Khiri Travel Experts Showcase Southeast Asia at FITUR

Khiri Travel Experts Showcase Southeast Asia at FITUR

Khiri Travel aims to open new markets for Spanish speaking B2B tour operators who wish to discover authentic local travel in Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Maldives.

Multiple award-winning Khiri Travel is bringing 23 years of Southeast Asian DMC experience to Madrid for FITUR, 18-22 January.

At the event, Khiri will be represented at booth 6A35 by innovative managers, Gonzalo Gil Lavedra, General Manager of Khiri Travel Sri Lanka & Maldives, and Florencia Allo Moreno, Country Manager of Khiri Travel Vietnam. They have extensive DMC management experience in Southeast Asia combined with in-depth knowledge of their current destinations, Sri Lanka and Vietnam(read more about Gonzalo and Florencia below).

Florencia says that Khiri Travel distinguishes itself from other DMCs in Asia by focusing on in-depth local knowledge, highly informative local guides and showing natural community life in inspirational settings.

For example, in Hanoi, Florencia has introduced a back lane tour of the Old Quarter where guests see Tai Chi being practised and discover amazing Hanoi street food snacks such as baguettes, grilled pork and noodles and ‘egg coffee’ in hidden cafes.

In Sri Lanka, Gonzalo has introduced informal six-a-side cricket for guests in the 500-year-old heritage city of Galle in the south coast followed by a gin and tonic and a tour of the ancient ramparts overlooking the Indian Ocean.

When Khiri does visit iconic locations, they do it right. In popular places such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Myanmar and the Grand Palace in Bangkok Khiri guides take an alternative approach.

“For example, we enter Shwe Dagon Pagoda by a back entrance and talk to fortune tellers,” says Florencia. “In Angkor we discover the quieter temples away from the crowds early in the morning. In Bangkok, as well as the Grand Palace, we take guests on a back street walking tour through the historic Rattanakosin heritage district nearby.”

Says Gonzalo: “It’s about doing the major highlights right then moving on to surprising local discoveries where we get close to people and their traditional customs in a respectful way. There is always surprise and delight just around the corner.”

To date, Khiri Travel’s main B2B markets have been Netherlands, UK, Germany and the USA. “We feel it’s the right time to show Spanish and Portuguese speaking markets the amazing cultural diversity of Asia,” said Gonzalo.

In the last five years, Khiri Travel has won awards such as “Best DMC Worldwide”, “Best Travel Agency – Indochina”, “Best Responsible Tourism Website”, “Inbound Travel Operator of the Year”, and the Pacific Asia Travel Association Grand Award for Heritage and Culture — for a tented camp project in Cambodia. A list of recent Khiri Travel awards can be inspected here.

For an appointment to meet Khiri Travel’s Gonzalo or Florencia at FITUR, email travel.trade@khiri.com.

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IACC Names Chefs as “Copper Skillet European Champions”

IACC Names Chefs as “Copper Skillet European Champions”

(Netherlands)  — 9 chefs from IACC member properties in Denmark, Sweden, France, Netherlands, Germany & the UK gathered at Kapellerput on 24 September at the IACC-Europe Knowledge Festival to compete for the coveted European Copper Skillet where the winners go on to the Copper Skillet global final taking place in the Los Angeles in April 2017.

Regina Andersen from the Trinity Hotel & Conference Centre, Denmark took the Senior title for her winning dish in the cook-off of pork filet rolled around a farce of cod, with potatoes and fried onions.

Mary Palecek from the Sundial Venue – Woodside, UK was declared Junior category champion for her dish of pork fillet medallions, sweet potato, sautéed courgette and chorizo, with a tomato and chilli salsa

The chefs were presented with basic pantry items along with a “mystery basket” of proteins and other fresh, dairy and grocery items. They were given 30 minutes to prepare, create, and present their creations to local area judges.

The winners of the European cook-off (one senior chef and one junior chef) will go on to compete with other chefs from IACC chapters around the world at the International Copper Skillet Competition at the IACC-Americas Connect Annual Meeting on the 4–6 April 2017 where the 13th Global Copper Skillet Champion will be named.

The popular Copper Skillet competition was introduced in 2004 to highlight the artistry and skill of the best chefs from IACC-member conference venues around the world and to honour their contributions to the shared goal of providing an outstanding conference venue experience.

NASHVILLE ROCKS IBTM AMERICA 2016

NASHVILLE ROCKS IBTM AMERICA 2016

ibtm america held last week at Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort Nashville, exclusively connected the US and international meetings industry through a mix of business, education and networking. Kicking off with Discovery Day, where over 500 attendees experienced downtown Music City and the legendary Honky Tonks, the private event continued at the Gaylord Convention Center with some 5000 one-to-one mutually matched business appointments and 18.5 hours of networking opportunities over 2.5 days.

Tailored to the US market, the event was dominated by North America, Mexico, Canada and Caribbean suppliers that included hotel brands, convention centers, incentive destinations, CVB’s, NTO’s, Cruise Lines and tech suppliers. Each exhibitor has an all inclusive, uniformed Meeting Pod, which just requires their own branding so that clients just show up, sit down and start their business meetings.

First tier cities this year included NYC & Company, Greater Miami CVB, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and Detroit Metro CVB as well as Great Fort Lauderdale the destination for ibtm america in 2017. Some 2/3rd of exhibitors returned from their success at last year’s event.

Alex Michaels, Director of Sales for Virginia’s Blue Ridge “loved the privacy of the meeting pods” adding “We have been non-stop since Wednesday. I have really had a chance to have enough time with each buyer to explain about us and who we are and all in private. The mutual match has given me real appointments and planners who are already interested in us. I really believe I have met some great contacts for my business”.

This year’s international exhibitors included Costa Del Sol Convention Bureau, Valencia Region Tourist Board, Busan, Visit Flanders (Belgium), India Tourist Office, Turespana and Dubai Business Events.

Ishrat Alam – Tourist Information Officer, India Tourism confirmed the success of the event: “We have attended every year since the beginning of this event. Last year we picked up many leads but 2 of them will definitely turn into business in 2017. We know that any MICE business leads can take up to 2-3 years to make happen, but this has always proved to be a great ROI and it has given us the opportunity to really explain our experiential high end incentive and meetings products face to face. The mutual match appointment system is very good indeed.”

The Hosted Buyer program included 86% domestic USA and 14% international, (based on the research among exhibitors) including Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UAE and UK.
Exhibitor’s had requested planners from the corporate sector, as well as incentive planners as their priority – the first time this sector was at the event – associations and agency made up the rest.

Thomas L Fagan, Jr, PE, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) said of his attendance: “We are the world’s largest not for profit association. In 2015 we had 1300 meetings worldwide. I am here looking at various hotels, venues and CVB’s and have found a number of opportunities. I had 18 serious appointments of which some will wind up getting business placed. We are looking at events up to 5 years ahead – it used to be 10 years but the lead time has now shortened. I have been to ibtm america for the past 3 years – it works for me”.

The top 5 products of interest identified by Hosted Buyers for their appointments this year were Conference and meeting venues, resorts and spas, destinations and non-hotel special event venues. Planners represented blue chip companies such as American Express, Colgate-Palmolive, National Association of African American Studies, Global Cynergies, Wells Fargo, The International Ecotourism Society, Herballife International, Maritz and many others.

The show floor had new features this year with a focus on Technology, displayed around a central hub that also enabled more connections to be made over breaks in the appointments schedule, the TechCollective showcased latest and emerging technologies, from start-ups and entrepreneurs highlighting new ideas for the industry through live demonstrations.

“Building a community for this industry is a key ingredient to the success of ibtm america and this year Nashville bought everyone together for a southern style US meetings experience. The mutual match system of appointments was refined still further to produce the highest quality of real business prospects, resulting in some great praise from our exhibitors and buyers. Designing a system that allows both buyers and suppliers to choose who they want to meet with from the outset of their journey with us, and then making this happen has produced some remarkable results and 100% of appointments that each party wanted to have for their diary – nearly 30 over the 1.5 business days”.

Continuing to rotate ibtm america to the country’s top meetings cities, The Hilton Diplomat Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale will be the home of the event next year. Having received top honors from TripAdvisor and Orbitz, the property was also named a top 100 Meeting Hotel by Cvent.

ibtm america will take place from June 14 – 16 2017
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#ibtm #ibtmameric #MICE #MICEnews #IEEE #CVB #NTO

Business Events Canada honours international partners at ‘Canada Vision Awards’

Business Events Canada honours international partners at ‘Canada Vision Awards’

Business Events Canada (BEC), the division of Destination Canada responsible for bringing meetings, conventions and incentive programs to Canada, hosted the sixth version of its annual Vision Awards on Tuesday 19th of April during the IMEX 2016 trade show for MICE professionals held in Frankfurt, Germany.  During a regal evening to praise innovation and partnerships in promoting Canada, BEC recognised international clients and media who share a common vision “To inspire the world to explore Canada”. Awarded clients were:

The vision award for ‘International Customer of the Year’ was presented to Grassroots, this category awards a company that has worked closely with the BEC and its partners to bring a significant piece of business to the country. Grassroots’ confirmed group with Dentons is set to bring 1,500 delegates to Canada. The award was received by PJ Mitchell, Account Director at Grass Roots Meetings and Events.

The vision award for ‘Partner Organisation of the Year’ was given to MCI Dublin, this category awards an organization that has collaborated with Destination Canada to expand Canada’s presence and advance its brand on the global stage. MCI Dublin has been instrumental in progressing BEC’s vertical ICT sector in Dublin as well as being a constant ambassador to their end user clients pushing Canada. The award was received by Mark Berry, National Sales Director at MCI Dublin.

The vision award for ‘Media Partner of the Year’ was presented to C&IT, Conference and Incentive Travel Magazine, for countless and quirky articles including coverage on Northwest Territories. The award was received by Jack Carter, Senior Reporter, Conference & Incentive Travel Magazine at Haymarket Media Group.

Emma Cashmore, Managing Director of Axis Travel Marketing, the European GSA for the BEC, commented: “The Canada Vision Awards are a great way for us to showcase to the global meetings industry the successes that we have enjoyed by building on valuable collaborations with our partners. We are delighted to host this special evening as it allows us to honour our partners who have shown their continuous support and become Ambassadors for the Country”.

SMS FRANKFURT Group Travel started new project

“RUN & VISIT” – SMS FRANKFURT Group Travel just lauched their latest project in Frankfurt in March 2016.

The new sightseeing concept is made for runners. RUN&VISIT Frankfurt offers four different sightseeing routes in Frankfurt. All sightseeing runs can also be tailormade and include the whole Rhine-Main area as well as the “Stadtwald” city forrest next to the Frankfurt International Airport.

The basic sightseeing run takes you one hour on a 7-9km run along the highlights of Frankfurt.
Price per person: 19€

For further details, please contact:
RUN&VISIT
SMS Frankfurt Group Travel
Jürgen R. Schreiter
Burgfriedenstrasse 17
60489 Frankfurt
www.RUNandVISIT.com
www.Incentives-Worldwide.com

RUN & VISIT in Social Media:

INSTAGRAM
www.Instagram.com/runandvisit

TWITTER
www.twitter.com/runandvisit_fra

YOUTUBE
www.youtube.com/channel/UCaH1VmpTzWS3b_5KLFNKUOg
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PACIFIC WORLD AND ACCESS GLOBAL DESTINATION INDEX REPORT IDENTIFIES TOP DESTINATIONS FOR MEETINGS, INCENTIVES AND CONFERENCES

PACIFIC WORLD AND ACCESS GLOBAL DESTINATION INDEX REPORT IDENTIFIES TOP DESTINATIONS FOR MEETINGS, INCENTIVES AND CONFERENCES
Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore recognized as top destinations in Asia
Italy and France most popular in Europe, UAE top destination in Middle East
Texas, Florida and Las Vegas top the list in the USA

Results from a recent global Destination Index, compiled by the leading Global DMC and Event Management Companies, Pacific World (www.pacificworld.com) and ACCESS Destination Services (www.accessdmc.com), have identified the top destinations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States for meetings and incentives.

Patricia Silvio, Global Marketing Manager, Pacific World, commented, “The Pacific World global Destination Index report identifies each year the countries and cities most thriving within the meetings, incentives and conferences industries. This year overarching themes that led to an increase in popularity were improvements in transportation/flights, an increase in venues and hotels, investment in technology, attractive exchange rates, and safety and stability.”

Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore were recognised as the top countries in Asia for meetings and incentives, with Bangkok and Bali voted as the most popular cities, and meetings and incentives being the most requested event types in Singapore. Governmental stability, attractive exchange rates and improved flight connections were factors contributing to the increased attention from source markets including North America, Australia and other Asian regions.

In Europe, France and Italy were identified as the top countries for meetings and incentives. Improved transport links and investment in infrastructure resulting in the opening of a number of new hotels and venues were factors accountable for the fact that Milan and Paris have both been voted as the most popular European cities for Meetings and Incentives, with increased interest from source markets such as the Middle East, USA, UK, Germany, and Brazil.

The UAE was recognised as the most popular destination for incentives and conferences in the Middle East, with the UK, Saudi Arabia and India identified as the key source markets placing inbound business into the destination. Accessible flight routes, new hotels, and an investment of time and resources in the latest technology and set-ups to facilitate large-scale events have pushed the UAE to the top of the list.

Texas topped the list as the most popular destination for meeting and events in the USA, followed by Florida and Las Vegas. New venues, restaurants and an increase in international and regional flights have boosted the popularity of these destinations while the abundance  of available VIP experiences have established Dallas, San Antonio, Miami, and Las Vegas as key cities for conference and incentives in the U.S.

For more details about the Destination Index, please go to: www.pacificworld.com

 

PACIFIC WORLD GLOBAL DESTINATION INDEX REPORT IDENTIFIES ITALY AND FRANCE AS TOP DESTINATIONS FOR INCENTIVES AND CONFERENCES IN EUROPE

PACIFIC WORLD GLOBAL DESTINATION INDEX REPORT IDENTIFIES ITALY AND FRANCE AS TOP DESTINATIONS FOR INCENTIVES AND CONFERENCES IN EUROPE

Milan and Paris Identified as Top Cities

Results from a recent global Destination Index, compiled by the leading Global DMC and Event Management Company, Pacific World (www.pacificworld.com), have identified Italy and France as the most popular countries in Europe for meetings and incentives.

Improved transport links and investment in infrastructure resulting in the opening of a number of new hotels and venues were factors accountable for the fact that Milan and Paris have both been voted as most popular European cities for Meetings and Incentives.

Emanuele Pinna, Destination Manager of Pacific World Italy, commented, “Thanks to its geographic centrality, recent economic and political stability and very good direct flight connections, Italy is becoming and increasingly popular destination for meetings and incentives.  The destination is also seeing a great deal of interest from Middle East meeting planners, due to the Alitalia acquisition by Etihad in 2014.”

Emirates flying daily from Dubai to Bologna from November 2015, has made Bologna’s Marconi Airport the fourth largest in Italy for global connections. From February 2016 Verona will accommodate three flights a week from Paris Orly International Airport, operated by Transavia, Air France’s low cost company.

Cecile Dubeau, Destination Manager of Pacific World France, commented: “We’ve seen an increased demand for Paris as a meetings and incentives destination from countries including USA, UK, Germany and Brazil. Factors contributing towards its rise in popularity include the impact of the exchange rate for US clients, affording them greater buying power and the constant demand from the EU zone source markets.”

To download the Pacific World last version of the Destination Index, please go to:www.pacificworld.com

Emanuele Pinna or Cecile Dubeau are available for further comment. Please contact Pamela Wils (Pamela.wils@cut-coms.co.uk) to arrange an interview.

 

 

Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau Appoints Redmint

Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau Appoints Redmint as PR Agency for number of European countries

LONDON (19 January 2015) – The Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB) has appointed Redmint Communications as its public relations agency for the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

Redmint Communications will be promoting, publicising and strengthening Istanbul’s brand image as a leading congress and meetings destination via an effective and meaningful PR strategy in the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

As a historical meeting point between East and West and spanning two continents, today’s Istanbul is a leading MICE destination offering unique and exciting venues. The city has the capacity to host every type of event, from bespoke incentives to meetings for up to 30,000 for corporate and leisure visitors alike. Combined with Istanbul’s historic venues, palaces, cisterns and more, it offers meeting planners a variety of remarkable options to create truly outstanding events. Accommodation in Istanbul is both numerous and offers a selection across the spectrum.

Easily accessible from around the world, Istanbul is served by nearly 300 international airlines at its two airports. Turkish Airlines, named ‘Best Airline Europe’ by Skytrax for four years running, has a network of more than 260 direct flights and flies to more countries than any other airline in the world.

Istanbul was ranked 8^th in the world by the International Congress and Convention Association in its 2013 Rankings for Cities and Countries and 1^st for large congresses of 300-500 guests.

ICVB was founded as Turkey’s first destination marketing bureau in 1997 and today offers a wide range of services to help promote Istanbul as a MICE destination while assisting organisers in creating

exciting events around the city. Ozgul Ozkan Yavuz, General Manager of ICVB, says of the appointment of Redmint: “We are delighted to have appointed Redmint Communications as our public relations agency for the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. With their unrivalled knowledge of Turkey and Istanbul, and their MICE experience to date, not to mention vital contacts, we feel confident that they will help take Istanbul into a new phase in its appeal as of the world’s top MICE destinations.”

GOOD NEWS FOR IBTM INDIA

GOOD NEWS FOR IBTM INDIA
Visitors from 43 countries can now get their visa for India online

Both international exhibitors and Hosted Buyers attending ibtm india 2015 will benefit from the recent news that tourists travelling to India from 43 countries including the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Germany and Japan will no longer have to queue at their local consulates to obtain visas. Following the announcement, individuals may now apply online for their tourist visa-on-arrival, entitling them to a 30-day stay in the India.

The new visa-on-arrival rules will benefit 43 countries including Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kingdom of Tongo, Laos, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Papua & New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea (i.e. South Korea), Republic of Marshall Islands, Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam and Vanuatu.

“This is very good news for our international exhibitors and Hosted Buyers attending ibtm india 2015 which will take place in Jaipur, from 1-3 September. These new visa rules will also help to unleash the huge potential of the country’s growing MICE industry,” said Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager ibtm india and ibtm africa, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

Hosted Buyers registration for ibtm india 2015 will go live in May.

For further information on ibtm india 2015, please visit www.ibtmindia.com

 

LEADING INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS TO ATTEND EIBTM

LEADING INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS TO ATTEND EIBTM
MY ASSOCIATION | MY CLUB ATTRACTS GLOBAL ATTENTION

OKTOBER 2014 – A new initiative launched for the Association Sector by EIBTM has garnered support from the industry across the world and attracted a global representation of Buyers who are now registered to attend EIBTM 2014. My Association | My Club was announced in the summer to give a more flexible option to an Association Planner’s business and networking agenda at this year’s event in Barcelona from 18-20 November.

Association Buyers with average budgets between US$1m & US$5m and some as high as US$20m, have joined the programme which will see 20 countries represented including US, China, UK, Canada, Russia, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France. The key elements of My Association | My Club have been designed in consultation with Association Planners through research and a dedicated Focus Group meeting.

Commenting on the new approach to the Association sector, Patrick Debus, Permanent Secretary World Federation of Consuls said: “I can only congratulate the EIBTM Team for having launched “MY ASSOCIATION / MY CLUB“, this new initiative is fully answering and definitively taking more care of the Association Planner’s expectations and I can only congratulate the team for such a useful and highly appreciated concern.”

Another participant from the Association Focus Group commented: “The new My Association | My Club programme is unique, as it is specifically tailored to the Association Executive, allowing optimal networking while offering maximal flexibility. The Club Lounge on the show floor and the Educational Sessions will allow to maximise interactions with fellow Executives and Exhibitors. No doubt this will enhance the return on investment of Exhibitors as well as Association Buyers.”

Richard Holmes, International Director of Meetings of International League against Epilepsy, added: “I am delighted to see that many of the suggestions from the Association Focus Group have been taken on board and incorporated into the planning of EIBTM 2014. By hosting Buyers at the same hotel and benefits such as the Association Hub, I expect to have greater opportunities to meet with other Association Buyers whom I might not get a chance to catch up with on the show floor. I hope that more flexible scheduling will allow me to maximise my limited time, meeting with more partners and suppliers at the show.”

Priority has been given to “flexibility” a key request that came out of the research. Each Association Planner can now control their own itinerary, through choosing what they do, allowing time to explore the show, choose their own meetings and appointments and add to them as they wish in their own Association Hub – a dedicated Club Lounge on the show floor. With dedicated networking, and their own host hotel, the Association Club also means that the attendees get to be together throughout their attendance at EIBTM 2014.

Whilst the Association Planners will continue to have their own dedicated education sector sessions, they will also have the flexibility to attend any of the EIBTM Knowledge Programme, defining which best suit their own business – another request that was made from those who participated in the research.

“We are delighted by the response from the international Association sector, since we announced the launch of My Association | My Club. It was clear from the Focus Group held to determine and discuss what they wanted from their industry event, that we needed to think big and make some fundamental changes. We have, and we hope that EIBTM 2014 will be exactly what they want from their stay with us in Barcelona, and that our suppliers will obviously benefit as well from this more flexible approach,” said Graeme Barnett, EIBTM Senior Exhibition Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

“More than ever, EIBTM is definitively the key Event for Associations Meeting Planners to meet the World, and their world, in the most enjoyable and fruitful conditions,” added Debus.

For more information on My Association | My Club, please go to: http://www.eibtm.com/Hosted-Buyers/Dedicated-Programmes/My-Association-My-Club

To find out more about the Hosted Buyer Programme and to apply for your place, please visit: www.eibtm.com/hbregister

EIBTM 2014 will take place from 18th – 20th November.