` 100 Volume VII Issue 1 January 2016 60 pages A DDP Publication EXPECTATIONS 2016 ACHIEVEMENTS 2015 editorial PUBLISHER & EDITOR SanJeet EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Deepa Sethi EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Deepa Sethi DEPUTY EDITOR Dear Reader, Ambica Gulati Beginnings are exciting. Now that we have stepped into a brand new ASSISTANT EDITOR year, we are hoping that MICE will experience the same excitement. Vaishali Dar Most in the industry are buoyant and looking forward to new things and new destinations to tap into. While some old ones such as Delhi, DESIGN Mumbai, Bangalore, Thailand, and Malaysia remain eternal favourites Raashi Ajmani Girdhar for holding meetings, there is a trend emerging towards offbeat and new destinations. Canada and Philippines are emerging as two sought PHOTOGRAPHER after ones. Corporates are looking forward to more adventurous experiences such as lion safaris or dinners in the moonlit desert to Simran Kaur unwind after intense conference sessions. Faisal H. Bhat Russia is another country that is hoping to attract more Indian tourists. ADVERTISING Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, offers a different scientific experience Gunjan Sabikhi with the Kongresshalle Am Zoo Leipzig. At this modern convention centre and zoo, called ‘The Zoo of the Future’, education mingles Anand Dutt with interactive experiences. Aarti Nagrath Karishma Khanna It’s not just other lands, India also has new products on the anvil. The Gaganpreet Kaur Government of Karnataka is working with corporates to highlight the state’s attractions. Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon is another unique venue which offers a mix of entertainment and business. ADVERTISEMENT DESIGNER Vikas Mandotia Keeping up the momentum of beginnings and exciting experiences, Nitin Kumar Air Canada will make the Delhi-Toronto non-stop flight a daily one from September 2016. PRODUCTION MANAGER And making the year brighter are tips by our experts. Shital Kakkar Anil Kharbanda Mehra suggests what to carry in our bags while travelling for business meetings. And Brig. Trigunesh Mukherjee says it’s important to CIRCULATION MANAGER celebrate life this year. Ashok Rana Happy New Year and wishing everyone a brighter business time! MUMBAI: ADVERTISING Harshal Ashar Priyanshu Wankhade DDP Publications Private UAE: in interviews are not necessarily concerning the reproduction of explanation. All advertisements Limited P.O. Box: 9348, Sharjah, UAE shared/do not necessarily reflect articles should be emailed to must comply with the Indian Tel: +971 6 5528954, Fax: New Delhi: any opinion of DDP Publications. [email protected], advertising Advertisements Code as well +971 6 5528956 72, Todarmal Road, New Delhi All rights reserved throughout and circulation enquiries should be as the Advertisements Code of E-mail: [email protected] 110001, India the world. Reproduction strictly e-mailed to [email protected] South Asia. 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FACTS 8 News from the world of MICE LEAD STORY 14 Expectations 2016, Achievements 2015 28 COUNTRY 22 Spain: Business Days, Flamenco Nights STATE RV Deshpande, Minister 28 of Tourism and Large and Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka 6 MICEtalk January 2016 Over Î Please send in your suggestions and 600,000 feedback to [email protected] You can also read MICEtalk online on Readers www.micetalk.com 30 34 36 38 40 CITY 30 Leipzig: Saxon Style Meetings Regular VENUE EXPERT 34 Meet in the Kingdom of Dreams Brig. Trigunesh 46 Mukherjee, AVSM, on resolutions for 2016 HOTEL 36 Crowne Plaza Jaipur Tonk Road ETIQUETTE NTO Shital Kakkar Mehra 38 Surfing Russian waves 48 on what you need in your travel bag AVIATION 40 Air Canada AWARDS 50 India Travel Awards Cover design: Raashi Ajmani Girdhar MICEtalk January 2016 7 facts UK: ExCeL launches £1.5mn meetings facility A new training and meeting facility FACTS that can hold up to 400 delegates will open at ExCeL London. The £1.5 million centre, CentrEd at ExCeL, is made up of 29 training rooms and features panoramic waterside views across London. James Rees, Executive Director, ExCeL London, said, “With the continued investment in London’s transport infrastructure, ExCeL represents a destination that’s easy for Royal Suite Class experience by people to reach and do business in.” Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean International has launched the Royal Suite Class experience on its cruise line. The premium features of the Royal Suite Class experience include a Royal Genie, certified by the British Butler Institute, to meet the guests’ needs; the fastest internet at sea; complimentary specialty dining; a beverage package; preferred seating at select onboard venues and upgraded room amenities. The Royal Suite Class will be available for sailings beginning May 2016 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis and Quantum class ships–Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, as well as Harmony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas. TIRUN Travel Marketing is the India representative of Royal Caribbean International. China and India: Boosting corporate travel Chinese and Indian corporates continue to increase their travel budgets while spending in the mature markets of Singapore and Hong Kong is flat-lining, according to a research by industry analysts East & Partners Asia (E&P Asia). The travel and entertainment expenditure of the Top 1000 corporates from 10 Asian markets has gone from US$1.52 billion to US$1.62 billion over 2015. The Ajman Palace Hotel Wedding Fair in Jan 2016 The second annual ‘The Ajman Palace Hotel Wedding Fair’, a mega two-day luxury bridal exhibition, will take place on 20-21 January 2016 in the Northern Emirates. Over 70 leading brands, vendors, fashion designers and wedding planners, specialised in catering to luxury weddings, are expected to participate in the second edition of the show. Ferghal Purcell, General Manager of The Ajman Palace Hotel, said, “We expect to attract more than 2,000 affluent, high net worth visitors, members of royal families and top-notch VIPs that will allow participants to showcase their products and services to the most high-profile families.” 8 MICEtalk January 2016 facts Monarch luxury cruise with cricket and Bollywood Monarch Cruise has announced the launch of a new cruise experience that will allow passengers to get close with their favourite cricket icons, Bollywood stars, world-class DJs and celebrated chefs. Departing from Singapore on March 6, 2017, the ship will cruise through Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Penang, Colombo and Cochin before reaching Mumbai and retracing the route back to Singapore. The faces of this cruise are brand ambassadors Sachin Tendulkar, Brett Lee, Shane Warne, Kumar Sangakkara, Vir Das, DJ Khushi, singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Neha Kakkar, actress Neha Dhupia, rapper Ljubljana: Green is in Badshah, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and many more. A unique feature is the In December 2015, Green Destinations opportunity to ‘book your invitation’ which may be availed of by paying a fully launched its ‘Sustainable Destinations refundable fee of ` 3,500. Global Top 100’ list and has put Ljubljana on that list. The result was on the basis of evaluations in six categories: nature, environment, culture and tradition, social well-being, green economy and certified green tourist policy. The jury stated, “The city in the last 10 years achieved remarkable sustainable transformation including local transport, pedestrianising of the city centre, protection of green areas and effective solutions in waste and water management.” France welcomes Amway India’s incentive movement of 2,200 passengers A delegation of 2,200 Amway India distributors visited France in December 2015 as part of an incentive movement organised by the multinational company. The CEO of Amway India and the Regional President also formed part of the group. Members of Pacific World expands the delegation visited Paris from 14-17 December and a group of 150 into Germany visited Nice in the Riviera before Pacific World, the global destination the Parisian sojourn. This Indian and event management organisation, has incentive movement to France confirmed its collaboration with leading garnered a revenue of around six European DMC Albamy, based in Germany million Euros in land arrangements. and London, to create Pacific World This group were accommodated Germany. The partnership will enable at the Hyatt and a gala dinner was Pacific World to provide meetings and organised at Prince Rainier’s private events management services to clients in all car museum in Monaco.