneficiary of this renewed interest in the UK. “However, the UK is a small country, and London is connected to an artery of roads and railway lines. Any additional traffic generated post-Olympics should spread across the country,” he said.

Nonetheless, despite the feel-good sentiment and the riches anticipated to trickle down to Britain’s coffers, the UK economy continues to tether on the brink of disaster.

But this could work to Britain’s advantage, said Alba-Duignan.

“Reports are already suggesting that Britain is in recession. This could trigger more quantitative easing from the Bank of England in the near term, which would send the pound plunging. Cost is a major concern for corporate firms in Asia when deciding to hold a meeting or event in Europe, and if the pound was debased further against Asian currencies, this could encourage more Asian firms to conduct business or stage events in the UK,” he explained.

He added that it was essential for tourism authorities, travel consultancies and event planners in the UK to work creatively to ensure that corporate companies see the added value of holding a meeting or event in the UK versus other destinations.