Large scale events are still on hold

(Singapore, 7 September 2020) The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced it will start accepting applications for organisers to hold Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) events of up to 250 attendees from October 1, 2020. STB and the Ministry of Trade and Industry will review event proposals, and organisers may proceed only upon obtaining MTI’s approval. There will be pilot events taking place under this arrangement, such as the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) Conference, in October 2020. 

Mr Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board, said: “The MICE sector is a strategic one for the Singapore economy, and its safe and gradual resumption will safeguard jobs and core capabilities. It will also help those in related sectors such as hospitality and aviation. Public health and safety remain our utmost priority, and we have worked closely with the industry to create strict protocols and develop new ways of organising events. These pilot events and solutions will help Singapore lead the way as a safe, trusted and innovative destination for MICE events.” 

Organisers who apply to pilot events with up to 250 attendees must demonstrate their ability to implement Safe Management Measures to meet a set of health and safety outcomes. The decision to accept such applications comes on the back of STB’s Safe Business Events Framework for business events of up to 50 attendees, which was announced in July 2020. STB operationalised the framework with two pilots – the first concluded successfully in August 2020, while plans for the second pilot, which will take place in September, are underway. 

As more insights and data are obtained through these pilot events, STB will work with the MICE industry to adapt and adjust protocols for safe business events. 

The gradual resumption of business events will help maintain Singapore’s position as a leading MICE hub and retain critical capabilities, while safeguarding jobs and livelihoods in the industry and other related sectors. 

Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences 

Recognising health and safety as key imperatives, the Alliance for Action on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences has developed a prototype for safe tradeshows and exhibitions – these are larger events which would not have been permitted to resume in their pre-COVID-19 format. The prototype has been developed in partnership with the private sector, and will provide delegates with the degree of interaction they would be accustomed to in a regular tradeshow setting – but in a far safer way which minimises infection risks. 

This will be tested at a few tradeshows, starting with a new event in November called TravelRevive – powered by ITB Asia & STB. Messe Berlin (Singapore), which also organises the annual ITB Asia travel tradeshow, will bring international delegates and businesses together to exchange ideas, bridge knowledge gaps, and reimagine the future of travel. 

To prepare Singapore for the eventual resumption of leisure travel, the Alliance has also designed safe itineraries, which will be trialled with the MICE delegates of TravelRevive. These itineraries comprise a selection of leisure activities that not only comply with prevailing safe management guidelines, but also provide high quality bespoke experiences supported by ground handlers and tourist guides, who will assist with visitor movement management.

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