Flight Centre is keeping the industry on its toes right now, with new partnerships, open plans, virtual agents and now a new acquisition in… Hong Kong.
The travel company revealed plans this morning to acquire a local event management and production company, Maya Events, to boost its presence in the MICE sector within Greater China.
Hong Kong-based Maya Events has been in operation for over a decade and was originally launched by local businesswoman, Mireya Garcia. In 2011, it expanded when Yamilette M.Cano joined the business.
Maya Events specialises in conferences, exhibitions, galas, charity functions, parties, private functions and product launches and has customers spanning the corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors.
In taking over the company, Flight Centre will be able to offer Chinese travellers further assistance in event management and coordination; decoration and production; creative services and content production; and design and printing. and .
The company will also build up its ability to organise trips requiring audio-visual, lighting and special effects as well as entertainment.
FLT Hong Kong managing director David Fraser said the acquisition will complement the company’s existing cievents operation in Hong Kong.
“It [Maya Events] will be a great fit with our existing cievents business in Hong Kong, which has historically outsourced some of these functions.”
David Fraser, FLT Hong Kong Managing Director
“Now, we will offer a full suite of services in-house to prospective clients and existing customers in the rapidly expanding MICE sector.”
cievents global general manager Natalie Simmons added that Maya will give cievents a stronger presence in what she described as an “important market”.
“As a full service agency for the corporate market providing specialised services in logistics and creative services the Maya acquisition is an important step in our growth strategy ensuring we are delivering on our client value proposition in all markets in which we operate,” she said.
“The Maya acquisition compliments all of our current offerings enabling us to instantly provide added value to our already existing strong & growing customer base.”
To complete the acquisition, FLT has bought Maya Events’ tangible and intangible assets. Maya’s principals, Mireya Garcia and Yamilette Cano, and seven employees will transfer to FLT’s Hong Kong business.