In 2019, Singapore played host to the national conference of Australia’s leading network of professional builders, Hotondo Homes.
The four-day event brought 168 delegates together for a celebratory trip to cap off a fruitful year and 25 years of the Hotondo Homes franchise network.
Held at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, the exhibition and conference was complemented by a series of off-site events and experiences throughout the city-state.
Here, Lyn Kimpton, administration and conference co-coordinator at Hotondo Homes share her thoughts on the conference.
What is the significance of the conference to the company and franchisees?
This yearly event brings together franchisees from around Australia and provides ongoing training plus up-to-date marketing campaigns and strategies as well as details on new home designs being released in the coming year.
This year in particular was a celebration of 25 years of the Hotondo Homes franchise network.
What are some of the highlights of your trip to Singapore?
A very special highlight was our awards dinner held at The Clifford Pier Restaurant – it was such a beautiful building and location. The food was superbly presented and delicious.
The service by all the staff was amazing, including special attention given to the young children. The welcome performance on arrival by the extremely talented Wen Yan Lion Dance Troupe was incredibly faultless and captivated our delegates.
The lunchtime view from Ce La Vi restaurant was also stunning, giving our delegates a bird’s eye view of the city, bay and beyond. I believe they were all surprised by the amount of ships waiting to dock!
What are your top priorities when selecting a conference destination?
It is important that we experience local venues, food and customs. Also, there needs to be venues that can accommodate all our delegates in the one location (and not spread across a variety of hotels).
Why was Singapore chosen as your host city for 2019?
As this was a special celebratory year, Singapore was chosen because of all it had to offer. The climate, tourism experiences, variety of food as well as accessibility were all deciding factors.
Do you think the event met/exceeded expectations?
The location met and exceeded expectations. Everyone was very friendly and helpful.
Being our 25th conference, there wasn’t any one thing in particular that will change what we do in the future, however, the feedback has been very positive from all our delegates.
Event venues
Exhibition and conference: Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
Welcome dinner: Malaysian Food Street, Sentosa
Awards dinner: The Clifford Pier Restaurant
Casual Lunch: Ce La Vi
Experiences
Special lion dance welcome: Wen Yang Lion Dance Troupe
Bumboat transfer with private landing: The Clifford Pier Restaurant Jetty
To learn more about to doing business in Singapore, contact Singapore Tourism Board at:
visitsingapore.com/mice
Meliana Halim, manager Oceania
02 9290 2888
meliana_HALIM@stb.gov.sg
