TTGassociations Publications January 2019 | Page 25
The flexible combination of spacious and intimate
spaces made Marina Bay Sands the ideal choice for
two of YPO’s leading events, writes Pamela Chow
Event brief
This year, the Young Presidents’ Organization
(YPO) returned to Singapore’s Marina Bay
Sands (MBS) – the only Asian city and the
only venue to host YPO more than once – with
a double bill: the Global Leadership Confer-
ence (GLC) and flagship event YPO EDGE.
The occasion brought upsized ambi-
tions. These included 2,800 young leaders
in attendance and a line-up of high-profile
speakers, such as Singapore’s prime minister
Lee Hsien Loong, as well as the founder of
the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, and
former tennis champion Billie Jean King.
Solution
The Roselle-Simpor ballroom was trans-
formed into an experiential Venture Market-
place of businesses, products and services.
At the same time, networking events, private
gatherings and breakout sessions were hosted
at smaller, alternative venues with a touch of
exclusivity.
These included private dining rooms of
celebrity chef restaurants such as Adrift by
David Myers, CUT by Wolfgang Puck and
Osteria Mozza; the recently revamped 24-hour
hotel lounge, Renku; the new LAVO Italian
Restaurant & Rooftop Bar; and individual
meeting rooms in the convention centre.
To elevate the culinary experience, MBS’
banquet team curated special menus with
more than 20 varieties of food per meal, with
separate counters and buffet lines set up for
those with specific dietary requirements,
treating delegates to a selection of local and
international food.
Key takeaways
Having previously hosted YPO in 2012, MBS
had the advantage of familiarity with YPO’s
needs, enabling the venue’s team to make
suitable recommendations and work in part-
nership with the organisation’s planning team.
Mike Lee, vice president of sales at MBS,
reflected: “Our partnership with YPO was
formed years ago, and to have the group
return to our integrated resort for their 2018
event is akin to welcoming an old friend
home.
“For that reason, some of MBS’ senior
management – including myself – were per-
sonally involved in the planning process with
YPO. We were excited to work together again
to push the event’s boundaries of creativity
and build on the success of its 2012 edition.”
Event
Young Presidents’ Organization
Global Leadership Conference
and YPO EDGE
Organiser
Young Presidents’ Organization
Venue
Marina Bay Sands Expo
and Convention Centre
Date
March 5-9, 2018
Number of participants
2,800
Challenges
To facilitate a series of plenary and concurrent
sessions, discussion forums and networking
functions, the integrated resort had to provide
a combination of large and intimate spaces
within a single venue.
“YPO needs a location where there is a
hospitality venue that is big enough, but
also offers quality and intimacy,” said Terry
O’Connor, YPO EDGE 2018 host city chair and
former regional chair of Southeast Asia.
Feeding the delegates well was another
crucial task, as they hailed from more than 90
countries and had diverse dietary requests.
Furthermore, the 2018 GLC and YPO EDGE
conference was YPO’s first green meeting,
putting the ISO 20121-certified venue and
its expert team to the test. On top of these,
the YPO delegation also comprised visit-
ing spouses and partners, who were looking
forward to a memorable experience at the
iconic venue.
Thinking big,
getting cosy
At least five meals were served daily, in-
cluding Happy Hour drinks and canapés every
evening. The most impressive F&B setup was
at the Venture Marketplace, which presented a
seafood bar of fresh oysters, crab legs, prawns
and more.
Other personal touches included a dedi-
cated check-in counter for YPO attendees,
YPO- and MBS-branded welcome amenities
and gifts, as well as a YPO-branded pagoda
in the Tower 1 lobby that served as a photo-
worthy backdrop for delegates.
During their stay, delegates and their part-
ners were invited to a private brand showcase
at the Louis Vuitton Island Maison at The
Shoppes. Participants were also treated to
TWG Tea canapés and ferried around the mall
with a dedicated buggy service.
To meet its sustainability requests, MBS’
MICE team worked with the event organiser
to incorporate several green event initiatives,
such as using water dispensers instead of
plastic bottles; recycling plastics, glass and
paper where possible; as well as diverting
leftover food away from landfills using onsite
food waste digesters.
YPO also produced more than 2,800
recyclable registration bags, which included
reusable water tumblers. At the end of the
event, the organisers collected and recycled
approximately 700 bags and achieved an
overall event waste diversion rate of 75 per
cent.