The New MICE Industry In Ancient Beijing

What places represent Beijing now? Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall are no longer the only choices for business travelers to Beijing, and they are now looking for new attractions in the ancient city. After the Olympic Games, The Bird's Nest, the Water Cube, and the National Center for the Performing Arts have become new landmarks in Beijing.

Business travelers can design their own itineraries based on the following suggestions . If you have already visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and other must-go attractions, there are many other things to discover in the city: going to the Hutongs to have a look at ordinary people's lives, enjoying a peaceful afternoon in a cafe on Nanchizi Street, exploring the stores along Nan Luo Gu Xiang and Yan Dai Xie Jie, or having a drink in a bar in Sanlitun, Solana, or The Place in the evening. If you have done all these things already, you can still find something unfamiliar to you. Maybe it is about art – 798 Art Zone, Today Art Museum, Huantie Times Art Museum, and Imagine Gallery; or maybe it is about performances — Oriental Pioneer Theater, Fengchao Theater, and People's Art Experimental Theater all have different dramas every day and the National Center for the Performing Arts presents concerts, operas and ballet from time to time. Beside business activities in Beijing, you also can enjoy life there and hang out with your friends, making a business trip part of your life's journey.

International conventions, industry conference, business activities, incentive travel, and teambuilding activities have developed very fast over recent years in Beijing as a result of the prosperity of the economy. Ancient Beijing has become a more dynamic city because of these vivid, creative, and prosperous elements. We can see the potential of MICE in Beijing through the meeting and event venues in Beijing.

Recommendations from Beijing's MICE Hotels

Jianguo Hotel Beijing
Deng Yuanming, the general manager of Jianguo Hotel Beijing, states that a what hotel needs to provide a business traveler mainly covers four aspects. First room accommodation. If the hotel room is big enough, luxurious enough, if it has a comfortable environment, are all considerations for business travelers when choosing a hotel. Nowadays the in-room broadband is more and more indispensably as well. Second is outlets. Hotel outlets ought to have the ability to cope with the different requirements of business travelers and be suitable for formal dining with Chinese cuisine or western cuisine, and offer convenient business breakfast and lunch. The third aspect is conference facilities. A qualified business hotel must be equipped with fully functional banquet facilities, in order to offer guests a wide variety of menu options including banquets, cocktail receptions, parties, entertainment, and meetings. Last but not the least are the personalized services. Details are indicative of service quality. Culture, nationalities, and hobbies are all involved in the field of differentiated service.

To achieve this goal the hotel needs to keep records of a guest's history. And it is important is make the arrangements according to the history on file before the guest checks in. Such things as: preparing special dishes for certain nationalities and setting up the room for each guest in accordance with their living habits. In addition, the personalized services are also based on standards and criteria. If a guest prefers a quiet room, what the hotel support to do is not only assign the room, but also consider the volume of the TV and the noise from the air-conditioning. Likewise the language abilities of the staff would affect the service level, a good level of English is a plus. By using the language skills well staff can communicate with guests, so that they can have more opportunities to get more information from them.

China is in a period of fast growth, and as Beijing is the capital of China and the business and political center of China, this will result in more and more global investment negotiations, fairs and other business activities will being held in Beijing. Such activities will bring an abundance of business travelers to the city. But in the hotel industry the purely business hotel is still a rarity — even though the demands of the business travel market are rising.

A true business hotel should set up a focused system with target markets, hotel promotion, and hotel branding. It must fully equipped with business facilities such as fax machines, copiers, voice mail, and video conference facilities. In addition the multi-functional meeting rooms are a necessity. In the guest rooms, the hotel ought to have the standard equipment, at a minimum, to match the business traveler's business needs. These include a printer, broadband Internet connections. However lots of domestic hotels fall short of these requirements. For example rooms are not big enough and supporting facilities are too old to be updated. Brand impact also plays an important role in remaining competitive. Hotels having the same brand could share their guests' history files with each other, in order to provide a differentiated service to the business traveler. Through this kind of sharing, these hotels can make the traveler feel they are in a home away from home. So far, there is no specialized business hotel brand in China, and this is a niche the local hotels need to fill

Warm and Cozy Hotel Service
Li Yihui the chief representative of Zschimmer and Schwarz Hong Kong Ltd's Beijing Office says that the company would hold conferences, annual meetings and customer visits in Beijing. When booking hotels, the company will look for reputation, service (hardware and software), surroundings, the internal environment of hotel, and price. Li also suggests hotel should have special rooms for ladies and families.

Hotela the company has chosen include: Jianguo Hotel Beijing, Traders Hotel, Beijing, Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing, Hotel Kunlun, JW Marriott Hotel Beijing, The Peninsula Beijing, and Shangri-La's Kerry Centre Hotel, Beijing.

Li prefers Jianguo Hotel Beijing. Firstly, the hotel is located at the city center, boasting very convenient transport connections. Secondly, the hotel has an elegant environment, the guest rooms are clean and tidy, and the garden courtyard has beautiful scenery that one can relax there. The personalized serviceof the hotel has greatly impressed Li. Once there was a Germany employee of the company who liked to stay in the same suite in a hotel. Jianguo Hotel Beijing knew about this and would do their best to arrange the same suite for him, whether the company had requested this in advance or not. Some hotels have luxury lobbies and deluxe rooms, but guests just cannot feel the same warmth; but in Jianguo Hotel Beijing, one can feel warm, cozy, and safe according to Li.

Price Comes First
OMRON China HealthCare Beijing Office North China Sales Department director Xie Qing states that the company would book Beijing hotels for staff participating in exhibitions or visiting customers. Price is the prime factor, and location is the next.

Jianguo Hotel Beijing, Beijing Jinglun Hotel, Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong, Crowne Plaza Park View Wuzhou, Winterless Hotel, and Super House International are hotels that the company has chosen to use. The company has a strict budget for business travel, and Jianguo Hotel Beijing has the most suitable price among hotels in the central business district. The breakfast included in the room rate is quite impressive, offering various cuisines. The Bird's Nest, the Great Wall, and Houhai are among the places company employees like to visit between business activities.

Radegast Lake View Hotel
David Wang is the general manager of Radegast Lake View Hotel. The hotel is on the 2nd Southeast Ring Road, and is only five minutes' drive from CBD, ten minutes' drive from Beijing Railway Station, and 40 minutes' drive from Beijing Capital International Airport. The hotel has an independent convention and exhibition center, including the Harmony Grand Ballroom, a magnificent conference hall and 22 additional meeting rooms with a total area of 8,000 square meters. The center is equipped with advanced audio equipment, simultaneous interpretation facilities, and video conference and web conference facilities. The professional sales and planning team of the hotel will help guests hold large and medium sized international conventions, theatrical performances, themed dinner parties, cocktail parties, academic and business forums and social events. The 605-square-meter pillarless Harmony Grand Ballroom boasts state-of-the-art meeting facilities that can meet the various needs of guests. The conference hall with a central stage is the place for international academic exchange conferences, corporate annual meeting, and movie premiere.s The 22 meeting rooms are suitable for medium and small sized business meetings and seminars, and can be also used as sub-venues.

Wang describes Radegast Lake View Hotel as a health theme hotel. It is adjacent to Longtan Lake Park and Panjiayuan Antiques Market. As an investment of the People's Medical Publishing House, which is directly under the Ministry of Health, the hotel has unique medical resources. Guests can see Longtan Lake from more than 70% of the hotel's rooms. The Longtan Lake Park brings a good environment to the hotel as a natural oxygen bar.

Every detail of the hotel reflects the concept of "health": from clean drinking water to environmental guest room amenities, from the mattresses to the pillows, from the air purification system to the utilization of photocatalyst technology.

Wang's philosophy is that the hotel should cherish guests' health as much as their own. The Green Restaurant offers unique herbal cuisine that is specialized in extending a new cooking method to mix fresh herb with traditional Chinese food serving guests a different healthy cuisine. The Royal Chinese Restaurant provides authentic Cantonese cuisine and fine local cuisine by the famous chef from Hong Kong in an elegant environment. Lakeside Cafe offers classic and finest French and Mediterranean cuisine, a contemporary a-la-carte menu, and a creative international buffet. The all day dining restaurant accompanied by an elegant decoration will be a delightful experience. The China House has traditional Chinese decoration style and an elegant environment that typifies Chinese cultural icons such as Qin (lyre), Qi (chess), Shu (book), Hua (painting) and the place for recreation and tea.

According to Wang the China Incentive, Business Travel & Meeting Exhibition 2010 held in Beijing is expected to be the most popular high-end MICE exhibition in Asia Pacific region. In 2012, the Society of Incentive Travel Executive Annual Conference will also be held in Beijing. These events have made Beijing an international, high-end business travel destinations comparable to New York, Paris and Tokyo, and will attract more and more business travelers. As the capital of China, Beijing has its unique advantages to develop MICE. Embassies, chambers, central governmental agencies, and nationwide industry institutions in Beijing are one of those advantages. With its historical background and future development Beijing has great potential to develop its business travel market.

Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall
Javier Albar, general manager of Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall, told China Hospitality News that Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall has been built to accommodate all kinds of MICE events. Featuring 1,312 guest rooms and suites with 4,000 square meters of banquet space it is the one of the biggest meeting hotel sin Beijing. All MICE facilities are brand new and are designed to satisfy the most demanding event and customer.

Alba says that MICE business is lucrative since guests spend most of their time in the hotel using all the hotel facilities. That makes MICE a segment that all hotels want to tap into. The amount of profit varies depending on the complexity of the event and the season when the event takes place.

The hotel has wireless and wired high-speed Internet access across the entire hotel. There are also iPod docking stations, IP phones, and LCD TVs with PC connectivity in all rooms. There is a great variety of restaurants and bars for business travelers to entertain their customers as well as a state of the art spa, a gym, and a half-Olympic-size swimming pool.

To help meeting planners manage their events and meeting groups, the hotel has implemented an on-line approach. By using Custom Web Pages MICE clients can create a web page for the event showing relevant information. To help event clients make reservations more conveniently, there is ResLink, which is the fastest way for clients to book rooms at group rates. The step-by-step planning guide is a professional way of showing clients how to conduct a meeting by assisting clients to plan the event and providing necessary information. Passkey is designed for professional meeting planners and allows event attendees to make and manage their hotel reservations online, and will be implemented soon as a free service.

The hotel treats all MICE guests with the same personal attention and dedicated service. It conducts a series of pre-event meetings with the event organizers to find out all their requirements and special needs; in addition hotel would ask questions that will provide it with the information to exceed guests' expectations. It has hosted very high profile international events such as the international press events accompanying state visits and the International Summit of Women.

Unique Beijing Impresses Foreign Guests
Jiao Jun, the executive sales director of international convention and exhibition department at CITS MICE Co., Ltd, states that CITS MICE has following advantages in meetings, activities and business travel. First, its parent company CITS Head Office has more than 50 years of history, and the brand has brought confidence to clients and partners. Second, the CITS MICE was established two months after CITS has been successfully on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in October 2009, providing an economic base for the company to pay in advance for some programs of large-scale events. Third, the company has professional MICE teams to manage large-scale meetings and activities especially when there are emergencies.

The business travel market of Beijing in 2010 has truly reflected the changes in customer demands due to the current economic climate. Demands for high-level travel are not high; the pharmaceutical industry holds a number of meetings of various sizes, showing people are concentrating more on their health due to environmental changes and pressure; auto shows, new car launches, test drives and other activities in the automobile industry show the potential purchasing power of domestic consumers.

Different activities require different venues, says Jiao. If it is a new car launch, the hotel should have enough space for some cars; if it is a large-scale international conference, there must be a hotel with an international level of service near the venue; if it is an internal meeting of a company, the distance between the company and the venue should carefully considered.

Price is an unavoidable criteria. More and more hotels have joined the market when Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games. But after the Game, Beijing's hotel industry has experienced the oversupply problem along with the global financial crisis, which has caused the current buyer's market.

Jiao has been in the Beijing MICE market for nine years and has cooperated with many five-star hotels. Recently the company has cooperated with Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall which has impressed him in products and service. The client Jiao is working with requires about 1,000 rooms for accommodation and was prepared to choose two or three hotels, which will certainly increase the workload of the team in hotel reservation, allotting rooms and distributing gifts. When Jiao recommended Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall and the client has decided to use only the 1,300-room hotel. The hotel offers many special services for meeting groups. For example, there is a special registration room for groups at first floor with plenty of room for work and for guests to have a break. The parking lot around the hotel can accommodate the cars carrying the 1,000 participants. The professional sales and operation team of the hotel has made many suggestions that reflect their experiences in operating large-scale teams.

Beijing boasts unique advantages as a MICE destination. It is the political and economic capital of China, it is an historic city with many attractions and it boasts many hotels from groups such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, i-La Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotels, and Accor Hotels. The city also has abundant venues. For meetings, there are the Great Hall of the People, China National Convention Center, Beijing International Convention Center, Beijing International Hotel Convention Center, Jiuhua Resort & Convention Center, and meeting venues in five-star hotels, and small and medium sized venues in commercial centers. For exhibitions, there are the China International Exhibition Center, New China International Exhibition Center, China National Agricultural Exhibition Center, China World Trade Center Exhibition Hall and many others. For outdoor venues, there are Juyongguan Great Wall, Badaling Great Wall, Beijing Working People's Culture Palace, and the Olympic Green. These venues provide various choices for guests, as well as guaranteeing the operation of several large-scale events at the same time.

Beijing's unique resources can help to impress guests with unexpected experience. For example, the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, playing shuttlecock or diabolo and riding bicycles for teambuilding activities in Shichahai, a weapons display and other activities on the Great Wall, a torch relay in the Bird's Nest, and interviews with Olympic builders at the broadcasting tower at the one year anniversary of Beijing Olympic Games.

Friendly Service Quite Impressive
Wei Yue is the marketing manager of AcrossChina Live Communication Ltd. Since the establishment in 1992, AcrossChina has provided publicity services to many international brands. Through 18 years of rapid and steady development, AcrossChina has now a new service model and products of marketing communication solutions integrating event publicity, online and office public relations, online and offline marketing, and advertising.

Different programs of different scales require different venues, says Wei. If meetings and other are held in a hotel, the location of the hotel, the scale of the event, the requirement for audio and video equipment, are things to be considered. All things being equal the company will choose a hotel with a good reputation, and a good service and meeting service team.

In terms of general service, there is no obvious difference in Beijing's hotels, says Wei. Relatively speaking, service of a chain hotel will be more attentive. Yet hotels with friendly services will impress guests greatly. Usually the company would choose four-star and five-star hotels.

Besides visits to the Forbidden City, Dashilan, Bird's Nest, and Water Cube, Wei Yue will also recommend local food like Za Jiang Mein in Haiwanju and snacks near White Horse Temple.

Beijing Bohao Radegast Hotel
Gao Guoji is the general manager of Beijing Bohao Radegast Hotel. He thinks that every business traveler has both tangible and intangible needs. Tangible needs refer to hardware facilities such as LCD TV, broadband Internet access and a central air-conditioning system, as well as diversified meeting space. Intangible needs include considerate service and a good environment. hotel encourages its employees to provide customized services to meet the individual needs of different customers.

As one of China's Top 30 Best Hotel Management Groups, Tianlun International Hotels has an incentive policy to motivate its employees and encourage communications between its employees and customers. Employees are required to work hard to make every business traveler feel comfortable and relaxed. According to Gao, Tianlun International Hotels adopts a unique service concept to provide timely, flexible and considerate services, taking the hotel to a higher level and attracting more customers.

Challenge and opportunity always come together, Gao states. Business travel serves as an engine for economic growth and in recent years it has been given priority by players seeking development in the tourism sector. China's MICE market is growing at an annual rate of 20%. Following a steep drop in 2008 and a significant adjustment in 2009, business travel services have become a benchmark for the development of the tourism sector, and their maturity will be heavily relied on by industry insiders as an indicator.

Hardware and Software are Both Important
According to He Ping, the deputy general manager of China Peace International Tourism Co., Ltd Beijing MICE Branch, the company's clients include Janssen, Bayer, Novo Nordisk, GlaxoSmithKline, Chinese Medical Association and other companies or organizations. The first thing when choosing a suitable hotel venue, He says, is to see if the hotel's hardware and software facilities are suitable for the event. Brand is the second factor to think about. He has cooperated with many five-star hotels and hotel groups including Marriott International, Hilton Hotels, Starwood Hotels and Resorts such as JW Marriott Hotel Beijing, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, and The Westin Beijing Chaoyang.

Grand Millennium Beijing in CBD is He Ping's favorite due to its location and facilities.

There are many local features that can be used in corporate activities, says He, such as the tea house culture, and traditional handicrafts. Usually the company will arrange these things according to the theme of activities.

Hotel Provides Better Conference Visual Effects
Du Xin, working at the Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation Beijign Office, said the company holds one or two meetings each year of 50 people lasting for three days. Requirements for a suitable venue include: outstanding facilities and outstanding service; an efficient banquet team, high-quality food and beverage, and a high price/performance ratio for the meeting package.

When the company chooses a hotel as the venue, Du cites three major concerns: it must be near to the company and be easy to get to; it should have a high price/performance ratio and good quality accommodation; and the meeting venues should meet the demand for meetings or activities.

Du says the Westin Beijing Chaoyang has the best facilities and services of all the hotels she has ever used,. The Jinmao Ballroom has a widescreen projection facility which creates a good visual effect for the meeting. The banquet team always keeps up with client's demands. Other hotels the company has cooperated with include Great Wall Hotel Sheraton Beijing, Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center, Hotel Kunlun, Yuyang Hotel, and Guangming Hotel.

Du XIn often recommends many attractions to visitors to Beijing, such as the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Great Wall, Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, Shichahai, Summer Palace, and Houhai. For dining she recommends Da Zhai Men.

Setup and Environment are Both Important
The chairman of Beijing Kante Ehio Electronics Co., Ltd, Chen Jinhong, says the company holds many events each year, including working conference of 200 people, an annual conference for 1,000 people, customer banquet of 5-300 people, and tourism activities of about 600 people.

Chen usually chooses different venues for different meetings. The general requirements include fine setups and good environment. When choosing a good meeting hotel, hardware facilities and location are the most important factor, and service is the second.

Pullman Beijing South and Jiuhua Resort & Convention Center are the best of all the hotels Chen has booked. Pullman Beijing South has spacious rooms, excellent facilities, and attentive service. Its restaurants offer local and international cuisines that can meet almost everyone's need. Apart from the clean, tidy, and fully-equipped hotel rooms, Jiuhua Resort & Convention Center's outdoor environment is just like a park with benches for guests to take a break. It also has recreational and entertainment facilities. In Jiuhua, one can feel the peace and forget about the trouble.

Other hotels Chen has cooperated with include China World Hotel, Beijing Hotel, Beijing Henan Plaza and Beijing Guangxi Hotel.

Business Activities Boom in Beijing
Xi Lan, the general manager of CSR and interactive marketing department at Assyria, told China Hospitality News the advantages the company has in business travel, meetings and activities. First, Assyria's executive team insists on a professional and innovative service concept in each detail of the company's service, winning clients' recognition. Second, Assyria has set up a sound quality supervision and management system based on the experience serving many of the Fortune 500 companies. From the draft resolution to the completion of an event, Assyria ensures each procedure is taken under this strict quality supervision system. Third, Assyria pays much attention to the values of clients, and will bring unexpected return to clients through innovative and effective implementation. Fourth, Assyria has huge resources in governments, NGOs, media, advertisers, and third party service institutions to broaden clients' resource horizon. In addition, the company also has a database for meeting the needs from clients to invite target people to participant in meetings. Fifth, Assyria has its own project evaluation system to guarantee the accurate implementation of projects through criteria like goal clarity, measurability of results, achievability of goals, enforceability of plans, and timeliness of process management.

Though the Expo has attracted some business travel activities in Shanghai, business travel in Beijing will keep booming in the second half of 2010 as it is the headquarters of many multinational and large state-owned enterprises and is the political and cultural center of China.

Xi Lan says different activities with different participants dictate different venues. She lists several requirements to choose a proper venue. First, the grade of the hotel; second, the hardware and software facilities of the hotel; third, being an environmental hotel or not; and fourth, convenient traffic conditions. Langham Place Beijing Capital Airport's "Fashion Life" is quite attractive, said Xi. She likes fresh things and innovative concepts, and she expects to cooperate with the newly-opened hotel.

The company runs many programs each month, therefore it has cooperated with hotels in CBD, Chang'an Avenue, Financial Street, Zhongguancun, and even in the suburbs of Beijing. Hotels with mature and sound service systems and well-trained staff have impressed her a lot, as these hotels can help guests solve their problems.

As an historic city, Beijing has a rich culture background; Xi Lan integrate Beijing's culture into some programs. Easy access to information, rich media resources, central government and ministries: all these are to Beijing's advantage. Historic culture, Olympic Games, tourism resources can be used in MICE activities.

As an example Xi Lan's team undertook the release of operating guidelines in China of a multinational corporation. As a global event of the corporation, each branch in other countries had conducted the event successfully combining with the country's culture. Xi's team has proposed several Chinese elements and has finally decided to use the Great Wall as the key element. The event won high praise from the client, and was awarded the Best PR Case of the Year by the China International Public Relations Association.

Hotel Staff Committed to Guests' Needs
Marubeni (Beijing) Trading Co., Ltd holds summer sessions and winter annual meetings each year with 100 to 200 participants. Sun Yiwei of the development division added there will also be signing ceremonies if the company has cooperation projects with other Chinese enterprises. Venues for these events should be near to the company and offer good hardware facilities and services at a reasonable price. When events are held in a hotel, brand awareness, transport, food and beverage, and service will be the criteria for choosing a suitable venue.

The company has once held its winter annual meeting in Hilton Beijing Wangfujing. The pillarless meeting venue was very suitable for the meeting and the meeting sales team and banquet team were very effective both before the event and during the event. The engineering department had spent their after-work time testing the sound and lighting system, which was quite touching. The food and beverages offered were fine in both appearance and taste.

Shangri-La Hotel Beijing is another partner the company has used several times. There are abundant venues in the hotel of various sizes that can meet the needs of various events. Other partners of the company include Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong, The St. Regis Beijing, and Hotel Kunlun. Sun also recommends Sanlitun, Gulou, Yonghe Temple, Prince Gong's Mansion, and other places to guests coming to Beijing.

High Efficiency Satisfies Guest's Demands
According to AngloGold Ashanti Limited Beijing Representative Office's executive manager, Zhang Li, the company holds global executive meetings in Beijing with 20 to 50 participants. It will also hold the famous AuDITIONS competition. The Third AuDITIONS China is hosted by AngloGold Ashanti Limited and World Gold Council, and co-hosted by Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of China, China Gold Association, and National Gemstone Testing Center. The award ceremony is slated to be held in March 2011 in Beijing with approximately 500 to 1,000 participants.

In Zhang Li's opinion, convenient transport is the prime requirement for a venue. If an event is to be held in a hotel, transport and service will be the first to consider as most five-star hotels have complete meeting facilities. The company has held events in Grand Hyatt Beijing, The Regent Beijing, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, and China World Hotel. Of these Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Grand Hyatt Beijing and China World Hotel are better in terms of services and location, and are convenient for sightseeing and shopping after business activities. Grand Hyatt Beijing on Chang'an Avenue can impress foreign guests since it is near to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Chynna Chinese restaurant in Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Summer Palace in China World Hotel, and Restaurant Made in China in Grand Hyatt Beijing, are the places for foreigners to enjoy Chinese cuisines — and guests would probably remain at the same hotel to eat. There is a specially-designed balcony in Chynna at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing with a semicircular dome above a table that can hold more than 20 people. Guests can clearly hear each other talk due to the echo effect. These three hotels are quite efficient in terms of meeting services, and will do their best to meet guests' need. The hotels' staff to communicate well in English, and the company has not received any complaint about language in these hotels from guests.

Star Hotels Provide Star Service
UOB (China) wealth manager Yi Ke told China Hospitality News that the company often holds meetings with clients to introduce the company's products and services. Usually there will be 100 to 200 participants.

Convenient location is the first factor Yi Ke will consider when looking for a venue. Surroundings and services are also important because the bank's clients are high-end business people, and a comfortable environment and attentive service is a must for them. A star-rated hotel usually has star-rate service, and that is why Yi likes star-rated hotels. Price is a consideration, of course.

Of the hotels Yi Ke has chosen, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing has impressed him the most with its considerate and attentive service. Hotel staff offer services with sincere smile whatever emergencies occur. Grand Hyatt Beijing and Hilton Beijing are the other hotels the company has held events in.

There are many places to go in Beijing for business travelers. Yi recommends the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace to foreigners, and Houhai and Nan Luo Gu Xiang to those who like nightlife.

Voice of Association
Yang Genxin from China Electricity Council electricity convention and exhibition center told China Hospitality News that the council holds exhibitions, press briefings, annual meeting, and board meetings each year in Beijing with more than 100 participants. Hotels that have convenient transport, reasonable accommodation prices, and comprehensive meeting facilities are usually the council's choice, such as Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing, Qianmen Jianguo Hotel, and ACFTU Hotel Beijing. Yang says he is satisfied with these hotels' meeting services.