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Fashioning a MICE venue in city's trendy hub
By Wing Tan |
June 19, 2013, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WITH the vibrant Xintiandi entertainment area on its doorstep - with fashionable dining, luxury retail shopping and art studios - while also adjacent to key businesses situated along Huaihai Road, The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai, has emerged as the city's new luxury destination for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) groups.
"The city has everything here; the infrastructure, modern facilities and worldwide transport, the hotel rooms and convention centers," said the hotel's general manager John O'Shea. "Shanghai is becoming one of the international markets for MICE."
With numerous hotels, encompassing everything from high-end luxury establishments and stylish boutique numbers to economy inns, Shanghai has become a MICE battlefield. And getting a slice of that market is no easy task.
The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai, however, holds a couple of aces.
"If you're a delegate coming for a meeting or an incentive, there are two parts you should take into consideration," O'Shea said.
"First, there's the conference part. With a vast and versatile space for events, we can offer guests precisely what they want in terms of meeting and conferencing needs; from different types of ballrooms to all kinds of meeting facilities and services."
"And the second thing is the location, and this is where our biggest advantage is."
The luxury business hotel sits just in Xintiandi - one of the metropolis' most dynamic areas, gateway to art workshops, boutiques, high-end dining and old Shanghai architectures, as well as modern office towers.
The hotel has 357 rooms, including 42 suites, the most rooms in the Xintiandi area. Its extensive, flexible meeting space on Level 2 and Level 3 covers 2,000 square meters for meetings, conferences, wedding banquets and special social events. Meanwhile, in appointed guest rooms, service areas with cocktail tables provide the ideal space for participants to enjoy leisure time after meetings.
The 555-square-meter, high-ceilinged, pillar-less Grand Ballroom on Level 3 can be divided into three areas, which can hold 300 to 666 people, depending on the event.
Each of the spaces is equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, including high-speed Internet, WiFi broadband, a fax machine, photocopier, document printer, projectors and big screens.
On both levels, functional and break-up meeting rooms and boardrooms illuminated by natural light are available for more exclusive private space.
"We are trying to do every coffee/tea break different, so the delegates will be surprised as they come out to cookies and coffee, donuts and pastries. We have an area of each ballroom dedicated to coffee breaks," O'Shea said.
The open-air terrace on the Level 2 facing shikumen buildings - traditional Shanghai architecture - is a great place for both business and leisure travelers to enjoy a cool summer night, listening to jazz music and enjoying a drink at a casual barbecue which can cater for 300.
And if guests want to see more of Shanghai at street level, the hotel can arrange a motorbike tour of the city.
For those who would rather enjoy some peaceful relaxation, the Chuan Spa, inspired by the five ancient Chinese elements, is the perfect choice for recharging the batteries after a tiring day.
And of course, Xintiandi is a prime destination for fashion fans. Luxury brands such as Ferrari, Dior and Coach have chosen the Langham, Xintiandi, to launch new products or hold training sessions. The wedding fair the hotel hosted recently featured designer Vera Wang and jeweller Harry Winston as partners.
"We are the only hotel in Shanghai able to arrange wedding photography in Xintiandi," O'Shea said. "Only our guests are allowed to have their wedding photographs taken in some iconic Xintiandi buildings."
This summer the hotel is launching its meeting package, including accommodation and a full-day meeting package. This includes a complimentary airport limousine transfer, complimentary Internet, the Langham TaketheLead Service benefits, plus tea and coffee breaks with snacks, among other.
The Langham TaketheLead MICE service removes much of the stress of planning events and meetings, providing an exclusive range of services and facilities including powerful online features and personalized on-site support to ensure guests a hassle-free experience.
TaketheLead is a one-stop, bespoke service created to assume responsibility for every single detail of an event - including planning, logistics, venue, facilities, dining and entertainment.
Tailor-made is the key. "One important thing about the MICE market is to offer something different to our luxury-end, up-scale customers," O'Shea said.
"We do a lot of theming, based on companies. For example, If we have an auto vehicle event, we can make car-shaped chocolates."
Shanghai is also zooming along, building itself into an international MICE destination by hosting an increasing number of global shows, constructing more convention centers, hotels and transport infrastructure.
O'Shea showed his confidence in the city's future MICE market. "There are only a few places in the world that can cater for such big groups - Macau, Las Vegas, Singapore and Shanghai. We have the venues and the infrastructure. And what's more important, it's a very safe city.
"But on the other hand, I still think Shanghai is a little bit of a well-kept secret in the MICE market. People don't think of Shanghai as much of a MICE destination, compared to other big Asian cities such as Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong," O'Shea said.
"The expo in 2010 really helped get Shanghai on the map, but the city has great room for growth.
"We need to work together with the tourism authorities to promote more Shanghai as an international market for MICE," added the general manager.
"The city has everything here; the infrastructure, modern facilities and worldwide transport, the hotel rooms and convention centers," said the hotel's general manager John O'Shea. "Shanghai is becoming one of the international markets for MICE."
With numerous hotels, encompassing everything from high-end luxury establishments and stylish boutique numbers to economy inns, Shanghai has become a MICE battlefield. And getting a slice of that market is no easy task.
The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai, however, holds a couple of aces.
"If you're a delegate coming for a meeting or an incentive, there are two parts you should take into consideration," O'Shea said.
"First, there's the conference part. With a vast and versatile space for events, we can offer guests precisely what they want in terms of meeting and conferencing needs; from different types of ballrooms to all kinds of meeting facilities and services."
"And the second thing is the location, and this is where our biggest advantage is."
The luxury business hotel sits just in Xintiandi - one of the metropolis' most dynamic areas, gateway to art workshops, boutiques, high-end dining and old Shanghai architectures, as well as modern office towers.
The hotel has 357 rooms, including 42 suites, the most rooms in the Xintiandi area. Its extensive, flexible meeting space on Level 2 and Level 3 covers 2,000 square meters for meetings, conferences, wedding banquets and special social events. Meanwhile, in appointed guest rooms, service areas with cocktail tables provide the ideal space for participants to enjoy leisure time after meetings.
The 555-square-meter, high-ceilinged, pillar-less Grand Ballroom on Level 3 can be divided into three areas, which can hold 300 to 666 people, depending on the event.
Each of the spaces is equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, including high-speed Internet, WiFi broadband, a fax machine, photocopier, document printer, projectors and big screens.
On both levels, functional and break-up meeting rooms and boardrooms illuminated by natural light are available for more exclusive private space.
"We are trying to do every coffee/tea break different, so the delegates will be surprised as they come out to cookies and coffee, donuts and pastries. We have an area of each ballroom dedicated to coffee breaks," O'Shea said.
The open-air terrace on the Level 2 facing shikumen buildings - traditional Shanghai architecture - is a great place for both business and leisure travelers to enjoy a cool summer night, listening to jazz music and enjoying a drink at a casual barbecue which can cater for 300.
And if guests want to see more of Shanghai at street level, the hotel can arrange a motorbike tour of the city.
For those who would rather enjoy some peaceful relaxation, the Chuan Spa, inspired by the five ancient Chinese elements, is the perfect choice for recharging the batteries after a tiring day.
And of course, Xintiandi is a prime destination for fashion fans. Luxury brands such as Ferrari, Dior and Coach have chosen the Langham, Xintiandi, to launch new products or hold training sessions. The wedding fair the hotel hosted recently featured designer Vera Wang and jeweller Harry Winston as partners.
"We are the only hotel in Shanghai able to arrange wedding photography in Xintiandi," O'Shea said. "Only our guests are allowed to have their wedding photographs taken in some iconic Xintiandi buildings."
This summer the hotel is launching its meeting package, including accommodation and a full-day meeting package. This includes a complimentary airport limousine transfer, complimentary Internet, the Langham TaketheLead Service benefits, plus tea and coffee breaks with snacks, among other.
The Langham TaketheLead MICE service removes much of the stress of planning events and meetings, providing an exclusive range of services and facilities including powerful online features and personalized on-site support to ensure guests a hassle-free experience.
TaketheLead is a one-stop, bespoke service created to assume responsibility for every single detail of an event - including planning, logistics, venue, facilities, dining and entertainment.
Tailor-made is the key. "One important thing about the MICE market is to offer something different to our luxury-end, up-scale customers," O'Shea said.
"We do a lot of theming, based on companies. For example, If we have an auto vehicle event, we can make car-shaped chocolates."
Shanghai is also zooming along, building itself into an international MICE destination by hosting an increasing number of global shows, constructing more convention centers, hotels and transport infrastructure.
O'Shea showed his confidence in the city's future MICE market. "There are only a few places in the world that can cater for such big groups - Macau, Las Vegas, Singapore and Shanghai. We have the venues and the infrastructure. And what's more important, it's a very safe city.
"But on the other hand, I still think Shanghai is a little bit of a well-kept secret in the MICE market. People don't think of Shanghai as much of a MICE destination, compared to other big Asian cities such as Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong," O'Shea said.
"The expo in 2010 really helped get Shanghai on the map, but the city has great room for growth.
"We need to work together with the tourism authorities to promote more Shanghai as an international market for MICE," added the general manager.
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