ITB Asia has inked a milestone partnership with the Japan National Tourism Organisation of Singapore. The memorandum of cooperation with Asia’s leading travel trade show looks to propel Japan up the international business and events destination chart.

“Japan is a prime MICE destination in the region. It’s a perfect combination of first-class infrastructure, range of unique destinations, excellent hospitality, world-class food, heightened safety and cleanliness which draws international appeal. It gives us great pleasure to be in partnership with the Japan National Tourism Organisation of Singapore. ITB Asia will be the go-to platform that connects visitors and buyers, in effort to further drive Japan forward,” said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.

“Tourism is a vital part of Japan’s growth strategy and our partnership with ITB Asia to attract international MICE travellers is one of the many efforts that further open our doors in achieving the government’s growth trajectory target of 40 million by 2020[1]. Our myriad of destinations – from pristine sun-kissed beaches at Okinawa to snow-capped mountains of Hokkaido, make us an exceptional and attractive MICE destination to international businesses,” said Susan Ong, Deputy Director, Japan Convention Bureau/Japan National Tourism Organisation of Singapore.

According to the 2015 statistics report by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Japan hosted 355 international meetings ranking top in Asia and 7th in the World.  Japan will play host to the 2019 World Rugby Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Japan National Tourism Organisation of Singapore will have a booth at ITB Asia this year and will be providing delegates the latest information on Japan’s attractions, convention cities and other activities.

Last year, ITB Asia attracted close to 760 exhibitors from 73 countries, as well as 880 buyers and more than 10,300 attendees over three days. For more information on ITB Asia 2016, visit www.itb-asia.com

About ITB Asia 2016

ITB Asia 2016 will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, from 19 – 21 October. It is organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. The event will feature hundreds of exhibiting companies from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, covering not only the leisure market, but also corporate and MICE travel. Exhibitors from every sector of the industry, including destinations, airlines and airports, hotels and resorts, theme parks and attractions, inbound tour operators, inbound DMCs, cruise lines, spas, venues, other meeting facilities and travel technology companies are all expected to attend. www.itb-asia.com.

About Japan National Tourism Organisation of Singapore

The Japan National Tourism Organization Singapore office was established in May 2006 and as of April 2016, JNTO Singapore has been officially appointed by the Japan Convention Bureau to offer support services to Associations, Meetings and Incentive planners from Asia Pacific.

With increased interest from the Asia-Pacific region, MICE planners can look forward to exciting opportunities and services that are available at the Japan Convention Bureau/ JNTO Singapore Office

• Facilitate bids for regional and international conventions, association meetings, incentives and corporate meetings.
• Assist with site inspections, DMC recommendations, RFPs etc.
• Link up Local convention bureaus for onsite event support programs such as cultural performances, city tours welcome arrival greetings
• For corporate meeting planners, we can assist with venue recommendations/availability, sourcing local suppliers, pre- and post-meeting tour ideas and more. Visit www.japanmeetings.org

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Asia’s leading travel trade show, ITB Asia, today announced International SOS as its first official Medical and Travel Security partner. This move would help the delegates at ITB Asia to get educated on latest industry trends through International SOS’s in-market expertise and global assistance network.

This year’s edition of ITB is organised by Messe Berlin(Singapore) and would be held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands from 19-21 October 2016.

International SOS is the world’s leading medical and travel Security Risk Services Company. They care for clients across the globe, from more than 1,000 locations in 90 countries.

The company focuses on the current scenario of the higher risk ratings of the visiting countries than the traveller’s home country. Recent research from International SOS highlights the importance of pre-travel health investment, the one that benefits the company’s bottom line while supporting their duty of care to their employees.

International SOS would hold a workshop titled ‘Understanding the risk exposure for your business travellers during a medical or security incident and how to mitigate these risks’ on the second day of the show. This workshop would mainly theme the importance of travel risk management. The delegates would learn the importance of preparedness and ‘Duty of Care’.

Ms. Juliana Gim, Managing Director of International SOS Singapore and Ms. Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore) at the official signing ceremony

By participating in the travel trade show, the company would focus on sharing more information on preventive programmes and planning, in-country expertise, and global emergency assistance service.

“This first-of-its-kind partnership with International SOS demonstrates our continued commitment to encompass all sectors of the travel industry and create an optimal business environment for our delegates. People in the travel sector are particularly vulnerable to the changing political, economic and health conditions. Through targeted workshops, International SOS will share insights on how organisations can help fulfil their duty of care to travellers by identifying the latest threats and taking steps to mitigate them,” said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organisers of ITB Asia.

The delegates would have access to an online platform and a customized mobile application that highlights the latest country health and security risks.

ITB Asia has also partnered with CrescentRating, which would share insights on the how delegates can leverage on growing Muslim travel sector. ITB would be hosting an exclusive MICE day, with key collaboratives like Society of Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers(SACEOS) and Incentive Conference and Event Society Asia Pacific(ICESAP) on the second day of the show. MICE industry’s topical issues would spring up during such sessions.

Being a hybrid show, ITB attracts delegates from all walks of travel sector including MICE, leisure and corporate companies. It’s a holistic platform to network and build more opportunities. A great line up of conferences would provide a comprehensive view of latest trends, issues and opportunities in the sector.

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With another month coming to end, we have more interesting stories to share. This month we saw some major acquisitions being announced. In a bid to go strong against Airbnb, Expedia announced the acquisition of HomeAway while Marriott announced the acquisition of Starwood Hotels to create the biggest hotel chain. We have created a round-up of some of our most popular stories this month just in case you missed them.

#1. Marriott International to acquire Starwood Hotels

With a goal to create the largest hotel company in the world, Marriott International declared to purchase Starwood Hotels and Resorts for USD 12.2 billion. Starwood is a popular brand among young travellers and has got strong reward programs. After the acquisition is complete, it will have 5500 properties and more than a million hotel rooms under 30 brands. Read the full story Marriott International to acquire Starwood to boost global presence.

#2. Predictions for industry trends from Phocuswright Conference

The industry is changing fast and with large number of experts under the same roof, events like Phocuswright Conference help us update ourselves with the trends. There were discussions about activity space, Chinese market, big data and lot more. We compiled a list of top tweets shared during the event that sum up the state of travel industry. Read the full story 9 Tweets from Phocuswright Conference that sum up the state of travel industry.

#3. Conversation with Maunik Thacker, Senior Vice President of marketing at Marina Bay Sands

In a very short time period of 5 years, the Marina Bay Sands hotel has become the top venue for business events in the region. With correct positioning and by tapping into right markets, it enjoys close to full occupancy all year round. We had a chat with Maunik Thacker who shared the secrets of hotel’s immense success. Read the full story Maunik Thacker, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Marina Bay Sands shares the hotel’s success mantra.

#4. Domestic carriers can offer ‘Zero bag’ fares

DGCA has allowed domestic carriers to roll out ‘Zero bag’ fares. Under this, they can offer discounted price for tickets for travellers who are travelling without any check-in luggage. This would also allow them to charge penalty against the baggage for tickets booked under ‘Zero bag’ fares. Read the full story New DGCA regulation allows domestic carriers to offer ‘Zero bag’ fares.

#5. British Airways receives huge backlash over Twitter

British Airways stayed on top of Twitter trends for the bad reasons. After messing up a Twitter reply to Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as the greatest cricketer of all time. The fans actively tweeted against British Airways for being irresponsible and giving pre-drafted replies to the star cricketer. Read the full story This tweet by British Airways to India’s God, Sachin Tendulkar has put them in Hall of Shame.

#6. Goibibo’s ex-COO joins MakeMyTrip

Soon after parting ways with Goibibo, Deepak Tuli joined MakeMyTrip as Senior Vice-President-Growth Business. He was one of the co-founders of Goibibo and was functioning as the COO with the OTA. With MakeMyTrip, he will be developing new strategies to grow business in accommodation segment. Read the full story Goibibo’s ex-COO Deepak Tuli joins MakeMyTrip as Senior VP.

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In a short time period of 5 years, the beautiful Marina Bay Sands has become one of the top venues for business events in the region. It also plays host to a large number of vacationers as well. While the entire hotel industry faces various challenges, Marina Bay Sands enjoys close to full occupancy all year round by positioning itself well and tapping into the right markets. We had a chat with Mr. Maunik Thacker, Senior Vice President Marketing, Marina Bay Sands to learn a thing or two from their success story. Here is an excerpt from the conversation:

MBS turned 5 earlier this year, can you talk about the journey through these years.

Marina Bay Sands has become a game-changer in Asia’s tourism scene. Since our launch in 2010, our iconic design and multi-dimensional offerings have not only transformed the city’s skyline but also placed Singapore in the global spotlight, capturing the imagination of travellers from around the world.

We are constantly evolving as a property and reinventing ourselves to remain competitive. Our efforts to keep Marina Bay Sands an exciting tourist destination have paid off, with over 40 million visitors going through our doors annually for the past two years. In the third quarter of 2015, our occupancy remained high at 98 per cent and our EBITDA rose 10.8 per cent year-on-year to US$389.7 million. We were also presented the ’Business Event Venue of the Year’ and the ‘Best Shopping Experience’ awards by Singapore Experience Awards 2015 – the most prestigious awards platform in Singapore’s tourism industry. Our successful integrated resort model, coupled with the reinvestment in our property through infrastructure enhancements and new concepts, continues to keep us ahead of the curve.

MBS has played a pivotal role in revamping brand Singapore as a tourist destination. As the city continues to evolve and reinvent with newer points of interest, how MBS is gearing up for the future and what are the new initiatives one can expect?

We are humbled by the strong support and honoured to help shape the face of tourism in Singapore.

After five years in Singapore, Marina Bay Sands continues to listen to the customers’ feedback to anticipate demands. We’ve been privileged to operate such a distinctive tourism landmark, and we’ll continue to reinvest in its future so that it remains compelling, innovative and exciting.

We began upgrading our hotel rooms earlier than the usual hotel refurbishment cycle, introduced four new celebrity chef restaurants this year and are continuously bringing in new-to-market brands and flagship stores to The Shoppes. Recently-opened retail stores include Furla and Loro Piana, and shoppers will soon be able to browse through the biggest Armani Junior store in Singapore, biggest Valentino store, and the world’s leading toy retailer Hamley’s of London.

On the MICE front, we have staged 63 new-to-Singapore trade shows and exhibitions since opening. In 2016, this will include new-to-Asia shows such as Airline Passenger Experience Association Meeting and Exhibition.  Returning to Marina Bay Sands next year are also numerous key events such as Tax Free World Association Conference and Exhibition 2016, Maison et Object Asia 2016 and World Cities Summit 2016.

We want to move beyond the iconic label, where tourists only visit once, to being a destination that draws guests again and again for diverse reasons.  Whether it’s entertaining guests with live concert series Sands Live, pleasing their palates with Gordon Ramsay’s Breadstreet Kitchen, or catering to culture fans with award-winning exhibitions like Collider at ArtScience Museum, we programme Marina Bay Sands very actively to keep it fresh and dynamic at every turn.

You have witnessed 100% occupancy rate across most seasons. Can you give us some insight on the channels that drive these bookings?

Our website is our key customer acquisition channel where we offer the best online rates and various seasonal promotions, although our network of online travel agents also brings in a steady stream of bookings. Group sales come in through traditional channels such as physical travel agencies.

MICE has been another key driver of our hotel rooms. Big-scale MICE events such as Interpol World 2015, CommunicAsia, Sibos and ITB Asia bring in many delegates and industry professionals from all over the world, many of whom choose to stay at Marina Bay Sands. For instance, we provided over 11,000 rooms during Sibos 2015 in October and will be providing over 1,500 rooms to host officials and athletes as the Official Games Village for the upcoming 8th ASEAN Para Games in December. We believe that our customers are looking for a one-stop premier destination when they travel and Marina Bay Sands delivers this in a large way.

What role does the website play in enhancing the reputation of the hotel?

We are focused on being mobile first, and this extends to our customer engagement strategy when they are on and off property. Our website is often the first touch point for guests to discover our offerings and services, usually through their mobile devices. We are in the midst of enhancing our website through a content refresh to focus on a simple yet engaging user experience. Recently, we expanded our digital presence in China through WeChat, a popular social media platform. This allows us to reach Chinese mobile consumers with relevant content and deepen their engagement with our brand. The journey continues when they are on property, through a designated app which gives guests easy access to information, such as the mall directory and an online property map, using their mobile phones.  Through this continuous loop of digital experiences, we aim to better serve the specific needs of guests and create personalised experiences for them.

There are a huge number of conversations taking place about MBS online from Tripadvisor to Blogs and on social media platform like Twitter. Can you give us a perspective of the team which works to ensure a happy customer experience?

Social media has redefined the way brands communicate with people; and vice versa. The always-on ecosystem of blogs, social networks and forums has created unprecedented opportunities for Marina Bay Sands to lead the way in engaging communities and build direct relationships with our clients. Our social media team aims to drive long-term social engagement whilst demonstrating commitment and involvement to our customers.

On a day-to-day basis, the Social Media team creates content for various platforms, manages all the interaction and engagement with fans, ensures that all feedback are responded to in a timely manner. We also strategize, develop and execute social media engagement, processes, content creation and outreach to ensure that all business units meet their goals.

Apart from daily social engagement, the team also utilises social media for Branding, Marketing and Communication, Customer Service, Recruitment and Employee Recognition.

Through the successful efforts of the team, our social media accounts have grown rapidly. As of 16 October this year, the Marina Bay Sands Facebook page has received over 511,000 likes, a 58.4% increase since January whereas Twitter and Instagram have gained 23,756 followers and 19,990 followers respectively, a steep rise of 58% and 250% compared to their figures at the beginning of the year. Recently, Marina Bay Sands beat other global contenders to win HOTELS’ 2015 Social Hotel Award for the Best Facebook Page, Property.

By leveraging social media, we continue to cultivate a strong bond with our customers and allow ourselves to be more accessible from all parts of the world.

You can discover more about Marina Bay Sands on their website.

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ITB Asia, the annually held B2B trade event for Asian Travel market, will continue its association with Marina Bay Sands for another three years from 2017 to 2019. This collaboration marks the amiable relations between the two brands.

With this development, it’s clear that the next four editions ITB Asia will continue to take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bays. The decided dates are: 19-21 October 2016, 25-27 October, 2017 and 17-19 October, 2018 and 16-18 October, 2019.

According to their press release, Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore) quoted:

“This extension demonstrates our ongoing commitment to take ITB Asia to the next level. Marina Bay Sands is renowned for creating extraordinary experiences by providing superior service, amenities and state-of-the-art conference facilities and we have forged an excellent working relationship over the past few years. We will continue to harness the expertise and synergies to create an optimal business environment for our delegates and lift the overall offering of our show to exhibitors, buyers and attendees,”

Initially, ITB Asia had signed an agreement with the hotel brand declaring that Marina Bay Sands will be the official venue for the conference from 2014 to 2016. The eighth and the latest edition of ITB Asia was exceptionally successful. The 3-day conference had 10,300 attendees with 760 exhibitors from 73 countries and 800 buyers. With this year’s success, the organizers will introduce new features such as the on-floor Travel and Technology Showcase through which destinations can highlight their exclusive offerings to the attendees.

ITB Asia and Marina Bay Sands partnered together to help reduce the show’s carbon footings over the past two years. To ensure this, they offered regional foods, used in-room motor sensors in the meeting rooms and setting the optimum room temperature.

Mr. George Tanasijevich, President and CEO of Marina Bay Sands, said:

“It has been our privilege to work with the organisers of ITB Asia over the past few years. The synergy, mutual understanding and rapport we enjoy has built a strong foundation for the travel trade show, and contributed to successful editions, year after year. We are humbled and encouraged by their strong support and look forward to scaling new heights together in the next three years,”

ITB Asia 2016 will be organized by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and backed by Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. Like every year, the event will be attended by hundreds of exhibiting companies from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East elaborating on Leisure Market, Corporate and MICE travel.

ITB Asia 2015 was organised as a part of TravelRave. Follow this link for our coverage of TravelRave.

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Come October and all eyes will be on Singapore as it plays host to TravelRave 2015, Asia’s Premier Travel & Tourism Week. The sixth edition of this world class festival boasts of a fantastic line up of events including Web in Travel 2015, ITB Asia 2015 and many more. One of the key conferences scheduled to take place during TravelRave 2015 is the 6th annual Hotel Technology Conference. It brings together CIOs, CTOs, General Managers, Information Officers and Operations Managers of hotel properties over a common platform. Hotel executives will be discussing the implementation of emerging tech in the hospitality industry.

Speakers from popular hotel chains and thought leaders will be also sharing their success stories, insights and first hand experiences. It is expected that the conference will be attended by about 200 delegates from across the Asia Pacific region. The 6th Hotel Technology Conference will be taking place on 22nd October, 2015 at Cassia Ballroom 3/F, Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Image Credit: Hotel Technology Conference, 2014

Some Sessions to watch-out for

• Those who come early, can grab a Selfie with Savioke, the robot that also helps with delivery of items in hotel chains. Steve Cousins, CEO of Savioke will also be talking about how we can use Robots for task management in hotels. (Also Read: Robot hotels will be the future but are we going to see them in India?)
• Beacons are being talked about the across the entire travel industry and the hotel segment is no different. This session will focus on how beacons can be used to build engagement with guests. (Also Read: How an Indian Traveller’s Journey will change with Beacons?)
• Tony Lee, Vice President, at The Ascott Limited will be talking about the role wearable technology can play in the hotel industry.
• There will also be a cracking panel on Mobility to discuss all things mobile and how guests and hotels are equipping themselves with its rapid evolution.
• Ken Kline, Senior Director of IT, Carlson Rezidor will be sharing results from their study that examines the reasons behind low guest satisfaction due to internet access.

There are just some of the sessions from an exciting line-up of talks & panel discussions. You can view the entire schedule over here. To register for this conference, visit here.

TravHQ is proud to be the Media Partner for Hotel Technology Conference.

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