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REGION WATCH

ASIA

Malaysia’s Safe Business Events Venue Certification
Source: Edited excerpt from TTGMICE
Date: 9 June 2021
Business Events Council Malaysia (BECM), Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), and Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Organisers (MACEOS) are driving the Safe Business Events Venue Certification. This is part of a broader strategy to ensure business recovery and continuity, and to instil trust in the industry’s commitment to its clients, stakeholders and the community. The certification programme has been endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and an internationally-recognised certification body has been approached to undertake the venue auditing and assessment and the implementation of the safety certification process.

Taiwan’s AR and VR choices for event organizers
Source: Edited excerpt from Mix Meetings
Date: 17 June 2021
MEET Taiwan, under the Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade has provided an online interactive exhibition template that can be used by event organisers to provide a virtual setting featuring five exhibition halls and six booth designs. This innovation, can also be customised by planners by adding webinars and more for their particular event. 360° video formats are being used to give on-demand views of destinations, venues and pre-arranged product presentation.

AUSTRALIA

North Coast’s USD 74,958 support package
Source: Edited excerpt from CIM
Date: 15 June 2021
The North Coast Business Events Incentive Fund has opened this week after receiving grant funding from the Federal Government under the Recovery for Regional Tourism program. The Business Events Fund provides event managers with the opportunity to secure funding from a pool of AUD 100,000 (USD 74,958) to help offset costs associated with holding an event on the North Coast.

Perth launches digital tours of venues
Source: Edited excerpt from CIM
Date: 8 June 2021
Business Events Perth, supported by Business Events Australia’s Boost Program, unveiled a suite of digital tours of Western Australia’s most iconic and impressive conference venues. The fifteen 3D digital tours of Perth venues can be found on Business Events Perth’s new website and viewed on any device.

EUROPE

VisitBritain’s Domestic Support Fund
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World
Date: 9 June 2021
In an initiative to kick-start the recovery of the UK business events industry, VisitBritain has announced a £100,000 (USD 141,565) Domestic Support Fund for not-for-profit organisations and charities hosting meetings, conferences and events in the UK from 21 June to 17 December 2021. Events with from 100 to 500 delegates taking place in the UK are eligible to apply, with the fund open for bids from 9 June 2021. The financial support available is based on the number of delegates attending, with up to £15,000 available for each event.

AMERICAS

Colombia unveils business events reactivation plan
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World
Date: 18 June 2021
The Colombian Convention Bureaux´ Network outlined its reactivation strategy for strengthening and promoting the business events industry in the country at a hybrid media conference on 16 June. The Network also unveiled its website, designed to support the promotion and reactivation efforts implemented by the 11 destinations that are part of the Network, in Colombia and abroad. This website tool is accompanied by the promotional campaign #HazTuEventoEnColombia – #HostYourEventInColombia, aligned with Colombia´s promotional programme that describes the country as “the most welcoming place on earth”.

USA’s “Let’s Meet There” campaign
Source: Edited excerpt from MeetingsNet
Date: 17 June 2021
The U.S. Travel association has launched the “Let’s Meet There” campaign, an initiative to communicate the distinct difference between professionally managed events (PME) and ‘large gatherings and drive more consistency around pandemic regulations. The association has worked together with the Ohio State University to unveil a White Paper called “The Scientific-Based Evidence for Conducting Safe and Healthy Professional Meetings and Events.”

Read the White Paper here.

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For more articles/news, please visit News & Resources.

Our summary of how destinations are responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. We hope this bulletin will help you in planning your own mitigation and recovery strategies.

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REGION WATCH

ASIA

Hong Kong’s Convention Ambassador Program
Source: Edited excerpt from Travel and Tour World
Date: 26 May 2021
Over 100 distinguished leaders of business and professional bodies in Hong Kong have joined forces with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) as Hong Kong Convention Ambassadors to promote the city as the premier choice for business events. The Hong Kong Convention Ambassador programme is formulated not only to bring business events to the city when travel resumes but will also promote the advantages of Hong Kong to the global business community and help drive multi-sectoral recovery. The strong alliance of Convention Ambassadors will amplify Hong Kong’s appeal in drawing more business events to the city, thereby driving a robust recovery post-COVID-19.

Penang’s virtual road show to China
Source: Edited excerpt from Mix Meetings and M & C Asia
Date: 13 May 2021
Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau embarked on a virtual roadshow tour five regional markets in China with the Malaysian state’s first event of its type. The inaugural Penang Virtual Roadshow to China 2021 (PVRTC 2021), May 18-20, showcased 26 of the island’s tourism and business events products to some 150 pre-qualified buyers across Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

Seoul’s digital transformation
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World and TTGMICE
Date: 5 May 2021
Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB) has digitally transformed the charm of Seoul starting with a platform called Virtual Seoul for hosting online business events such as conferences, summits, and round tables. The promotion booth has become Seoul MICE World, which introduces mini cultural events along with other tourism and MICE industry information in the city by clicking on the link on the event website. The virtual teambuilding program is the latest resource with 49 360 VR videos for virtual site inspection to invite online participants to digital Seoul. The Virtual Seoul Playground is designed to present a stimulating teambuilding experience to online participants. When utilising the Virtual Seoul platform, not only are the 3D graphics offered at no charge, 10 million Korean won (USD 8,980) will also be provided as a stipend to event planners to offset operating expenses.

Seoul’s Reassuring package
Source: Edited excerpt from TTGMICE
Date: 28 April 2021
In addition, SCB also released a Reassuring Package, aimed at providing MICE delegates with a peace of mind when visiting the city. The package includes emergency medical insurance, language services, and general concierge services for hotel and transportation reservations.

Thailand’s “Winnovation” program
Source: Edited excerpt from PR News Wire
Date: 5 April 2021
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has partnered with other organizations to launch ‘MICE Innovation, Winning with the Innovation’ which is aimed at offering enhanced support for Thai business events entrepreneurs to source and implement innovation in all aspects of event management. ‘MICE Winnovation’ is made up of four components:

1. MICE Innovation Catalog – an online innovation and technology databank listing products and services for pre-event, onsite, and post-event management.
2. Technomart – a business-matching platform for MICE entrepreneurs and start-ups throughout Thailand.
3. Inno-Voucher – a funding scheme to promote innovation implementation.
4. Digital Literacy for MICE – an initiative to encourage MICE entrepreneurs to attend online or offline workshops where they can exchange ideas with experts to advance their digitalisation strategy. TCEB is set to launch a quarterly podcast in 2021 to help MICE professionals stay abreast of relevant technology and trends.

AUSTRALIA

Melbourne’s USD 33.08 million business events funding
Source: Edited excerpt from CIM and Travel and Tour World
Date: 20 May 2021
The Victorian Government will invest AUD 42.913 million (USD 33.08 million) over four years to support the Melbourne Convention Bureau and Business Events Victoria to acquire business events for the state through its Business Events Program.

List of Australia’s support packages for business events
Source: Edited excerpt from MICENET
Date: 13 May 2021

• Melbourne Convention Bureau – up to AUD 25,000 per event to offset event costs through their National Business Events Program for events up to December 31, 2022.
• Business Events Geelong – AUD 50 per delegate for business events up to 100 pax. The total funding pool is AUD 30,000.
• The New South Wales (NSW) Government through Business Events Sydney – Up to AUD 90,000 per event is available through Kickstart 2021 Sydney Business Events Fund. In total, the NSW government has allocated AUD 5.5 million to directly fund business events.
• Business Events Perth – up to AUD 25,000 to help secure a keynote speaker for business events held anywhere in Australia in 2021 and AUD 30 per delegate to a maximum of AUD 30,000.
• Brisbane Economic Development Agency – AUD 50 per in-person delegate for events in Brisbane until December 2022. Funding is to be spent on event costs.
• Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef – an average of AUD 50 per delegate, with subvention funding granted on a case-by-case basis.
• Mackay Regional Council – up to AUD 75,000 per event through the Council’s Invest Mackay Events and Conference Attraction Programs.
• Northern Territory Business Events – AUD 100 per delegate to be spent on local event costs through the NT Business Events Support Fund.
• Business Events Tasmania – up to AUD 150 per delegate through Tasmania’s Business Events Attraction Fund.

EUROPE

UK Government’s Business Events Growth Programme
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World
Date: 24 May 2021
VisitBritain is accepting funding applications of between £5,000 to £20,000 per event or bid to support all organisations in hosting international business events in the UK, whether they would like to win international events or to develop, grow and internationalize existing events. VisitBritain will offer three types of support.

• Bid Enhancement and Support to bid and win new international business events for the UK.
• International Delegate Growth to support the growth, development and internationalisation of business events in the UK.
• Government Advocacy to support the UK’s business events industry and adding value to your events by working with HM Government.

Finland’s “Virtual Helsinki” initiative
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World
Date: 18 May 2021
The city of Helsinki has digitised some of its major event venues, in a new initiative called Virtual Helsinki. Its aim is to promote Helsinki as a destination remotely, allowing people to attend virtual fam trips while travel restrictions remain in place.

Vienna Meeting Fund 2021-2023
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World
Date: 4 May 2021
The City of Vienna is providing the Vienna Tourist Board and Vienna Convention Bureau with €4million (USD 4.875 million) of financial support for meeting organisers in the city. The Vienna Meeting Fund 2021-2023 will also extend funding to corporate conferences and hybrid events, which it previously had not. Any event is eligible which takes place in a Viennese location and includes at least 50 people for a minimum duration of four hours. Further financial support can be obtained for events that generate overnight stays in hotels, and which incur costs in implementing hybrid features. The maximum funding per event is €60,000.

Poland’s protocol for the business events industry
Source: Edited excerpt from KONGRES and Polish Tourism Organization
Date: 6 May 2021
The KRAKÓW Network Protocol is a set of good practices and recommendations adapted to the new post-pandemic reality outlining a list of key strategies that will allow for the further development of the meetings and events industry. The protocol received 182 signatories from a diversity of stakeholders in the business events industry who highlighted the following courses of action: the need to establish innovative business models based on joint risk management, digital restructuring, the promotion of hybrid events and the creation of the competitive edge of Kraków through the engagement of local representatives of the business events industry.

Read the protocol here.

Europe’s three recovery scenarios for the business events industry
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World
Date: 12 May 2021
The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe has published an update of its 2020 study, ‘The Impact of Coronavirus on Europe’s Convention Sector’. The report, prepared by Tourism Economics, provides three recovery scenarios:

1. Baseline Scenario – forecasts that different types of events will recover at varying paces, with small domestic-oriented cooperate meetings and events leading the way and almost reaching 2019 levels by the end of 2022.
2. Optimistic Scenario – anticipates an early easing of restrictions, a rapid upturn in economic growth, and limited negative sentiment effects.
3. Pessimistic Scenario – predicts that the continued prevalence and effects of the virus will see some additional restrictions maintained into 2022 and that many future events will be either hybrid or completely virtual.

Read the report here.

Berlin’s Congress Fund
Source: Edited excerpt from Meetings HQ
Date: 10 May 2021 The Berlin Congress Fund is a funding programme initiated by the State of Berlin to restart Berlin’s event industry. The aim of the fund is to support and encourage all event organisers to realise planned B2B events in Berlin’s conference hotels and event locations. The Berlin Congress Fund provides financial support amounting to a possible total of max. 60 euros (USD 73.13) for each in-person attendee.

AMERICAS

Washington DC fully reopens for business events
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World and Destination DC
Date: 21 May 2021
Washington, DC has reopened for in-person meetings, conventions, tradeshows, groups and special events with no restrictions. The hospitality alliance, comprised of Destination DC (DDC), Events DC, the Hotel Association of Washington, DC and Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, is now leading an industry-wide effort to support meetings customers with a two-fold Still Connected approach. First is a focus on health standards and second is a focus on commerce thriving in the city. DDC has launched the DEI District, a content hub to help showcase Washington, DC as a global destination that promotes and validates diversity, equity and inclusion. Within the Meet section, event planners discover unique venues such as women-owned hotels, active community hubs and sustainable spaces.

Incentive market likely to lead recovery in South America
Source: Edited excerpt from Conference and Meetings World
Date: 19 May 2021
The Convention Bureaux of Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, Sao Paulo and Quito Tourism presented, the results of their reactivation survey ‘Towards the new meetings industry’. It shows association business set for a sustained medium-term recovery but the incentives sector likely to make the quickest return, but with some changed priorities for buyers. The report had the objective of showcasing the new reality for the MICE industry, in the associative and corporate markets, based on the results of a survey in the Latin-American, Interamerican, Ibero-American, Pan-American and global markets.

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For more articles/news, please visit News & Resources.

Our summary of how destinations are responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. We hope this bulletin will help you in planning your own mitigation and recovery strategies.