1. Art and Diseño

Volume:4, Issue: January 2015
Dublin
Convention
Centre
04. Dublin's CCD
CONTENTS
04. Dublin's CCD
04. Centre of Attraction
Dublin's CCD is the most attractive venue for global
meeting planners and organizers. Offering unmatched
facilities and convenient atmosphere for any event the CCD
is the obvious choice for any quintessential MICE organizer.
11. Tech Talk
Braggies, the new concept of “braggie” photos whereby
holidaymakers have been uploading photos of themselves
on holiday within 10 minutes of arriving at their hotel.
14. Spotlight On
The Colombia Metropolitan Convention Centre is a
potential MICE venue with world-class event hosting
facilities.
25. Cover Story
The outlook of MICE industry 2015 is set to develop on a
global scale within meetings planning and technology. A
close watch...
11.Braggies
17. MICE Appointments
20. MICE Opinion
21. MICE Bites
29. Show Highlight
38. Show Review
42. Calendar of Events
02 MICE Travel Advisor
14. Colombia Metropolitan
Convention Centre
Editorial Team
Hello Readers,
Let me take this opportunity to wish the global MICE industry an
enterprising New Year. The Meetings, Incentive, Conference, and
Events (MICE) industry is poised to witness a promising 2015. A
research report published by American Express brings some
interesting facts for the meetings and events industry. The
forecast reports were based on a survey done on businesses,
meeting planners and hoteliers in 2014. The survey highlighted
some interesting trends and predictions for 2015 in the use of
technology, budgeting and financial implications, and the way the
event planning is taking on a much more global outlook.
In this maiden edition of MICE Travel Advisor, we bring you some
of the most happening stories from the global MICE industry.
From Ireland's most popular business event centre - Dublin to
technology trends of 'Braggies' - dear readers you have a plethora
of information to gather in our issue this month. Hope we can
inspire business travelling in 2015 like we did in the yester years.
Keep yourself abreast with the latest travel events and stories
from the global MICE industry. Do remember to write back to us
with your suggestions, ideas, and stories. We value your opinion.
Thank you,
Editor-In-Chief
Mr. Anup Kumar Keshan
03 MICE Travel Advisor
President &
Editor-In-Chief
Mr. Anup Kumar Keshan
Vice President
Mr. Apratim Ghoshal
Executive Editor
Mrs. Puja Keshan
Intl. Correspondent
& Marketing
Ms. Shreyoshi Dey
Content Writers
Mr. Ronee Roy
Mr. Sudipto Roy
Ms. Shreya Goswami
Ms. Urmii Kar
Design Team
Mr. Mufaddal Chithiwala
Ms. Sonali Khan
Mr. Rajat Singh ( Web)
Mr. Kaushik Das(Web)
Marketing Executive
Mr. Vijay Kumar
Asst. Communication
Executive
Mr. Rana Singh
Circulation
Mr. A.K. Sharma
Mr. Kajal Mandal
Centre of Attraction
Dublin's CCD
advocating new standards in Business meetings
Dublin is strategically located as a gateway of Europe and is one of Ireland's most happening business
centers. The Convention centre at Dublin grabs tremendous attention from events and organizers as they
find its unmatched facilities so convenient that The CCD becomes an obvious choice for most meeting
planners.
Moving Ahead
Securing 120 events in the last six months which include 25 international conferences, the conference
centre is already booked for the future from 2015 to 2018. With 25 conferences ranging in size from 500 to
2,000 delegates the centre forecasts to generate over €30 million to the local economy.
04 MICE Travel Advisor
Strategically placed
Located just 20 minutes from the airport in Dublin's
Docklands, the finance and technology hub of the city, the
CCD provides a great platform for international tourism
and business.
Established in 2010, the centre organized its 1000th event
on 25th September 2014. “Since opening in September
2010, we have had an incredible four years” said Nick
Waight, CEO of The CCD. “Dublin as a destination and The
CCD as a venue, are proving extremely popular, with over
one million delegate days to date. Our commitment to
exceptional service surpasses our clients' expectations
time and time again, with customer satisfaction rates
consistently above 96%.” Business tourist visiting CCD
spend money on hotels, taxis, dining out, entertainment,
shopping, cultural experiences and tourist attractions and
contribute significantly to the Irish economy.
With 26 industry awards below its belt the CCD emerges
with high standards of business meetings offering the best
services to international meeting planners.
Architectural excellence
The CCD is an architectural excellence designed
by the Irish- born Kevin Roche and offers a
panoramic view of the River Liffey, Dublin City
Centre and Wicklow mountains.
05 MICE Travel Advisor
Eco Awareness
Located just 20 minutes from the airport
in Dublin's Docklands, the finance and
technology hub of the city, the CCD
provides a great platform for
international tourism and business.
Established in 2010, the centre organized
its 1000th event on 25th September
2014. “Since opening in September 2010,
we have had an incredible four years”
said Nick Waight, CEO of The CCD.
“Dublin as a destination and The CCD as a
venue, are proving extremely popular,
with over one million delegate days to
date. Our commitment to exceptional
service surpasses our clients'
expectations time and time again, with
customer satisfaction rates consistently
above 96%.” Business tourist visiting CCD
spend money on hotels, taxis, dining out,
entertainment, shopping, cultural
experiences and tourist attractions and
contribute significantly to the Irish
economy.
With 26 industry awards below its belt
the CCD emerges with high standards of
business meetings offering the best
services to international meeting
planners.
06 MICE Travel Advisor
Main Features
£ 22 purpose-built meeting rooms
£ 2,000 seat Auditorium with full theatrical stage and fly tower
£ 4,500 square metres of exhibition space
£ Theatre capacity for 3,000 delegates in The Forum
£ Banqueting facilities for up to 3,000 guests
£ Intimate boardrooms, large and small halls and meeting rooms
£ Cutting-edge technology and Wi-Fi throughout
£ Six spacious foyer areas
£ Stunning views of Dublin city, bay and mountains on upper foyer levels
£ Lights use energy-saving LED bulbs.
£ Two large cargo lifts including a truck container lift
£ Located at the heart of Dublin's transport hub and just 20 minutes from the Airport
£ Within walking distance of many hotels, restaurants and attractions
Meeting modern amenities
The fully responsive website of the Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD) provides a user experience which
is comprehensive in desktop, tablet or mobile. “There's no doubt that increased smartphone and tablet
penetration is changing how consumers search for products and services. We want our clients and
delegates to get the best possible experience of The CCD, and this includes the virtual impression they get
before they ever set foot in the building. The new site not only acts as an information portal, but also as a
vehicle to reflect our brand and culture, so visitors not only get a sense of what we do, but who we are.”
feels CCD's CEO Nick Waight.
07 MICE Travel Advisor
MICE Travel Advisor in an interview with Nick
Waight, the Managing Director of Group
Convention Centres overseeing the ICC and
Chief Executive of Dublin Convention Centre.
He offers strategic consultancy to other
convention centre projects. Nick has many
roles which he performs to perfection and
makes his own contribution in the MICE
tourism Industry of Ireland largely felt.
MICE Travel Advisor: What Makes
Convention Centre Dublin such a
favourite meeting point of Europe?
Nick Waight:When The
Convention Centre Dublin
(The CCD) opened in 2010 it
introduced a new
state-of-the-art, easily
accessible conference venue
to the European MICE market.
Ireland's location at the
gateway to Europe also
makes us ideally positioned
to entice international
visitors from further afield.
08 MICE Travel Advisor
In addition, in recent years Dublin has established
itself as the business and technology hub of Europe
with a strong focus on research, development and
innovation, and it ishome to the European
headquarters of many of the world's top multinational corporations. This, coupled with our highspec facilities and our exceptionally high levels of
service, helps cement our reputation as the ideal
meeting ground for international conference
events.
MICE Travel Advisor:It is quite an achievement for
the Convention Centre Dublin which has secured
120 events in the past six monthscontributing
more than €30 million to the local economy. How
do you feel about it and how was it accomplished?
Nick Waight:We are very proud of our
achievements this year having hit a few milestones
with over 1,000 events and over 1 million delegate
days hosted. We also recently ramped up our Sales
team to a group of 10 dedicated professionals, each
with specialised knowledge of either the corporate
or association markets. They have been working
very hard attending trade shows, reaching out to
clients, and working alongside organisations such as
the Dublin Convention Bureau to help formulate
and win event bids throughout the year. The
unprecedented run of confirmations over the last
six months proves that there is huge interest in
what The CCD has to offer as a European
conference venue. It is also very encouraging that
out of the 120 events in the last six months, 43 of
09 MICE Travel Advisor
these are repeat clients.
MICE Travel Advisor:What is the driving factor
behind keeping up the goals and the objectives of
CCD?
Nick Waight: In January 2013 we launched a very
clear five-year strategy and a new vision for the
business, 'to be the world's favourite place for
leaders, innovators and dreamers to share, create
and celebrate ideas that change lives.'We strive to
offer a truly world-class venue in every sense, from
the quality of the facility right through to every
aspect of our service. With every new event
confirmed, we continue to position Ireland on the
world stage for international conferences which in
turn generates significant revenue for the Irish
economy. This is what drives every aspect of our
business.
MICE Travel Advisor:You have taken some
sustainable measures which are unique to the CCD
in the upkeep of the convention centre, please
share your motivation with us and also tell us as to
how you would like to set more eco friendly
standards for the future?
Nick Waight:Our overall aim is to lead
environmental best practice across our industry.
Having achieved ISO 14001 just one year after
opening in 2010, we are very proud of our
environmental efforts and long-term commitment
to sustainability. All departments within The CCD
recognise that they have a part to play in helping
us maintain our ISO accreditation, and we have an
Environmental Management System in place to
develop action plans outlining various objectives
year-to-year. As also regularly look for support and
guidance from our dedicated maintenance and
cleaning contractors, who publish monthly reports
and analysis on our utility and waste usage.These
factors, have helped us to achieve a remarkable
recycling rate of 98% year-to-date, an
achievement which we believe is largely unique to
our industry, and one which we will be working
very hard to maintain throughout 2015 and
beyond.
MICE Travel Advisor: What are you plans for
2015-16?
Nick Waight: We have a very busy year coming up
in 2015 as we look forward to welcoming nearly
10,000 delegate days in January alone! We will
also be hosting a large number of new
international conferences throughout 2015
including the first ever Dublin International Game
Music Festival, the International Association of
Gerontology and Geriatrics European Region
Congress (IAGG), the 17th European Congress of
Endocrinology (ECE) , Digital Solutions
Cooperative (DScoop) EMEA, and the world's
largest market research event, ESOMAR 's 68th
Congress. While we also look forward to
10 MICE Travel Advisor
welcoming back a number of repeat clients
including the Pendulum Summit, as well as
Hostleworld.com and PhoCus Wright Europe's
2015 conferences.
Our Sales team are always looking ahead and will
be attending a number of international trade
shows throughout 2015 including EITBM and
IMEX, as well as making international Sales calls
and hosting a number of fam trips.
MICE Travel Advisor: You are the Managing
Director of Group Convention Centres,
overseeing the ICC and the new Dublin
Convention Centre. You are also appointed Chief
Executive of The Convention Centre Dublin, How
do you manage to divide your time equally to all
these tasks. How challenging is it to meet the
goals set for CCD?
Nick Waight:I divide my time equally between the
two venues during the week, and as the two
businesses are based on a similar model, this
allows me to benefit from knowledge sharing on
both sides. From director level, to senior
management, to floor staff, I also have a great
team of dedicated, passionate individuals in both
venues that that I can fully rely on. They are the
ones that help me keep driving both businesses
forward by winning great deals, and delivering
exceptional service and amazing events that leave
our customers extremelysatisfied, and coming
back again and again.
Tech Talk
Braggies
The New Selfie For Travellers!
orld Travel Market
(WTM) in conjunction
with Euromonitor, has
come across some new
terms like 'poshtels', 'braggies,'
and peer-to-peer eating which will
be the future trends to shape the
global travel market.
recent years. However, to succeed
in most on the social media
platform, it is necessary to track
the existing as well as the
potential customers' behavior
online. The new concept is the
“braggie” photo whereby
holidaymakers have been
uploading photos of themselves
Bragging about hotels nearly all
on holiday within 10 minutes of
major brands and global chains
arriving at their hotel. It is indeed
are now present on platforms
a new, fast and efficient way of
such as Facebook, Instagram and “bragging” to the friends about
Twitter as the social media
their vacation and is comparable
strategies have been robust in the to the to the “selfie” craze which
W
11 MICE Travel Advisor
is another social media over usage
product. Hotel window, the
room's bed and the surrounding
landscapes are the top images
captured by the vacationers.
The number of social media users
across the globe has increased by
18% in 2013, and will exceed 1.7
billion users in near future.
Facebook revealed that there is an
average of 350 million photos
uploaded daily, while Instagram
had 58 million daily uploads, and
WhatsApp has almost 400 million
How the hotels respond
to the Braggie Trend
1
Reacting to the trend, Kimpton
Hotels introduced the Kimpton
Karma Rewards programme that
offers perks including free Wi-Fi
and spa vouchers for guests
posting on social media.
12 MICE Travel Advisor
2
Marriott also embraced the
trend, with the PlusPoints
programme allowing members to
earn points thanks to their social
media behaviour, be it check-ins,
photos or other activities.
3
Omni Hotel's Summer Passport
social media programme also
offers customers a chance to earn
additional entries to a
sweepstake with the chance to
win a trip through social sharing
As social media sharing and
adoption is growing globally,
consumers in emerging
markets are the most active
on social media. Countries
such as China, Brazil,
Argentina and the Middle East
are reportedly the fastest
growing places of social
media usage. The hotel and
travel accommodation outlets
should therefore focus on
these countries. This trend is
helpful for the airline sectors
as well. Qantas is already
reviewing social media
conversations but further
action could be taken to boost
loyalty. Customer reviews and
spontaneous uploads mean
the operators need to be
flawless in order to maintain a
strong reputation.
13 MICE Travel Advisor
The emerging markets
As the hotels industry
remains dynamic with new
brand launches, network expansion
across the world and innovative
strategies, it expected to see a non-stop
growth through to 2018. The most
interesting developments are taking place in
mobile technology, where brands are
embracing social media more than
ever as part of their marketing
strategies.
S
Spotlight On
ignatured in the heart of
Historic Congaree Vista
District, the Columbia
Metropolitan Convention Center
is poised to offer a variety of
choices and opportunities to the
meeting planner. equipped with
upscale restaurants, antique and
specialty shops, art galleries, and
a vibrant nightlife along Gervais
street, the Columbia Metropolitan
Convention Center could be your
next venue for the MICE planner.
Located centrally in the South
Carolina's historic state capital,
the Columbia Metropolitan
Convention Center was built in
2004. This state-of-art
architecture is a significant
complex which has hosted some
of the major international trade
shows. The center is an
impressive 142,500 square foot
meeting/exhibit facility that
boasts a 17,135 square foot
ballroom, 15,145 square feet of
meeting space and a 24,700
square foot exhibit hall.
The
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
14 MICE Travel Advisor
Room Features and Guest
Services
£Free Local Calls
£Free Toll Free Calls
£Voice Mail Box
Internet
Facility Information
£Onsite Catering
£Wheelchair Accessible
£Pets Welcome
£Security Staff Onsite
£Private Space
£Outdoor Space
Business Services
£Business Center
£Audio/Video Capabilities
£
£Parking
£Free Parking
£Bus Parking Available
£Paid Parking Available
Where to
stay
1.Affordable Suites Deluxe
It is a great choice for an
extended stay at Columbia. The
hotel is conveniently close to area
15 MICE Travel Advisor
businesses, a short drive to
downtown, local malls, area
restaurants, USC and the Zoo.
2.Baymont Inn & Suites
Columbia Northwest
This conveniently located hotel is
a few minutes away from the
Columbia's favorite destinations.
the courtyard is full with Outdoor
Pool, Indoor Spa and 24 Hour
Fitness Center apart from the
regular amenities.
3.Clarion Hotel Downtown
Southern hospitality, spacious
rooms, and unparalleled service
abound at Clarion Hotel Columbia
Downtown. Impeccable room
service, cozy lounge, refreshing
pool, air conditioned- well
equipped workout room, coffee
makers in all guestrooms, free
high speed Internet access, close
proximity to the Columbia
Convention Center are good
enough reasons to chose the
hotel for an extended stay at
Columbia.
4.Columbia DoubleTree by
Hilton
To enjoy a wealth of amenities,
including complimentary
transportation to Columbia
Metropolitan Airport (CAE), a
fitness center, an outdoor
swimming pool, wired and
wireless Internet access and over
20,000 square feet of meeting
space, DoubleTree by Hilton is a
royal choice for the tourists to
halt at Columbia.
5.Columbia Marriott Hotel
Beautifully renovated in 2013, the
Columbia Marriott offers the
quality accommodations and
hallmark service providing right
touches to make every guest feel
comfortable. With 300 guest
rooms and suites, 27,000 square
feet of meeting and banquet
space with the largest room
offering 6,550 sq. ft. and a hosting
a reception capacity of 850
persons, the Columbia Marriott
presents a grand stay in Columbia.
16 MICE Travel Advisor
The Columbia Metropolitan
Convention Center is a potential
MICE venue with world-class
facilities. Colombia is rapidly
becoming Latin America's leading
destination for high-profile
meetings, conventions and
incentive travel, thanks to the its
incredible attractions, world-class
infrastructure, abundance of
capacity and cost-effective
services.
MICE APPOINTMENTS
IACC-Europe appoints Rachael Bartlett as President
Mark Cooper, CEO of IACC has announced the election of Rachael Bartlett as
President of IACC-Europe for a two-year term. Bartlett commented, “I am
delighted to have been elected as President, which will allow me to continue the
important work of the association with my colleagues on the chapter and global
boards. Our plans include continuing to achieve the strategic plans set by IACC.
Our focus for 2015 is on continuing to grow our educational platforms and to
raising awareness of IACC, our brand and the value that conference centres bring
to all stakeholders.”
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas appoints Philippe Requin as
Vice President Operations, Hotels and Resorts
Philippe Requin has been appointed vice president, operations for the hotel
division of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas and will begin his new role in January
2015. He most recently served as chief executive officer at Grace Hotels Limited in
London.
TripAdvisor appoints Heather Leisman as vice president industry marketing
TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site, announced the appointment of
Heather Leisman in the role of vice president, industry marketing. In this
role, Leisman will lead global marketing to the hospitality industry and will
report to TripAdvisor for Business president, Marc Charron. She joins
TripAdvisor from HotelTonight, bringing with her more than 19 years of
experience in the travel industry.
17 MICE Travel Advisor
Abacus announced Peter Li as GM for China
Abacus International, the Asia Pacific region's leading travel solutions provider,
announced the appointment of online travel veteran Peter Li to a new role as
General Manager for the company's expanding China operations.
The Atlantic Hotel appoints Stephanie Paddock as Marketing
and Communications Manager
December saw the introduction of a new position at The Atlantic Hotel with
Stephanie Paddock taking up the role of Marketing and Communications
Manager. Reporting directly to hotel owner Patrick Burke, Stephanie will work
closely with the reservations and events teams and will manage agency
relationships, both on and off island.
Ikonrad Gstrein appointed Hotel Manager at Beverly Wilshire,
A Four Seasons Hotel
Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel welcomes Konrad Gstrein to Beverly Hills as
its new Hotel Manager. Konrad arrives at Beverly Wilshire from his previous
position as Resort Manager at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, bringing further
experience from previous posts at Four Seasons properties on Hawaii Island, and in
Philadelphia, New York and Sydney.
18 MICE Travel Advisor
Raghu Menon is the New General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore
Mr. Raghu Menon was recently appointed as the General Manager of The RitzCarlton, Bangalore. “The dedication that The Ritz-Carlton devotes to its
employees, guests and the community is exemplary,” commented Mr. Menon. “I
believe that through enlivening The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards every day, we will
be able to foster a strong relationship with our employees, build engagement with
our guests and give back to the community.”
Meet Puerto Rico appoints Peter Hopgood as Chairman of the Board
The Board of Directors of Meet Puerto Rico is pleased to announce the
appointment of Peter Hopgood as Chairman of the Board. In his new role,
Hopgood's leadership will be fundamental in supporting Meet Puerto Rico's
activities, its functions, and goals.
Conrad Macao appointment of Ms. Janet Chan as Director of Luxury Sales
Conrad Macao announced recently the appointment of Ms. Janet Chan as Director
of Luxury Sales. In her new role Ms. Chan will be responsible for overseeing
business and event partnerships within the luxury retail market and will also work
closely with premium travel specialists.
19 MICE Travel Advisor
I
ndia's MICE industry has grown leaps and
bounds over the past decade. The towering rise
of hotels having conference facilities clearly
shows the importance and the impact MICE has
created in the sub-continent. Conference hotels in
India are well equipped to host small to mediumsized events and conventions. The bond shared
between hotel authorities and MICE planners is at
its peak, with most organizers choosing hotels over
big venues while organizing medium sized events.
Speaking to MICE Travel Advisor, Ms. Maulina
Gupta, Sales & Marketing Director, Hyatt Regency
Gurgaon, shared her opinion on the impact of
conference hotels in India's MICE industry.
“With the recent mushrooming of business hotels
all across the country the sector has given a boom
to the MICE tourism. The wide range of fullyequipped, private meeting rooms, and state-of-theart banquet halls offer the perfect combination of
efficiency and convenience to corporate guests.
From small meeting rooms to grand scale
conference centers, such
hotels bring a dedicated
focus and unbridled
enthusiasm to every
event. Whether it’s a
company strategy
session, a corporate
cocktail party or a
20 MICE Travel Advisor
Opnion
celebratory banquet, clients get undivided attention
at MICE Hotels. Other than the infrastructure
facilities the conference hotels also plan itineraries
and customize corporate events as per the
requirements of the client. Hyatt Regency Gurgaon,
which is the largest convention hotel in town is
designed specifically to cater to the growing
demands for convention centres in Delhi NCR. The
enormous banqueting area at the hotel is spread
over 40,000 sq. ft. comprising 8 meeting rooms with
a board room and open venues. It can cater to small
social or corporate gathering of 20 people or a large
banquet of 2000 at any given time. The one of its
kind Regency Ballroom at HRG is spread over 20,710
sq. ft. with a ceiling height of 28 ft
up is divisible into 3 sound proof
sections to cater to smaller events.
The in-house Event Planners at
Hyatt Regency Gurgaon also
provide customised solutions for
conferences and events”.
MICE Bites
Archipelago International to open
Yogyakartas largest conference hotel
After the success of Indonesia's
first Alana Hotel in Surabaya,
Archipelago International now has
its sights set on Yogyakarta for the
growth of its contemporary 4-star
Alana brand, with the unveiling of
The Alana Hotel & Convention
Center – Yogyakarta set to open in
February 2015. With a number of
modern meetings and MICE
facilities and the largest ball room
the area, the hotel will be the
biggest convention center hotel in
the region and further establish
Yogyakarta as Indonesia's best
convention destination after Bali.
Alana Hotels, which take their
name from the Hawaiian word for
“precious”, are a brainchild of
Archipelago International, the
Indonesian-based hotel operator
with Hawaiian roots well know for
popular hotel labels as Aston,
favehotel, Hotel NEO and HARPER.
Conceptualized as sophisticated
21 MICE Travel Advisor
yet friendly 4 star designer hotels,
the Alana brand offers both style
and unprecedented levels of
service to its guests.
Bringing the signature Alana feel
to the city, The Alana Hotel &
Convention Center – Yogyakarta
will be located within Mataram
City, Yogyakarta's most ambitious
mixed-used development complex
which consists of the Alana Hotel,
its top notch Convention Centers
and a lifestyle mall. Easy to access,
the hotel is also conveniently
close to Adisucipto International
airport, Borobudur, Jalan
Malioboro and the city center.
The hotel will feature 269 rooms
and suites over three room types,
each one adorned with a timeless
contemporary design that
captures an admiration for
Javanese traditions. For meeting
planners and large scale event
organizers, the convention
facilities include 10 meeting
rooms and a superb ballroom that
can accommodate up to 2000
persons. For both business and
pleasure, the hotel will also boast
a coffee shop and a lounge, as
well as an outdoor swimming
pool, a spa and a gym for
downtime.
“We at Archipelago International
are very excited to be opening
soon another Alana Hotel here in
Yogyakarta. This vibrant, cultural
city is the perfect location for the
hotel's contemporary MICE
facilities, and since it is set to
become the largest convention
centre hotel in Yogya, we are
confident that the hotel will help
cater to the growing business
market in the region,” said Mr.
Norbert Vas, VP of Sales &
Marketing Archipelago
International.
IACC Unveils New Global Directory for MICE Planners
meeting planners and members
who have their own landing page
at IACConline.org.
IACC CEO Mark Cooper has
announced the launch of a new
website at IACCmeetings.com.
“The primary goal of the website
which offers the only a global
directory of IACC-certified
conference venues is to provide a
streamlined experience for
Meeting Planners who are
searching for their next
conference venue” according to
Cooper.
One of the major features of the
new design is the separation and
distinction of the venue directory,
which is designed specifically to
accommodate Meeting Planners
who want an easy to use search
tool, which they can review IACC
conference centres specialising in
meetings. This separation is
designed to provide an improved
online environment for both
22 MICE Travel Advisor
easier to navigate and share. This
feedback allowed IACC to present
a new website with full
functionality over desktop,
The site has been designed to
smartphone and tablet devices
provide the “ultimate userand will offer the Meeting
friendly experience” said Cooper, Planners stronger search options
with improved navigation and
when seeking their next
functionality throughout to allow conference centre.
meeting planners the ability to
Cooper also continued, “Our
access detailed product
members are equally important
information and videos with the
and to better support them, it was
option to share information across important to develop the IACC
all major social networking sites.
member website to more
efficiently provide our members
IACC spent considerable time
access to important industry data
engaging the meeting planner
and services. Separating the two
community in the design process websites was important because
to make sure the site would
we wanted to achieve the best
provide a simplified navigation
service for both audiences.”
with richer online content that is
UNWTO and UNESCO to organize first World Conference
on Tourism and Culture
The First World Conference on
Tourism and Culture will bring
together, for the first time,
Ministers of Tourism and Ministers
of Culture from around the world,
experts and stakeholders from
both sectors to explore new
models of partnership between
tourism and culture (Siem Reap,
Cambodia, 4-6 February 2015).
Cultural tourism can contribute to
inclusive economic growth, social
development and cultural
preservation. The first
UNWTO/UNESCO World
Conference on Tourism and
Culture will provide an
unprecedented global platform
for policymakers, experts and
practitioners in tourism and
culture to meet and identify the
key challenges and opportunities
for stronger cooperation between
these highly interlinked areas.
Over the course of two days,
participants will explore different
roles and mandates on five key
topics – governance and
23 MICE Travel Advisor
partnership models, cultural
preservation, living cultures and
creative industries, cultural routes
and urban regeneration through
cultural tourism.
Confirmed speakers include King
Simeon II, Nassir Abdulaziz AlNasser, UN High Representative
for the Alliance of Civilizations,
John Delaney, Senior Vice
President of Seabourn, and
Elizabeth Becker, award-winning
author and former correspondent
for the New York Times.
identity and is a means to foster
respect and tolerance among
people. It is also a way to create
millions of jobs and improve
UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb people's lives, a path to
strengthen mutual understanding.
Rifai, said “This milestone event
will provide a unique opportunity Safeguarding cultural heritage
must move forward with
for tourism and culture
sustainable tourism, which is the
stakeholders from all regions to
discuss how to further harness the core message of this Conference.
This vision guides our efforts to
power of tourism and culture to
promote culture as a driver and as
alleviate poverty, create jobs,
an enabler of sustainable
protect heritage and promote
development, and is especially
international understanding,
important at this time of change,
contributing to the post-2015
when countries are shaping a new
development agenda”.
global sustainable development
Irina Bokova, UNESCO Directoragenda to follow 2015.”
General: “Culture shapes our
Hong Kong Convention Centre Voted as Asia's Best
The Hong Kong Convention and
Exhibition Centre ('HKCEC') has
been voted 'Asia's Best
Convention and Exhibition Centre'
for the 12th time by readers of CEI
Asia, the region's premier
magazine for the MICE (Meetings,
Incentive events, Conventions and
Exhibitions) and business events
industry.
Best Convention and Exhibition
Centre' 12 times.
Ms Monica Lee-Müller, Managing
Director of Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre
(Management) Limited ('HML'),
commented, 'Being the long
standing winner of this prestigious
award, we are humble yet proud
to receive continued support from
The CEI Asia industry survey and
our clients and peers. This is in
awards have been conducted
fact a great recognition to the 930
annually since 2001. Since then
staff members who always go
the HKCEC has been named 'Asia's beyond the call of duty to ensure
24 MICE Travel Advisor
the success for each exhibition,
convention and other events.
‘In response to the simple
question “Will you use the Centre
again?” put to HKCEC clients over
the past three years, 993 of 1,008
respondents answered 'yes': a
satisfaction rate of almost 99%.
The vote of confidence by our
clients is the best motivation and
encouragement that we can
receive.'
Cover Story
The outlook of
MICE industry 2015
The Meetings, Incentive,
Conference, and Events (MICE)
industry is poised to see an
enterprising 2015. A research
report published by American
Express brings some interesting
forecasts for the meetings and
events industry. The forecast
reports were based on a survey
25 MICE Travel Advisor
done on businesses, meeting planners
and hoteliers in 2014. The survey
highlighted some interesting trends
and predictions for 2015 in the use of
technology, budgeting and financial
implications, and the way the event
planning is taking on a much more
global outlook.
Technology within Meetings and Events
The 2014 survey was primarily based on a technological theme, with a number of questions posed to
participants to see how this aspect was affecting meetings planning globally. This is an area where
growth is always expected as more regions take on new ideas, and this was seen with
approximately 25% of planners using virtual technology in the Americas and Asia
Pacific; however it was certainly a lesser issue this year, much like
environmental concerns. There is a lot of talk about global changes in the
report but it must be remembered that not all trends are universal; some
regions only predict about 10% growth in the use of technology in 2015,
some areas with a typically great performance, like Asia Pacific, have seen
a slowing of growth and the optimism that is said to be felt by meetings
planners is not quite as strong in Central and South America.
The main focus of 2014/2015 seems to be spending
and budgeting, so what impact is this likely to have
on meetings and events planning?
Technology may be tentatively on the rise but it is the
economic side of meetings and planning that appears
to be the most prominent factor in this 2015 Global
Meetings & Events forecast. When meetings planners
were polled about their greatest concerns, economic
and political instability came second (behind the
26 MICE Travel Advisor
perception of a resort destination) and many
highlighted a shift in policies where payment and
procurement processes were on the rise.
Organizations are looking to keep a strict budget,
a decision that is believed to be partly related to
the predicted rise in airfares of 2%, as some
companies are said to be integrating air travel into
their plans much more and taking more notice of
group offers.
Tight Budgets Beneficial to Affordable Hotels
With this shift to an economic focus, it is important to
consider the effect this will have on planners and
hoteliers who are working with, and relying upon,
these company's meetings and events.
Understandably, these tighter budgets are forcing
companies to rethink their approach a little and they
are expected to become more focused on mid-tier
hotels than can provide a more affordable and
practical option. This is great news for hoteliers within
27 MICE Travel Advisor
this bracket, many of which are already optimistic
because of projected rises in occupancy rates for
meeting rooms in 2015. When it comes to the
meetings planners being hired to find these
rooms, however, there is slightly more pressure to
meet procedures and there could be greater
competition to snap up the best rooms if everyone
is set to narrow their criteria.
There are some clear downsides to increasing procedure in
this way and having to scrutinize every detail of the planning
to work to a more restrictive budget but this American
Express survey has shown that there are some positives to
adopting this new approach. It is also important to highlight
their finding that budgets are now "showing movement in
the most positive direction" since they originally started
surveying businesses in 2011. In fact, budgets may be getting
stricter with some companies but there is a general trend
that program cuts are actually decreasing. Essentially, these
new policies seem to be more about regulation of spending,
accountability and a stronger focus on the issues than an
attempt to cut spending, which is seen as a positive step
forward.
What to Expect?
While enthusiastic talk of a boom in
meetings planning should be taken
a little more lightly than American
Express would perhaps like
following this report, there are still
plenty of positive points to take
away from this 2015 forecast.
Procedures and trends are set to
develop on a global scale within
meetings planning and technology
– with varying impacts – and even
though companies are looking to
focus their budget and could
potentially put more pressure on
their planners; there is still hope for
progression and a slowing of cuts.
28 MICE Travel Advisor
Show Highlight
SATTE
When: 29-31 January , Where: New Delhi, India
A
fter being bracketed as a vital sector by
the new government in this year's Union
budget, the Indian tourism industry is
looking forward to a positive year, giving the
industry more than enough reason to be at SATTE
2015. Donning a new brand identity, in its 22nd
edition, slated to be held from 29-31 January 2015
in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, the event, will be
spread over 17500 sqm gross and will feature over
650 exhibitors with a target to increase
participation to over 50 countries, thus making it
India's biggest travel and tourism event.
The enormous participation of major Indian and
global players and the presence of the who's who
of the travel industry, is witness to the importance
the event holds. Established in 1994, SATTE has
grown in terms of exhibitors, visitors and buyers,
and is today the biggest networking forum for the
travel and tourism industry in South Asia. Touting
SATTE as one of the most significant travel events
in the country, Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General,
UNWTO stated earlier, "Over the years SATTE has
evolved into becoming one of the leading
networking forums for the tourism sector in South
Asia. SATTE has been and will continue to be a
source that drives tourists into the country and
vice versa. We are extremely proud to be
associated with an event of this stature.”
29 MICE Travel Advisor
The 2014 edition recorded a participation of over
640 exhibitors from 35 countries, 23 Indian States,
airlines, airline, DMCs, hotels and the entire gamut
of travel, tourism and hospitality suppliers
showcasing their products. The event received a
record 10,000 business meeting request between
buyers and sellers. SATTE also welcomed its
highest-ever number of attendees 11,529 travel trade professionals,
including pre-registered and
hosted Indian and international
buyers and business visitors.
The Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India has, once
again, extended it's support to SATTE, reaffirming
it's faith in South Asia's leading B2B travel show.
The Incredible India logo is being displayed
prominently in various publicity collaterals of the
event, including print, website, emailers and onsite branding.
Captains of the industry present at the previous
editions were unanimous in their opinion that
SATTE has been a great networking and business
transaction platform for the travel, tourism and
hospitality sector. NTO'S and State tourism boards
are of the opinion that a platform like SATTE is
needed for further promoting inbound and
domestic tourism in India.
Subhash Goyal, President, Indian Association of
Tour Operators (IATO) stated that, over the last
few years, SATTE has given the Indian and Asian
Tour Operators, Hoteliers, State Tourism Boards,
airlines etc. an unique opportunity to showcase
their products to foreign and local buyers without
having to go to international trade shows.
Calling SATTE, an extraordinary travel mart, Jyoti
Kapur, President, Association of Domestic Tour
Operators of India (ADTOI) said, “SATTE has only
evolved over the years and I am happy and proud
to be associated with an event of this calibre.”
Touting SATTE as the largest travel trade exhibition
in South Asia and a pioneer in bringing together all
the stakeholders in the travel industry under one
roof, Karan Anand, Head-Relationships, Cox &
Kings said, “The event has been globally
recognised and endorsed by the tourism industry
30 MICE Travel Advisor
in India. Cox & Kings has been associated with the
exhibition for the last 15 years and are proud of
our association with such a prestigious event.”
After a highly successful debut at SATTE 2014,
Shivali Suri, Country Manager - India, VisitBritain,
commented, “UBM India has always been
organising excellent exhibitions across the country.
It is a platform for an NTO to showcase its
products and regions with the right audience. Our
business partners get the opportunity to enhance
their growth over three days. Every travel agent /
tour operator should mark it in their calendar each
year to visit SATTE to develop their business and
network with international counterparts. We look
forward to the forthcoming SATTE.”
Byugnsun Lee, Director, Korea Tourism, further
added, “We are very optimistic about SATTE 2015
as it provides an ideal platform for buyers from all
over the country. SATTE is the perfect
environment to build new business relations.”
Apart from Ministry of Tourism, Indian State
Tourism Boards and private players are also quite
upbeat about SATTE 2015. States such as Jammu
and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh,
West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh,
Lakshwadeep, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh and Odisha
have also expressed
their support for
SATTE 2015.
In the months leading to SATTE 2015, as more and
more exhibitors hop on board, repeat participants
have been reiterating their support for the event.
International players who continue to show keen
interest and support SATTE include Abu Dhabi,
Argentina, Bhutan, Brand USA, Dubai, Egypt, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Jordan, Macau, Malaysia, Israel,
The Maldives, Swedavia, Japan, Korea, Mauritius,
Oman, Fiji, Philippines, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand,
Turkey, VisitBritain, Maldives, New Zealand and
many more. Israel Tourism believes that the
abundance of quality business growth
opportunities draws the NTO to SATTE every year,
and the representatives look forward to an
incredibly productive time at this show this year as
well. SATTE 2015 is also expecting participation of
new players such as Italy, Cambodia, Russia,
Greece, Fujairah, Bahrain and Sharjah, among
others.
Furthermore, Israel, Korea, Fiji, Guideline Travels,
Arc Travels and The Venetian Macao have all
increased their stall space for the upcoming event.
Several other exhibitors are also in talks with the
organisers to increase their stall space at SATTE
2015. NTOs such as Thailand, Turkey and Spain
among others are also mooting an increase in
participation.
Apart from NTO'S and State Tourism Boards, travel
& hospitality companies, DMC's, OTA's and
tourism products including Aitken Spence Hotel
Management, Anantara Spa, Discover The World,
Frasers Hospitality, Iween Software Solutions,
Venetian Macao Resorts Hotels, Poppys Hotel,
31 MICE Travel Advisor
Somatheeram Ayurveda Group, Pushkar
Palace/Jagat Palace, Travel Designer India, Abacus,
Akqua Sun(IRIS)Reunion, Global Destination,
Globus & Cosmos, Indian Travel Promotion Co. Pvt
Ltd, Pallavi Hotels and Resorts, Pine Kraft, Trip
Advisor, Cox&Kings, Benchmark (Trail of Indochina), RoomsXML, Accor, Avenue Hotels, Clarks
Inn, Ascot hotels, Duggal brothers, Ellbee Hotels ,
Fore Representations, Jetwing Travels, Neemrana
Hotels, Onyx Hospitality have either confirmed
their participation or are on the verge of
confirmation. Ark Travels, Crimson Hotels, Israel,
among many others have increased their stall
space.
SATTE also expects to welcome a record number
of buyers for it's 22nd edition. It presents an
opportunity for the buyers to explore and discover
new avenues for building their business and
showcase their latest offerings. The Buyer
Programme at SATTE has consistently served as a
platform to build a more collaborative relationship
between Buyers and Exhibitors. It is a unique
platform which provides a B2B Meeting Scheduler
to pre – fix meetings with the sellers / exhibitors
who participate in SATTE. Despite SATTE 2015
being 3 months away, it has recorded registration
from 115 foreign buyers from over 40 countries
and 452 Indian buyers from 48 cities of India. The
trend indicates that buyers from several new
countries have registered for SATTE 2015.
SATTE continues to attract Indian buyer (Travel
agents/ Tour operators) from all over India
including South ( Andhra Pradesh, Tamil nadu ,
Kerala and Karnataka ), North ( New Delhi ,
32 MICE Travel Advisor
Chandigarh, Rajasthan , Uttar Pradesh, Srinagar,
Ludhiana , Uttarakhand , Jalandher, Amritsar &
Ladakh ), West ( Gujarat, Chhattisgarh ,Madhya
Pradesh, Goa & Maharashtra ) and East (Kolkata,
Bihar, Ranchi, Bhuwaneshwar, Guwahati &
Siliguri). The event will also witness participation
of International buyers from across the globe
including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UK, China, Spain,
Russia, Turkey, USA, Argentina & South Africa to
name a few. The event is also in talks with
international trade bodies such as ASTA (American
Society of Travel Agents) and many more to have a
stronger influx of international buyers at SATTE
Over the years SATTE has also enjoyed much
acclaim in international business circles, having
worked closely with renowned travel associations,
organisations and media houses such as UNTWO
and International Council of Tourism Partners
(ICTP), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of
India (ADTOI), Association of Tourism Trade
Organisations India (ATTOI), Enterprising Travel
Agents Association (ETAA), Federation of Hotel &
Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), Indian
Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel
Agents Association of India (TAAI),
Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) and
Outbound Tour Operators
Association of India
(OTOAI) and ASTA (American
Society of Travel Agents).
Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF)
When: 16-18 February ,Where: Conrad Dubai
T
he Global Restaurant Investment Forum
(GRIF), taking place on 16-18 Feb in Dubai,
UAE, is establishing itself as the mustattend event for organizations and individuals
involved in restaurant investment, development
and expansion. Jonathan Worsley, Chairman,
Bench Events, said: “GRIF provides a unique
platform which brings together key stakeholders in
the restaurant investment community together in
one place to share best practice, innovation,
knowledge and address current issues that face
the sector.”
The GRIF programme has been built on four key
pillars as determined by the event Advisory Board:
£Creating successful concepts
£Generating growth through Franchising
£Internationalizing your business
£Innovation and inspiration to improve your
existing operations
The three-day conference will start with a culinary
tour around Dubai so attendees can view real
estate options in the local market, see what's
currently on the menu and assess the pipeline.
The forum itself will begin with a presentation
from Nicholas Lander, Author of 'The Art of the
Restaurateur' (Phaidon) and FT Restaurant on
lessons learnt from successful restaurateurs. This
will be followed by a session on key market trends
and an insight into what exciting innovations and
33 MICE Travel Advisor
trends are currently taking place around the globe.
There will also be a selection of round table
discussions and focus groups to drill down into
niche topics and introduce potential local partners
in the hottest global markets. Additional sessions
will explore challenges that are presented when
taking your brand global with case studies from
Hard Rock Café and Wagamama's and how to
assess potential partners and opportunities and a
Concept Showcase will look at some fresh
concepts from the industry.
Day Two opens with a discussion on building your
Investment road map with Paul Campbell,
Founder, Hill Capital Partners, Levent Veziroğlu,
Chief Executive Officer, D.Ream, Sami Daud,
Executive Chairman, Gourmet Gulf and Marc
Blazer, Chairman & CEO, Overture Investment
Partners; Chairman of the Board, Noma. The
agenda then explores crowdfunding with
Chilango and how to make hotels into dining
destinations and identify what not to do in
restaurant design. The afternoon
finishes with breakout sessions
covering franchising, retail
F&B, bars and nightclubs and
agreements.
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY EUROPE
When: 25-26 February, Where: Olympia, London
T
ravel Technology Europe, the largest
specialist event of its kind in Europe, will
host its 12th annual event on 25-26
February2015, expecting to attract over 4,500
travel technology buyers from across Europe. This
year, the event focuses on bringing innovation to
the forefront via 'Disrupt', a brand new feature
aimed at showcasing the very best new ideas that
the industry has to offer, supported by London &
Partners, Traveltech Lab and Tech City News.
'Disrupt' is aimed at those bringing new ideas and
products to the travel industry, working alongside
both existing and new start-up businesses to
nurture and support our home-grown talent. It
will provide a unique platform from which to
showcase Europe's latest and most innovative
products relevant to the travel industry and startup companies will have the opportunity to apply
for one of 20 special 'Disrupt' places at the show,
at a discounted rate. Sessions within this zone will
focus on the next big thing in travel technology
and the 20 start-up exhibitors will each have an
opportunity to pitch their ideas to a 'Dragon's Den'
style panel in a series of interactive sessions. The
audience will then vote for their favourite idea
and the winner will win free mentoring, PR
support and a stand at TTE 2016.
34 MICE Travel Advisor
David Chapple, event director, TTE commented:
“We're thrilled with the support that the industry
continues to show us year after year; and want to
give something back to the newest kids on the
block by encouraging development amongst startup businesses and allowing growth through
shared ideas. We believe in innovation at the
heart of evolution and hope that by offering
a new type of networking opportunity this
year, we will be bringing together
great minds from all corners of the
travel technology industry to
spark creativity and encourage
new ideas”.
MITT
When: 18 – 21 March, Where: Moscow
Moscow's International Travel and Tourism
Exhibition (MITT), the largest travel trade
exhibition in Russia and the CIS, returns for its
22nd edition on 18 – 21 March 2015.
Over 37 million Russians travelled abroad for
business and leisure in the first nine months of
2014. Many countries, including: Cyprus, Hungary,
Israel, Italy, Egypt, Latvia and South Korea have
boasted anincrease in the number of Russian
tourists. Amongst them, Turkey, welcomed over 4
million Russian tourists from January 2014 to
September 2014 – a 10% increase compared to
the same period in 2013.
Alper Özkan, Culture and Promotion Counsellor,
Turkish Embassy in Moscow comments: “Being
geographically very close to the Russian
Federation, (...) last year 4.3 million Russian
tourists visited Turkey - we still believe that the
market will be growing when economic stability is
achieved.”
35 MICE Travel Advisor
In 2014, Russia's international connectivity
increased with new direct flight routes launched
from Moscow to Bahrain, Delhi and Georgia; and
from Vladivostok to Hanoi; Ekaterinburg to China;
amongst others.
Visa requirements for Russian tourists have also
been relaxed by Tunisia, scrapped by Indonesia,
and an 'e-visa on arrival' system implemented for
Russians travelling to India. These developments
are just some of the recent procedures introduced
to increase the mobility of Russian travellers.
Testament to the continued interest in the Russian
outbound travel market, the MITT exhibition will
welcome the new destinations of Yemen, Fujairah
and Guam – who will exhibit for the first time in
March 2015. The MITT event is a platform where
over 37,000 travel trade professionals,
government ministers and international press
can assess the market; network with
existing and new clients, as well as
conduct and conclude deals for the
following tourism season.
rd
3 RUSSIA HOTEL EXPANSION SUMMIT
When: 23rd April, Where: Moscow
T
oday`s Russia is a country primarily of
tourism. International and local hotel
chains continuously plan and announce
their new projects to increase capacity as Russia
prepares for the FIFA World Cup 2018. The 11
host cities are under immense pressure as they
struggle to accommodate thousands of football
supporters. Currently the 108 hotel projects in the
pipeline are exploring green solutions to lower
energy costs, water, and waste consumption.
These factors are becoming increasingly important
for hotels to ensure sustainable development,
which their guests and cities require, and a greater
return on investment, through the
implementation of green solutions that their
investors demand.
Noppen`s 3rd Annual Russia Hotel Expansion
Summit will feature the most prominent industry
leaders providing informative and inspiring
discussions pertaining to the current needs and
future development.
Global and local leading operators, developers,
investors, construction companies, architects,
financial institutes, associations, consultants and
solution providers are invited to discuss upcoming
and existing projects, investment possibilities,
innovative sustainable development methods,
design trends and technology updates.
Eminent Speakers
Adrian Egger
Managing Director
Thermarium Bader-Bau Gmb
Karl De Lacy
International Development Manager
Best Western International
Lucy Mityaeva
Chairwomen of the Summit
CEO
CHC International
David Jenkins
Executive Vice President -Russia & CIS
JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
Ksenia Agapova
Head of Sustainability Services, Russia & CIS,
Jones Lang LaSalle
36 MICE Travel Advisor
ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED AT THE 2015 EVENT:
£ Cutting-edge Green Solutions
£ Sustainable Designs
£ Investing & Developing Opportunities
37 MICE Travel Advisor
Show Review
MITM AMERICAS AND CULTOURFAIR
When: 3rd-5th December
Where: Puebla, Mexico
O
n the 5th of December, the XX edition
of MITM Americas, Meetings &
Incentive Travel Market and VI edition
of CULTOURFAIR, International Cultural Travel
Fair, ended with great success in the city of
Puebla, Mexico.
In this edition, there were more than 250
participants from 39 countries: Argentina,
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy,
Mexico, Netherlands, Palestine, Peru, Poland,
Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia,
South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UK,
Ukraine, Uruguay and USA.
During the fair 4.795 business appointments
were done, generating an estimated business of
more than USD$234,908,000 in short to long
term.
The Secretary of Tourism of the State of Puebla,
Roberto Trauwitz Echeguren, recognized the high
level of hosted buyers and thanked the excellent
testimonials that every participant has made of
Puebla, pointing to the fact that “the
transformation of the State is a result of the
commitment of this administration to turn this
38 MICE Travel Advisor
entity into a unique destination of its kind”.
Puebla, as a great host, has shown its culinary
wealth, the kindness and professionalism of its
people, the richness of its culture, its large
infrastructure investments and its great beauty as
a destination”.
Exhibitors also highlighted the quality of buyers,
as well as the excellent organization of the fair
and the business opportunities. WTM Morelos –
Congress Center: "Great Event with very good
business opportunities”. Positive Turismo
Ecuador: "I liked the quality of buyers and the
mixture of countries”. Puebla Tourism Office: "We
liked the high level and profile of buyers and
event's organizers”. Malaga City Tourism Board:
"Everything was excellent, thanks!”. Juliatours: "I
liked a lot the quality of buyers”.
TRAVEL TURKEY İZMIR
When: 4 - 7 December 2014
Where: İzmir
T
he 8th Tourism Fair and Conference held
between 4 - 7 December 2014 was
successfully concluded. Hosting 902
companies, the event was visited by a total of
28,073 persons from 52 provinces in Turkey and
67 countries. Travel Turkey İzmir made the
industry happy with the increase in the number
of visitors and with the new business contacts.
The event was totally admired by the tourism
industry.
Travel Turkey İzmir brought the tourism industry
together in İzmir. The exhibitors met professional
visitors and made major business contacts for
four days regarding the tourism season of the
year of 2015.
The event broke a record again this year. This
year saw a remarkable increase in the number of
countries compared to the previous years.
Attended by 22 countries the previous year, the
Tourism Fair and Conference hosted 30 countries
this year in order for them to display their
products and services. The tourism trends of the
next year were initiated with Travel Turkey Izmir.
The event housed a great platform to enable
making new business contacts.
The Partner country Italy and the Partner
province Adıyaman had the opportunity to
39 MICE Travel Advisor
introduce themselves to the visitors and the
exhibitors during the event. The countries
attending the fair this year were Germany,
Argentine, Austria, Bulgaria, Djibouti, Indonesia,
Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, South Africa, South
Korea, South Sudan, India, Iran, Italy, Kenya,
Hungary, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mongolia,
Namibia, Nigeria, Portuguese, Rwanda, Uganda,
Jordan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey and Greece.
The destinations for the event were Adıyaman,
Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Amasya, Artvin, Aydın,
Batman, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Çanakkale, Çorum,
Denizli, Diyarbakır, Giresun, Iğdır, İzmir,
Kahramanmaraş, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kütahya,
Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Nevşehir, Ordu,
Rize, Şanlıurfa, Tokat, Trabzon, Van, Zonguldak ve
Bergama, Bodrum, Bornova, Didim, Edremit,
Eğirdir, Fethiye, Kapadokya, Karaburun, Kuşadası,
Marmaris and Menderes.
Record-breaking range of visitors with 67
countries
28,073 persons from 67 countries and 52
provinces in Turkey came to İzmir to plan and
evaluate the tourism potential of the future
during the 4 days tourism fair. The event was
visited by 26,487 persons from 34 countries last
year.
The countries who took part in the event: USA,
Afghanistan, Germany, Angola, Argentine,
Albania, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, UAE,
Belarus, Belgium, UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Brazil, Algeria, Djibouti, Czech Republic, China,
Indonesia, Finland, France, Ghana, South Africa,
Georgia, Croatia, India, Netherlands, Iraq, Britain,
Iran, Spain, Israel, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy,
Jamaica, Japan, Canada, Montenegro, Qatar,
Kenya, Cyprus, Kirghizstan, TRNC, Korea, Kuwait,
Latvia, Lebanon, Hungary, Macedonia, Egypt,
Nigeria, Portuguese, Romania, Rwanda, Russia,
Serbia, Slovenia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan,
Tanzania, Taiwan, Togo, Tunisia, Greece and
Zambia.
The provinces who took part the event: Adana,
Adıyaman, Afyon, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya,
Artvin, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bartın, Batman, Bolu,
Bursa, Çanakkale, Çorum, Denizli, Diyarbakır,
Elazığ, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Giresun,
Gümüşhane, Hatay, Isparta, İstanbul, İzmir,
Karabük, Karaman, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis,
Kocaeli, Konya, Kütahya, Malatya, Manisa,
Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Nevşehir, Ordu, Rize,
40 MICE Travel Advisor
Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Tokat,
Trabzon, Uşak, Van, Yalova.
Special guests representing the industry in 21
countries, whose transportation was sponsored
by THY, among which are South Africa, Nigeria,
Britain, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Slovenia,
Montenegro, Hungary, Germany, Argentine,
Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Djibouti, France,
Iran, Italy, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Russia and
Kenya, attended the fair and met the exhibitor
tourism professionals. International buyers were
also able to visit the historical places and get to
know İzmir under the scope of the İzmir Agora,
Ephesus and Virgin Mary tour.
The conference with the theme "İzmir Approach
to the Tourism of Tomorrow", 7 presentations
and 3 different exhibitions were made under the
organization. Hosted by the İzmir Metropolitan
Municipality, organized by the İzmir Fuarcılık
Hizmetleri Kültür ve Sanat İşleri Tic. A.Ş. (İZFAŞ),
Turkish Transportation Agencies Association
(TÜRSAB) and Hannover Fairs Turkey Fuarcılık
A.Ş., Travel Turkey İzmir – 8th Tourism Fair and
Conference was organized under the auspices of
the Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture and
Tourism.
The Travel Turkey İzmir - Tourism and Conference
to be held in 2015 in Exhibition İzmir will bring
together the local and foreign tourism
professionals once again in İzmir.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY SHOW
When: 14th – 16th December
Where- Muscat, Oman
T
he International Travel and Hospitality
Show (ITHS) 2014 and Oman Tourism
Summit ended on a successful note on
16th December 2014. More than 30 exhibitors
participated at the ITHS Exhibition which
attracted a total of 1150 visitors. Besides the
Exhibition and the Summit activities, the
Exhibition concluded with an ITHS Tour organized
by OITE and sponsored by Oman National Ferries
Company. The Tour promoted relationship
building outdoors among 70 exhibitors and
visitors who had the opportunity to experience
the scenic Muscat coastline. Some of the
exhibitors share their experiences at ITHS 2014
and the Oman Tourism Summit.
“Participating at ITHS was a lucrative opportunity
for Golden Tours Oman to discuss opportunities
for furthering business and reaching agreements
with companies we met at ITHS. I strongly
recommend that fairs like ITHS be conducted to
41 MICE Travel Advisor
promote the tourism scenario in the country”
says Mr. Humaid Al Mujaini, General Manager,
Golden Tours Oman.
“I think ITHS is a great platform for networking,
the Summit has been informative about the
region, where the tourism industry is blooming
and where there is huge scope for investment”
says Ms. Ruba Jurdi, Founder/Director, Rally
Royale.
From a visitor's perspective, Mr. Abdul Rahman
Awadhi, Executive Director, Awadhi Co. who is an
entrepreneur from Bahrain said “I'm here
because I love Oman and respect and appreciate
the way they handle their tourism. It's a very
unique strategy and my personal goal is to look at
investment and employment opportunities in this
sector. I see a lot of interesting tourism projects
coming up, and it's very admirable where the
country is going.”
Speaking about the ITHS Exhibition he continues
“Having gone around the booths, it's really nice
to see a lot of entrepreneurs my age. They look
really passionate about their country and what
they do. You can tell that there's a lot of potential
for SME's in Oman, to set up new businesses or
look into prospective affiliations, and credit is
due to all those involved in spurring this activity.”
Calendar of Events
8
1
16 ary
u
n
a
J
IITM
Cochin, India
http://www.iitmindia.com/
7
1
5
1
ry
a
u
Jan
IITT
Mumbai,India
http://www.tourismfair.asia/
29
2
2
ry
a
u
Jan
Asean Tourism Forum
Nay Pai Taw, Myanmar
http://www.atf-2015.com/
2
21-2 ry
ua
n
a
J
CONVENTA
Slovenia, Europe
http://www.conventa.si/home/
25
2
2
ry
a
u
Jan
31
9
2
ry
a
u
Jan
42 MICE Travel Advisor
Emitt Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
http://www.emittistanbul.com/
SATTE
New Delhi, India
http://www.ubmindia.in/satte/home
1-3 ry
a
u
r
Feb
ROUTES AMERICA
Denver, USA
http://www.routesonline.com
4-6 ry
a
u
r
Feb
PATA AT & RTCM
Thimpu, Bhutan
http://www.pata.org
4-6 ry
ua
r
b
Fe
Civil Aviation Indonesia Congress
Jakarta, Indonesia
http://www.caicindo.com/
8-9 ary
u
r
b
Fe
Resort Development & Hospitality
Dubai, UAE
http://resorthospitalitylse.
marcusevans.com/
12 y
0
1
r
a
u
r
Feb
13 y
2
1
ar
u
r
Feb
43 MICE Travel Advisor
IBTM Arabia
Abu Dhabi,UAE
http://www.ibtmarabia.com/
2nd Africa Hotel Expansion Summit
Darkar,Senegal
http://www.hotelandresortexpansion.com/
17
5
y
1
r
a
ru
b
e
F
MCE CEE
Warsaw, Poland
http://www.europecongress.com
/events/mce-cee-2015-warsaw
11 ry
a
u
r
Feb
Leisure Real Estate and Vacation Rental Summit
Montcalm Marble Arch, London
http://www.leisurerealestatesummit.com/
18 y
6
1
r
a
u
r
b
e
F
22 y
1
2
r
a
u
r
b
e
F
Global Restaurant Investment Forum
Conrad Dubai, UAE
www.restaurant-invest.com
Adventure Travel Expo
Melborne, Australia
www.myadventureexpo.com
5
2
24 ary
ru
b
e
F
-26 y
5
2
ar
u
r
Feb
44 MICE Travel Advisor
AIME
Melborne, Australia
http://www.aime.com.au/
Travel Technology Europe
Olympia, London
http://www.traveltechnologyshow.com/