A hotel in the Canadian province of Quebec is currently melting. The 2007 Ice Hotel has been opened since January. More than 15,000 tonnes of snow and 500 tonnes of ice are used each year in the construction of the hotel. The seventh season of the Ice Hotel Québec-Canada saw the creation of the most spectacular hotel yet. Guests wander the immense ice halls, sit on exquisite ice furniture and sleep in carved ice beds (with heated bathrooms!). Blocks of ice form the frame of the bed, followed by a solid wood box-frame, a thick foam mattress, and fleece sheet with wool blanket or soft deer pelts. And to ensure a cosy night, a warm and soft sleeping bag is delivered to each guest as evening falls. The hotel slowly melts away in early April under the warm spring sun, only to be ready again each January.
After a successful roadshow in Melbourne and Sydney last year, Queenstown Convention Bureau is only too keen to travel back to Australia again in 2007 to show locals what they’ve got to offer the C&I market. Last year the bureau brought with them 30 key Queenstown operators – making up the largest contingent of exhibitors they’ve taken on the road to date. The roadshow saw a great turnout of buyers in both cities, and the bureau is expecting a similar turnout again this year when they hold events on September 25 in Melbourne and September 27 in Sydney.
The brand new Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), which has just hosted its inaugural exhibition, has been praised by exhibitors for its space, facilities and design. More than 900 exhibitors from 50 countries showcased a collection of land, sea and ground-to-air defence systems during IDEX 2007, the world’s largest tri-service defence exhibition, which was held at the new venue from February 18 – 22, 2007. “I am very impressed with the new exhibition centre,” said marketing manager of Raytheon, an exhibitor at the event. “It is one of the best I have seen this year as it is very well designed to host large events. My products are displayed brilliantly as the usage of angled glass means that natural light instead of artificial lights illuminates the large halls, giving the centre a very modern feel.” Phase one offers 28,000 square metres of fully inter-connecting exhibition floor space spread over seven halls; two luxurious conference rooms capable of staging events for up to 1000 people; 16 meeting rooms on the centre’s Mezzanine level and a VIP entrance and Majlis. The centre also features a new 2000 square metre food court and retail space featuring an Etihad Airways booking office, car rental facilities, business centres and serviced office space.
New Caledonia has stepped up support for the meetings sector with the creation of a new specialist scheme for professional conference organisers. New Caledonia Tourism Australian manager, Diane Moynihan, said the new Specialist PCO Scheme would offer exclusive benefits to participants and boost support for events staged in New Caledonia. “The scheme gives PCOs a whole range of advantages including preferred status on famils, value-ad rewards for clients, support for client site inspections and exclusive offers from suppliers,” Ms Moynihan said. “We’ll offer promotional and marketing support, corporate referrals from our Australian office, education and information, and access to the best industry rates and special offers.” To join the scheme, PCOs need to arrange a sales meeting with New Caledonia’s BDM, participate in an educational visit to New Caledonia, and either have confirmed a New Caledonian event in the past three years or confirm one within two years of joining. PCOs can register for the Specialist Scheme by visiting www.newcaledonia.com.au/meetingsincentives or by contacting New Caledonia Tourism on 1800 673 745.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently announced the signing of the Crowne Plaza Sun Palace Beijing, scheduled to open in early 2008. This announcement highlights the pace of IHG’s growth in China, where it now has a total portfolio of 125 hotels – 65 in operation and an additional 60 in the development pipeline. Chief executive of IHG Asia Pacific, Patrick Imbardelli, says China is set to become the world’s number one tourism market in the next 10 to 15 years. “With 65 hotels in operation and a plan to have 125 hotels open by the end of 2008, we already have a good profitable business model. We continue to explore new opportunities to maintain our lead position so that we are able to capture the growing inbound and outbound demand in the years to come.”
Just one year after opening in Beijing, leading experiential agency Jack Morton Worldwide has announced the opening of its Shanghai office. Demand for Jack Morton’s services in mainland China led to the expansion in Shanghai, where in just the past year the agency has created experiences including a concert for 8000 sponsored by Swatch to celebrate its 333rd millionth watch sale; and high-profile client events to support BASF’s major plant openings. Leading the Shanghai office is Rebecca Lim, managing director of Jack Morton in Beijing and a veteran of the event marketing industry, who reports to Ben Taylor, Jack Morton’s managing director, Asia. MD for Jack Morton in Australia, Tara Back said this new addition to Jack Morton’s worldwide footprint will help fuel Jack Morton’s growth in China, both with Chinese clients and the substantial number of other overseas brands who want to engage key audiences in Shanghai and the region.
Kuala Lumpur has been given the honour of becoming the first city in South East Asia to host a major International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) event with her selection as the host city for the 6th World Chambers Congress 2009 (6th WCC 2009) by the ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF) Congress selection committee. Kuala Lumpur’s win of this major biennial meeting to be held at the purpose-built Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in 2009, was announced at the WCF meeting held in late last year (2006) in New Delhi, India.
TTG Asia Media, organiser of Asia’s MICE show – Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) - has teamed up with MP Asia, a professional exhibition organiser, to organise the inaugural IT&CM China in Shanghai from April 23 to 25. The show will be held at INTEX Shanghai with the theme “China to the world and the world to China”. The venue covers an area of 6000 square metres, or space for 300 standard booths. The partners have called it a “win-win” situation for both sides. TTG Asia will bring to the table its experience in organising IT&CMA and its international trade contacts while Meeting Planners’ offices in China will target local buyers and exhibitors.
Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, opened dedicated lounge facilities for its premium passengers at both Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, and Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand recently. Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are amongst Emirates’ busiest cities in the Asia Pacific - the airline serves Bangkok with 19 weekly flights and Kuala Lumpur with nine - and these new lounges will prove a great addition to the experience of its passengers using these airports.
A giant billboard promoting Rotorua in Auckland appealed so much to someone that they wanted it all to themselves. The 12x3 metre billboard, picturing Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing international marketing co-ordinator Chris Trew plastered in mud, with the slogan ‘Get down and dirty in Rotorua’, was stolen recently from the corner of Upper Queen Street and Ian McKinnon Drive in Auckland. The billboard was erected in October last year, along with several others in high-profile sites in Auckland and Wellington, as part of a domestic campaign run by Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing in partnership with a selection of local operators. Assistant general manager, Ruth McIntyre says “I certainly hope it’s not a competing region deciding Rotorua was getting just too much profile! Seriously though, I believe it was pranksters.”
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