The rising Importance of the female travel market in Asia Pacific

Luxperience 2014 and the rising Importance of the female travel market in Asia Pacific

The rise of the female traveller, on business and leisure, in Asia Pacific continues to grow at an exponential rate.  By 2030, it is estimated that it will have increased by as much as 400%. Luxperience 2014 is working with its exhibitors to ensure that they are responding to and capitalising on this market trend. 

Lindy Andrews, CEO of Luxperience says, “There is no doubt that there has been a rise in female travellers across Asia. The majority of these affluent Asian women travelling are from the wealthier areas of Asia, such as Tokyo, Singapore, Taiwan, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Seoul.  Just as an example, in Singapore 32% of all business travellers are female and Hong Kong has the largest percentage of female business travellers at 36%. At Luxperience 2014, we are happy to share these learnings with our exhibitors to ensure they have the market knowledge prior to their joining us so that they can cater to these  all-important markets and are thus able to establish meaningful connections with our international buyers.” 

Some pointers from the Luxperience 2014 team on how to cater even more effectively to the female travel market in Asia Pacific:

·         Solo travel is a growing trend amongst female travellers – consider introducing a no-single supplement during your shoulder months

·         Include an experiential aspect to your product - experiential packages have gained traction with many women citing adventure sports rather than shopping as the past time for their holiday.

·        Women  are known to do their research through peer-to-peer recommendation – win over the female travel sector through “real” and effective engagement on your  social media channels

·         For hotels – consider introducing women-only floors

·      Hotel spas – offer a health and wellness centre as opposed to a fitness studio, or  if space and investment in your property are a concern, look to providing  in-room spa services  and/ or  partnering with a local accredited alternative therapy practitioner     

·       Guided shopping – have ready a list of top 10 shops in your city / location for women travellers looking for some retail therapy.  This responds to a market trend amongst Asian female travellers in particular.  Research shows that many purchase travel as a gift for themselves, or as a reward or an opportunity to celebrate a special occasion. On a trip like this, spending levels reach between $5,000 and $20,000. In fact, a recent survey shows that affluent Asian women are more likely to purchase an overseas holiday than men (96% vs. 89%) and these women have the financial power to buy luxury premium goods. In China alone, female consumers dominate the purchase of luxury goods.

Lindy says “Given the massive spending power of the Asian woman, tourism operators need to think about tapping into this market. The number of women travelling in Asia will continue to rise, especially as Asian economies and the travel industry continues to mature; tourism operators need to respond to this.”

Exhibiting at Luxperience 2014, Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau share that they have not only seen a rise in female Asian travellers, but also male. In fact,  shopping from Asia visitors (both male and female) yields the highest revenue to the destination. Some of its luxury retailers say as much as 50% of purchases are made by Asian visitors. The wide acceptance of China Union Pay debit and credit cards in Beverly Hills adds convenience to shopping from mainland China.  

To ensure they are ‘China ready’, the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau (BHCVB) has ensured that several of its five star hotels include amenities such as Chinese breakfasts, tea and packaged noodles with kettles in each room, Chinese newspapers and slippers. They are also working closely with a local affiliate of China National Television in Guangzhou to investigate adding Chinese TV stations in their hotel rooms.  The Visitor Center also employs bilingual staff who are trained to assist visitors with directions, suggestions and collateral all in-language. BHCVB will use their participation at Luxperience as a platform to update Asian buyer delegates at the global business exchange, on these initiatives.

Luxperience 2014 will take place from 31 August to 3 September 2014 in Sydney Australia.

For participation from India, get in touch with Deepika Chowdhry at deepika@candidindia.com 

IMEX Eyes Industry Predictions for 2014 - Content, Tech, “Glocal” CSR, Diversity and The Happiness Factor

With its eyes and ears on the global meetings marketplace from two vantage points -- one in Europe at IMEX in Frankfurt and one in the US at IMEX America -- the IMEX Group today offered its predictions for meetings industry trends and changes in 2014.  These are supported by speaker and expert anecdotes from the recent IMEX America 2013 in Las Vegas.

1.  Content Gets Bigger as Attention Spans Grow Shorter

The meetings landscape has changed. It’s now content that’s defining meeting and event type, not the other way around. The incredible growth of YouTube, TED and short, sharp TV and video news clips (including the birth of super-bite-sized Vine) means attention spans are shorter than ever. Four minutes is a lifetime online. Expect meetings and event content to be delivered in ever more entertaining, diverse and digestible pieces. The label ‘hybrid’ fades away as all meetings and events become multi-faceted and multi-dimensional for participants on and off-site.

Speaking on the INCON-sponsored Social Hub at IMEX America, Glen Thayer, the Voice of Meetings & Events, said: “The attention span of our attendees is a big factor. My tolerance for a YouTube video is 60 seconds and I’m done! That’s a big challenge…both at the physical live event and online.” [See links, below].

2.  Happiness is Hip

The big watchword for our working lives in the 90s and new millennium was ‘work/life balance’. In 2014 this shifts to ‘workplace spirituality’. A growing number of organizations recognize that employee loyalty and motivation hinges on a convergence of personal values with corporate ones.

IMEX America 2013 MPI Keynote, CEO & Chief Happiness Officer of Delivering Happiness, Jenn Lim, was on trend when she urged her audience to think of happiness as a science that can be applied at work. “When values, vision and purpose in individuals and organizations come together, the impact can be so positive, and it’s about much more than a happy worker being a productive worker,” she said. Expect more organizations to embrace happiness as their ethos for growth in 2014.

3. Technology Connects the Dots

Convergence and connectivity. Both will be the next big technology wins the meetings industry strives for in 2014. As Lawrence Coburn, CEO of DoubleDutch, and Michael Owen, CEO of Eventgenuity observed at IMEX America 2013, many big technology advances have been made, now they need to be managed. Coburn expects “the bandwidth of Apps to get lighter”, where Owen sees regulation and standards coming into play, such as through the new Apex Standards. He’s also clear that the future is “not about more technology but how that technology is delivered.”

2014 will see offline coming online even more energetically, further notes Coburn. Engagement will also lead to better data capture with the ultimate win being deeper business insight. The proliferation of smartphones and “wearables” with their innate ability to capture data will also improve ROI, forecasts Coburn.

4. Social Media Shifts Up, Out and Everywhere

“Everyone’s had their first go at social media. Now it’s time for phase two,” is how Sam Stanton, President of redbutton.tv described it on the IMEX America 2013 Social Hub. “Expect to see some really cool crossover where participants who are highly social at home find they can still behave that way at an event.” In 2014 social media starts to receive its own budget, and begins to play a meaningful and measurable part in marketing and communications strategies across the meetings and events industry. Witness IMEX showing the way with IMEXLive, its online (and essentially, short-term and pop-up) ‘window onto the show.’

5. “Glocal” –  Helping Hands on Your Doorstep

With the launch of the biannual 2014 IMEX Challenge -- which will involve building a new healing garden at the Shade Tree shelter in Las Vegas next October -- the IMEX team demonstrates a growing sustainability trend: keeping it local. Where once the international nature of the meetings industry meant thousands of opportunities to ‘do good and give back’ in far flung corners of the world, the trend now is to reach out to help those right on your doorstep.  “Like many growing and successful cities, Vegas still has pockets of poverty and groups who need special support,” says IMEX Group CEO, Carina Bauer. “IMEX and its Challenge host sponsors – Sands Cares and GES (Global Experience Specialists) - all appreciate how lucky we are to work in the meetings industry, to travel and enjoy experiences that others only dream about. We want to show our commitment to the whole city…and that means being hands-on with our two legacy projects, Opportunity Village and the Shade Tree shelter for women, children and their pets. In Frankfurt we also support the Lichtblick Homeless Shelter and Maisha’s Sewing Project; and in our home town of Brighton, England we support a young people’s homeless charity – The Clocktower.”

6. Meetings Sector as Leading Economic Indicator

Could 2014 be the year when the meetings and events industry is finally recognized as an important economic indicator? Economic impact studies are now commonplace in at least five mature markets, and they have been rigorously executed. And, when the recent US Government shutdown threatened to stifle business on many fronts, President Obama was quick to request a meeting with U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow. This is in stark contrast to the post-AIG panic when the meetings industry was lobbying from the back foot and the rallying cry was “if you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu.” As Dan Berger, CEO of Social Tables declared at IMEX America, “Those of us in the industry know that when meetings and events start to rise they are the pulse of growth.” If the Purchasing Managers Index can do it, then why not a meetings market barometer as a reliable forecasting tool?

7. Workplace diversity

Where once a hot conversation topic was demographic shift and what that meant for the global meetings and events market, now the big debate of 2014 looks set to be ‘workplace diversity’. With so many generations working alongside each other (be it virtually or physically) and issues of gender balance and racial diversity still being addressed, organizations are having to look at their recruitment and talent development strategies with more creativity, and awareness. In July 2013 Deloitte University Press went one step further, suggesting that ‘diversity of thought’ is now the new frontier: “Advances in neurological research that are untangling how each of us thinks and solves problems can help organizations, including governments, operationalize diversity of thought and eventually change how they define and harness human capital.”

For more information:

www.imex-frankfurt.com and www.imexamerica.com

Luxperience Launches 2014 Global Pop-Up Programme

Luxperience Launches 2014 Global Pop-Up Programme

New York, London, Beijing, Sao Paolo

January 2014 - Luxperience marks the beginning of the New Year with the launch of its 2014 Global Pop-Up Programme, designed to take suppliers direct to key markets around the world - the USA, the United Kingdom, China and Brazil.     

Luxperience’s Pop-Up events will appear in some of the world’s most iconic cities.  The Pop-Ups will provide suppliers with enhanced opportunities to establish business relationships in strategic markets, prior to Luxperience 2014 taking place in Sydney from 31 August to 3 September.  A selection of 20 suppliers will be attending each Pop-Up event to with 50 elite high-end and corporate travel buyers.   

Luxperience is the only high-end travel trade event to offer such opportunities. Lindy Andrews, CEO of Luxperience says, “We are very excited about our 2014 Pop-Up programme.  I believe our approach reflects the global profile of Luxperience, as well as our commitment to provide our suppliers with the best return on investment, by further increasing their exposure to an international audience.”

The first Luxperience Pop-Up will take place in New York at 6pm on 26^th February at Pranna on Madison Avenue where suppliers will be able to showcase their product during an informal cocktail event. 

Subsequent Pop-Ups will take place as follows:

·         London, UK - on 3 March 2014 at Beaufort House Chelsea.  Event starts at 4pm and concludes with dinner

·         Beijing, China   - on 20 March 2014 at the Waldorf Hotel.  Event starts at 6pm and concludes with dinner

·         Sao Paolo, Brazil - 5 May 2014 at Tivoli Sao Paulo – Mofarrej. A cocktail event starting at 6pm.   For further information on participation at Luxperience 2014, please contact: deepika@candidindia.com or visit www.luxperience.com.au