Luxury resort brand, One&Only, opened its first Asian outpost this week on Malaysia's Desaru Coast.

Sarawak has been selected as the Asia Pacific Regional Hub for the upcoming ICCA Congress 2020 in Kaohsiung, which has embraced a multi-hub format.

The UAE successfully hosted its first large-scale event, UFC Fight Island, which welcomed 2,500 people into a Covid-19-free bubble over five weeks, paving the way for the return of events in coming months, including the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.

PCMA has promoted Bruce MacMillan as chief operating officer, effective immediately, to support the association's global business events recovery plan.

As the global meetings and events industry continues to grapple with the effects of Covid-19, International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) regional director in Asia, Noor Ahmad Hamid, believes the region is coping rather well.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we do business and spurred a ‘new normal’ for meetings and events across the region. To help event planners prepare for the future of meetings in Asia, Northstar Meetings Group has launched the Asia Planner Pulse Survey — a dedicated piece of research focused on the business outlook and unique needs of event planners in our richly diverse region.

Laguna Phuket resort complex recently played host to the inaugural Laguna Phuket Health Fair, reaffirming the destination has safely managed the spread of Covid-19.

Australia-based business events constancy, Mayvin Global, has expanded into the Northern Territory following the recent opening of an office in Darwin.

Dubai Business Events, the city's convention bureau, has launched guidelines for the restart of its business events scene, with local meetings slated to resume from 15 September and international meetings set to return from 1 October, 2020.

MINNEAPOLIS — B2B travel management platform, CWT, has undergone a major restructure in the wake of Covid-19, with three newly-created global operating units. As a result, Patrick Andersen has been appointed President, RoomIt & Commercial, Niklas Andréen now leads Traveler Experience & Customer, and Michelle McKinney Frymire is President, Strategy & Transformation, Chief Financial Officer.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed their first Hotel Indigo in Jakarta, furthering the brands plans to focus on Indonesia as a key market. Situated in northern Jakarta’s exclusive development on Golf Island PIK – also known as Kawasan Pantai Maju – Hotel Indigo Jakarta Pantai Indah Kapuk is set to open in 2022, offering world-class amenities within a dynamic, local neighbourhood scene.

SINGAPORE – Destination management and events company, Pacific World, this week announced it will cease operations globally in November 2020.

Malaysia is leading the way when it comes to regional business events (BE) recovery, largely thanks to collaborative efforts by a number of key industry players. In July, the industry came together to launch the Business Events Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), a collaborative effort to spur the safe reopening of domestic business events across the country.

SINGAPORE – A highlight of Northstar Travel Group’s recent M&C Asia Connections (MCAC) Virtual event, was a panel session flanked by industry leaders who discussed practical ways forward in this ‘new normal’.