Feel like taking your convention or incentive delegates for a bit of a nip and tuck in-between conference sessions? Then head to Malaysia. Malaysia is among the world’s top five medical tourism destinations for medical tourists and foreign investors, reports online investment news source Nuwire Investors. Selected based on the quality and affordability of medical care and receptiveness to foreign investment, Malaysia came in third behind Panama and Brazil, and was followed by Costa Rica and India. According to Nuwire Investors, Malaysia’s medical tourism industry has seen staggering growth in recent years. From 2001 to 2006, the number of foreigners seeking healthcare services in Malaysia almost tripled from 75,210 patients to 296,687 patients. Much of Malaysia’s attraction lies in the wide array of medical services and procedures including dental, cosmetic and cardiac surgeries at significantly lower costs compared with other countries.
Tourism Australia has partnered with America’s largest incentive house, Maritz, as part of a major campaign aimed at delivering lucrative new corporate meeting and incentive business into Australia. The strategic partnership is a first for both Maritz and Tourism Australia and is part of a wider campaign by Tourism Australia to raise awareness of Australia’s flourishing incentive and corporate travel market and to turn new leads into new business. Tourism Australia managing director, Geoff Buckley, said this new initiative in the US is part of a strengthened focus on business events by Tourism Australia globally. “In spite of current concerns about tightening budgets and cutbacks in some markets like the US now is the right time for Australia to be more aggressive in this marketplace,” Mr Buckley said. Maritz, the St. Louis-based sales and marketing company, operates more than 2900 programs per year with more than 350,000 participants. Joint activities in the one-year deal will include a direct mail campaign, joint sales calls, and increased visibility throughout Maritz’s top incentive accounts. Senior director, industry relations of Maritz Travel, Judi McLaughlin, confirms that Australia has become a top incentive destination choice for organisations that leverage incentive travel programmes to improve their business performance.
Koos Klein, President, Hilton Hotels – Asia Pacific, has been named “Hotelier of the Year 2007” at the 11th Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference, organised and hosted by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. The ninth recipient to receive the prestigious award, Mr Klein has spent an illustrious 16 years of his 27 year career in the Asia Pacific. Since his appointment as President, Hilton Hotels - Asia Pacific in 1997, Mr Klein has spearheaded dynamic growth of the world’s most famous hotel brand, from 25 hotels to 60 today. He was responsible for realigning the Hilton portfolio, and did this by setting the bar high for new Hilton hotels and evaluating existing hotels against stringent brand standards. He has also overseen the company’s strong financial performance with Hilton’s revenue in Asia Pacific having doubled and profits quadrupled over the past decade. CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle, Peter Barge, said this annual award “is dedicated to recognising the true capabilities of leading hoteliers in Asia Pacific. I am delighted to honour Mr Klein’s contribution to the industry. Throughout his career, his commitment to developing new talent and growing the business has not faltered, and neither has his passion for hospitality.”
Australian-based event management company Off-Site Connections (OSC) is excited to announce that it has opened an office in Macau, adding to its growing portfolio of international bases which now include Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing. This is on top of offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Gold Coast and Cairns. The OSC China team has already delivered events and programmes in Macau providing event solutions from ground transport, day experiences, meeting arrangements and evening events. Managing director, Peter Kinnane, said “it is hard not to get excited about the massive development that is taking place in Macau and on the Cotai Strip. I see the Cotai Strip as an exciting emerging stand-alone MICE destination offering a unique experience including world-class resorts and hotels, international stage productions, exceptional restaurants and much more. With Macau still so new to the MICE market we see it as perfect timing for us to open our operation. We look forward to developing with the region as an international meeting and incentive destination and showcasing the unique Macau experience to our clients,” he said. Off-Site Connections has appointed Skye Sherwood as director of events of the Macau office.
Irish-based Ovation Global DMC continues its international expansion with the opening of the company’s first office in China. Announced to the global meetings and incentive market at IMEX in Frankfurt recently the new announcement represents an ambitious expansion of the Ovation Global brand launched in 2007. This new development draws on the experience of an expert local team in delivering high touch incentive and corporate meeting programmes in the vibrant Chinese market. The China Meetings Industry Research Report 2007 highlighted that 82 per cent of the international buyers surveyed planned to increase their annual event expenditure in China in 2008. With Beijing forecast to be the most used destination, Shanghai is expected to rank second, increasing its market share from 39 to 68 per cent. Company managing director, Patrick Delaney, said an Ovation presence in China will redefine the concept of destination management services by offering fully integrated services in one of the world’s most dynamic and motivational destinations.
Australia’s newest convention centre – the Darwin Convention Centre – officially opened on June 23. The Darwin Convention Centre is the centrepiece of the Darwin City Waterfront, a 25-hectare lifestyle precinct which, when completed, will have waterfront promenades, a wave lagoon, wharf apartments, hotels, al fresco restaurants, retail outlets, wide open parklands, a cruise terminal and beach. Bookings for the new facility are already strong with 29 major conventions and two exhibitions confirmed, as well as numerous banquets, gala events and regional meetings secured. According to general manager, Malu Barrios, international and national meetings alone will bring more than 20,000 convention delegates and their families to Darwin. The Darwin Convention Centre offers a 1500-seat tiered auditorium, exhibition halls with the capacity to hold up to 225 exhibition booths or 4200 delegates theatre-style, and a host of other spaces. The centre has been described as “the missing link” of the city’s business and leisure infrastructure jigsaw.
Staging Connections in collaboration with Telstra, Bytecraft Entertainment and Musion Australia, combined their respective experience and know-how to help create an industry first when a mobile three dimensional image of Telstra chief technology officer, Dr Hugh Bradlow, was beamed from Melbourne to Adelaide to deliver a live business presentation over Telstra’s network. The live hologram was created using a video camera which filmed Dr Bradlow in Melbourne. To view the LIVE hologram event footage go to www.stagingconnections.com.au and click on HOLOGRAM TECHNOLOGY.
 
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