John Chua, FounderNow, while hotels and other tourism-related organizations witnessed a severe decline in traffic, losing business from a B2C perspective affected them less than the losses incurred from their B2B engagements. With companies across the globe adopting remote working practices, the need for professionals to travel inevitably decreased. This directly impacted about 50 percent of a hotelier’s bottom line, where their meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) segment faced severe setbacks. Moreover, the travel and hospitality industry wasn’t the only one suffering; governments felt the diverse monetary and political effects of the travel limitations and required prompt solutions.
Many tourism and travel solutions providers stepped up to deliver on this difficult ask, but Singapore-based Burnaby Solutions took the cake with its holistic and people-first approach to hospitality. Its hotel booking and travel management solutions cover every facet of hospitality and tourism, offering event organizers, startups, individuals, and small-medium businesses a seamless and convenient experience. It is particularly skilled in providing hotel accommodation and destination management services for show organizers on a global scale, with special expertise in driving the most effective MICE experiences.
Burnaby Solutions’ professional services have been carefully developed and curated over the past decade. The story of how its relationship with the Singapore government supported its growth is essential to mention before elaborating on the efficacies of its robust portfolio.
Singapore is an international hub for numerous reasons. Aside from its tourist attractions, it is ideal for startups and IT opportunities. Closing it off from the world is counterintuitive to the global economy. Consequently, its government remained vigilant in adopting and implementing the latest preventative measures at the time. Open, systematic, and meticulous in nature, Singapore did well in adjusting to the geopolitical climate created by the pandemic, and Burnaby Solutions played an active role in managing various situations, especially during the first wave.
To put things into perspective, when the United States administration changed, so did the international travel policies. Visiting became complicated for the Chinese, especially for those with family working or studying in the U.S. Most of those who intended to travel were between the ages of 45 and 75, and many possessed valid visas.
However, the new administration came into effect shortly before the pandemic struck, and the management of international travel shifted; not drastically, yet enough to set up a few hurdles for travelers, particularly the older generation. They were required to halt at various countries for quarantine measures before being cleared to travel to the U.S. Singapore was one of those nations, and the government took up the responsibility in stride with some help from Burnaby Solutions.
The company faced a significant learning curve during its engagement with the government, where it followed many guidelines to ensure the welfare of travelers. It adopted the role of a concierge and healthcare assistant to accommodate client requests, including arranging hotels for mandatory quarantine, setting up Singapore’s TraceTogether app for Chinese travelers, and partnering with hospitals for PCR tests. It also helped streamline visa application processes as well.
Burnaby Solutions also kept in mind the emotional state of the more elderly visitors. Being confined for 14 days in a different country, without anyone familiar, can cause much distress. It donned the role of a chaperone. The modern hospitality and travel agency company is not just an entity that books flight tickets and hotels or hosts events; it has evolved to offer more to the recuperating international tourism market.
“We pivot ourselves to make ourselves more useful to our partners, for the travelers,” says John Chua, Founder of Burnaby Solutions.
Chua points out the Singapore government’s instrumental role in his company’s success. Their vision enabled Burnaby Solutions to prepare safe and efficient travel and hospitality services for its clients during the pandemic. The government ascertained the safety of citizens by setting up test centers in airports, imposing rules on segregation due to emergencies, and uploading necessary documents in QR codes and apps to grant entry. Sparing no effort, they propelled the travel and hospitality industry despite the turbulent times. Singapore’s digitization efforts have encouraged Burnaby Solutions to expand its reach worldwide with WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.
"We turned COVID-19 into a business opportunity to tell our clients how we will successfully prepare exhibitions and conferences once the travel and hospitality regulations are eased, proving to them that we are ready for anything
The post-pandemic regulations required the travel agency to think beyond conventionally accepted virtual trade show practices. Physical interaction was necessary to propel connections and expand businesses. For this, Burnaby Solutions offers hybrid trade show services, allowing involved stakeholders like event curators, stall owners, and visitors to attend shows and connect in physical or virtual spaces, irrespective of their vaccination status. This solution allows clients to extend the exhibition by a few days without occupying physical space.
Its willingness to transform into more than a travel agent for businesses has earned Burnaby Solutions significant recognition across Singapore and the APAC region. Its collaboration with the government also raised questions on how event managers and companies would host virtual and hybrid conferences once the country opened up. This realization led Chua and his team to write a paper about the same and create new avenues for business growth.
The company faced a significant learning curve during its engagement with the government, where it followed many guidelines to ensure the welfare of travelers. It adopted the role of a concierge and healthcare assistant to accommodate client requests, including arranging hotels for mandatory quarantine, setting up Singapore’s TraceTogether app for Chinese travelers, and partnering with hospitals for PCR tests. It also helped streamline visa application processes as well.
Burnaby Solutions also kept in mind the emotional state of the more elderly visitors. Being confined for 14 days in a different country, without anyone familiar, can cause much distress. It donned the role of a chaperone. The modern hospitality and travel agency company is not just an entity that books flight tickets and hotels or hosts events; it has evolved to offer more to the recuperating international tourism market.
“We pivot ourselves to make ourselves more useful to our partners, for the travelers,” says John Chua, Founder of Burnaby Solutions.
Chua points out the Singapore government’s instrumental role in his company’s success. Their vision enabled Burnaby Solutions to prepare safe and efficient travel and hospitality services for its clients during the pandemic. The government ascertained the safety of citizens by setting up test centers in airports, imposing rules on segregation due to emergencies, and uploading necessary documents in QR codes and apps to grant entry. Sparing no effort, they propelled the travel and hospitality industry despite the turbulent times. Singapore’s digitization efforts have encouraged Burnaby Solutions to expand its reach worldwide with WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.
"We turned COVID-19 into a business opportunity to tell our clients how we will successfully prepare exhibitions and conferences once the travel and hospitality regulations are eased, proving to them that we are ready for anything
The post-pandemic regulations required the travel agency to think beyond conventionally accepted virtual trade show practices. Physical interaction was necessary to propel connections and expand businesses. For this, Burnaby Solutions offers hybrid trade show services, allowing involved stakeholders like event curators, stall owners, and visitors to attend shows and connect in physical or virtual spaces, irrespective of their vaccination status. This solution allows clients to extend the exhibition by a few days without occupying physical space.
Its willingness to transform into more than a travel agent for businesses has earned Burnaby Solutions significant recognition across Singapore and the APAC region. Its collaboration with the government also raised questions on how event managers and companies would host virtual and hybrid conferences once the country opened up. This realization led Chua and his team to write a paper about the same and create new avenues for business growth.
The decline of COVID-19 has Singapore allowing international and domestic travel and events with strict health guidelines and safety regulations. The experience it garnered during these turbulent times enables Burnaby Solutions, a licensed travel agency with the Singapore Tourism Board, to manage hospitality services for MICE within specified safety regulations.
“Singapore’s aggressive approach against the pandemic created an entirely new ballgame in this business of exhibition,” states Chua. Clients are empowered to successfully prepare exhibitions and conferences with the help of Burnaby Solutions’ expertise in the domain, where it managed to deliver on customer expectations while keeping in line with the many COVID-19 regulations. Chua and his team consistently prove themselves as professionals ready for anything.
Burnaby Solutions continuously updates itself with the latest developments in the hospitality industry, marching ahead of its competitors. It has inculcated its brand colors into its comprehensive hotel booking and travel management solutions. This sets the company apart from the larger online travel agents as they provide one universal portal to clients. Burnaby Solutions, on the other hand, is an organization catering to the specific MICE needs of companies. It offers tailored services, all while sporting a client’s brand on, for example, a shirt that bears their name during events.
Burnaby Solutions has been showcasing such proactive capabilities since day one and is striving to deliver on the need of the modern hour: sustainability. Labeled environment-friendly by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Singapore, its services promise sustainability. This enables it to accommodate companies committed to going green. Its beneficial partnership with TrustYou Gmbh, a Munich-based organization that offers statistics and reviews of hotels, also establishes the uniqueness of Burnaby Solutions.
It truly stands out with a refined set of competencies in the travel and hospitality space. It is in the business of people, and the team is passionate about delivering services that reflect its dedication. Moving forward, the licensed travel agency intends to foster solid and comfortable relationships with international organizers to help them host and launch events and conferences that leave a lasting impression on every attendee. Chua insists that professionals in the industry need to be forthcoming and look past the horizon to see how they can improve their solutions and services to deliver the best customer experiences.
Having garnered experience managing trade shows outside Singapore, including the CES ASIA in Shanghai, organised by Consumer Technology Association USA, Burnaby Solutions understands MICE events bring business to countries internationally and are critical to strengthening the economy. The company has handled some of the most high-profile shows, such as Asia Tech, Singapore International Water Week, Cloud Expo Asia in Singapore, and Penang, Semicon SEA, and Malaysia International Food & Beverage Trade Fair in Kuala Lumpur as well. It seeks to bring its vast experience to professionals everywhere and always thinks out of the box to create the best, most proactive travel and hospitality management solutions for the modern business world.
“Singapore’s aggressive approach against the pandemic created an entirely new ballgame in this business of exhibition,” states Chua. Clients are empowered to successfully prepare exhibitions and conferences with the help of Burnaby Solutions’ expertise in the domain, where it managed to deliver on customer expectations while keeping in line with the many COVID-19 regulations. Chua and his team consistently prove themselves as professionals ready for anything.
We pivot ourselves to make ourselves more useful to our partners, for the travellers
Burnaby Solutions continuously updates itself with the latest developments in the hospitality industry, marching ahead of its competitors. It has inculcated its brand colors into its comprehensive hotel booking and travel management solutions. This sets the company apart from the larger online travel agents as they provide one universal portal to clients. Burnaby Solutions, on the other hand, is an organization catering to the specific MICE needs of companies. It offers tailored services, all while sporting a client’s brand on, for example, a shirt that bears their name during events.
Burnaby Solutions has been showcasing such proactive capabilities since day one and is striving to deliver on the need of the modern hour: sustainability. Labeled environment-friendly by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Singapore, its services promise sustainability. This enables it to accommodate companies committed to going green. Its beneficial partnership with TrustYou Gmbh, a Munich-based organization that offers statistics and reviews of hotels, also establishes the uniqueness of Burnaby Solutions.
It truly stands out with a refined set of competencies in the travel and hospitality space. It is in the business of people, and the team is passionate about delivering services that reflect its dedication. Moving forward, the licensed travel agency intends to foster solid and comfortable relationships with international organizers to help them host and launch events and conferences that leave a lasting impression on every attendee. Chua insists that professionals in the industry need to be forthcoming and look past the horizon to see how they can improve their solutions and services to deliver the best customer experiences.
Having garnered experience managing trade shows outside Singapore, including the CES ASIA in Shanghai, organised by Consumer Technology Association USA, Burnaby Solutions understands MICE events bring business to countries internationally and are critical to strengthening the economy. The company has handled some of the most high-profile shows, such as Asia Tech, Singapore International Water Week, Cloud Expo Asia in Singapore, and Penang, Semicon SEA, and Malaysia International Food & Beverage Trade Fair in Kuala Lumpur as well. It seeks to bring its vast experience to professionals everywhere and always thinks out of the box to create the best, most proactive travel and hospitality management solutions for the modern business world.
