For a country of relatively small size, stature and age, Singapore is trying to punch above its weight in global exhibition terms.
The country has three main venues, the largest of which is Singapore EXPO with in excess of 100,000sqm.
The nation is also making its mark globally. The sprawling Marina Bay Sands development, which opened in June 2010, and includes a shopping mall, museum, two theatres, ice skating rink, and the world’s largest atrium casino, attracted headlines.
Marina Bay has 31,000sqm of exhibition space, while the Suntec venue has 22,000sqm. Suntec will undergo a revamp from October, which will deliver a potential 35 per cent increase in exhibition space.
In the exhibition world, Singapore has its own slate of established events such as the Communic Asia and Broadcast Asia, Food and Hotel Asia and the Singapore Airshow, which puts the country on the world map of exhibitions.
As it lacks the large-scale manufacturing base of powerhouse neighbours such as China and India, Singapore generally focuses on non-industrial exhibitions. Increasingly, more technology and lifestyle events are making their presence felt. According to Aloysius Arlando, the chief executive officer of the Singex Group which manages Singapore EXPO, the area is gaining from a new business focus.
“With the ongoing challenging economic climate particularly in the US and Europe, international organisers are focusing on Asia,” he says.
Edward Liu, group managing director of organisers Conference and Exhibition Management Services Singapore, believes new players from Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States are targeting new markets as diverse as the ‘seniors’ market and even the surfing industry.
“Overall, the exhibition business market in Singapore is still vibrant, although its growth might not have been as fast or robust as cities such as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Shanghai,” he admits.
“Nonetheless, the number of exhibitions is still increasing. Singapore remains an attractive venue for the staging of international exhibitions in view of its regional and strategic hub in the Asia Pacific Rim. This is reinforced by the presence of thousands of multinational corporations with regional headquarters based in Singapore.”
He adds that GLM from the US is planning to launch its Surf Expo Asia, while Italian organiser Fiera Milano is teaming up with Singex to launch a “rehab” show for the greying population in Singapore and the region, with more lifestyle events in the pipeline.
RehabTech Asia, which is the first show collaboration between Singex and Fiera Milano, will be held from February 27 to March 1, 2013. Supported by the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau, RehabTech Asia will feature a trade exhibition, conference, hosted buyer programme and business forums.
When the deal was announced, Fiera Milano CEO Enrico Pazalli said this was a key move for his company into Asia, with Singapore perceived as being “at the heart of all the action”.
Stephen Tan, chief executive of Singapore Exhibition Services and president of Allworld Exhibitions Alliance, highlights the ease of travel to Singapore and both the cultural and business measures designed to make the country an appealing destination.
“We have no customs and excise duties except for tobacco, alcohol and cars,” he says. “We also believe there are lower corporate taxes compared to other countries in the region.”
Singapore has a maligned reputation in some quarters as taking a draconian approach to crime. It has strict laws and penalties against a variety of actions that may not be illegal or may be considered minor offences in most countries including smoking in public places or indoor restaurants, spitting, chewing or importing gum (including chewing tobacco), littering and jaywalking.
Offences against ‘modesty’, such as men behaving inappropriately towards women, using inappropriate language or singing offensive songs can attract prison sentences.
“We have a reputation of being a safe country,” adds Tan. “I’m not saying crime doesn’t exist but it definitely helps business come here.”
The largest venue Singapore EXPO covers 123,000sqm of indoor and outdoor space, hosting 600 events and over six and a half million local and international visitors annually. Its new convention wing, MAX Atria @ Singapore EXPO adds 32 column-less meeting rooms, spacious pre-event foyers and outdoor green spaces with 8,000sqm of additional space.
According to the venue, MAX Atria is both the first MICE venue in Singapore to offer organisers and delegates complimentary high-performance Wi-Fi and the first to be awarded the Green Mark Platinum certificate from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority.
Singapore EXPO also works with local tertiary institutions at different levels of involvement for their students. Among the partnering institutions are Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education, where special student attachments and internships are offered. The venue also works with Singapore’s Republic Polytechnic to offer students the chance to experience events as part of their school curriculum. This approach aims to provide earning opportunities for the future leaders of the MICE industry in the country.
Suntec’s chief commercial officer Ong Wee Min told EW that the venue sprung from the Singapore Government’s wish in the mid 1980s to find a purpose-built facility for hosting major international events. As a result, the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Suntec) was then developed by private investors and officially opened in 1995.
With close to 100,000sqm of total floor space, it had one of the largest multi-purpose convention and exhibition facilities in the centre of the city.
Ahead of the venue’s expansion, Min believes the new will serve clients well into the next decade.
“We’re excited about the renovation as we now have the unique opportunity to redefine the direction we are going by guiding trends towards the market,” he says. “It is a demand-focused overhaul, driven by the needs of our customers moving forward rather than building blind spaces.
“When our new centre reopens, event organisers can look forward to having confex spaces on every floor. This was one of our key focus in redesigning the venue as we notice that the industry was moving towards having more concurrent activities held alongside the main convention and exhibition as companies no longer just want to sponsor an event.
Getting engaged
“They also want a chance to engage delegates. In addition to having confex spaces, one of our other key plans centre around facilitating innovative smart services by providing a complimentary super high-speed Internet service to all guests to the centre.”
Suntec International has also recently announced the renewal of its partnership with Adelaide Convention Centre, which will see the Singapore venue continue to be the sales and marketing representative to spearhead efforts between the two venues.
“The type of industries that Singapore is strong in differs from Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia,” says Min. “In many ways, we are less brick and mortar and more content and high technology driven because of the type of industries present in the country.”
Resorts World Sentosa, based on an island south of Singapore is a partner of the Suntec venue. According to the venue’s MICE vice-president Paul Stocker, Singapore will continue to grow as a tourist destination, with many more upcoming attractions, including the world’s largest oceanarium at the Marine Life Park continuing to attract new and returning tourists.
He claims Singapore has come a long way in a short time. “The development of this island nation from a small fishing village to a modern world city in less than 50 years has been nothing short of extraordinary, and brings with it a stable government focused on economic development and infrastructure. Another os the country’s pertinent characteristics is its strong governance and planning. Singapore is well known for its infrastructure and as a port city, but less so as a tourist destination,” he explains.
“And this was what drove the government to revamp the nation’s tourism landscape in 2005 by introducing the concept of integrated resorts to Singapore. “The opening of the resorts has prompted tourists from around the world to relook at Singapore as a destination, be it for business or leisure.
“Our partner Suntec Singapore will be closing for renovations. While this might lead to increased businesses at venues across Singapore, this is not growing the MICE pie for the country. What we want to achieve is an increased number of events – hosted in Singapore.”
As Singapore looks to make its mark in the international exhibition market, its ventures in the sporting world are raising its profile. It recently hosted the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and since 2008 hosts the only night-time race of the Formula 1 World Championships.
Singapore may be small in global terms. Its total area of 710 square kilometres ranks it 193rd in the world, behind Hong Kong and Tonga, and just ahead of Andorra. However, Singapore is the second-most densely populated country in the world – if you include Monaco – with 7,300 people per square kilometre. Bahrain is next with 1,646 people, then Bangladesh with 964.
Tightly packed Singapore may be, but this country is aiming to be more than the sum of its parts.
This was first published in Issue 3/2012 of EW. Any comments? Email exhibitionworld@mashmedia.net
