Singapore’s core business profile has completed its transition from the manufacturing to the knowledge sector. It is a progression necessitated by the city state’s relative wealth and lack of space meaning conventions in the food, IT, ICT, financial and bio-med sectors are now big business in Singapore.
But, despite the ongoing civil unrest and incomplete infrastructure in Thailand and Malaysia, these developing MICE destinations are enticing PCO’s away from Singapore, lured away by their white sand beaches and rich culture. If you’ve travelled a long way for your event, you want to see more than city streets.
Just shy of 5,000 international flights land at Changi airport every week, which is located 25km and half an hour from the city centre by train. Accommodation in the town, particularly at four- and five-star level is in short supply, with occupancy rates comparatively high for a major business events destination.
For example, the Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel, which serves Singapore Expo, Suntec and the central business district rarely drops below 97 per cent in the May-July period. It’s a similar story at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, which has a dedicated three-minute monorail connection to the airport terminals.
It’s this infrastructure that makes Singapore standout in Southeast Asia, says exec director of Singaporean events organiser SES, Stephen Tan. He believed Singapore’s infrastructure, the “lack of bureaucracy, and the ease of getting products into the country” is key to its success.
However, he agrees the lack of Singapore’s ancillary offering is the most difficult obstacle to overcome. “We are not really able to create back areas, or places for people to go, other than resort space,” he says.
According to Tan, people come for the events and once they’ve taken in some of the local Peranakan culture, as well as key sights such as Raffles Hotel and the Flyer, they cross to the islands of Malaysia or Thailand for a few days rest and relaxation. “There is no point trying to create something artificial here when it already exists there,” he says, adding that they should be seen not as a threat to doing shows in Singapore, but as a source of added value.
Darren Tan is the MD of World Express, a destination marketing company now in its 41st year of business.
“There’s no point comparing Singapore to Thailand. We are a two or three day stop, Thailand is a two or three week one. In Singapore you can plan an event and be assured it will run according to that plan,” he says. “It’s a key selling point of doing business here.
“However we need hotels. A lot more are planned but the ones here at present are full. We need a broader price range to provide for all sectors. In particular, for local Singaporean events, we have a high-take up of lower tier hotels.”
So perhaps the true value of exhibiting in Singapore is the options that are presented by its location in South East Asia. World class venues and service, a variety of exhibition space and a lack of bureaucracy is complemented by fine foods, sights and culture courtesy of the region’s Malay, Chinese and Peranakan cultures.
The Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB), a child of the Singapore Tourism Board, is responsible for championing the country’s business events, which is heralds as key drivers behind Singapore’s ongoing industrial growth.
The bureau is a member of the eight-strong BestCities global alliance, which counts Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Vancouver, Melbourne and San Juan among its complement. The alliance exists to deliver best convention bureau practice for the meetings industry, managing services offered from deliberation to execution.
Singex’s convention space is undergoing a two-year programme of expansion, which it hopes will make it more competitive against the new Marina Bay Sands resort and its smaller rival Suntec.
However, with its three curvaceous and stylised towers joined at the top by the 340m-long signature SkyPark, the casino and events centre Marina Bay Sands will of course have the novelty for several years yet.
Singapore – fast facts
• Is one of the smallest countries in the world (700 square km)
• Has a population of almost five million, almost all of whom live in the city
• Uses one language for each of its four major ethnic groups: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Malay is the official language
• Enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices and a per-capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries
