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TRAVEL DAILY INDIATRAVEL DAILY UKTRAVEL DAILY MECRUISE NEWS UKwww.traveldailymedia.com/asiaRESPONDING TO THE CHANGING DEMANDSOF BUSINESS TRAVELLERSIt is little wonder that Asia has attractedincreasing attention from the internationalbusiness community when you consider thegrowth opportunities and relatively strongeconomies in the region.As more businesses focus on Asia, this presentsvaluable opportunities for the business traveland meetings, incentives, conventions andexhibitions (BTMICE) industry.And it is this growth that is driving demand forrelevant business events that enable businesstravellers to gain new knowledge, forge valuablecontacts and networks as well as to understandand to tap on the opportunities in Asia.Research is certainly backing the fundamentalsof this developing trend. According to the 2013American Express/CFO Research GlobalBusiness & Spending Monitor, the majorityare expecting to increase their spending onbusiness travel over the next year.The report also noted that one of the key driversof business travel is to “meet with current andprospective customers”, with 52% of the CFOsin Asia and Australia likely to spend more ontravelling year-on-year to meet customers.In particular, the potential of business travelin China cannot be ignored. According to theinaugural Global Business Travel Association(GBTA) BTI Outlook – China, business travelspending in China is forecasted to increase by21% in 2013, to US $245 billion.The report noted that while China is currentlyranked second in the business travel market, it isforecast to surpass the US by as early as 2015.For Singapore, the BTMICE sector is a keycontributor of tourism receipts. From January toSeptember 2012, BTMICE visitor arrivals stoodat 2.5 million, representing a 6% year-on-yeargrowth. Expenditure by these business visitorsrose 7% year-on-year to an estimated S $4.29billion.On average, business visitors contribute a thirdof Singapore’s overall visitor arrivals and tourismreceipts. They also spend more. SingaporeTourism Board’s data shows that the per capitaexpenditure of a business visitor is almost twicethat of a leisure tourist.Delivering greater value to businesstravellersDespite the uptrend in overall business travel,purse strings are still being pulled fairly tight asorganisations become increasingly cautiouswith their travel spending.Business travellers have to justify their tripsand are seeking greater value from theirinvestments.Executive director of travel tradeshow ITB Asia,Nino Gruettke, says corporate travellers havebecome more demanding over the past decade,“looking for hotels and service providers that“Today’s business travellers are well-travelled,discerning and savvy, looking for a holisticexperience,” he continues.and enjoyable travel experience, not just a roomfor the night or a way to get from point A to B.”To increase the value for today’s businesstraveller, ITB Asia has been adding newconference content each year aimed atenhancing attendees’ understanding of thechanging corporate travel segment.The array of conference and event topicssurrounding each year’s show addresses thetrends and needs of the fast-growing travelindustry and provides participants with muchneededinsights and business knowledge tobetter anticipate today’s travellers’ needs.Beyond content, the BTMICE industry also needsto continuously innovate to provide enhancedexperiences for delegates to keep pace with theirrising expectations and evolving needs.For example, the growing demand for spaceto stage conferences alongside exhibitions or‘Confex’ events, has led to the development ofa new convention wing MAX Atria @ Singaporefor a variety of purposes, including meetings,exhibitions, product launches and banquets.Director, Exhibitions and Conferences ofSingapore Tourism Board, Andrew Phua,asserts that business travellers are becomingmore sophisticated and the industry “will need toprogress to a higher level to deliver more valueto our international partners”.“Decisions are no longer made based just onsuperior meeting infrastructure and service,but an entire value proposition surroundingintellectual property and in-depth content,” hesays.“Together with the industry, we will continueto collaborate and strengthen Singapore’sposition as a knowledge exchange hub andthe ever-evolving needs of global businessprofessionals.”Driving cross-event synergiesAs event attendees are looking to optimise theirbusiness trips for greater returns, they have alsobecome more selective towards the types ofevents they attend.that enrich their perspectives and lead toproductive outcomes.One way to deliver greater value to eventattendees is to cluster complementary eventsevent synergies in ‘industry focus’ weeks.Such an approach also allows time-strappeddelegates to optimise their business trips andevents within the same eco-system.One example of an ‘industry focus’ week isTravelRave, created by the Singapore TourismBoard. Held annually in October, the travel tradefestival provides a unique platform for thoughtleaders in the travel and tourism industry tocome together, exchange insights and explorein Asia.Into its fourth edition this year, TravelRave hastrade festival. Last year’s festival concluded witha record 10,700 attendees (representing a 12%increase over 2011), from the entire spectrum ofthe Asian travel and tourism industry to network,exchange knowledge and share experiencesover eight events.TravelRave 2013 returns from 21 to 25October with new content on top of insightfuldiscussions that have become an integral partof the travel trade festival and will continueto harness collective Asian insights from theTravelRave is a prime example of an 'industry week'which drives cross-event synergiesindustry’s top leaders.For Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiserof ITB Asia, the launch of TravelRave hascontributed to the growth of the show.The clamour for exhibitor space highlights theimportance of the show – it was completely soldout four months ahead of the event.Gruettke says part of the success is theconvergence of travel trade events and“unique and valuable synergies”.“It helps to draw together a wide range of highleveldelegates and participants from all aroundthe world, making ITB Asia a strategic gatewayfor the global travel trade to reach out to thisregion,” he adds.Delegates can also look forward to enjoyingthemselves at complementary networkingsessions. For instance, TravelRave’s crosseventnetworking event, Rave On! TravelRaveParty, which will take place on 23 October,aims to bring the industry closer to forgingmore contacts and facilitating exchanges in aninformal setting.TravelRave attendee Marc Steinmeyer,president director and founder of TAUZIAHotel Management, says as a platform thatamalgamates the best of Asia’s travel andtourism industry in a single week, “TravelRaveprovides invaluable opportunities for me tomeet and network with industry leaders acrossTravelRave: Unlocking invaluableopportunities and insightTravelRave comprises multiple complementaryevents that cut across the travel and tourismindustry, from hospitality and tourism investment- to aviation (Aviation Out- and technology .on business travel, ITB Asia’s GBTA BusinessTravel Forum segment delve into the latest economicforecasts on business travel spend in theregion and provide new insights and ideas thatwill help business travel professionals to successfullyplan for the future.Similarly, during the , ArunMadhok, CEO, Suntec Singapore Convention &Exhibition Centre and Datuk Peter Brokenshire,general manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre,will be speaking on the topic of investmentoutlook for MICE destinations in Asia. To meetthe need for new and Asian-focus insights for theassociation community, UIA is also launching itsinaugural Asian edition of UIA AssociationsRoundtable 2013 in Singapore.line up of eight quality events under theTravelRave umbrella. TravelRave will take placefrom 21 to 25 October 2013 providing a dynamicplatform for business leaders and industryprofessionals to share knowledge and insights,explore business opportunities, and celebrateAsian tourism at its best.Get connected with the best travel minds aheadtrade festival in Asia. Follow us @TravelRaveSGor visit www.travelrave.sg for the latest industryupdates.Advertise with TDA today! Email us atadvertising@traveldailymedia.comManaging Editor: Gary Marshall | Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott 101A Upper Cross Street, #11-16 People’s Park Centre, Singapore, 058358