Vietnam has cut the ribbon on a striking multipurpose convention centre with a design inspired by the country’s ubiquitous coracle boat. Axi Plaza celebrated its grand opening today at its spectacular beachfront location, overlooking Long Beach on Vietnam’s scenic Cam Ranh peninsula. Its host of remarkable facilities include a vast state-of-the-art conference hall, a 360-degree rooftop venue, a stunning outdoor beachfront event space, and about 10,000sqm dedicated to shopping and dining outlets.

At the recent Asian MICE Cruise Conference held in-conjunction with IT&CMA 2019, the speakers discussed the viability of organising MICE events on a cruise ship. Some of the key benefits highlighted by the speakers at the conference include:

• All-in-one venue (conference, F&B, team-building, entertainment);
• All-inclusive package for accommodation, meeting, food, beverage, live performances and activities;
• Captive audience as delegates will not be distracted by shopping or other attractions as compared to events in a land destination;
• Savings on land transport time and costs;
• Less logistic hassle in managing different suppliers;
• Costs on board is consistent as compared to land event, where costs in one city may vary widely with costs in another city;
• Overall cost savings of about 30% when MICE event is held on board a ship as compared to an event on land.

However, the “MICE” most cruise operators refer to is incentive groups. The main objective of incentive travel is to create fun for the employees and cultivate loyalty to the company. Hence it is not difficult to see how the wine, dine and entertainment on a cruise would be perfect for incentive groups. But how about more serious meeting, conference and exhibition. How many percent of a cruise ship is really purpose-built for MICE? MICEreview went on-board the Genting Dream Cruise for a six-days-five-nights experience to find out.

ICONSIAM is a landmark development on the Chao Phraya riverside opposite the Shangri-la Hotel, Bangkok.  A luxury mega mall reminiscent of Dubai City Mall...it even comes with a multimedia river water show as what you would find in Dubai. A key distinctive feature within ICONSIAM is SookSiam, an area dedicated to present the cultures of the five main regions in Thailand in five large pavilions. Visitors can see replicas of each region’s architectural style, as well as try delicacies and buy handicrafts from each culture all under one roof. It is an area so expansive that meeting planners can organise treasure hunt or other team-building exercises for corporate groups. ​

The Funicular is the terminal building at the top of Mount Mtatsminda for Tbilisi’s funicular system. At a height of 770 metres, it is the highest point in Tbilisi overlooking the Georgian capital. The Funicular is located within the Mtatsminda Park, which consists of nature and amusement park facilities.
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Radisson Collection Hotel, Tsinandali Estate, is one of the most interesting hotels for convention and incentive travel in Georgia. There are only about 12 Radisson Collection Hotels in the world, and the brand is all about being exceptional... in terms of design, service quality and heritage.

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Traveling to Tbilisi, capital city of Georgia, during the rather cold month of March, we certainly felt at home at The Biltmore Hotel, part of Singapore’s homegrown Millennium & Copthorne group of hotels. Although arriving at wee hours of the morning and longing to tuck into bed to catch some sleep, we can’t help but noticed the classical-styled  lobby with polished marble floors and crystal chandeliers exuding glamour and luxury. ​

Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace is probably the most convention-ready hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia based on ballroom size, facilities and the number of function rooms. The Kavkasioni Ballroom is the largest ballroom in Tbilisi with the capacity of over 1,000 guests in theatre-style seating arrangement, or 600 in classroom/banquet-style. ​