Singapore Feature Q1

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MARKET F O CU S : S I N GA POR E

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It’s no secret what makes Singapore the perennial favourite of conference organisers: security, stability, scenery, scintillating venues and service, but is there enough of all this to meet the rapacious demand?

The infi nity pool atop Marina Bay Sands.





he rags-to-riches story of Singapore is well known: how the country emerged from the ashes of World War II to transform into one of the world’s most

desirable city-states – with an enviable economic growth rate to boot.

What may not be so well known is that Singapore is continuously changing and forever improving.

The city seems to be constantly under construction and signs promising a “new and improved” something are everywhere.

Thanks to a government that plans years ahead to keep logistics running smoothly, Singapore’s relentless transformation never results in chaos.

It’s not surprising Singapore has been ranked the world’s “Top International Meeting City” for the past three years by the Union of International Associations (UIA); and moved to second on the “Top International Meeting Countries” list. (The US and France are one and three respectively).

Singapore’s high ranking on numerous most-desirable location lists is the result of a carefully First class: Marina Bay Sands, Sands Theatre and the Grand Ballroom have put Singapore on the world map. Centre of the universe: Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa, home to Universal Studios, has already booked 500 events for the year.

orchestrated campaign by the government and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). While the STB doesn’t disclose the exact number of MICE events held each year, it revealed that on average, more than 6,000 events are held in the city annually.

In 2009, Singapore attracted 2.6 million business travellers, accounting for 27% of all visitors. They spent roughly S$4.2 billion, representing 33% of total tourist spending.

Projections for 2011 are robust: Resorts World Sentosa (home to Universal Studios) has already booked 500 events for the year and the famed Marina Bay Sands has more than 300.

The Integrated Resorts (World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands) are only two of the myriad of event locations in the city, but they are what might be called the shining jewels in the crown of Singapore’s MICE industry.

Yet, fabulous hotels and theme parks are only part of the story.

Many cities have magnifi cent hotels and diverse activities.

What makes Singapore so desirable can be described as a confl uence of advantages, beginning with its strategic location and secure political situation.

“One of Singapore’s key success factors is its location,” says Paul Stocker, VP of MICE sales for Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

“Sitting at the heart of Asia, it is the gateway to the world, including the two greatest developing markets – China and India.”

“SITTTING AAT THEE HEAART OF ASIA, SINGAPORRE IS THHE GAATEWAYAY TO TTHE WOORLD, INNCLUDINGG

THE TWO GREATTEST DEVELOPINGG MMARKEETS – CCHINA AAND INDIAA.”

Paul Stocker – VP of MICE sales for Resorts World Sentosa





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Advanced technologies will never replace face-to-face interactions, a handshake, a conversation, or an idea shared. And there’s no better place to share those ideas than at Marina Bay Sands® Meetings, Asia’s largest and most flexible meetings and conventions space. Global in scope, intimate in detail, with decades of Las Vegas Sands meeting experience, at Marina Bay Sands Meetings it’s never business as usual, it’s business done right Pulsating with life both day and night, Marina Bay Sands offers sensational experiences from the culinary wizardry of “Asia’s Dining Destination”, the spectacular brands of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, home to The Lion King and coming soon, the iconic ArtScience Museum.

More importantly, particularly in this region, Singapore offers unwavering political stability.

An event can be booked two years in advance with absolute confi dence that no political demonstrations or interruption of city services (or worse, an airport closure) will sabotage the event.

John Yan, MD for The Event Company Staging Connections, has a list of reasons why Singapore is such a desirable MICE location.

“It has one of the best airports in the world with great connectivity and fl ight frequency; a modern, stable and technologically advanced infrastructure; it is one of the safest countries in the world and it has a wide range and variety of food from all corners of the globe,” Yan says.

Add to that a diverse choice of facilities, top creative talent, English as the offi cial language and warm temperate weather and Singapore is tough to beat.

Moreover, Singapore has a very modern infrastructure and MICE facilities have been designed to handle technologically sophisticated events.

“The Singapore government has invested heavily in positioning itself as a tourism and events hub and it plays an important role in ensuring that the quality and standards of the facilities are the best possible,” Yan says.

At last count, Singapore boasted nearly 300 hotels and 46,000 rooms. Hotels range from the small and trendy (The Scarlet in Chinatown) to luxury chains (Shangri-La and Ritz Carlton) to mega-resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands.

It’s safe to say there is a hotel for every budget and for every taste: whether a bustling business hotel in the heart of the city, a beach resort or grand and historic accommodations such as Raffl es or The Fullerton.

INTEGRRATED RRESSORTTS: MAARINAA BAY SANNDSS & RRESOORTTS WWORLDD SENTTOSA

Boutique and trendy: The Scarlet hotel in Chinatown.





At Suntec Singapore, we make sure your event is nothing short of spectacular. A venue designed with flexibility in mind, a team trained to provide unparalled service and a desire to delight all our guests with world-class cuisine are the basics that we deliver to any event organiser.

Last October, Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre stood out from competition and clinched the “Best Business Events Experience” award at the prestigious Singapore Experience Awards organised by the Singapore Tourism Board. The only venue to have won this award two years consecutively! A name that needs no introduction among local and international event organisers, Suntec Singapore has grown from strength to strength as the nation’s first purpose-built convention centre advocated by then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew to an award-winning and world-renowned venue.

From hardware to software, our venue is designed to deliver the best experience, be it for event organisers or their guests. Our highly versatile space means that there is always room for ideas and creativity regardless of the nature and size of the event. But any seasoned event organiser will know that infrastructure alone will not create an unforgettable event. Impeccable service begins with a well-trained and dedicated team with a can-do attitude who is always ready to go the

extra mile. This has been our mantra since our inception.

A successful event is never complete without the perfect dining experience. At Suntec Singapore, preparing first class cuisine for our guests is simply second nature. Whether it’s a breakfast meeting for ten or a lavish gala dinner for a few thousand, our philosophy is to provide quality meals using the finest ingredients with a personalised touch. With a tantalising menu selection that caters to diverse events rivaling top dining establishments, our name is synonymous with the highest standards in cuisine and service.

Our award-winning culinary team has served distinguished guests from all over the world including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Prince Albert of Monaco and Bill Gates. Testament to our culinary excellence, we were also the official caterer for numerous offsite events such as the inaugural Youth Olympic Games 2010, Singapore Airshow, President’s Scholarship Award Ceremony & Dinner and the Annual National Day Awards Investiture Ceremony.

Singapore was named “Top International Meeting City” for 3 consecutive years and “Asia’s Top Country and City for Meetings” for 26 consecutive years by various international associations. Throughout the years, Suntec Singapore has been instrumental to the sustained growth and achievements of Singapore’s MICE industry as the city-state transforms itself to becoming one of the foremost leading business events destinations globally.

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Designed To Be The Best

Get it while it’s hot: The Red Dot Museum, Marina Barrage and Singapore Expo are all popular event locations.

“Simply put, the facilities in Singapore are world-class. They are comparable to top facilities anywhere else in the world,” Yan says.

Aside from a surfeit of hotels, there are numerous choices of off site venues.

Singapore has its share of exhibition halls, including Suntec, Singapore Expo, Raffl es City and the Waterfront Conference Centre; not to mention the new facilities offered at the Integrated Resorts.

And, for a city not known for its edge, there are a surprising number of unique and quirky event spaces.

Bernard Oh, Group CEO of the Audience Motivation Company Asia, says his favourite venues innumerable, but when pressed says: “We love Marina Barrage and quaint spots such as TheatreWorks and Red Dot Museum, but at the end of the day, it all depends on our clients’ requirements and the experience we want to convey.”

There’s no doubt Singapore offers a plethora of world-class hotels and off site venues, but as any good event planner knows, the “hardware” is only one part of the equation.

Both Oh and Stocker made a point of mentioning Singapore’s “software” – what Stocker calls “a robust pool of talent that businesses will be able to tap into”.

“What you can fi nd in Singapore is not only an effi cient service industry, but a diverse pool of talent from various countries and hence, knowledge of their culture, language and, of course, preferences, giving Singapore a unique edge,” Stocker says.

Oh says his company works with a number





“I BBELIEVVE SINNGAPOORE HAAS WORLD-CLASSS SUPPPORTT INDUSSTRIES IIN PLACEE.”

John Yan – MD of The Event Company Staging Connections

THEE FAACTSS

A city of diversity (clockwise): The Fullerton Hotel, Chinatown’s architecture and Suntec City.

First-class destination: Singapore has many reasons for attracting companies, including its fi nancial centre.

of different vendors and gives high marks to XXX Studios, which recently assisted his team on an event for SingTel.

Yan says it is against company policy to name specifi c companies it works with at The Events Company, but says its suppliers – most of whom it has worked with for years – deliver “world-class quality”.

But even diamonds have their fl aws and Singapore is no exception. In a sense, Singapore is the proverbial victim of its own success. One of Singapore’s main advantages – its small size – can sometimes be a disadvantage.

The immense popularity of Singapore as an event destination keeps local talent and resources in short supply. Both Oh and Yan mention high costs as one drawback to hosting an event in the city.

Though bullish about Singapore, Oh concedes the city does have its shortcomings, saying: “Singapore is ideal for many business meetings, conferences, summits and exhibitions, but she can also project a sense of ‘been there done that’, which doesn’t make her an ideal location for incentive trips”.

Oh also cites a lack of large off site venues in Singapore as a challenge. He mentions holding events in helicopter hangers in Kuala Lumpur and New Zealand and a 14th century Gothic building in Barcelona as examples of locations that added a special touch to the overall experience created by his company.

Yan also cautions he sees challenges in supporting industries because supply is racing to keep pace with demand.

“I believe Singapore has world-class support industries in place. However, given the

current demands, most of the good resources are stretched extremely thin, hence it is very important for the country to bring in external resources to continue developing local people,” Yan says.

Shortage of talent is an oft-cited complaint of industry insiders. It’s not that there aren’t talented people, but there simply are not enough of them to optimally support the event industry in Singapore.

As a result, Yan says people are working long hours for extended periods of time, leading to fatigue and burnout.

With unemployment hovering at roughly 2%, this is a problem that will take time to solve.

However, no industry is without challenges,

and no city will be the perfect fi t for every event, but Singapore comes pretty close.

Its good strategic location, political stability, top-notch and diverse facilities and infrastructure, pool of world-class talent and nearly year-round sunshine are just some of the reasons Singapore is such a favourite MICE destination.

If you think the island nation is the right location for your next event, act quickly because Yan has one piece of parting advice.

“Book your hotels and venues as early as possible. Singapore is the now destination.”

As we progress further into 2011, the Lion City is roaring loudly, moving forward, developing new venues and attractions and waiting with arms wide open.

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Singapore Feature Q1