Growing MICE

The MICE industry in Singapore has been growing phenomenally. The country’s Overseas Visitors Survey (OVS) revealed that business visitors in 2010 made up about 27% of the 11.6 million visitor arrivals to Singapore that, in turn, made up an estimated 40% of total expenditure. Also, the Union of International Associations (UIA) announced Singapore as the top international meeting city for 2010 while the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) named the island the top convention city in Asia in 2010 for the ninth consecutive year.

With the gaining popularity of Singapore as a MICE destination, experts say that the MICE market will continue to see fair weather in 2012 with venue operators providing newer and improved facilities.

Growth is expected

The two major industry players – the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) and Marina Bay Sands (MBS) – say that they expect a growth in the MICE sector in 2012. Also, according to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the country has added 12 new world congresses to its line-up of events from 2012 to 2016, which will help increase the number of tourist arrivals.

Paul Stocker, VP, MICE Sales and Event Services for RWS, explains that the opening of the two integrated resorts has been a game-changer for the leisure sector. “The number of visitors to Singapore continues to grow across all sectors, including business visitors. I strongly believe that Singapore is very well on track to grow its MICE pie further.”

RWS has hosted more than 1,200 events in the first six months of 2011 and is expecting to continue with this growth. “While taking into consideration the global economic volatility, we are cautiously optimistic that we can increase events by at least 20%,” states Stoker.

John Mims, Senior Vice President, World-Wide Sales & Resort Marketing Asia of Las Vegas Sands Corp (parent company of MBS), affirms the statement stating that “the outlook for 2012 is still strong for Singapore.”

Mims mentions that there are several favourable factors that have helped the Singapore MICE industry such as a strong Asia economy, increasing tourist arrivals as well as the country’s good infrastructure. “For Marina Bay Sands, this has resulted in more business on the books already for next year than the same time last year,” he adds.

MBS has numerous tradeshows and conferences lined up for the next year. These include the Amway Taiwan Conference in Feb 2012 and Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Global Leadership Summit 2012, which will see 1,500 and 1,400 delegates, respectively. CommunicAsia, an annual internet and communications technology (ICT) show will also be hosted in June, 2012. According to Mims, the show enjoyed great success this year with 1,312 exhibitors and over 27,000 visitors from 49 countries.

New facilities to choose from

Venue operators are differentiating themselves from their competitors by offering a one-stop service, whether it is installing equipment or even arranging special effects for events, to cater to clients’ different needs. Also, some operators will be introducing new or improved spaces to attract businesses.

The Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre hosts about 600 events on average each year and is expanding with a new convention wing, MAX Atria@Singapore EXPO which is set to open in March 2012. Aloysius Arlando, CEO of Singex Group, explains that it will comprise of 32 rooms, foyers, a garden courtyard and a rooftop space. To cater to business visitors, there is also full Wi-Fi coverage across the whole venue. The MAX Atria can host over 3,500 people at various conferences, meetings, banquets, light exhibitions, and product launches that are spread over its 12,700m2 of space.

RWS will also be expanding its venue space with the opening of two new luxury hotels – Equarius Hotel, which comes with its own waterpark, and Spa Villas. RWS already has a column-free ballroom that seats 6,500 delegates, as well as 30 function rooms and 20 varied event venues. Stoker states that these venues will offer new spaces for clients to choose from and will enable RWS to host bigger events. “These will no doubt give a boost to our MICE offerings and provide different experiences for returning business travellers,” he adds. Organisations can also look forward to the new Scavenger Hunt teambuilding programme that will be held at RWS’ Universal Studios Singapore.

Anticipating challenges

Although industry players are anticipating a healthy MICE market next year, they state there are a few challenges that need to be overcome – talent crunch and the amount of venue space. Arlando explains that while a vibrant MICE industry is great, there is also a shortage of skills due to MICE companies “tapping on the same talent pool as companies in the hospitality and service sectors are.”

Experts advise that although importing foreign talent or employing temporary staff may help ease the talent problem, it is not a permanent solution. Organisations such as Singex Group and RWS are providing development opportunities for their employees in order to create their talent pipeline. Singex Group has established a partnership with ITEs. “We take in interns, and students can look forward to furthering their careers with us upon graduation,” states Arlando.

Stoker says that the organisation prefers to develop its local talent pool. “With over 13,000 employees, RWS has comprehensive training programmes aimed at equipping our employees with the necessary skill sets to excel in their jobs. We believe that such practices will provide for a sustainable pool of skilled employees for the service and MICE industry in Singapore,” he explains.

Mims also advises that companies should be “open” when selecting candidates for their MICE teams, as a culturally diverse team can help build relationships with organisations. The MBS MICE team consists of members from 10 different countries, which he says has helped them “understand the cultural requirements of clients from all over the world.”

Finally, experts are stating that the creative use of space is also essential for organisers as Singapore gains popularity as a MICE destination. “The biggest challenge facing Singapore would essentially be space. However, while we may not promote massive convention spaces, the creative use of space is something that venues here have thrived upon,” concludes Stoker.