Planning a Sabah hit

The BETA Incentive Group flew 240 incentive and conference participants to Sabah, East Malaysia earlier this year. The group were dealers in hardware equipment who had all qualified by meeting incentive sales targets over the previous 12 months. BETA is based in Italy with representatives also in Asia and delegates were a mixture from Europea and Asia. The event took on an Italian theme as well. This event was a genuine incentive, with pure enjoyment through careful planning and creating a difference every moment without the stress of packing in too much. Nexus Resort Karambunai was chosen as the hotel to accommodate the delegates. Hotel senior meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition manager, Mr Rob Tan, worked closely with destination management company Insight Borneo to accommodate the group. Participants were dealers and senior managers between the ages of 30 and 60. They were accompanied by their spouses and split into two groups of 120 each. Five team leaders led each group. On day one, they were welcomed by a convoy of four-wheel drives with police escort for a city tour. This was followed by welcome cocktails and traditional live music in the hotel's Horizon Lounge with cold towels, and then check-in. Dinner took place in the beach garden with a bazaar theme, hawker stalls, tai chi demonstration. There were calligraphy and pottery displays as well as a cultural show by Sabah Tourism Board. The menu consisted of Malaysian cuisine, and a mixture of Italian pasta al dente, piccata of local fish and tiramisu. Day two began with breakfast by the beach. A convoy of 20 speedboats from the hotel took delegates to the SAPI Island, 40 minutes away, for watersports, snorkelling, trekking, parasailing, waterskiing, jetskiing and scuba diving. Lunch was an Italian seafood BBQ, lobster, prawns, scallops, linguini pasta, and freshly made Italian breads. After lunch, the group left for the city (15 minutes away) for shopping and a tour. Dinner took place at the hotel's Kau Li Hut beach with live entertainment. Day three began with water rafting at Kiulu Rover, buffet lunch at the riverside ending point, half an hour of spa massage at the hotel, tanning on the beach, beach volleyball and cocktails. Dinner was done al fresco again at the poolside with live music and dancing. A special charter to Brunei was arranged for the group on day four. A convoy of limousines transferred the group to the five-star Empire Hotel for one night. Following a Chinese lunch, the group adjourned to the Empire Theatre for a convention. They also played golf at Jerudong Golf and Country Club, and were greeted by 20 horsemen wearing traditional costumes. They enjoyed cocktails while watching a polo match. Dinner was in the hotel's ballroom. Italian artiste, Ms Gi Gi Vigliani, was specially flown in for the event. After dinner, the group enjoyed rides at Jerudong Park Playground till early morning. Day five began with breakfast at the poolside and then a city tour of Brunei. The group visited James Mosque, Sultan Palace, Omar Ali Mosque, Regalia Museum, had a river cruise along the water village and had a private lunch in town before taking the charter flight back to their hotel in Sabah. That night they had a Shanghai Gambling Dens theme dinner, enjoying pre-dinner cocktail and gambling with fake BETA notes. Entertainment came in the form of a 20-piece Chinese Orchestra, lion dance, cake cutting ceremony and performance by another Italian artiste and comedian from Italy, Mr Orsellis Stefano. The event ended with a six-piece live band disco. "The planning started a year ago," Mr Tan says. "This event showcased Borneo's eco-tourism as a whole, incorporating culture, marine and outdoor adventure. "The other factor is we understand Mr Gennaro Nardone's (the proprietor of Insight Borneo) expectations and tailor made the themes and menus to their budget. "Incidentally, the organiser has confirmed another incentive group early next year, a testament to our overall service excellence." Mr Nardone gave his insights on the event. "We worked very closely with Nexus on room allocation for doubles and twins. The main challenge was to ensure small details were carried out in order to achieve a beyond expectation factor," he says. "Meal arrangements and entertainment were planned out for each evening with outdoor ambience mixing the soothing, breezy beachfront background sound of the waves, spectacular sunset and twilight zone kind of feeling while sipping cocktails, wine. "There were security issues, but thanks to Sabah Tourism Board, Immigration, airport and police assistance and other government agencies, these concerns were minimised. "This event was unique because it was the first time we combined the best exotic location in Sabah, Borneo with a special charter flight to Brunei for a business presentation." BETA organises similar incentive tours every two years.