Thursday 05 May 2016 Issue 3301

News.......................... p1, p2, p4, p5, p6Cruising Today................................. p3Business Travel Today ..................p7-8

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Wet Fish DeclaredBiosecurity staff thought it was a case of lost in translation when a passenger from Vietnam declared he was carrying ‘wet fish’ when arriv-ing at Auckland Airport last week. Staff thought the man was carrying frozen or dried fish—but he actually had five live Siamese fighting fish in plastic bags. The fish have been eu-thanised as they can bring diseases to local fish populations, says the Ministry for Primary Industries. While unusual, it’s not the first time MPI staff have seized live fish at the border. In 2013, MPI prosecuted a passenger caught smuggling live tropical fish in his trouser pockets.

BRU Security EasedBrussels Airport has reportedly eased its stricter security measures after the stringent checks reportedly lead to delays—and some passen-gers missed their flights.The airport re-opened the major-ity of its departures hall counters earlier this week, and resumed up to 80% of its pre-attack flight capacity. The new security measures saw pas-sengers queuing two to three hours to enter the building. Authorities have moved swiftly to scan some, not all of the passenger bags.

. . . More US ChecksOn the flipside the US has report-edly said it will deploy more TSA staff ahead of the summer peak and the wake of the global threat to travel. The move is said to in-clude more bomb-sniffing dogs and handlers and other initiatives to maximise efficiency at its security checkpoints.

Travellers to Australia will be able to skip the queues at the airport through a new premium border clearance plan unveiled by the Aus-tralian Government in its budget.The government plans to raise money by charging airport operators a fee to offer the premium border clearance services, initially at Sydney, Perth and Melbourne airports. The cost of the service would likely be passed on to airlines or passengers.While details are scant, the Tourism and Transport Forum suggests such a service could include ‘making the disembarkation and immigration clearing process as comfortable and seamless as possible, fast-track clear-ance services through arrivals, depar-tures and transfers with dedicated, exclusive lounges, and meet and greet

services that assist passengers with check-in, immigration and baggage clearance’. The plan has divided opinion, but it’s being welcomed by the TTF, which says it’s essentially the same as airlines offering better seats at a higher price.“What we are seeing with premium facilitation is no different to airlines offering differently priced-seating options on aircraft or premium and budget airlines,” says TTF boss Margy Osmond. “It’s the next logical step that this should be expanded to include the airport experience as technology and infrastructure improvements increas-ingly allow a variety of service levels to be offered.”The move is in keeping with similar offerings overseas, such as at Los Angeles Airport. It’s something high-yield travellers increasingly expect, particularly a growing number of Asian travellers, says Osmond.“The global experience is that high-yield passengers are willing to pay for a personalised experience through airports,” she says. “A 2014 review of premium facilitation options by the Federal Government recognised that this type of facilitation has been a key element of commercial aviation busi-ness models for as long as people have been flying.”Tourism Australia’s annual budget was reportedly cut from AUD144 mil-lion to AUD140 million in the latest budget.

Premium Clearance For Aussie Airports

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Visitor numbers to New Caledonia are growing at a rapid rate and the local tourism indus-try is taking note by increasing the activi-ties and product on of-fer, says New Caledonia Tourism.Last year there was record 25.8% growth out of New Zealand, says New Caledonia Tourism’s New Zealand manager Sally Pepermans. With the government this week announcing new air service agreements that will allow airlines to offer more flights to the destination, these numbers are expected to further grow, she says.The growth has meant the industry is taking note of the potential from the Kiwi market, including inbound operator Noumea Discovery. While agents may be familiar with Noumea Discovery’s Mary D business, which operates tours to Amedee Island, the company is now looking to offer the New Zealand market more custom-ised and FIT tours through its DMC business.Managing director Sylvie Helmy (on left), who has been meeting with local wholesalers this week, says the com-

pany now has dedicated staff, a revamped web-site and is ‘hoping to get more people coming in from New Zealand’.Noumea Discovery can offer city tours as well as active options like kayak-ing, jet skiing, segways

and hiking. If clients have a particular interest such as bird watching, they can customise a tour for that too.Wholesalers have details or see noumeadiscovery.com

New Caledonia’s Newest DMC

Ukraine Visa On ArrivalNew Zealand passport holders travelling to Ukraine for tourism can now obtain a short-term visa (valid up to 15 days) on arrival at Kyiv Air-port, Odessa Airport and Odessa Sea Port, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has advised. Applications for the visas should include a valid passport, two 3x4 size passport pho-tos, travel insurance valid in Ukraine for the duration of stay, documents proving the nature of the trip (such as hotel or tour bookings), and pay-ment of UAH510 (around $29). Mi-nors also need the written consent of their parents or legal representative.

A350-900s Fly FurtherT h e U S F e d e r a l Av i a t i o n Administration has approved the Airbus A350-900 for extended-range twin engine aircraft opera-tions (ETOPS) beyond 180 minutes diversion time. This means when FAA-affiliated operators start to take delivery of their A350s in 2017, they’ll be able to serve new direct non-limiting routings, compared with a standard 180 minute ETOPS diversion time.

ZQN’s Night LightsThe new runway lights which allow night flights at Queenstown Airport were officially unveiled by Transport Minister Simon Bridges last night.Around 200 lights have been in-stalled or repositioned as part of a wider $18 million runway infra-structure upgrade at the airport, meaning evening flights can operate in the dark winter months. Both Jetstar and Air New Zealand have announced they will operate night flights. Air New Zealand suc-cessfully operated the first evening flight into Queenstown over the weekend, ahead of its scheduled commercial services which launch 23 May.

Expedia And AmadeusExpedia and Amadeus IT Group have announced a new global, long-term agreement which enables Expedia to access car, rail, cruise, and hotel products through the Amadeus GDS. The new agreement includes Orbitz Worldwide brands as well as the Expedia, Hotwire, Travelocity, Wotif Group, Expedia Affiliate Network and Egencia brands which were covered by the previous agreement.It builds on the companies’ estab-lished Upgrade Options partnership which sees Expedia offer Upgrade Options for multiple carriers in North America and Europe as well as pre-paid, checked baggage offerings on certain sites around the world.

HA USA On SaleHawaiian Airlines has 11 mainland US cities on sale until 16 May, in-cluding Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco and New York. Fares are from $1069, a stopover in HNL is permitted. See GDS for details.

Thu 05 May 16 Page 3

‘BEST TOUR OPERATOR’‘BEST CRUISE OPERATOR’

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Princess Cruises is set to offer clients a new premium stateroom category featuring VIP amenities and exclusive dining with the intro-duction of its Club Class Mini-Suite in Dec.The elevated mini-suite category’s perks include new Club Class Dining, a reserved dining area with expedited seating and expanded menu options, which will be open every evening for dinner, as well as for breakfast and lunch on sea days. The menu will feature a daily chef ’s special and table-side preparation, while guests will also enjoy dedicated wait staff.Other highlights include that Club Class guests will be among the first to experience the new Princess Luxury Bed; the use of terry shawl bathrobes; evening canapes on request; priority

check-in and disembarkation; as well as one-time complimentary wine set-up on embarkation day. In addition to the upgrades, ameni-ties and services, the Mini-Suites are up to 30 square metres and have a balcony, separate seating area with sofa bed and coffee table and bath-rooms with combination tub and shower. The new stateroom category is part of the line’s previously announced Come Back New Promise, a multi-million dollar program set to intro-duce new product innovations. The Club Class Mini-Suites are avail-able for booking now, and will debut in Australia and New Zealand in Dec on Emerald Princess and across the rest of the locally-based fleet next year. See princess.com/clubclass

Princess’ New Luxury Option

APT, AmaWaterways Top Europe ChartsAPT, along with partner AmaWaterways, has taken the top 10 spots in the second annual edition of the Berlitz: River Cruising in Europe travel guide. The partnership’s vessels outranked the competition, in which 310 river ves-sels were evaluated, in the categories of accommodations, facilities, cuisine, hospitality and miscellaneous. “We work so hard to exceed expectations, delivering exceptional service and the finest cuisines across our fleet of Euro-pean river ships,” says APT’s Debra Fox. “So it’s particularly pleasing to receive accolades that specifically recognise our onboard experience. We believe that achieving such high praise from an independent source once more reinforces APT’s position as the best Australian-based European river cruise operator.” The travel guide is set to be released later this month, and was compiled by cruise expert and author Douglas Ward.

MSC’s Super SaverMSC Cruises’ 2017-2018 super saver discounts are available now, for bookings through till 31 Jul. For a minimum of seven nights, clients will receive $100pp off for inside cab-ins; $150pp off for ocean view cabins; $250pp off for balcony bella cabins; and $350pp off for balcony fantas-tica cabin. Additionally, clients who book a Mediterranean cruise for 21 nights in a balcony fantastica cabin will receive $1050pp off or $2100 per cabin. To view all of MSC’s 2017-2018 departures, CLICK HERE

Wales Missing OutWales is in danger of looking inaccessible to cruise-goers if im-provements to the Holyhead port are not made, warns a local tour operator. Celebrity Silhouette failed to dock at the port in Jun last year; whilst the Ca-ribbean Princess had to cancel its port visit due to rough seas recently. “A lot of the passengers would have booked this cruise just to come to Wales. They would have been absolutely gutted by this. The Welsh Assembly needs to jump on this now, sort out the jetty and make it a welcoming port as soon as possible,” says the operator. How-ever, the government is set to organise events and activities to improve the arrival experience at the port.

e-mail evie@tabsontravel.co.nz

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IndustryDiaryMAYAloha DownunderWellington: Mon 09, Rydges Hotel, 0700-0845.Auckland: Mon 09, Pullman Hotel, 1730-2100.

Viva Expeditions and Chimu Adventures Experience Sth AmericaAuckland: Thu 12, Takapuna Boat Club, 1730-2000.

Adventure World Latin ExtravaganzaAuckland: Thu 12, Air New Zealand CICC, 1730-2030.

JUNEKorea Road ShowAuckland: Fri 10, Rendezvous Hotel, 1800.

Starwood ExpoAuckland: Mon 20, The Maritime Room, 1500-1930.

AUGUSTSPANTO roadshowPalmerston North: Tue 09, The Distinction Hotel. Time tba.New Plymouth: Wed 10, The Novotel. Time tba.

Contiki: Euro Winter HighlightsWith the launch of its 2016-17 Europe Winter brochure, Contiki has released a series of videos to dispel the preconception that travelling Europe in winter only involves snow, freezing temperatures and predominantly ski-ing and snowboarding trips. Its video series highlights city breaks, and why discovering the cities of Europe can be just as good, if not better in winter; where to find eight hours of sunshine in the middle of winter; and of course, the best places to go for skiing, snowboarding and making the most of the saunas. To watch the videos, CLICK HERE

Melbourne Airport has achieved s e v e n y e a r s o f m o n t h - o n -month growth, as of Mar, with international passengers reaching 763,848—a 7.3% increase on the same time last year—while domestic passengers grew to 2,139,309—a 3.3% growth on Mar 2014. “Month-on-month growth for seven consecutive years is a remarkable achievement,” says chief executive Lyell Strambi. “This continued and consistent growth shows great faith and confidence from our airline part-ners who continue to increase their services to Melbourne,” he says. “Melbourne’s reputation as the coun-try’s sporting and events capital con-tinued throughout Mar with major headlines such as the Australian Grand Prix and Virgin Australia Mel-bourne Fashion Festival attracting visitors from around the globe.”While Singapore and Malaysia led Southeast Asia’s growth, with a 37.1% and 12.9% increase respectively, New Zealand, another key market, declined by 2.9% last year. The airport says this could be attributed to the World Cup

Cricket finals being played in Mel-bourne in Mar 2015. Other key international markets with strong growth included Hong Kong (39.4%); Japan (27%) and Germany (13.6%), it adds.

Melbourne’s Seven Years Of Growth

Latin Prizes, UpdatesAdventure World reminds agents of its Latin Extravaganza evening in Auck-land 12 May, where agents can catch up with representatives from across South America. Those attending will also be in to win a range of prizes, including return flights to Buenos Aires; a five-day Cuzco to Machu Pic-chu trip and more. It will be held at Air New Zealand’s headquarters on Beau-mont St 1730-2030. E-mail sales@ adventureworld.co.nz to RSVP.

Lionel Richie On StageLionel Richie kicked off his headlining residency inside The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, with a sold-out theatre and multiple stand-ing ovations. Local reps Discover the World says tickets and VIP packages for performances through Oct are cur-rently on sale. General ticket prices begin at $59, plus applicable tax and fees. See ticketmaster.com/lionel

New Swanston ibisAccorHotels has welcomed ibis Melbourne Swanston Street, for-merly the Tune Melbourne hotel, to its expanding ibis network of ‘premium economy’ hotels in Mel-bourne. The 235-room hotel is lo-cated on Swanston St and offers a café, guest lounge, garden courtyard, self-service laundrette, internet ki-osks and car parking, whilst it will also welcome a new Thai restaurant mid-2016. To mark the occasion, the hotel is offering an AUD99 per night special opening rate, including Wi-Fi, for the month of May.

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Ireland’s GoT FeverWith the launch of the long-awaited sixth season of Game of Thrones, fever is on the rise once again all over the world; and Tour-ism Ireland has launched its latest campaign to celebrate the coun-try’s feature in the series for the sixth year running. A key feature of Tourism Ireland’s 2016 campaign is a series of 10 intricately carved doors, depict-ing moments inspired from this season. The doors will be unveiled each week as season six unfolds. They’ll be carved from the trees blown down in the winter’s storms at the Dark Hedges in Co Ant-rim, which serves as the backdrop for Kingsroad—one of the most iconic Game of Thrones locations in Northern Ireland. The doors will then hang in pubs and other venues near filming lo-cations across Northern Ireland. Other features of the campaign include a limited-edition stamp for mail posted in Northern Ire-land during the campaign; and characters and icons from the show infiltrating artwork in the Ulster Museum’s collection, just to name a few.

Thai Ivory CrackdownThailand is stepping up efforts to bring an end to the illegal trade of ivory and ivory products, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The nation is strengthening its legislations to be in line with the Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and has been implementing a National Ivo-ry Action Plan. Any domesticated elephant ivory and ivory products sold or in transit in Thailand must be accompanied by identifica-tion certificates and proof that the bearer is in legal possession; however it’s illegal to export these products. Bringing ivory and ivory products into or out of Thailand is illegal and offenders can face up to three years in confinement and/or fines of up THB 6 million.

Change To Peru TrainsThe Andean Explorer train which operates between Cusco and Puno in Peru will only run until 30 April 2017, and from 01 May a new train will take over the route, Viva Expeditions has advised.The new train is to be imported from Australia and will be more luxurious (and likely more expensive) than the Andean Explorer, says Viva. It will offer the same service as the Hiram Bingham train which operates be-tween Cusco and Machu Picchu, and will also introduce a new stop in Arequipa.Meanwhile the Andean Explorer is set to operate the route to Machu Picchu as an intermediate category between Vistadome and Hiram Bingham. Viva doesn’t have prices or schedules yet but has been told it should have them by the end of the month.

LAN, TAM and their affiliate airlines have announced reno-vated frequent flyers programs, which will have new names; LA-TAM Pass and LATAM Fidelidade, respectively. The change is part of the process of consolidating the airline group’s new brand identity (LATAM) which oper-ated its first LATAM-branded service to and from New Zealand earlier this week.It also encompasses the evolution of the programmes which enhance existing benefits and introduces new benefits for members. Moreover, the programmes will unify the names of their existing categories—the Gold category will replace Premium, Platinum will be the new name for Premium Silver, and Black and Black Signature will be the new names for Comodoro and Black, respectively.

Hig hl ig hts of the new loyalt y schemes include that it will be eas-ier to accumulate kilometres and get access to superior categories; while members requesting a courtesy upgrade between 48 and 12 hours before their flight will receive con-firmation 12 hours before the flights. Additionally, members with cabin upgrade coupons can access this benefit on LAN and TAM flights regardless of whether they are LA-TAM Pass or LATAM Fidelidade members. Members will receive their new membership cards with their new category name shortly. See lan.com or tamairlines.com for details.

Anaheim On SaleGO Holidays has five-night Anaheim packages from $1299pp s/t staying at the Clarion Hotel Anaheim; and clients can take the kids 02-11 years from $799 per child. The prices in-clude return Qantas flights ex Auck-land to Los Angeles. The offer is valid for sales to 16 May and select travel dates between 26 Jul-26 Aug and 23 Jan-31 Mar 2017.

LATAM Frequent Flyers Update

New Zealand

This is your opportunity to become part of our growing team at our Takapuna office. Due to business growth we are looking for experienced, talented consultants

Groups/Corporate – Full TimeWe require a Senior Consultant with a unique mix of corporate, groups & leisure travel experience to be a part of our Groups Division.This is a full time role within a hard-working team in a busy & fun working environment.

Key requirements -• Minimum of 5 years’ experience as a travel consultant• Commitment to providing timely responses, professional advice & product

knowledge• Strong computer skills & attention to detail• Excellent working & understanding of the following software systems; - GDS booking system Sabre - Back office systems – Sabre Agency Manager (SAM) - Microsoft applications Outlook, Word, Excel• Strong written & verbal communication skills• Motivated to exceed client expectations• Ticketing knowledge an advantage

Some flexible working hours will be required given the nature of Groups’ travel management.

Intermediate/Senior Corporate Travel Consultant – Full timeTo be successful in this role you must have -

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience as a corporate travel consultant• Experience with booking, domestic, trans-Tasman, Pacific and some long haul

travel• Passion for customer service• Energy for the fast pace of corporate travel• Experience with online booking products• Excellent written & verbal communication skills• High level of accuracy & attention to detail• Knowledge of Sabre an advantage• Ability work as part of a team and independently as required

We offer an interesting & fun atmosphere with an excellent remuneration package for the right person. We would like to meet you and talk about the possibilities.Please send your CV and Covering Letter directly to Liz Goodall in confidence.

Email: liz.goodall@nz.hrgworldwide.com

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News & Product

Kiwi Demand For SYD Arsenal

ager New Zealand Sam Cameron. She adds that wholesalers will now be working on packages to entice Kiwi travellers and football fans to head over for the games. It is expected that the two matches

Footy fans are expected to flock to Sydney in Jul next year, as the NSW Government and English football club Arsenal have announced the match dates for the London club’s Sydney tour. The Premier League giants will be playing Sydney FC 13 Jul 2017, and the Western Sydney Wanderers 15 Jul 2017; and Destination New South Wales is expecting strong support from the New Zealand market for game attendance. “We have seen hundreds of Kiwis head over to Sydney to support their favourite team with strong support for the Liverpool Legends game in Jan this year and the Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea FC games held in May last year,” says country man-

will draw in more than 28,000 do-mestic and international visitors to NSW, with a total visitor spend of AUD18.6 million. Tickets to the games, to be held at ANZ Stadium, will go on sale 19 Jul.Jolly Norfolk Bar

Norfolk Island is home to yet another new dining option, the Jolly Roger Bar and Restaurant, advises Norfolk Island Tourism. Situated in the main shopping precinct of Burnt Pine, the restaurant offers a ‘well balanced’ menu, whilst owner and musician Matt Zarb entertains punters every night with singing and dancing. It is open all nights except Mon and is fully licensed.

One For The DaredevilsClaiming three world records, China’s latest glass-bottomed attraction has opened just outside Beijing, and tourists are reportedly already flock-ing to the site to see if they have the courage to walk on the see-through surface. Reports say the viewing platform—suspended over a 1300-foot-deep valley and protruding more than 107 feet over the edge of a cliff face—is the world’s largest glass platform with a circular area; whilst it is also the longest in the world; and con-struction included aviation titanium, the first time it has ever been used in the construction of a building. It is located in Jingdong Stone Forest Gorge.

Rock-kicking Monkey A Chinese tourist was reportedly killed at a tourist hotspot in central China, Yuntai Mountain, after being hit on the head by a flying rock that was kicked by a monkey. Reports say the mountain is home to wild monkeys, which sometimes descend from the cliff tops to grab food and belongings from tourists.

Sonaisali Sneak Peek For Kiwi TradeKiwi trade and media were among those who had a sneak peek at the new look for the Sonaisali Resort in Fiji today. The resort is being rebranded as DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Fiji, Sonaisali Island and will have a soft opening on 15 May, with an official opening 01 Jun.

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Fly smarter for businessOver 400 domestic flights a week

MEL Private DiningGrowing demand from the corporate market is partly behind the Crown Melbourne’s new individually tai-lored private dining experiences, available at its top restaurants in-cluding Nobu, Bistro Guillaume and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Each restaurant is offering new menus served in private dining spaces which can accommodate small groups of up to 30 people.“We are noticing lately that both the corporate and leisure markets are preferring smaller bespoke dining experiences to entertain their guests, whether it’s for a private special occasion or an important business meeting,” says Crown. Last year, the company saw an 18% rise in private dining bookings.

New At CWTCarlson Wagonlit Travel has appoint-ed Wai Mun Wong as vice president global supplier management for As i a Pa c i f i c , ef fec t ive im-mediately. Mun Wong has been interim head of global supplier m a n a g e m e nt for Asia Pacific since May 2015. She’s based in Singapore and will con-tinue to be responsible for develop-ing partnerships with suppliers and supervising airline, hotel, car rental and global distribution system agree-ments on a regional level in AsPac.

Au Natural In London?Any clients looking for somewhere informal to take a potential client could impress them by nabbing a table at the Bunyadi, which already sports a waiting list of over 32,800 people ahead of its opening in Jun. The Bunyadi has a focus on natu-ral, home-grown ingredients and elements, so expect wood-flame grilled meals served on handmade clay crockery and edible cutlery, served by candlelight. It also means leaving your phone at the door—oh, and your clothes too. The restaurant, which has a clothing-optional policy, will pop up in central London for three months from Jun. See thebunyadi.com

Au s t r a l i a - b o u n d b u s i n e s s travellers of all budgets will now have more options to choose from, as AccorHotels is set to yet again expand its hotel network with two new build hotels and two take-overs. A new-build 238-room Novotel hotel will be built on Brisbane’s South Bank. The Novotel Brisbane South Bank will also feature two meet-ing rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, gym, restaurant and bar as well as on-site car parking. Construc-tion will commence later this year, with completion due in late 2018. Additionally, development of the

Mercure Sydney Bankstown hotel, a new five-storey, 240-room hotel, part of a mixed-used development, is expected to commence in Jul, with the opening scheduled for late 2017. The property will have a restaurant and bar, two meeting spaces and a gym. Meanwhile Accor will increase the presence of its ibis brand, with ibis Melbourne Swanston Street (for-merly Tune Melbourne)now operat-ing; and ibis Budget Sydney Central expected to open mid-2017.

JQ Winter WarmersJetstar says it Plus Bundle fares remain a popular seller with Kiwi business travellers and reminds agents that on main trunk domestic flights clients can choose from a range of hot light meal choices as well as wraps and hot drink combos. Light meals, snacks and hot drinks are served throughout the day on JQ’s main trunk domestic services. Plus bundles are an additional $26 to the published fare and also in-clude standard seat selection, 20kg baggage, and Qantas Points or a JQ Flight Rewards voucher. There are also no change fees on Plus bundles for name, time or date changes (fare difference applies).

Accor’s Four ‘New’Aussie Hotels

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VA In-flight ChangeFrom mid-year Virgin Australia says its three weekly B777 services ex Sydney to Abu Dhabi will feature the airline’s signature Business Class experience The Business and a new Business Class bar. The Premium Economy cabin will also be refreshed.

An enriched package of offerings to include unique local experienc-es, sustainability initiatives such as high-efficiency lighting, low-flow faucets, alternatives to plastic bottled water and a variety of new enhancements to help increase productivity and make a bigger impact on guests, is what Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort gm Dario Orsini is offering the MICE market. A new group event is the Share Your Plate competition in which teams create a meal based on ingredients they will find in a ‘black box”. The resulting meal will be shared with children from a local orphanage.

New options for delegates include the Sheraton Meeting Energizer, a post lunch jump around, get loud, have fun activity from the property’s fitness team to set groups up to stay focused for the afternoon ahead. A SHINE Spa Massage Session con-sists of a three-minute refreshing back massage during the meeting coffee break, while the Power Bar of-fers a selection of power snacks and candies for energy boosts. And at the end of the day the After Work Happy Hour features a range of beers and cocktails in the refreshment lounge.Sheraton Bali Kuta has over 1,600 square meters of meeting and event space, which configures to nine flex-ible areas and a 700m2 ballroom that is divisible into two rooms, as well as seven additional breakout rooms.All Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort meet-ing packages include microphones, a projector, conference sound system, meeting supplies, pads, candies, banquet pens and filtered water in reusable bottles, says Orsini.

Sheraton’s New Mice Packages

Melbourne Luna’s New Event SpaceThe iconic Luna Park in St Kilda, Melbourne opened its new function spaces late last year, giving meeting and event planners a colourful and quirky new option in the city.The new venues include the Stardust Room, with space for cocktail parties of up to 130 people or 100 people for formal dining; and the rooftop Moon Deck, with views over Port Phillip Bay, can host cocktail parties of up to 100 people.“We want this building to expand and diversify the events we host and to provide new vistas of St Kilda, our beautiful bay and the fairy tale lights of Luna Park,” says Luna Park boss Mary Stuart. “As well as access to our wide range of exhilarating rides, event hosts will be able to cater to their guests with a fresh food menu created by our talented gourmet caterers.”See lunaparkevents.melbourne