Zaunmayr: Hangzhou is undoubtedly the most beautiful city destination in China. This has meant the focus has primarily been on the market segments of leisure and business. Hangzhou is fully able to handle the small to medium convention and exhibition market, but when it comes to the large section of this market the infrastructure is not adequate.

Foxwell: The current market is relatively healthy. With China’s economic slowdown, more and more companies have reduced their budgets. However, Hangzhou is benefitting from the “new normal” because many international companies located in the Yangtze River Delta are choosing MICE destinations closer to their headquarters. Hangzhou has an excellent transportation system that is very easy to access and helps keep logistics cost low.

Du: As many international conferences are scheduled to be held in Hangzhou this year, it is confirmed that the 2015 Global Women Entrepreneurs Conference is going to be held at our hotel next month. A group of global women elites including Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer will participate in the meeting. The first “Internet Plus” Charity Meeting 2015 will take place in Hangzhou in October. With the speedy development of new economies and new technologies, the MICE industry has served as a platform to show the charm of Hangzhou, promoting the city on the international stage.

Lee: Hangzhou was the old capital of China during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). It is now known as leisure and tourist destination. Today the city is transforming at an incredible pace into a modern city, spacious, clean, with strong emphasis on quality of life without forgetting its cultural and national history. A good example is the strong co-operation between the city government, tourism bureaus and the hotel association to bring more international guests, meetings, conferences and companies to Hangzhou. The infrastructure, with the expanded international airport and the high speed train connection to Shanghai, Beijing, Ningbo and more southern Xiamen, is of excellent quality.

Dexter: As a MICE destination, besides the West Lake (with great hiking area in the hills), and Longjing tea plantation, Hangzhou has Alibaba, Netease, international animation festival, West Lake Expo, West Lake Marathon, Xixi Wetland with increased city attractions for MICE organizers and tourists. It also has some of the finest universities in China. Public transportation in Hangzhou is improving. For taxis, tourists can use a WeChat platform called “Didi taxi” or Alipay “Kuaidi taxi,” calling a taxi has become so much more easier than ever before.

Lai: With its cultural and historical foundation, ideal location, stunning natural scenery and vibrant economic development, Hangzhou has been recognized since the past decade as one of the best MICE destinations in China.

Zaunmayr: Oakwood Residence Hangzhou is the most trusted name in providing serviced apartments in Hangzhou. For event organizers who are required to stay for longer periods of time, or for specialized incentive, meeting or educational groups, I would say that Oakwood Residence Hangzhou with its spacious living area, private kitchen, washing facilities and large fitness facility offers the ultimate five-star living solution.

Foxwell: Our prestigious hotel has very impressive location on the bank of the West Lake. It benefits from the spectacular location and its views, and it enjoys a market-leading position too as a preferred choice for MICE. Through 10 years of development we have cultivated loyal customers and strive to provide creative MICE solutions, while we offer abundant experience from our team in providing the best in products and services.

Du: As the largest business conference hotel of its kind in downtown center, we have 566 guestrooms and 10 different-sized conference rooms covering an area of 4,500 square meters. The hotel also features two pillar-less ballrooms, totaling 1,200 square meters, to meet the needs of various business functions and events. Our hotel adopts an intelligent system based on RFID technology for guests’ reception as well as the meeting admission process.

Lee: Located in the Hangzhou Qianjiang CBD, it is surrounded by the latest shopping, housing, infrastructure and parks. The hotel is based at the new city center in Hangzhou and with its golden color and round shape looks like a big golden ball. Opposite to the hotel is the opera house, designed in the shape of the moon. The InterContinental also contains the International Conference Center, which has the biggest pillar-less ballroom and 26 meeting rooms. It can handle any high level event. The experienced MICE team is always on hand to ensure the guests have everything they need.

Dexter: High service quality and a professional team are always favored by organizers and clients. We do client research regularly according to different industries and purchase updated equipment and facilities which are popular in the market. Good location, best service and well-appointed facilities are always our best unique selling points to compete. We offer tailor-made products and packages to meet different needs of guests. We have a very good reputation in the market.

Lai: It’s not only a matter of the hotel brand. What makes us different are our features and hotel building design which is embraced by natural forest and Longjing tea plantations that offer a unique experience of a city resort.

Foxwell: We focus on delivering a differentiated guest experience for our MICE customers through detailed and personalized arrangements, such as organizing a team of dedicated specialists to service large MICE activities from beginning to end, providing local, seasonal foods to energise MICE organizers during their busy schedule, offering meeting participants complimentary Wi-Fi, providing personalized help desk service with features such as chargers, connection lines and stationary. This year is our 10-year anniversary, where we will launch a special MICE package and conduct familiarization activities to attract potential business as well as show our appreciation to our loyal customers.

Du: We plan to launch a series of high-tech and smart facilities and devices to assist meeting organizers with simple admission procedures and also improve the guests’ experience during the stay. For example, we have check-in/check-out system via mobile phones, code scans to access to lifts and rooms, and offline payments via mobile phones. Meanwhile, we will also endeavor to polish the professional skills of our meeting service team to provide a “one-stop shop” and efficient services to every event organizer. We will continue to innovate for our clients from different sectors, which means we not only provide luxurious tailored products to our high-end clients but also have simple but up-to-date meeting concepts and solutions available for clients.

Lee: InterContinental Hangzhou has the biggest pillar-less ballroom of 1780 sqm, complete with built in sound and lighting technique, two auditorium, as well as a variety of other meeting rooms suitable for every size of meeting. The IHG Insider meeting, where we deliver a seamless service in environment that inspire delegates to connect with their surroundings and each other with Insider break, Insider speaker, etc. The insider meeting team understands what it takes to make life easier for the planner and create a memorable and highly rewarding occasion for those attending.

Dexter: Our hotel has seven well-equipped conference rooms available for booking and can seat 20 to 500 guests. It includes a large Royale Ballroom with a unique window view of the West Lake hill, 700 square meters of events space offers natural daylight through floor-to-ceiling windows and can accommodate up to 350 guests for a seated banquet or 500 guests for a cocktail reception. The ballroom has a pre-function room and can be divided into two separate facilities. The outdoor garden with a magnificent view of West Lake is adjacent to the ballroom and it is ideal for tea break or cocktail.

Lai: Various outdoor venues besides our well-equipped ballrooms and function rooms like green field, terrace, patios and even the extra large balcony of our suites create fantastic effects for functions from team building activities to brand road show or client appreciation parties.

Zaunmayr: I believe Hangzhou has already seen what Shanghai, Nanjing, and even Suzhou can do, and is already building the infrastructure to ensure that we can compete on the same level as these cities when it comes to getting worldwide conventions and exhibitions. In 2016, Hangzhou will be hosting the G20 summit in Binjiang. This is such an opportunity to show the world what a dynamic city Hangzhou really is, both in terms of doing business here and its natural beauty.

Foxwell: Regarding the market’s prospect, we are optimistic and confident that the market will keep growing. China is striving to optimize its economic structure, and Hangzhou is the most important pilot zone for the IT industry, especially for e-commerce market leaders such as Alibaba. Next year Hangzhou will host a series of international summits, which will certainly increase our global market awareness and support Hangzhou’s standing as an international MICE destination of note. We believe there are huge potential opportunities waiting to be exploited in the future.

Du: Hangzhou has caught the world’s attention through the West Lake’s and Grand Canal’s successful applications for a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as Alibaba Group’s IPO launched in the New York Stock Exchange. Hangzhou will strive to organize more international conferences in 2016. We have faith in the city’s performance on the world stage and also the future development of the MICE industry in Hangzhou.

Lee: There is a lot of opportunity given that there are more international hotels entering into Hangzhou market within the next three to four years. Also G20 will be held in Hangzhou in 2016 will certainly increase Hangzhou’s exposure to the international market. Important meeting and events are gradually moving more toward to the second-tier cities such as Hangzhou, Chengdu, instead of the usual destinations like Beijing and Shanghai.

Dexter: Hangzhou has the potential for further development in the MICE market, and the good news is Hangzhou just won the right to host G20 Summit 2016 and The Swimming World Championships 2018! Apart from hosting Mary Kay, IBM, Bank of Paris global meetings, PATA and many big incentive groups in the past years, the tourism industry of Hangzhou are well known for services and tourist attractions. As a city close to Shanghai, Hangzhou tourism standard is very mature compared to others. For international hotels, we are very happy that Hangzhou tourism commission is playing an important role to spread city awareness and attract international events and visitors worldwide. Hangzhou is definitely capable of organizing and taking any international events.

Lai: With Hangzhou being selected as the host city of G20 Summit 2016, and with new hotels that offer new concepts for meeting activities like Millennium Hangzhou, I believe the MICE market in the city of paradise will gain a healthy growth in the upcoming years.