Singapore is the smallest country in Southeast Asia, but don’t let that fool you in to believing its offerings to the MICE market are modest in comparison to its neighbours.
Already staging more than 5000 business events annually and hosting around 2.3 million MICE visitors each year, the dynamic destination has hung its hopes on transforming its business tourism sector into a key revenue generator within the next decade. And judging by the rapid growth of this sector to date, paired with the new developments underway adding to the city-state’s already excellent infrastructure, it looks like Singapore is on track to achieve this goal. With the growth potential of the economies in the region, the Asia-Pacific is expected to attract more than 100 million business travel and MICE visitors by 2015, up from 40 million in 2002. Therefore it’s no surprise that Singapore continues to pursue a bigger piece of this multi-billion dollar market.
Currently, business and MICE visitors constitute approximately 25 per cent of Singapore’s visitor arrivals and accounts for more than 30 per cent, or SGD3 billion, of total tourism receipts. The country expects to substantially raise its contribution to at least 35 per cent, or SGD10.5 billion, by 2015.
The Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau (SECB), a group of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) that aims to establish Singapore as a competitive business events destination, aggressively bids for business events that are both iconic and strategic towards achieving these 2015 goals. The STB also aims to invest in projects which will boost Singapore’s accommodation, recreation and meetings facilities. One such project that the STB is funding is a large-scale upgrade to popular shopping street, Orchard Road. Over three years, the board will invest SGD40 million in transforming the shopping district into what will effectively be an events stage.
In addition to these initiatives, the city-state has a few mega tourism projects up its sleeve, including the Marina Bay development at the southern-most tip of Singapore. This new downtown district will be home to the city’s new financial hub, dubbed the Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC), and one of Singapore’s two new Integrated Resorts (IR), Marina Bay Sands, which is expected to open in 2009 and will boost the destination’s MICE capability with more than 100,000 square metres of meetings space.
Sinapore’s island resort, Sentosa will host the second Integrated Resort, Resorts World at Sentosa, which is expected to position Singapore as an exciting incentive travel destination. Scheduled to open in 2010, Resorts World at Sentosa will have meetings facilities with the ability to host approximately 12,000 delegates across three key venues: Le Vie showroom/plenary hall (1600 theatre-style), ballroom (7300 theatre-style) and 22 meeting rooms that can accommodate a total of 3390 seats. Resorts World will also feature a mix of entertainment facilities such as a Universal Studios theme park and Quest Marine Life Park.
These projects are slated to transform the business travel and MICE landscape in Singapore, and now with daily air connections from every Australian capital city, it’s never been so easy to get over there and check out these developments and more for yourself.
It’s common knowledge that Singapore is a bubbling business hub, but the truth is many are unaware that it also offers a raft of unique experiences to invigorate and inspire delegates who choose to meet on its shores. The island nation is virtually overflowing with uplifting team-building activities for groups to choose from, from the brain-challenging to those that promote retail therapy and over-indulging on Singapore’s varying cuisines. For a lesson in perseverance, get your group out to the School of Hard Knocks where they can master the lost art of forming, scrapping, polishing and packing pewter ware to create their own individual pewter souvenir. The program is run at the Royal Selangor Pewter Musuem in Clarke Quay, where visitors can also see a private collection of 75 items ranging from tobacco boxes, oil lamps, intricate Chinese lanterns with lotus motifs to century-old pewter-making tools.
Also honing in on your delegates’ handy work is the cooking classes at-sunrice, the Singapore Culinary Academy and Spice Garden. Groups can put their culinary skills to the test and work together to prepare Singapore’s perennial favourites such as chilli crab and chicken satay. at-sunrice experts will give delegates a hands-on experience in the art of Asian cuisine, teaching them the many subtleties of local cuisine and sharing their own favourite recipes.
For a cooking challenge of a different kind, groups can visit Kampong Cooking in Pulau Ubin, the last surviving vestige of Singapore’s kampong (village) life. Here in a 200-year-old Kampong House, groups learn to make Nasi Kerabu using jungle herbs that they harvest from the surrounding jungle, without using any modern kitchen appliances.
Testing your delegates physicality and resourcefulness is the Sentosa Imbiah Challenge. This engaging team-building activity is designed around the latest cluster of attractions at the Imbiah Lookout. It’s a race against the clock, where teams navigate, solve problems and perform exciting challenges together, finishing off with the adventure-lovers’ favourite, the Sentosa Luge. Delegates can then stick around on Sentosa Island and choose to hit a round of golf at world-class golf course or check out on one of the luxurious spas in the area.
STAY
MARINA MANDARIN
SINGAPORE
Where: On the waterfront at Marina Bay, minutes from the CBD.
Capacity: 575 guest rooms, and 18 meeting rooms, catering from 10 to 700, including two ballrooms.
USP: It’s adjacent to Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Website: www.meritus-hotels.com
SHANGRI-LA’S RASA
SENTOSA RESORT
Where: On Siloso Beach, Sentosa Island.
Capacity: 459 guest rooms and eight meeting rooms, including the 580-square-metre ballroom.
USP: The hotel spa features eight private indoor treatment spa suites, as well as a Thai massage pavilion set in a private, open-air garden.
Website: www.shangri-la.com
ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS
Where: On Scotts Road, within walking distances to the major shopping areas.
Capacity: 511 guest rooms and nine meeting rooms totalling 10,000 square feet.
USP: The first smoke-free business hotel in Singapore.
Website: www.royalplaza.com.sg
RESORTS WORLD AT SENTOSA
Where: Sentosa Island, 15 minutes from the city.
Capacity: Six world-class hotels with 1830 guest rooms, and meetings facilities for more than 12,000, including a ballroom for 5500.
Notes: Opening in 2010, Resorts World will also be home to Universal Studios, and the world’s largest oceanarium, Quest Marine Life Park.
Website: www.resortsworldatsentosa.com
SHOP
VIVOCITY
Where: Five minutes’ drive from the CBD, and 10 minutes from Orchard Road.
What: One of Singapore’s hippest shopping and lifestyle destinations, VivoCity has stores ranges from fashion to homeware, toys to entertainment. The centre has more than 300 retail outlets housing new concept stores and just-launched labels not found anywhere else in Singapore.
Website: www.vivocity.com.sg
PARCO BUGIS JUNCTION
Where: 200 Bugis Junction in the CBD.
What: Lots of little shops selling everything from electronic items to clothes, knick-knacks and accessories can be found in this modern complex. Claiming to be Singapore’s first glass-covered air-conditioned shopping street, it has a mix of shophouses, modern retail outlets, a sprawling Japanese department store, Seiyu, and a cineplex.
Website: www.bugisjunction-mall.com.sg
BUGIS STREET
Where: Opposite Parco Bugis Junction.
What: Bugis Street has reinvented itself as a Singapore destination not to be missed. Under sheltered walkways, the Bugis Street is home to more than 600 stalls, offering an eclectic mix of trendy street wear, bargain items and food snacks. Possibly one of the best known areas in Singapore, Bugis Street retains its distinctive street-shopping feel.
MARINA SQUARE
Where: Opposite the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre.
What: The newly-revamped Marina Square shopping mall offers a holistic shopping experience right in the heart of the CBD. It has eight uniquely thematic zones, including Market Street Bazaar, Art of Living and Urban Sophistication over 700,000 square-feet of space.
Website: www.marinasquare.com.sg
More than 30 nocturnal animals were born within the first six months of 2007 at Singapore’s Night Safari, which is celebrating its more recent additions of two female spotted hyenas, born in June. The baby hyenas join other recent arrivals including a baby Himalayan tahr called Nila, two bat-eared fox pups and a barking deer fawn.
“The recent spike in births is testament to the success of the Night Safari’s world-class captive breeding program, and we look forward to introducing the new members of our zoological family to visitors in the coming months,” says Kevin Leong, regional director Oceania of Singapore Tourism Board.
“Singapore’s award-winning Night Safari – the world’s first wildlife park built specifically for visits at night – is one of our nation’s most popular tourist attractions and welcomes more than 1 million visitors every year.”
Nestled in 40 hectares of secondary forest, the Night Safari offers guests the experience of exploring wildlife in a tropical jungle at night. Through the use of a subtle lighting technique, visitors are able to view more than 1000 nocturnal animals of 120 species in vast naturalistic habitats.
Night Safari also offers options for business meetings and events within its numerous animal havens. Breakfast in the Wild is one of these popular choices, which incorporates an exclusive morning program customised to suit the needs of each party, offering special animal appearances to give guests a unique experience.
Groups also have the chance to peek into the animal world after dark while enjoying a cocktail or a meal aboard the 72-seat Gourmet Safari Express. This specially-decorated tram traverses through lush secondary forest, providing live commentary to guests as they view nocturnal wildlife. After dinner, guests can learn more about the animals’ natural behaviours at the Creatures of the Night show.
Groups can also enjoy an al fresco or indoor buffet while being entertained by tribal dancers at the 600-seater Ulu Ulu Restaurant, which opened in November last year. Alternatively, Singapore Zoo offers the Forest Lodge, a venue decked out with floor-to-ceiling glass panels offering stunning view of a koi pond amid verdant greenery. In theatre-style, this venue can accommodate around 350. “The Zoo and Night Safari have the right resources required for a successful business meeting,” says Fanny Lai, executive director of both venues. “Our concept of a MICE venue is extraordinary as it is set in the wild amid modern amenities and it brings guests closer to nature. Our programs are interactive and geared towards giving guests a remarkably unique experience with nature and wildlife.”
Singapore has hosted a raft of prestigious events in the last decade, including:
ASEAN Tourism Forum 2007 (Jan–Feb 2007)
2006 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings (Sep 2006)
Forbes Global CEO Conference 2006 (Sep 2006)
CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia (Jun 2006)
Food & Hotel Asia (Apr 2006)
International Furniture Fair Singapore 2006 (Mar 2006)
Asian Aerospace 2006 (Feb 2006)
ITMA Asia 2005 (Oct 2005)
117th Session of the International Olympic Committee Meeting 2005 (Jul 2005)
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year World Summit 2005 (Feb 2005)
Herbalife Extravaganza 2003 (Oct 2003)
Sibos 2003 (Oct 2003)
World Economic Forum East Asia Economic Summit 2003
(Oct 2003)
Forbes Global CEO Conference 2001 (Sep 2001)
World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference 1996
(Dec 1996)
There is no shortage of top-quality meeting facilities with accommodation in Singapore, but if you’re looking to stage an event or conference in a location that offers something more unique, you won’t be disappointed by what the region has to offer. Singapore boasts many enchanting off-site event venues in new and interesting locations which can be incorporated into an event, from historical museums and colonial bungalows to locations set amid gardens, fauna or cultural icons.
One such unique venue is CHIJMES (pronounced “chimes”), a national heritage site which offers a gothic chapel beautifully restored to its former glory (it was originally a convent established in 1854). The venue can cater for 280 banquet-style, and also has expansive lawns which are ideal for a garden functions under the stars.
Another popular option is The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, located at the waterfront overlooking Marina Bay. The complex comprises a 1600-seat concert hall, a 2000-seat theatre and several recital rooms, theatre and rehearsal studios, as well as outdoor performing spaces. With a range of spaces, including the 250-seat roof terrace, the venue is capable of handling events for 10 to 2000.
Sitting atop Mount Faber hill is a hideaway available for groups that want a bit of privacy. The Jewel Box offers a range of rooms with panoramic views over the city, including a grand ballroom for 270 banquet-style, and a huge timber deck which seats 250. The venue can be reached by cable car, which can move 1400 people per hour, one way. There is also a VIP cabin for particularly special guests!
Inspire delegates at one of Singapore’s colonial heritage venues, the Asian Civilisations Museum, Empress Place. Built in the 1860s as a municipal entity for the British, the venue is now a museum showcasing a vast array of Pan-Asian cultures and civilisations across more than 10 themed galleries. Function spaces include a 180-seat auditorium and the River Terrace, an outdoor area with a picturesque view of the Singapore River.
With more than 9000 birds in its growing collection, the Jurong BirdPark is sure to add a bit of song to your event. The 20.2-hectare open-concept park has several areas that are perfect for functions, including the Flamingo Lodge on Flamingo Lake which is great for sunset cocktails, and can cater for dinners of 320. If you have between 50 and 70 guests in your group, then you might like to consider a dinner with the penguins in the park’s Penguin Parade exhibit, which features more than 200 penguins.
The largest ever corporate meeting event to be held in Singapore was welcomed by one of Southeast Asia’s largest exhibition and convention centres, Singapore Expo during July this year. The 2007 Herbalife Asia Pacific Extravaganza attracted more than 16,000 delegates from 14 countries in Asia Pacific, and was by far the largest event the 25-hectare Singapore Expo had held since it opened its doors in March 1999.
The record-size corporate event was staged over four days, and included a series of workshops, meetings, seminars and team-building activities for delegates. It is estimated that the event will have generated more than SGD15 million in tourism receipts.
As Singapore’s largest convention and exhibition facility, Singapore Expo was the only facility in the region capable of accommodating such a large number of delegates within one convention arena. The flexible infrastructure at Singapore Expo allowed Herbalife to design and configure the arrangements of their special events, seats, sets and decor for the best ambience.
During the event, all delegates needed to be able to view the live stage activities and have simultaneous live translation services. To allow this, the venue’s two multi-purpose halls were converted into one seamless convention space, with customised seating arrangements to fit in 17,700 seats, utilising tiered-seating systems up to 23 levels reaching seven metres high. The arranged tiers of seats allowed for optimum visibility of the centre stage, as well as a panoramic view of the whole meeting from each seating position, right to the very top and from every corner.
Considerations included height, span of the blocks of seats, degree of angles of the tiers, and safety factors. The seating layout also needed to be planned to ensure an easy and accessible path for delegates to reach their seats, while separate blocks for various levels of distributors were also arranged.
Spaces for break-out areas were arranged to cater for VIPs, Chairman’s club, smaller meetings, rehearsals, make-up and hair, management office, interpretation and translation areas, backstage, crew/staff rest and catering areas. Separate walking paths for VIPs were also created, away from the crowd. The venue set-up a number of exclusive and private VIP areas, lounges, carparks, entrances, and created special routes on red carpets for VIP access paths.
Registration areas accommodated delegates from different countries, with different cultures and languages, manned by staff from their own countries. Bilingual Sinagpore Expo staff assisted in the delegates’ native languages of Mandarin, Bahasa, Cantonese, and some Japanese and Korean.
Dato Dr Ronie Tan, Vice President, managing director, Herbalife Singapore and Malaysia said that the infrastructure of Singapore Expo was outstanding.
“We were able to hold the Extravaganza training for more than 16,000 delegates, have a huge registration area, an exhibition hall – which is like an inspiration hall exhibiting 11 vehicles – a Herbalife Idol concert as well as a Dreamscape party set up for over 4000 distributors,” he said.
With more than 16,000 delegates, Aloysius Arlando, assistant chief executive, business travel and MICE group of Singapore Tourism Board said the Herbalife Asia Pacific Extravaganza event was the largest corporate meeting group Singapore has hosted so far.
“Hosting the 2007 Herbalife Asia Pacific Extravaganza reaffirms Singapore’s position as an exchange capital in Asia and the world,” he said.
“During their visit, the Herbalife delegates would have had the opportunity to network and attend team-building activities while enjoying Singapore’s myriad leisure and entertainment products.”
With an extremely enthusiastic group of more than 17,000 delegates to take care of, Singapore Expo encountered several challenges throughout the four-day event, some of which included:
• Preparing the security staff for the rush of the record-size group to the main stage, or wherever there was an announcement of activities at a certain area. The venue was concerned about the crush of people as they rushed forward, and placed separators like railings to guide them safely.
• With the massive number of coaches due to arrive for the event simultaneously, the venue converted its main carpark into a temporary coach bay to accommodate the coaches and delegates’ smooth transfer to this event. The event took over the whole venue throughout the four days.
• Part of Hall 5 was converted into a food court for additional food and beverage requirements for delegates.
• 700 metres of giant drapes were used throughout the venue for backdrops, and to separate areas and entrances.
• Venue staff were needed on hand to double as ambassadors for Singapore, to welcome and concierge delegates around town, guide delegates to the halls and around the venue, and also provide suggestions for leisure and tour activities in Singapore.
• Security and operations personnel were hired, in addition to auxiliary police officers (AETOS) who were brought on especially for the event to enhance security and traffic control.
• The venue worked with taxi companies (regular and limousines) for additional supply of vehicles to serve the needs of the delegates. A special taxi service counter was set up inside the venue for delegates to use.
• An agreement was also made with multi-model public transport service provider, SMRT to increase frequency of trains at peak times during the event. SMRT even had a Herbalife-decorated train for the event.
The epitome of Asian grace, warmth and care, Meritus Mandarin Singapore embodies the elegance and charm of oriental tradition in its iconic Meritus Ambassador. Cutting a graceful silhouette in a distinctive cheongsum, the Meritus Ambassador has transcended the adage of time to become a widely recognised brand icon synonymous with the Meritus promise of Asian hospitality.
Specially designed to accentuate the elegance and poise of the Meritus Ambassadors, the cheongsum is indeed reminiscent of our oriental roots and more importantly, a graphic symbolism of the Meritus creed. The dual colours of red and black were so appointed for the former’s auspicious undertones and the latter’s connotation of elegance. An idea conceived 36 years ago; the Meritus Ambassador icon itself is as old as the establishment itself and has been a brand icon synonymous with the Meritus promise of Asian hospitality. The Meritus Ambassador, or “Mandarin Girl” as she is affectionately known, undergoes scrupulous training processes and attention to detail. These ladies are the very first faces guests come in contact with, greeting them as they step into the hotel or as they make their exit from Singapore’s Changi Airport into the limousine waiting for them.
The symbolic representation of the Meritus Ambassador still brings to mind today, the Meritus identity. The experience of our signature Asian grace, warmth and care begins upon our guests’ arrival at the Singapore Changi Airport where they are welcomed by our “Mandarin Girl”. Expounding on the importance of airport service with a personal touch, transcending regular meet-and-greet services, our VIPs and guests residing in Club and Suite rooms will be limousine-chauffeured and accompanied by our Meritus Ambassador to the hotel where they will be personally checked-in. This unique experience is also carried through upon guest departure at check-out. Of course, these apply to pre-qualified distinguished guests only. Targeting a good mix of leisure, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions), and corporate markets, not forgetting the affluent PMEBs (Professionals, Managers, Executives and Businessmen), we continuously strive to cater to the demand of distinguished guests, many of whom are among the bigwigs of the business world. Our Meritus Ambassadors are but one way we hope to leave an impression on guests.
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