Here's our new MICEtalk column in the Philippines

Dear fellow MICERs,

This is Bill at MICE News Philippines on micenewsph.com. I just wanted to keep in touch and tell you that we have started a MICEweek, a column for people and events in the Philippines.

We started this column off a month ago and its aim on Fridays is to help Philippine MICERs and #eventprofs just scroll and glance at what's happened in the past week. These briefs enable us to act like a community newspaper as well as write serious MICER articles emerging.

We are a family-run, kichen-table operation, but MICE News Philippines is now on Google News alongside the biggest publications. We are non-commercial and still way too small to accept advertising, but we love what we do, and we're thrilled to be part of MICE.com's MICER community.

Best wishes, and here goes!

Yours, Bill

William Wadsworth, editor, MICE News Philippines

Welcome to MICEweek, a round-up of Philippine meeting and events news, by Wlliam Wadsworth. Brief MICE news and comments are always welcome on micenewsph@gmail.com, or Facebook

April 1, Dasmariñas, Cavite

‘Dynamic duo’ drive Discovery Primea sales Discovery Primea, The Discovery Leisure Company (TDLC)’s newest luxury property, announces the appointment of Mike Celis as director of sales and marketing, and Addie Capinding as associate director of sales. “The two industry experts bring a wealth of established sales experience to the 141-room deluxe hotel in Makati City,” TDLC says, adding that the Discovery Primea is also a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ global LVX Collection. With 15 years in the hospitality industry, “Mike Celis is highly accomplished in leading the sales, marketing, and operations of five-star city hotels and premier serviced residences around the Philippines”, the group says. “He also spent two years in Ho Chi Minh City, where he was director of sales and marketing for Rosewood Hotels Group’s New World Saigon Hotel.” There, he led a team in executing rebranding efforts and developed robust sales and marketing strategies that optimized revenues, TDLC adds. Capinding was previously the assistant director of sales in an international hotel chain in Makati City.

Lim appointed Dusit International’s chief operating officer Lim Boon Kwee is  Dusit International’s chief operating officer, effective February 1, and announced on March 30. Based in the company’s Bangkok headquarters, he oversees the operations of Dusit’s global portfolio of hotels and resorts across four continents and reports directly to the group chief executive, Suphajee Suthumpun. Lim joined Dusit International in March 2013 as president of Dusit Fudu Hotel Management Company, Dusit’s joint venture company based in Shanghai, China. The company currently manages four hotels and resorts in China with a further 20 projects in the pipeline from Shanghai to Sichuan Province. With this appointment, the office of the president of Dusit Fudu will be integrated with that of the chief operating officer of Dusit International for better alignment between the two companies. Lim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver, Colorado, in Hotel and Restaurant Management as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Nanyang Business School of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Emirates links Cebu and Clark to Dubai Emirates launched the first Dubai-Cebu-Clark-Dubai flight with a photo-call (left) at the Radisson Blu hotel in Cebu, on Wednesday. “Filipinos from Cebu and other areas in the Visayas and Mindanao no longer have to go to Manila to catch a flight for Dubai,” the airline says. The route will connect both Philippine MICE hubs to 39 cities in Europe, 16 in the Middle East “as well as a number of destinations across our extensive network in Africa and the Americas, including Panama from February 1,” the airline says. Emirates’ two-class configured Boeing 777-300ER offers 42 seats in Business Class, 386 seats in Economy Class, and up to 14 tonnes of hold cargo. “Popular Philippine exports on this route are expected to be perishables, such as dairy products, fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood and electronic equipment,” the airline originally said on January 4.“Emirates flights to Cebu and Clark will depart daily from Dubai as EK338 at 02.55hrs arriving at Mactan–Cebu International Airport at 15.50hrs,” the airline said. “The service will then depart from Cebu at 17.25hrs and arrive at Clark International Airport at 18.45hrs. The return flight will depart Clark at 20.20hrs, arriving at Dubai International Airport at 01.25hrs the next day.”Passengers travelling on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER will have a baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy Class and 40kg in Business Class.” The Radisson Blu’s new general manager Laurent Boisdron was also spotted among the flight crew and VIPs. His predecessor Nishan Silva is reportedly the new general manager for Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre.

Manila welcomes V Air’s Taipei link Low-cost Taiwanese airline V Air now flies Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft from Taipei to Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The two-hour trip arrives at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 7pm, and then returns to Taiwan, a NAIA spokesman said after the airline’s inaugural flight on March 28. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, and EVA Air also fly the Manila-Taipei route. On March 15, “local boutique airline” AirSWIFT began daily roundtrip flights from Manila to El Nido, Palawan from NAIA Terminal 4. Flights in an ATR-42 aircraft depart Manila at 6.30am, 9.55am, 11.00am, and 2pm. The airline began in 2002 as Island Transvoyager and is reportedly planning flights from Manila to Sicogon and from Cebu to El Nido. Jetstar Japan started four weekly Manila-Tokyo flights on March 29.

PMA Summer Expo means business in Makati The Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) Summer Expo looked busy at the Glorietta Activity Center, in Makati, this week (March 29-31). The business-to-business show (left) seemed packed with entrepreneurial talent and a wide range of potentially money-making products and services. Organized by Ex-link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, the event had a lively Summer Dance Craze competition, serious pizza eating with Lotsa Pizza, and a strong list of sponsors, which its blog lists as:  Mary Kay, Island Cove and Sun Broadband, with corporate partners Brother Philippines, Azumi Boutique Hotel, Mogu Mogu and Citibank. The event’s media partners include Azrael’s Merryland, Creativoices Productions, Travelife Magazine, Wazzup Pilipinas, WhatsHappening.COM.PH, Jobmatch.Pro, Light Network. Manila Bazaars and the Sam and Mard Show. The organizers also seemed to give the event’s sponsors strong social media support. Facebook videos reflect packed aisles and much stand activity.

Pia joins Novotel’s Binibining Pilipinas 2016 lineup Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach joined 40 Binibining Pilipinas 2016 candidates at a press event and poolside photo call (right) at The Novotel Manila Araneta Center, on Wednesday (March 29). Wurtzbach was joined onstage by (from left) Binibining Pilipinas International 2015 Janicel Lubina, Miss Intercontinental 1st runner-up Christi Lynn McGarry and Binibining Pilipinas Supranational 2015 Rogelie Catacutan.

Business matching offered for Korea Trade Fair 2016 Global-Link MP Events International this week offered business matching to exhibitors and visitors at Korea Trade Fair 2016, which will be held at SMX Manila, on April 7-9. “There’s no doubt about it: Filipinos love Korean products,” it says. “That’s why trade between our countries amounts to more than US$7 billion. Why not make the most out of it? We have Korean companies flying in to find distributors here in the Philippines. Find your perfect match and discover how you can turn this into a new business opportunity” here. The event also has significant relevance to the Philippine MICE industry as Korea is the nation’s top spending market, worth P6.21 billion, ahead of the US and Japan, according to the TPB’s January figures. Koreans were also the fifth-largest per-capita spenders in the Philippines, at P42,217. Korea also remains the top overseas visitor market, with 147,165 arrivals or 27.14 per cent of the Philippines’ total in January.

Association executives to study events and funding The Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE)’s  will hold an all-day seminar on “Events Management & Fund Raising” at the Best Western Plus Antel Hotel, in Makati on the April 21. Part of the PCAAE’s Certified Professional Association Executive Program (above), the 8.30am-5pm sessions will be presented by members of the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS),  PCAAE members: P1,200 (Early Bird Rate P1,000 on or before April 15). Non-members: P2,500 (Note: If they enrol as members, they pay only P3,000 which includes P2,000 annual membership dues and P1,000 workshop fee). Attendees get a Certificate of Attendance and Certification Credit Earned Voucher, lunch, morning and afternoon snacks. As important, the PCAAE encourages networking and audience participation in sharing association best practices and good governance.

France and Philippines formalize aviation degree program French-Philippine cooperation in civil aviation enters a new development this week with a creation of a Master’s degree program in Civil Aviation to be offered by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), in partnership with France’s École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC), and with the support of European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus. This academic program was developed within the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) and the CAAP in 2011, according to the French Embassy in Manila. The signature of an annex of this agreement on Tuesday (March 29) formalizes the creation of this one-year Master’s degree program, which will begin in Manila in October and, in the succeeding years, be offered as well in the different ASEAN Member-States. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Lt. Gen. William Hotchkiss III, director-general of CAAP, Dominique Dubourg of ENAC, Emanuela Gellini of DGAC, Mélanie Astruc of Airbus, and French Embassy Economic Counselor Gilles Vernet.

Museum’s mall events need student volunteers Volunteers are wanted for the A Glass of the Sea Exhibition’s summer showings in Cebu’s Ayala Center (April 13-17), Davao’s Abreeza Mall (April 30-May 4), and Cagayan de Oro’s Centrio Mall (May 11-15). Designed and developed by The Mind Museum, the Philippines’ first world-class science museum, the exhibition showcases the astounding marine beauty found in the Verde Island Passage in Batangas, along with current research being led by the California Academy of Sciences. This volunteer work could be an excellent event-experience opportunity for anyone aged 18+ and willing to “dedicate at least 12 hours at the exhibition venues”. College students and graduates are welcome and a science background “is a bonus, but not necessary”. Send cover letters and CV to asia.aportadera@themindmuseum.org

Sarawak’s orang-utans swing into Shanghai MICE event The Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) is heading for an international marketing award, with the help of Kuching and Malaysia’s best MICE #eventprofs, its orang-utans. The Borneo Orang-Utan Project (BOP) swings into Shanghai next week for the April 6-8 Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings (IT&CM) China show. The lovable apes again put the SCB on the international meeting and events map, but also continue to remind the MICE world that the BOP is the official corporate social responsibility program of International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Congress 2016, in Kuching on November 13-16. The project does great things for orang-utans, and the orang-utans have been working hard for the BOP, Sarawak and Malaysia – at last November’s International Business and Tourism Management (IBTM), in Barcelona; and the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne, on February 23-24. At IT&CM China, one lucky ICCA member could “win the opportunity of a lifetime to adopt a precious baby boy orang-utan named Ali (above) for a year”. ICCA is expected to announce the winner in the week after IT&CM China, and then adopt Ali on behalf the winning member. Malaysia jumped from 35th to 30th worldwide, and from 9th to 7th in Asia in ICCA’s 2014 world rankings, while the Philippines was 50th-equal with Vietnam, worldwide.

IMEX chief names six key MICE trends As IMEX in Frankfurt prepared to open on April 19-21, IMEX Group chief executive Carina Bauer on Thursday pointed to six industry trends: (1) the potential growth of the Sharing Economy, involving operators such as Airbnb and Uber; and (2) more personalization as “digital communication channels are saturated” and brands customize service “initially via loyalty cards and now with website and mobile app analytics”, she said. The Internet (3) enables wearable sensors and other devices that would allow event managers “to make adjustments to live events in real time to drive better experience, more engagement and more effectiveness”, Bauer says. However, there will be more (4) face-to-face contact, thanks to new technology. “Technology has been shown to enhance, improve and extend the reach of meetings,” she says. “We use video conferencing technology to help us to connect in a better way in between face to face meetings, not to replace them.”There is also an evolution from Wellbeing to (5) “Wholeness”, which Bauer describes as the “more holistic view that also encompasses social and emotional wellbeing” and embraces Corporate Social Responsibility, civic participation and volunteering.  Vitally, Bauer describes (6) the “Changing Face of Destination Marketing”.She writes: “Both established and emerging destinations are demonstrating the understanding that the meeting and events industry is not simply an offshoot of the travel and tourism sector. In fact, the meetings and events industry can and should have a tremendous impact on a destination’s economic growth.” Destinations that invest in infrastructure and develop services are, in turn, playing an important role in developing their own knowledge economies, she explains.“What better industry to help foster such knowledge-based economies than meetings and events – whose purpose is to bring people together to advance research, develop ideas, collaborate, solve world problems, or simply learn and become more motivated,” Bauer says. “More and more we see destinations promoting their expertise in specific sectors and attracting specific events as a result. This, in turn, helps to drive those sectors and their core economies; as well as, of course, jobs and the direct economic spend from the meeting attendee. In this way, then, the events having a longer-lasting impact on the destination and a legacy themselves.”

VIDEOS OF THE WEEK Finally, We spotted two excellent videos on Facebook this week. GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation chief executive adviser Andrew Harrison offers students an entertaining lecture here about Cebu and airports as engines of growth at a recent TEDxUSC event. He uses several airports as examples and offers lots of surprising talking points for MICE fans, #eventsprofs and tourism students. Watch this and you will want to learn more about airports. He also reveals how Mactan Cebu’s new terminal will look in 2018, and it’s impressive.

Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) president Pinky Yee makes a fine Facebook video message to members at the body’s second GMM on March 30, at Manila’s Aruga Hotel. She also highlighted the PMA’s Agora Youth Awards this weekend, and the 47th National Marketing Conference at the Mariott Hotel Manila-Grand on July 28-29. We hope this engaging video encourages more association chiefs to use video cameras to keep in touch with members.