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VENUE NEWS:
• Following a multimillion-dollar refurbishment, Adina Apartment Hotel Coogee has unveiled a new look with nods to its beachside locale. Described as a ‘coastal escape to business and leisure guests’, the property now offers conference rooms and a lobby with earthy tones, 86 renovated studios, a modernised gym and a pool and hidden courtyard area.
• Essence Apartments and Suites Taringa, the nation’s first hotel located in the same building as a hospital, has opened its doors in Brisbane. The $65 million development encompasses 63 luxuriously-appointed studios, one and two bedroom suites, an exclusive guest lounge overlooking the city and state-of-the-art conferencing facilities.
• DoubleTree by Hilton’s first foray into the West Australian market, and first new-build property in Australia, has occurred with the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Northbridge. The 206-room property is situated in the vibrant Northbridge precinct, and boasts a 24-hour fitness centre, a scenic executive lounge and a meeting space with a capacity of up to 160 guests.
• IHG has opened its fourth Holiday Inn Express property in Singapore. Holiday Inn Express Singapore Serangoon offers 119 rooms and one meeting room with the capacity to hold eight people. The meeting room is fitted with a projector screen and video conferencing equipment, and offers complimentary WiFi.
• Less than a year since the launch of its upscale brand voco, IHG has signed the first new-build hotel under the brand in South East Asia: voco Bangkok Sukhumvit 11. The 300-room hotel, which is set to open in 2021, will offer a rooftop restaurant and bar, swimming pool and meeting facilities that can accommodate up to 400 guests. |
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| Bringing the outside in | | |
We’ve had word from the wise that 2019 will be the year of indoor plant displays when it comes to conference and event decorations.
As well as aligning with the perennial trend of sustainable and healthy living, indoor flora allows guests to feel the primal thrill of being at one with nature. Ferns, monstera plants, Japanese Maples, heart lead philodendrons and palms are set to be big, and, for those needing some extra oomph, custom-built botanical ceiling canopies.
Image courtesy of Funktionality.
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As the end of January approaches, a lot of us return to work with fresh passport stamps, sun tans, souvenirs, and, most importantly, some new holiday epic fails in our ever-bursting arsenal. This one comes from our digital editor whose month-long tour of South East Asia culminated in a fleeting (but preventable) moment of panic. Moments before crossing the border between Cambodia and Thailand, suitcase packed and fastened, her tour guide casually mentioned that travellers are allowed to take one knock-off handbag into the country. She had five. (Hoi An sells them for really cheap, and she needed some presents for friends, okay?).
Luckily, her fellow travellers were happy to distribute the excess bags among themselves and transport them across without issue, but a simple mention in the tour travel notes (or just earlier than moments before crunch time) and she could have avoided opening a full-to-brimming suitcase in the middle of a hectic border crossing on a swelteringly hot day. Folks, remember to leave no stone unturned when it comes to destination research and communication with delegates. | | | |
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Insta-worthy food. |
Loud music at networking events. |
• At the risk of sounding like a timeworn platitude, make 2019 the year you eat better. Event planners are often guilty of relying on power bars and vending machines for sustenance, or, worse still, forgetting to eat all together. Ensure your bag is packed with healthy snack options to avoid this.
• Holding an event in South East Asia? Make sure you pack plenty of clean water, tissue paper and wet wipes for delegates. Dehydration and exhaustion are common symptoms in a sweltering climate, so some packets of electrolyte wouldn’t go astray either.
• While on the topic of overseas events, make sure you research any medication or injections required before traveling to your chosen destination, and communicate these to your delegates. Imagine organising a life-changing incentive in Laos only for it to end in a group-wide malaria infection? |
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Visit our Daily News and Opinion for daily updates
on everything relating to business events |
AIME
February 18 - 20, 2019
MCEC
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