THE TIGER ROARS
Singapore has been frequently named as Asia ’ s top convention city over the last decade
Singapore has a strong reputation as an exceptional MICE destination ; in the last 10 years the country has been regularly named Asia ’ s top convention city . Better still , since April 2022 , Singapore has welcomed all vaccinated travellers , lifting all quarantine and testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers . These changes have made it more convenient for the world to meet in Singapore .
Even before the latest lifting of restrictions , events were taking off . The Singapore Air show , Asia ’ s most influential aerospace and defence event , returned in February for its eighth edition . Nearly 13,000 trade visitors from 39 countries met with 600 participating companies over the four days of the show . Major deals signed at the show included JetBlue Airways ordering a further 30 Airbus A220-300 . A Spokesperson explained : “ Asia Pacific remains the fastest growing region in the world for aviation ; accounting for 40 % of the new aircraft deliveries over the next 20 years .”
Sustainability was also a core theme at the event and with extensive pledges around
decarbonisation . The event itself made great strides to ‘ go green ;’ the venue was powered by 15,000 solar panels installed on the roof of the Changi Exhibition Centre .
And for the young – and not so young – Gamescom Asia returns in October , bringing its familiar festival atmosphere . The Asian satellite event of gamescom , the world ’ s largest computer and video games festival , will bring four packed days of exhilarating highlights for the gaming industry and a spectacular entertainment programme for fans . For trade visitors , gamescom Asia serves as the leading platform Southeast Asian game developers to explore partnerships and expand their audiences globally .
It ’ s not just the big exhibitions that are enjoying a resurgence ; across all sectors the meetings sector is bouncing back in style . A quick look at the global website www . allconferencealert . com also demonstrates a rush to return to live academic and specialist meetings . The site highlights Singapore ’ s extensive number of “ highly fruitful and productive research projects as well as scientific experimentation ventures being carried out by the local community of researchers , academics , and students , across a variety of domains and disciplines .”
Singapore is rightly known as one of the four Asian tigers and is one of the fastest developing regions in the world . Of course , great events need the right audiences , so it helps that Singapore has the third highest population density in the world as well as the highest percentage of millionaires globally .
More evidence that the business travel market is bouncing back can be seen with the dozen new hotel properties coming on stream , including the Raffles Sentosa Resort & Spa , offering 62 villas , each with private pool ; a new Edition property with 190 rooms in a stylish 8 storey building ; and a stunning Pan Pacific Orchard centred in the heart of the city . Meanwhile , the Iconic Marina Bay Sands – host venue for the muchheralded IBTM Asia Pacific – will be getting a neighbour in the form of a stand-alone suiteonly hotel , with matching sky pool .
This tiger is really roaring .
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 4 2022 37