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This is the month for PHITEX (Philippine Travel Exchange) and for the second year in a row, the event will have a hybrid format. The 20th edition of PHITEX will take place on September 19-23 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone with the theme “Beyond Business: Co-creating Safe, Smart and Sustainable Tourism”.

The program includes educational webinars, pre-scheduled business appointments, networking, workshops, online activities, and post-tours. Five-day event with access through the virtual platform for those who will join online and the health and safety protocols in place for those delegates that will join the event in-person.

PHITEX is organized annually by the Department of Tourism (DOT), through the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), and it is the biggest travel and trade event in the country, providing a business-to-business platform where encourage local accredited sellers and qualified international buyers around the world to exchange and explore new opportunities on the travel and tourism market opening doors to business and relations.

For more information you may visit www.phitex.ph

One year ago today, the Live Events Industry in the Philippines were united as one voice with the Global Red Alert initiative led by the National Live Events Coalition Philippines (NLECPH). September 1st, 2020 is remembered for the night where event venues, outdoor spaces, iconic buildings and landmarks shined red to support the campaign “Light up in Red”.  

The purpose of the campaign was in support of all live event professionals, production companies, technicians, freelancers, performers, musicians, entertainers, venues, art institutions and third parties involved in our industry. Simultaneously, other campaigns participated worldwide in different countries to raise awareness to support the live events industry.  

The status for the events industry in the Philippines is uncertain, after eighteen months we are still facing tremendous challenges. There were a couple of months when the situation was improving slowly for our industry; meaning that those areas that were placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) were able to operate between 10% to 50% venue capacity with all health and safety protocols in place.

MICE events, live events, mass gathering, sporting events, entertainment activities are prohibited in areas under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) which is the strictest form of lockdown, Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ).

The community quarantines change depending on the area and the number of COVID-19 cases, every 15 days we get an update from government agencies regarding what will be the next quarantine restriction, which makes it very tough for all parties involved. 

To summarize, these eighteen months had been difficult. Some companies pivot to digital, restructure companies to keep afloat, including salary cuts and unfortunately, staff reductions.  Many other companies have broken, disappeared or simply changed careers and the rest are hibernating until there is clarity. 

Definitely the pandemic has changed how we work, the events industry was one of the first to shut down and we have experienced a drastic hit. Events bring people together and support thousands of jobs. There are possible ways to hold and operate live events following the protocols to keep all participants safe. Undoubtedly, the worst nightmare for our industry.

How did you cope with the situation during this pandemic?

#GlobalRed #Wemakeevents #Philippines #Liveevents #roadtorecovery #meetsafe #MICEandSpecialEvents 

Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) together with Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia-Pacific will take place virtually for the second year from 28 to 30 September 2021.

Three-day virtual event with sessions, showcase presentations, roadshows, live hosted sessions, exhibition and walk-in meets, networking and so on. A perfect platform that helps industry brands and leaders to achieve their objectives.

Organized by TTG Events, IT&CMA is positioned as the leading international MICE event focused in Asia-Pacific co-located with CTW Asia-Pacific since 2004, the only doublebill event in MICE and Corporate Travel.

#ITCMA2021 #CTWAPAC2021 #MICE #OnlineExhibition #VirtualExhibition #MICEEvents #MICEProfessionals #OnlineEvents #VirtualEvents #Virtualbusiness #MeetingsandEvents #MICEPH #MICEProfessionalsPH #MSE #MICEandSpecialEvents

Tourism Australia has launched ‘It’s our best shot for events’ campaign led by Business Events Australia for the recovery of tourism and events.

The initiative encourages people to get vaccinated and spread the COVID-19 vaccination message to build confidence and be ready to meet when the restrictions ease. The toolkit provides assets with all the instructions to support the events industry.

Business Events Australia delivers marketing communications, industry partnerships and a trade distribution program to raise international awareness and consideration of Australia as a business events destination.

Only Japan could put together this massive event and the Tokyo Olympics has exceeded expectations. Regardless of all the controversy over holding the event during the pandemic one thing is certain, this event brought all nations together in the most challenging times.

What a rollercoaster! The athletes who represent our countries make us very proud of our roots, they are super humans. Also, to all the volunteers that welcome every single person to Japan, all the frontline workers and the organizing committee that make a successful event that without a doubt it was the most awaited sporting event of all times, this was a celebration of hope.

Let’s talk about the event production! Both the inaugural and closing ceremony happen at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, the most iconic stadium with an area of 192,000 m². 

Fireworks could not be missed, the parades of nations are one of the most exciting moments, the mapping projection in both events was another level of technology specially when the lighting dressed the stadium. What about the light display with 1,824 drones lighting up the sky during the opening ceremony and the special effects forming the Olympic rings at the closing ceremony. 

Several performances that took our breath away, from local artists, Ska band, sopranist, dancers, the taiko drum beats and more. 

What a handover! Tokyo passes the Olympic baton to Paris for the Olympic Games 2024. Extraordinary simultaneous welcoming and starting with the musical performance including the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet who played saxophone from the international space station, the French President Emmanuel Macron delivered the message “Faster, stronger, higher together” and what a beautiful aerial performance from the French Acrobatic Patrol.

Some contradiction in the welcoming at Paris with thousands of people in front of the Paris’ Eiffel Tower and without spectators at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.

What astonishing series of events! The value that the games provide to the cities and countries is amazing. Admiration and respect to the committee who worked endlessly around the clock to create an extraordinary and spectacular Olympics 2020.

#Closingceremony #Olympics2021 #Sportingevents #Massevents #Events #Eventprotocols #MICEandSpecialEvents

The 60th ICCA Congress is happening on 24-27 October 2021 hosted by Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.  ICCA Congress offers an unique platform for the meeting professionals and association executives that provides face-to-face and virtually opportunities to be part of this event.

The annual congress theme is “Forward to our Future”, as it is well known the event will deliver a top-class education with distinguished speakers, networking opportunities and all the safety precautions in place to give the warmest welcome to all the in-person participants at Cartagena. Colombia is a world class destination for international events and conventions and this represents a powerful opportunity for Cartagena as the host city for the ICCA Congress 2021.   

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) is the global community and knowledge hub for the international association meetings industry, founded in 1963 by a group of travel agents to exchange information on international congress and conventions. ICCA has 1100 member companies and organizations in 100 countries.

For more information: https://icca2021.com

Finally, the most awaited multi-sport event in the world is happening in a couple of days. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be held in Tokyo, Japan from 23 Jul 2021 to 8 Aug 2021. More than 11,000+ athletes from 200 nations will compete during 17 days in Tokyo and the surrounding areas.

All eyes are on this complex event not just because it is the most anticipated sporting event but also for all the controversy over holding the event when Japan has declared a state of emergency. Let’s remember that the Summer Olympics 2020 were postponed for the first time ever due to the global pandemic.

Despite the extreme logistical challenges for the organizer and the mass movement of people around the country, the Organizing Committee announced that there will not be spectators at the arenas. 

Appears that this massive event will be the most expensive in history. Beside all the years of preparation and effort, the operational cost stretched for over a year. Venues cannot be used and it is essential to keep a high level of service and maintenance.  Additionally, the implementation for the health and safety protocols not just for the athletes but also the residents, volunteers, press, etc., as safety is top priority.

Certainly, event planners and stakeholders will learn a lot from every aspect of this mass event (accessibility, transportation, accommodation, safety and security, crisis communication plan, emergency response, implement effective crowd control, risk management, technology, etc.). 

It’s ironic that last weekend we watched the Copa América 2021 Final at the Maracana Stadium in Brazil with 7,800 fans in the stadium. The UFC 264 fight Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, United States where 20,000 fans were allowed and the European Championship Final England vs. Italy where 67,000+ fans were allowed to be present at the Wembley Stadium in England and this last one we did not appreciate social distance and not face masks during the match. Just food for thought!

The Olympics require a team effort from all the parties involved and we cannot wait to see the outcome.

Let us know what you think!

#Olympics2021 #Massevents #Eventorganizer #Eventplanner #venues #arenas #sportingevents #events #Meetsafe #MICEandSpecialEvents

The Meetings and Events Support Association (MESA) is the new association launched last 1st July to support innovation in the meetings and events industry.

The organisation’s principle aims to create “A community network of companies and a ‘people-first’ ethos, collaborating and working together with fresh new ideas.”

The association is created by industry professionals who have a great background in the industry. MESA will provide to the community support to collaborate and work together with fresh new ideas. Furthermore, education for leaders and teams is core, MESA will share industry knowledge and trends through forums, surveys, educational campfires at tradeshows, panels, etc. Finally, MESA will give the opportunity to connect and network with stakeholders, create new business opportunities and relationships within the community.

#MESA #Meetingsandevents #Associations #Eventprofessionals #MICEProfessionals #MICEProfessionalsPH #MICEandSpecialEvents

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) together with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) have shared a joint report on the current situation with the COVID-19 and Tourism.

As we all know the Tourism sector has been affected hardly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report estimates a loss over $4 trillion to the global GDP for the years 2020 and 2021 caused by the pandemic and predicts that the international tourism will recover by 2023. The loss is worse than previously predicted last year.

Here some crucial points:

• International tourism and closed sectors suffered an estimated loss of $2.4 trillion in 2020.
• International travel was suspended in April and May of 2020 due to travel restrictions, travel bans, quarantines, lockdowns, etc. Inbound tourist arrivals declined 74% between January and December 2020, about 1 billion trips. According to UNWTO this massive drop returned the number of travelers back to levels of 30 years ago.
• The reduction in tourism arrivals for the Philippines dropped by 84% in 2020.
• The tourism sector is expected to recover faster in countries with high vaccination rates, meaning that the recovery will vary by region and country. For those developing countries with low vaccination rates are expected to have an unfavorable impact on international travel.
• Domestic travel has increased, but still this does not make a big impact for those destinations or developing countries that depend on international travel.
• The return to 2019 levels of the international travel arrivals are expected until 2023 or later. Also, it will depend on the travel restrictions, slow containment of the virus, low traveler confidence and a poor economic environment of each country.
• The report assesses the economic effects of three alternative scenarios, one optimistic, one pessimistic and one where the asymmetric speed of vaccinations is considered, which all current scenarios indicate reductions in international arrivals.
• Up to $1.8 trillion loss expected in 2021 in the tourism sector.
• 5% rise in unemployment.
• South-East Asia is one of the most affected regions.
• Vaccination and COVID-19 certificates are key to restart global tourism and restore confidence in international tourism.

This article is summarized by latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and you can find it on their official page.

#Internationaltravel #UNWTO #Travelsafe #2021report #TravelLocal #restarttourism #MICEandSpecialEvents