EW talks to Chua Wee Phong , group chief executive officer of Constellar , about Singapore EXPO ’ s strategy since entering the Constellar portfolio , and how they have managed to attract so much international business

When Singapore EXPO first came into the Constellar portfolio , there was talk of a strategy of acquisitions . Can you tell us how that strategy panned out ? Constellar continues to explore opportunities that align with our overall mission to convene businesses , curate ideas and create opportunities for sustainable business growth based on market conditions . Ours is an organic and inorganic growth pathway in geos and sectors which align with our strategic interests and skillsets we can onboard through M & A activity and / or partnerships .

We focus on event IPs which drive impactful networks , capability building , brand equity and innovation . We will continue to build strength as a regional player through partnerships with a common vision of expanding trade , knowledge exchange , making innovation accessible and building international networks and collaborations .

How are the exhibition statistics for 2024 looking ? Has business fully reached 2019 levels ? Also , have you seen any changes in the profile of events you ’ ve held over the past five years ? The outlook for Singapore EXPO is positive – our visitor numbers have returned to pre-Covid levels as we welcomed more than 1.5m delegates and attendees at over 350 events last year , including some of the world ’ s largest and most impactful business events such as Asia Tech X Singapore ( ATxSG ), Food & Hotel Asia ( FHA ) and Singapore FinTech Festival .

Singapore remains the preferred springboard into Asia for international events and businesses seeking access to fast-growing regional markets . With the nation embarking on growing into a global business , innovation and talent hub , we continue to support Singapore ’ s vision to be the World ’ s Best MICE City by actively reaching out and attracting influential international trade events .

This year we look forward to hosting ITMA Asia + CITME , the world ’ s leading textile technology exhibition and the 41st International Association for Hydro-environment Engineering and Research ( IAHR ) World Congress . We will also welcome back BuildTech Asia , Asia ’ s leading trade event for the region ’ s construction ecosystem , the 2025 edition of the Asia Tech x Singapore ( ATxSG ), the FHA series of events , Industrial Transformation ASIA- PACIFIC and Singapore FinTech Festival , to name a few .

Above : Chua Wee Phong , group chief executive officer , Constellar

Beyond being the nation ’ s largest purpose-built MICE venue , Singapore EXPO is also diversifying our offerings as a space for entertainment and leisure experiences . Our latest ‘ PLAY @ EXPO : Find Your Fun , All in One Place ’ campaign features a series of themed weekends including exciting consumer events like ARTBOX EVERYDAY 2025 , Culture Cartel and more , contributing to the venue ’ s refreshed brand identity ‘ Playground of Possibilities ’.

One of the main challenges we ’ re hearing in the industry is recruitment . Is this a major concern for your team and if so , how are you addressing the issue ? Are there any regions in particular that you are targeting to recruit talent ? In a business like MICE premised on connections , people are at the core . Singapore EXPO ’ s cross-collaborative partnerships and internship programmes with various Institutes of Higher Learning ( IHLs ) have paved the way for developing the next generation of talent and leaders .

We also prioritise employee training and development to help our employees develop new competencies . For instance , with our new partnership with NTUC LearningHub we are co-developing implementation-led courses , programmes and workshops , as well as training in service experience and delivery excellence .

We use technology as well , tapping into platforms such as LinkedIn Learning for on-demand , self-

42 Issue 1 2025

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