Archive for February 22nd, 2012

HRG signs ONE Nordic as new client

Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), the award-winning international corporate services company, has won a contract with ONE Nordic to manage the company’s business travel following a competitive tender. Based in Malmö, ONE Nordic is Scandinavia’s leading turnkey supplier in energy technology and contracting and employs approximately 1,500 people. 

Regions into the MICE Italian scenary: tourism councelors meet the regional Delegation of Federcongressi & Eventi

On 23 February 2012 the big event “Regions into the Italian MICE background” will be hold at Palazzo degli Affari

Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority Join ASAE as Strategic Partner

WASHINGTON — Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) has joined ASAE’s group of Alliance Partners in the Strategic Partner category. This program provides the industry partner community with opportunities to align itself with ASAE and the association industry through customized marketing platforms.

“We are excited to have RSCVA as a Strategic partner,” said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE. “Reno is quickly becoming a popular destination for association meetings and events, and this new partnership gives Reno a great opportunity to raise awareness with the association professionals who are looking for a great place to host their next event.”

“All of us at Reno Tahoe USA are delighted to be joining ASAE as a Strategic Partner in 2012,” according to Christopher Baum, president and CEO of the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority. “The Reno/Sparks/North Lake Tahoe region is one of America’s best kept destination secrets, and we look forward to working closely with the ASAE team to help make sure that Reno Tahoe USA starts getting its due as a truly affordable area with incredible natural beauty, top quality convention facilities, world class meeting hotels and almost unlimited activities and attractions.”

Rise in International Travel Necessitates Tighter Border Control, Observes Frost & Sullivan

- Mandatory Implementation of e-Passports for ICAO Member Countries by 2015 to Boost Adoption of e-Gate Systems

Travel documents are for terrorists just as important as weapons, according to the key finding from the 9/11 Commission Report. This is the reason border control systems based on biometric applications have become the solution of choice in identifying potential threats. There is also considerable emphasis on the identification of immigrants using e-Passports and e-Visas to channel biometric data to destination countries to reduce illegal immigration.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.aerospace.frost.com), Global Border Control Market Assessment, estimates that the market will earn revenues of $8.74 billion by 2019, comparing to $1.97 billion in 2010. As the growing mobility of people necessitates the use of e-Passports, e-Visas, e-Gates and infrastructure to support the systems, the border control market is expected to earn a double digit CAGR of 17.6 per cent from 2011 to 2019.

The universal penetration of e-Passport, e-Visas and e-Gate systems is in response to the efforts of biometrics associations, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, governments and border control application vendors to develop international standards for the adoption of biometric technologies.

“The mandatory implementation of e-Passports for ICAO member countries by 2015 and rising passenger throughput will trigger wider adoption of e-Gate systems,” says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Dominik Kimla. “The e-Gate system adoption will partially be an outcome of the successful implementation of e-Passports and e-Visas and it is vital for managing passenger flows more efficiently at border check points.”

Although the e-Passport segment is likely to remain the largest in the total border control market, the e-Gate segment will be the fastest growing between 2011 and 2019. While the e-Gate segment’s total share is anticipated to increase from 14.2 per cent in 2010 to 37.7 per cent in 2019, e-Passport’s is expected to decrease from 69.2 per cent to 51.6 per cent during the same period.

With international arrivals expected to reach nearly 1.6 billion by 2020, end users are appreciative of the need for border control. However, the complexity and cost of border control systems implementation and privacy concerns could deter several users from deploying this solution.

The negative association of fingerprint identification with criminal investigations have slowed down the adoption of this form of identification. Further, they have indicated a reluctance to adopt the technology due to privacy and civil liberties concerns regarding data storage, the vulnerability of the data to theft and abuse and the implications of false positives and false negatives.

It is essential for the market participants to not only identify and assuage privacy concerns in the public and private sectors but they should also present attractive return on investment.

“Suppliers must demonstrate how their border control solution can reduce operator costs in the long term,” notes Kimla. “This is an important factor since in the current post downturn environment; operators are looking for ways to maintain a high standard of security at low costs.”

VOK DAMS and E-Plus score on the field together

The event specialists of VOK DAMS – one of the leading agencies for Events and Live-Marketing – set up for the E-Plus Partnershop Congress 2012 the 1.FC BASE.

The E-Plus Partnershop Congress was held for the seventh consecutive time. Approximately 500 E-Plus Partnershop owners of the BASE brand travelled from the entire Germany to this one-day event in the VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.

The E-Plus Group 2010/2011 played in “the first league of the mobile market”, after having one of the most successful business years thanks to the BASE brand. This year’s Partnershop Congress aimed at communicating the main objective of the Partnershop owners: with their top performance they have managed to win over not only clients but also real fans.

In this analogy to football, the Partnershop owners grouped as a team of the 1. FC BASE and the E-Plus Management to Club-Management, so they could support their team as best as possible, in accordance with the corporate strategy with innovative tariffs and progressive, future strategies. The motto developed for the event “You’ll never walk alone” underlined this idea and permeated all aspects of the event as the main theme.

 Approximately 500 E-Plus Partnershop owners were invited to the team of the 1. FC BASE in advance, through a specially developed online tool. They were requested to register online for the event, to follow the event’s news items and generate relevant themes. The result of this interactive subscriber management tool was a high level of involvement and identification with the 1. FC BASE prior to the event. In addition to the registration, this tool offered the participants the possibility to list themselves and qualify for the “player of the day” title. The participants played a quiz in three online qualification phases with the topics of BASE, mobile market and football in order to enter the semi-finals and finals on the day of the event. The four finalists played then on site for the prize of tickets for the 2012 European championship in Poland and Ukraine.

 But – like in football – one thing especially counts at the end: What happens on the field! The “debut game of the 1. FC BASE” took place in the VELTINS Arena in Gelsenkirchen

As befits an organization with international stature, the participants expected during the event everything their football-heart desired. Upon arrival at the “Fan-BASE”, similar to a club’s museum, the E-Plus Partnershop owners discovered the history and the great moments of the 1. FC BASE. Football, team spirit and passion were there – felt and touched. Uniformly integrated in space, the guests experienced the stands of the E-Plus hardware partners. The theme “football fans” functioned as the unifying element. Additional football activities enriched the exhibition and cleverly facilitated the stimulation of conversation: A Wii – soccer station and the XXL – soccer or football on Playstation were only some elements of the “Fan-BASE”.

 Afterwards the participants arrived in the VIP cabin, in which – in front of the impressive scene of the arena – the formulated in advance themes of the participants were discussed. The guests as well, got to hear a speech of Hermann Scherer on the topic “opportunity intelligence”. The executives of E-Plus agreed with the partners further for 2012. Lou Richter and Mirja Boes led the event. Films livened up the event with the “You’ll never walk alone” message playing continuously: Spontaneous fan-interviews and statements with clients, impressive games, emotional fan moments, legendary goals and situations.

After the official part, a surprise awaited the guests in the Players’ Lounge – the former Fan-BASE: With light-effects and transformed decoration, the familiar space appeared totally different, like a modern Players’ Lounge. Oblique lights and an illuminated bar brought forth other features than before in the exhibition. The highlight of the evening was the appearance of the Atzen sponsored by MTV mobile.

 Altogether, VOK DAMS created for the E-Plus Partnershop Congress a consistent football world where passion and emotion played an essential role. The feeling of the event was experienced even before its beginning and remained beyond the event in the follow-up communication later on. The strict application of the “You’ll never walk alone” theme intensified the “we” feeling and stimulated involvement and integration from the participants.

IHG to create 3,000 jobs in the UK and launch its hospitality training academy in London

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  Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, welcomes the creation of new jobs in Britain and attends the launch of the IHG Academy in Newham
• IHG Academy to develop talented people through hospitality training, providing the opportunity to work for a global hotel company with world renowned hotel brands 

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies with brands such as Holiday Inn,todayannounced it is creating nearly 3,000¹ new jobs across its 275 UK hotels over the next three years, including over 1,100² new jobs this year. IHG also announced the launch of its newest hospitality training Academy in London.The announcement was welcomed by the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who attended the launch of the IHG Academy programme at the soon to open Holiday Inn London Stratford City. The new hotel is one of four IHG hotels in the area that will be creating new jobs, for which students of the IHG Academy programme can apply.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said,”It’s fantastic to see IHG growing its UK business and creating 3,000 new jobs. The British service sector is world-beating, and will soon welcome millions of guests to enjoy London 2012. But reaching this gold standard needs investment in people. IHG are leading the way in their sector through a tailored academy programme. It’s an added investment that means young people can learn the skills for the industry in a local college, and then start their career in a local hotel. This shows real investment in our future workforce, is a huge boost for jobs across the country, but crucially will see local people benefit from training and work.”

Holiday Inn, part of the IHG family of brands, is the official hotel provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As part of its Olympic legacy, IHG has launched a new hospitality training academy in partnership with Newham College in one of the Games’ host boroughs.

With two new hotels to be built in time for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, successful students will be prize candidates for some of the 140 new jobs being created in the local area as the new hotels open.

IHG’s Chief Executive Richard Solomons joined Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and students at the soon to open Holiday Inn London Stratford City to launch the new Academy programme.

Richard Solomons, IHG’s Chief Executive said, “Hospitality is a great business to be in and working in hotels offers people exciting career paths for the future.  We’re pleased to be working with our hotel owners to create jobs and training opportunities in the UK at this time. The IHG Academy programmeallows us to join with local education bodies in the UK and around the world to provide real-life skills and enhance employment prospects for local people.  IHG benefits by having access to talent from the neighbourhoods near our hotels.”

The IHG Academy programme in Newham was developed in partnership with Newham College and will provide talented local people with hospitality training and practical work experience at a hotel from the IHG family of brands. Students take a six-month tailored course that combines the best of the Hospitality Skills Diploma NVQ with four weeks practical work experience in a hotel. Students qualify with a Hospitality Level 2 Diploma and will have the opportunity to apply for jobs at entry level with IHG.

IHG currently employs over 15,000 people in the UK; approximately 24 per cent of employees are between the ages of 18 and 24 years.

The launch of the IHG Academy programme in Newham is part of a global initiative to invest in the recruitment and training of hotel employees to ensure guests at IHG hotels experience consistent, high levels of customer service, no matter where they are in the world. IHG is committed to creating real job opportunities in the communities around its 4,480 hotels worldwide.

There are 42 IHG Academy programmesworldwide and 5,500 students were involved in the hospitality training globally last year.

Vincent C van Wulfen becomes Honorary Member IAPCO

IAPCO announces one of its truly valued past members is added to its roll of honour.

Vincent C van Wulfen, past president of IAPCO 1995-1998 has been awarded honorary membership in recognition of his many years of dedication and as an important change agent. Vincent commenced in the industry as international Marketing Manager of the Netherlands Convention Bureau when it was a start-up in 1980. Naturally he got some of his first training at Wolfsberg IAPCO Annual Seminar in 1981.

In 1988 Vincent became a PCO. Vincent took over HOC in The Hague and attended his first IAPCO GA in 1988. IAPCO immediately identified his talent and invited him to join the Council in 1990 when he became Treasurer. Under Vincent’s able management the funds of IAPCO were organised efficiently and with vision to ensure the viability of the association building reserves to a healthy level. He assumed the Presidency in 1995 then took up the Treasury responsibility again in 1998 until he retired from IAPCO in 2010.

Vincent was an agent of change; he dared to bring the association into the 21st Century, making radical changes to the way the association functioned and improvements in the Wolfsberg program that lifted the quality to higher and more relevant levels. He was a key proponent for developing the association, conducting many Appraisal Visits for new members and has worked behind the scenes diligently for almost 20 years with a strong commitment to quality and growth.

Tineke, Vincent’s wife is also recognised as a terrific support for Vincent as this had a positive flow on effect to IAPCO. Tineke attended each General Assembly and many Council meetings and accepted that Vincent spent many evenings at home on IAPCO Council business over the years. IAPCO wishes to thank Tineke, and also express how proud the Association is to count upon its eighth Honorary Member for all his achievements.

ITB Berlin Convention: Younger generation on the platform

14-year old Felix Finkbeiner to give keynote speech on the future of mobility – Well-known German PUMA manager Jochen Zeitz presents future sustainability scenarios – ITB Berlin Convention from 7 to 9 March 2012 free for trade visitors

Berlin, 22 February 2012 – Children’s power: this year’s ITB Berlin Convention welcomes a special speaker to the platform in the person of 14-year old Felix Finkbeiner. He was responsible for launching the children’s initiative Plant for the Planet and from 10.50 to 11.15 p.m. on 9 March 2012 he will be delivering the keynote speech in Hall 7.1a on the subject of “The Future of Mobility”. From 7 to 9 March 2012 the leading tourism convention will address the main issues confronting global tourism and will be presenting some solutions and examples of best practice to meet current and future challenges. Two prominent speakers, Felix Finkbeiner and Jochen Zeitz, have been invited to discuss the subject of sustainability at this year’s ITB Berlin Convention.

In a paper to be given on the ITB Mobility Day Felix Finkbeiner will examine how the teenage generation assesses the present mobility system and current efforts to achieve sustainability. The 14-year old has been attracting worldwide attention since 2007 with the initiative Plant for the Planet. At that time, as a nine-year old, he learned during the course of his homework about the Kenyan environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Wangari Maathai, who has planted some 30 million trees over a 30-year period. The Plant for the Planet initiative, which is now active in 193 countries, was inspired by this idea. Children obtain information about sustainability from other children, and learn how every individual can contribute to climate protection by planting trees.

The sort of future sustainability scenarios that are conceivable will be explained by Jochen Zeitz, Executive Chairman PUMA and Chief Sustainability Officer PPR, who was responsible for setting up the Zeitz Foundation. One of the best-known entrepreneurs in Germany, Jochen Zeitz is devoting his efforts to the sustainable management of the eco-system. In his paper, to be delivered on the ITB CSR Day, he investigates the question of how to balance social, ecological and economic sustainability for the benefit of all stakeholders. In his perspective, to be presented from 5 to 5.30 p.m. on 8 March 2012 in Hall 7.1.a, he will offer some visionary insights and useful suggestions for business strategies and sustainability concepts. The “4Cs” – conservation, community, culture, commerce – is a new kind of concept being presented by the Zeitz Foundation as a basic approach that can also be applied by the tourism industry as a means of achieving sustainable growth.

Admission to the ITB Berlin Convention is included in the price of the ITB Berlin trade visitor ticket.

UK BUSINESSES TARGET SURGING £6.5 BILLION INDIAN TOURISM MARKET

A record number of British tourism businesses(1) are to join VisitBritain in India this week, looking to tap into one of the world’s fastest growing source markets and reap the benefits of the national tourism agency’s £25 million advertising campaign which kicked off in the country earlier this month.

Representatives from tourism, retail and sporting industries will participate in India Mission 2012, encouraged by the emergence of the country as a major player in terms of tourism visits to Britain over the last couple of years, with record highs for both spend and visits being witnessed. Around 250 key Indian buyers are expected to meet with the UK trade delegation at various briefing sessions to be held in New Delhi and Mumbai.

With inbound arrivals from India expected to increase significantly over the remainder of the decade, VisitBritain hopes it will be able to use key events in 2012 to entice a greater number of Indians to choose Britain for their next holiday. While Indians undertook nearly 10 million outbound visits in 2010, Britain received only 371,000 visitors from the country, making the UK the 11th most visited destination by Indian residents(2). Competitors such as France are currently receiving 20% more visitors from India than the UK, so it is vital that VisitBritain increases its activities to motivate Indian travellers to favour Britain instead.

VisitBritain research suggests that the number of annual visits to Britain from this BRIC nation has the potential to almost double by 2020, which could result in nearly 800,000 visits a year. A typical visit to Britain from India generates £980 with visitors tending to stay for longer periods of time due to a dominance of visits to friends and relatives already living in the UK.

As part of VisitBritain’s £25 million GREAT image campaign, Mumbai and Delhi will be submerged in GREAT branding, with huge bill-board posters being seen by over 16 million people. VisitBritain’s 60 second TV advert will be exclusively shown just before Indian movie goers sit down to watch their latest Bollywood blockbusters across 120 cinemas. There will also be 200 taxis with GREAT branding driving around the two major cities in India picking up thousands of commuters each day. As well as the image side of the campaign VisitBritain is working hard with partners on tactical marketing, bringing in the likes of British Airways who offer great deals to turn aspirational travel into visits right now.

Head of the mission and VisitBritain’s Strategy and Communication Director, Patricia Yates said:

“Trade missions such as this are essential for building the foundations for sustained growth of the UK’s inbound tourism economy. Britain accounted for only 3% of all outbound trips from India in 2010, yet while this still generated nearly £363 million for the UK economy, there is clearly scope for us to do more in order to attract a greater share of a market worth £6.5 billion a year.

“We know the Indian market has enormous potential for us, but if we are to achieve our 2020 projections of 80% growth we must be able to capitalise on the strong interest that already exists and do everything we can to encourage a greater number of visitors. To do that, we must be able to take advantage of the positive perceptions that the Indian population has of Britain, particularly those relating to our culture and heritage and sport which we are exploiting by taking Historic Royal Palaces, Marylebone Cricket Club and Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum on this mission.

“Our £25 million GREAT image campaign underway in Delhi and Mumbai will help reinforce these aspects and hopefully inspire Indians to turn their desire to visit us into a reality.”

The Scramble Begins, As The World’s Biggest Egg Hunt Takes London By Storm

Over 200 giant eggs have been hidden in secret locations throughout central London (Tuesday 21st February) as part of ‘The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt’, a magical event challenging the public to take on the world’s biggest Easter egg hunt, whilst raising vital funds for charity.

The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt is set to smash Guinness World Records for the Most participants in an Easter egg hunt and the world’s Most expensive non-jewelled chocolate egg sold at auction, as designed by William Curley. The two Guinness World Records attempts are part of “World Record London”, which will see the most exciting capital in the world attempt over 20 Guinness World Records to make London a multi record-breaking city.

To celebrate the magical year as host city of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the London & Partners’ campaign will highlight unique and one off events available to Londoners and everyone visiting the capital between now and July 2012.

Members of the public are racing to find the giant eggs, which have been exclusively designed, embellished and decorated by some of the world’s leading artists, architects, jewellers and designers including Mulberry, Sir Ridley Scott, Zandra Rhodes, Diane Von Furstenberg, Marc Quinn, Bruce Oldfield, the Chapman Brothers, Theo Fennell, William Curley, Candy and Candy, Zaha Hadid, Bompas and Parr and Polly Morgan.

A highlight of The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt, is the chance to win the world’s most extraordinary prize, the Diamond Jubilee Egg, a fabulous creation valued at over £100,000. Crafted from 500 grams of 18 carat rose gold, the design is based on Fabergé’s much loved Matelasse jewellery collection. It features 60 gemstones – one for each year of Her Majesty’s reign – set in a quilted rose gold surface and comprising of diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

Gordon Innes, ceo London & Partners, said: “This cracking event is just one of the many that London will be host to over the next few months. There is an egg-cellent array of activities for all ages and budgets across the capital and with events like this London is the best place in the world to visit, study or do business in during this magical year.”

To enter to win the Diamond Jubilee egg prize, and raise money for the charities at the same time, hunters need to locate the unique SMS keyword displayed on each of the eggs and text the keyword to a dedicated text number, 80001  (1). For each keyword participants text in, they will be entered into the prize draw. The more eggs they find, the more chances to win and the winning entry will be drawn at random.

The hand-crafted eggs, which are destined to become highly collectible works of art, are available to bid for online and at auction, with proceeds going to Action for Children and Elephant Family. The jewel in the crown of the auction will be an exclusively designed, stunning 127ct emerald and gold egg pendant ‘Le Collier Plume d’Or’ created by Fabergé.

The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt is seeking to raise up to £2 million for leading children’s charity, Action for Children, and Elephant Family, the UK’s biggest funder for the endangered Asian elephant.
Action for Children’s Chief Executive, Dame Clare Tickell, said: “The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt is an enchanting event, which will capture the hearts, imagination and interest of everyone taking part. It’s particularly heartening to know that money will be raised thanks to an event which will be hugely enjoyable for the thousands of children and families who will be taking part.”

Elephant Family Founder, Mark Shand, said: “The firing gun has sounded! Let the hunt begin – here’s to an Olympic effort to win that Diamond Jubilee Egg!”

Sarah Fabergé, great granddaughter Peter Carl Fabergé said: “Today sees the streets of central London host the world’s most prestigious Easter egg hunt and our Diamond Jubilee design will be the winner’s prize. We are thrilled to be involved in what promises to be a fun-filled, public event celebrating creativity across so many artistic disciplines and most importantly, raising funds for two exceptionally deserving charities. I would personally like to congratulate all the artists involved.”