IT&CM China 2011 - Leading China's Next MICE's Wave

Bringing together Chinese and International MICE Exhibitors and Buyers in one dynamic marketplace.

Since 2007, IT&CM China has established itself as China's leading professional Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) business and networking event dedicated to "Promoting China to the World and the World to China".
The quantum growth of the show over the last four years is testimony to China's appeal as the World's next MICE powerhouse - realising the possibility that the future of the MICE industry might eventually result in two distinct markets: China and the rest of the world.
IT&CM China is a spin-off from IT&CM Asia, the region's premier meetings and incentive travel show. For 18 years, IT&CM Asia has played a vital role in promoting the Asia-Pacific region as a MICE destination, as well as a source for MICE visitors.

Delivering The Best Return On Investment In Business, Learning And Play
Business
32 Business Appointments. Guaranteed.
Exhibitors are entitled to 32 appointments per 9sqm (Corporate) or 6sqm (NTO/CVB) space booked, while each buyer is awarded with 32 appointment sessions. This translates to at least 32 new sales leads for each exhibiting company or buyer. Best of all, we apply our proven match-making formula to ensure you maximise your chances of finding a suitable business partner.

MICE Exhibition
A diverse showcase featuring the best of international and Chinese MICE brands sought-after by both buyers from around the world and across China. Expect to meet representatives from destinations, hospitality, venues, entertainment, transportation, technology and more.

LearningSeminar Sessions
IT&CM China organises a total of nine seminar sessions including the opening keynote address. Topics cover a multitude of pertinent and practical MICE and general business topics that delegates can immediately apply to that workplace.

Play
Networking Functions
All delegates are invited to official events such as the Opening Ceremony & Welcome Dinner where they are treated to Chinese hospitality at its best. These networking functions are perfect to connect with the industry in a casual setting, wine, dine and simply just let loose. In addition, Buyers and Media are invited to hosted luncheons by our sponsors during the business days.
ToursPre-Show Shanghai and Post-Show "Presenting City"
Giving buyers and media the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and delights that the host destination has to offer. Participants take away a stronger understanding and conviction that enables them to promote these destinations effectively.
For More details, Please check the event site: www.itchmchina.com

Cambodia Geared To Host An Unforgettable Event – ASEAN TOURISM FORUM (ATF) 2011

This year’s ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) TRAVEX (Travel Exchange) 2011 registered an overwhelming response, with over 500 exhibition booths fully sold. All ten member-nations will be well-represented at this annual leisure travel trade event which showcases the largest contingent of ASEAN destination products and services.

While some 1,000 buyers have registered their interest to source at the event, only 400 have been selected to attend under a privileged hosting programme. Buyer profile this year includes delegates from Asia-Pacific (55 per cent), Europe (37 per cent) and the rest of the world.

A total of 1,600 delegates are expected at this year’s ATF 2011. His Excellency So Mara, Secretary of State, Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia remarked, “ASEAN is one of the few regions in the world that offers a lot of tourism value in the international market. Demand for ASEAN will continue to grow and we can see that in the increasing interest of international buyers and proliferation of ASEAN products and services at the upcoming ATF.”

ATF 2011 marks the event’s 30th anniversary. ASEAN member-nation Cambodia, will host ATF 2011 in Phnom Penh from 15 to 21 January. ATF TRAVEX, the 3-day travel trade mart component of the event will take place from 19 to 21 January at the Diamond Island Convention & Exhibition Centre. His Excellency Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, Cambodia and Chairman of ATF 2011 Host Committee, said “This year’s theme ‘A World of Wonders and Diversity’ embodies everything that Cambodia has to offer as a compelling destination. We look forward to welcoming all ATF participants and international delegates to the Kingdom of Cambodia. We have taken great pride to create plenty of opportunities for them to discover our country’s rich cultural, natural and historical heritage.”

Business appointments and meetings which encompass the majority of delegates’ schedules over the 3-days are just some of the many highlights that ATF 2011 will offer. ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC) – the educational front of ATF – will feature topics such as Ecotourism and Sustainable tourism in the ASEAN region as well as managing tourism in destinations which are home to Heritage Sites. Invited speakers hail from global institutions such as United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Global Sustainable Tourism Council and will engage the audience through thought-provoking sessions and interactive panel discussions on key issues in ASEAN tourism today.

ATF 2011 is also poised as an event with bountiful networking opportunities, teeing off with the ever-popular game of golf at the Royal Cambodia Phnom Penh Golf Course.


Hosted by The Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia, the ATF 2011 Opening Ceremony is set to be a spectacular event featuring some 500 local and foreign performers in traditional and contemporary performances. The Ministry is also pulling out all stops to ensure a feast for the senses with a strong play on the latest pyrotechnics and sound effects technology. Delegates can also look forward to a stunning 30 minutes fireworks highlight.


Over the 3 days, delegates can wine, dine and enjoy the company of their peers at several hosted luncheons, dinners as well as at 3 late night functions at Nagaworld, Raffles Hotel Le Royal and Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra.

Pre-show city tours of Phnom Penh and post-show tours to popular Cambodian destinations such as Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk and Koh Kong are also available to hosted buyers and media delegates.

About ATF 2011

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is a cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as one tourist destination. ATF TRAVEX is the longest-running annual ASEAN leisure travel trade event, showcasing the largest contingent of ASEAN sellers. This annual event involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 10 ASEAN member nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each year, the hosting of ATF is rotated among the member countries. Cambodia will host ATF 2011 and is all geared up to welcome over 1,600 delegates which includes 400 international buyers and 100 international media. ATF 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of this event since its inauguration in Malaysia in 1981.

Quick Facts:
2011 ATF Dates:15 to 21 January 2011
Venue: Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
For more information, please check the website www.atfcambodia.com

India Gives Visa-On-Arrival to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Philippines

The Indian government’s year-long experiment with visa-on-arrival (VOA) facilities has been extended and expanded for 2011. Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines have been added to the list that already includes Japan, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore.

Nationals from the four additional countries will be eligible for VOA to India from January 1. From January to September this year, India issued 4,493 VOAs, with Singaporean nationals topping the tally. Shroff International Travel Care Philippines managing director Arjun Shroff believed the VOA for Filipinos might make travel to India more convenient but would not necessarily open the floodgates. “The real traffic booster would be Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) nonstop Manila-Delhi flights from March. These cut travel time down from 13 hours with several connections to just six hours. They can open up the weekend market from the Philippines. In this respect, the VOA comes in handy,” said Shroff. PAL will start servicing the Manila-Delhi sector from March 27 next year with six flights a week. Three of the flights will be nonstop between the two capital cities while the other three will be coursed via Bangkok. Then again, hidden in the fineprint of India’s VOA facility are a number of restrictions. Eligible tourists can only avail of the VOA two times in a year and are still subject to the ruling on a two-month gap between tourist visits. V K Singh, first secretary of the Indian High Commission in Singapore, explained that tourists could re-enter India once or twice within two months if they engaged in “neighbourhood tourism”, which he defined as “using India as a hub to visit one or two countries in the area”. He, however, declined to specify what destinations constituted a “neighbouring country”, saying the matter would be determined on a case-to-case basis.

On the other side Mr. Ho Vandy, Co Chair of the Cambodia Tourism Working group and Managing Director of World Express Travel & Tours appreciated the move and said that this will definately boost the tourism between India and Cambodia and ease of travel to Buddhist Tourism in India. Mr. Ang Kim Eang, President of Cambodia Association of Travel Agents ( CATA ) and Managing Director of Great Angkor Tours also shared the appreciation remarks towards the strong tourism tie ups and expressed that this will help him to promote the Buddhist Tourism in India for his clients and customers.

To boost ASEAN INDIA tourism, Asean would also establish a promotional chapter for tourism in Mumbai. India would be hosting the commemorative India-Asean summit in India 2012

Visa-Free Arrangement Signed by Thailand and Cambodia

The visa-free arrangement signed by Thailand and Cambodia in October is expected to thaw previously frosty ties between the neighbours and boost cross-border traffic. From mid-December, Cambodian passport holders will be given 14-day visa-free stays in Thailand and vice versa. Currently, Cambodian and Thai nationals have to obtain visas from the respective embassy or consulate. Thai nationals though can get a US$20 visa-on-arrival for 30 days at Cambodia’s international checkpoints. Angkor T K Travel and Tours managing director Chaiyapruk Phumimuang said Thailand had been back on Cambodians’ radar in recent months. “We are overwhelmed with bookings from Thailand for the Thai Father’s Day long weekend (December 4 to 6). Siem Reap could run out of Thai-speaking guides if the current pace of booking continues.”Tui Ruteen, First Travel Cambodia’s managing director, said the pact would reestablish Thailand as a medical tourism destination for Cambodians who had shifted to visa-free countries such as Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia for medical treatments. Arrival numbers between the two countries fell by an average of nine per cent this year.

Shanghai World Expo 2010 - Largest Ever World Fair

Event leaves Shanghai with new MICE and leisure facilities, infrastructure upgrades.

1 How will the Shanghai World Expo 2010 be remembered? As the largest-ever world fair. More than 200 countries and organisations created architecturally-diverse pavilions to showcase their culture, arts, technology and commerce to a primarily Chinese audience.
Organisers targeted 70 million visitors between May 1 and October 31 and, in the end, 73.1 million came, a new world record for the World Expo.
The Belgian pavilion reported an average of 40,000 visitors per day during the expo, while the Expo Performance Centre, which will be rebranded as the Mercedes Benz Arena after the expo, handled “more than 1.1 million performance tickets in the first five months of the expo,” said Giulia Zhu, spokesperson of AEG-OPG Culture and Sports Ltd., which manages the venue.
2 Who came? Who participated? Meeting the 70 million visitors target required unprecedented public support from within China, and key visits from foreign statesmen and celebrities helped boost interest.
“The World Expo brought a great deal of state visits and foreign delegations as well as domestic tourists to Shanghai. We had VIP visits by (California governor) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Princess Mashael Bint Mohammed (of Saudi Arabia), President (Nicolas) Sarkozy of France, Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland,” said Gottfried Bogensperger, general manager of Hyatt on the Bund.
Also in attendance were Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and India’s Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jyotiraditya Scindia, who headed a trade delegation of more than 70 companies.
Other notable inclusions during the expo included Copenhagen’s famous Little Mermaid statue, master artworks by Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne, and celebrities.
3 What is the constructive legacy for the city? Shanghai now has two enlarged and upgraded international airports, a cruise port, new luxury hotels and a 13-line metro network.
Some Expo pavilions will be refurbished as meetings, convention and entertainment venues, and the Bund was re-landscaped to remove much of the traffic and enlarge the riverside boardwalk and public spaces.
The city’s pre-expo construction boom is set to continue. Shanghai Disneyland should break ground before year-end in Pudong, while China’s tallest building, the 121-storey Shanghai Tower, is under construction in the Lujiazui financial district.
New, super high-speed train routes are being rolled out, with a 38-minute Shanghai-Hangzhou service launched in October, and the 350kph Shanghai-Beijing service, which would take four hours to travel end to end, scheduled for a 2012 launch.
4 What are the city’s post-Expo objectives? Shanghai plans to utilise the multi-billion-dollar pre-expo investment in conventions, transport and entertainment infrastructure to diversify its MICE economy.
“The expo has given us opportunities to undertake more MICE business, and we’re going to be involved in more international hosting bids,” said Patrick Chen, deputy director of international tourism promotion for the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration.
Upcoming events include the International Council of Museums Triennial Conference in November, FINA Swimming World Championships in 2012, and the International Congress and Convention Association Annual Meeting in 2013.
5 How will Shanghai balance corporate and leisure travel? Underlying demand for business travel to Shanghai is predicted to remain strong, but the city’s hyperactive hotel pipeline is a major challenge.
“Compared with a yearly average increase of five per cent of visitors to Shanghai, the 20 per cent yearly increase of new hotels and meeting facilities is way too much as there will be no event as big as the expo in the next decade,” Chen said.
“We’re going to further cooperate with the Fédération Internationale des Journalistes et Ecrivains du Tourisme.
“Shanghai held the 51st FIJET Congress in 2009 and will...invite more tourism journalists and publications to Shanghai and promote the city as a leisure destination.”

By Gary Bowerman