DUBAI – Expo 2020 Dubai’s proposition as the world’s greatest meeting of minds has been further strengthened through a wide‐ranging agreement with Informa that will bring some of the region’s major business and entertainment events to Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), co‐located at the next World Expo.

NEW YORK – Budgets are expanding for incentive programmes, and companies are appreciating the "soft-power" objectives programmes deliver -- aiming, for instance, to build engagement and retain employees -- as well as the traditional goal of meeting and exceeding sales targets. Those positive findings are among the key takeaways from the 2019 Incentive Travel Industry Index, a collaboration between Society of Incentive Travel Experts, the Incentive Research Foundation, and Financial and Insurance Conference Professionals.

NEW YORK – Attendees crave more than just a run-of-the-mill conference agenda - they increasingly expect experiences that speak to their specific interests. As such, meeting professionals must look beyond the execution of the event and consider the meeting-goer experience each step of the way.

MELBOURNE – Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) has announced on Nov 25 the launch of the Associations Round Table – an industry-first initiative for associations attending the 2020 event.

HONG KONG – An affiliate of Hyatt Hotels Corporation has entered into a management agreement with Xuan Mai Sai Gon Construction Investment Joint Stock Company (Xuan Mai) to develop two hotel brands in one of Ho Chi Minh City’s largest districts.

CHRISTCHURCH – Accor is celebrating the opening of its spanking new Novotel Christchurch Airport hotel as the US$80 million property welcomes its first guests.

SINGAPORE – Pan Pacific Hotels Group, one of Asia’s most established hospitality companies, has extended its strategic partnership with HRS, the leading end-to-end technology provider in business travel.

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s leading food delivery service Deliveroo has unveiled a new package of services for corporates, enhancing its Deliveroo for Business (DFB) offerings.

BRISBANE – More than 450 export tourism industry leaders from across Australia are gathering in Brisbane this week for the Australian Tourism Export Council’s (ATEC) annual Meeting Place event.

BARCELONA – Fresh from the overwhelming success of hosting the Rugby World Cup, Japan is ready to leverage on next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo as a platform to attract more business events.

BARCELONA – Thailand is giving meetings and events planners more than 100 new reasons to bring events to the country, after the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) launched 115 new incentive activities and venues across 14 cities for 2020.

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has successfully won a bid to host the 12th Asia Pacific Conference on Biomechanics (APCB) 2023, according to the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).

BARCELONA – Event organiser IBTM Asia Pacific has partnered Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to curate tours, local experiences and networking opportunities for its inaugural Asia Pacific edition in Singapore next year.

BARCELONA – IBTM Asia Pacific has entered an alliance with the Singapore MICE Forum (SMF), a meetings industry conference which is run by the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS).