Destination focus
Singapore leading
from the front
Singapore is leveraging the fundamentals that have established it as a
world-leader for MICE business, overlaying them with new innovative solutions
as it moves at pace towards the new normal. Paul Colston reports
n this issue we explore the
new ICCA rankings
(p29-31), where Singapore
again tops the tree for Asia
for association meetings.
It is no fluke that Singapore is the
perennial leader in these city rankings for
Asia, the island state possesses a
world-class MICE infrastructure, with
venues including Marina Bay Sands,
Suntec and Singexpo, as well as its
integrated resorts.
The venue hardware is aligned
powerfully to the soft power of highly
trained event professionals who epitomise
the destination’s reputation for innovation
and inspiration.
While Singapore has been hailed for its
swift response to the Covid-19 pandemic,
with its track and trace and rigorous
testing systems being a model that many
have tried to copy, its meetings industry
champions are now looking beyond the
crisis and busy re-fashioning the events
template to move the bar higher.
The fundamentals of course include
stable government, a vibrant business
culture, an open trading environment and
strong connections throughout the region
and beyond.
Singapore has always placed safety
above short-term economic gain and is
pursing a phased approach to reopening.
It is worth remembering that Singapore
has dealt with the challenge of SARS and
the Asian Financial crisis, events which
tempered its MICE industry.
From 2 June 2020, Singapore embarked
on a three-phased approach to resume
activities safely. This included adopting
enhanced safe management measures
(SMM) at workplaces and new policies to
facilitate international business travel.
(More information at https://ww.mom.gov.sg).
This was in addition to the successful
SG Clean hygiene mark introduced and
widely adopted by venues since being
launched by government agency
Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the
Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
As of 1 June 2020, 13,000 SG Clean
Quality Mark certificates had been issued,
of which more than 800 were
tourism-related establishments.
Andrew Phua, STB’s executive director
of exhibitions and conferences, says: “We
recognise this is an immensely challenging
period and that the pace and scale of these
changes can be daunting. That is why close
to S$100bn has been announced by the
government to support Singaporeans and
businesses, in addition to the current
assistance schemes that MICE industry
players may tap in to upgrade their
capabilities, as well as redesign and
innovate their current business models and
event formats. These include the S$20m
Marketing Partnership Programme that
STB launched in April 2020, training
subsidies of up to 90% for the MICE sector,
and the Business Improvement Fund for
business innovation and upskilling. STB is
also working with industry stakeholders
and the Singapore Association of
Convention and Exhibition Organisers and
Suppliers (SACEOS) to develop a set of best
practices in areas such as safe management
measures. We want to work closely with
event owners to pilot new models of events,
such as hybrid events, to adapt, shape, and
transform in the new normal.”
There is clearly foreign faith in
Singapore to deliver: international
organisers Deutsche Messe, Messe
Munich and Fiera Milano all have plans to
expand in Singapore and looking beyond
Above: Linda Gray
Martin, senior
director and
GM of the RSA
Conference
The Singapore
DNA has
reinvention at its
core and brand
event owners
can be confident
in the local
industry’s ability
to deliver to new
standards during
the recovery;
standards that
are calibrated
in a sustainable
manner.
Covid-19.
One organiser in the cybersecurity
space, this July, already transformed its
conference to digital - the RSA
Conference Asia Pacific and Japan, 15-17
July. The conference pivoted to a free
virtual learning experience.
Linda Gray Martin, senior director and
GM of the RSA Conference tells CMW
that the RSA’s role in the cybersecurity
eco-system is to provide the community
with a platform for continual learning and
exchanging of best practices. “The
decision to pivot to a virtual event was
made to ensure that the community stays
connected and focused on securing our
digital environment during this time of
social distancing. It’s critical to continue
this important dialogue, no matter the
format,” she says.
Venues
Singapore EXPO (Singex), which was one
of the first recipients of the SG Clean
standard in March, has shown its
flexibility being repurposed into a
temporary community care facility in the
initial stages of the pandemic. Now the
venue is leading the campaign to rebuild
customer confidence.
CEO of Singex Holdings and president
of both AIPC and SACEOS, Aloysius
40 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 107