The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is planning in the coming months for the tailored and secure resumption of B2B events and has established a risk management system for business events with up to 50 participants. This is based on strict, secure management steps and STB will check the system with two pilot events before eventually scaling up.
STB says it developed the framework in collaboration with the industry, aligned it with international best practices, and incorporated lessons learned over the past few months, as the MICE sector in Singapore rethought what a safe event would look like.
Singapore's MICE companies have also experimented with creative digital technologies to support virtual and hybrid business activities, in addition to implementing best practices in health, hygiene, and sanitization.
One such event was the International Dental Exhibition and Meeting (IDEM), which in June 2020 turned its physical tradeshow and meeting into a fully virtual experience. It drew close to 4,000 participants with 300 exhibiting brands from 50 countries, including a streaming conference and show.
STB is expected to extend its Secure Business Event Framework to two possible hybrid activities, the 2020 IEEE International Conference on Computational Electromagnetics (24-26 August 2020), and the Asia Pacific MedTech Virtual Forum 2020 (24 September 2020), with hybrid formats likely to be the standard for business activities in the near future. Each event will feature a maximum of 50 on-site visitors, in addition to about 1,000 digitally participating at both events.
Initially held in Southeast Asia, the IEEE 's 2020 International Conference on Computational Electromagnetics was originally scheduled for March 2020, before being postponed due to developments in Covid-19. The new hybrid system will see Delegates streaming sessions online.
Professor Shen Zhongxiang, co-chair general of the IEEE International Conference on Computational Electromagnetics in 2020, says: "We have every faith that the authorities in Singapore and our partner at the venue have tough steps to help us create a secure event for our participants."
The Association of Asia Pacific Medical Technology (APACMed), has plans underway to incorporate hybrid elements for their Virtual Forum 2020 – a first for the association. Delegates can engage in online forums and virtual networking, which can be complemented by actual panel discussions and networking activities.
When those two events go smoothly, STB says it will allow the gradual resumption of other related B2B events that can enforce the necessary SMMs. STB and Enterprise Singapore (ESG) are also collaborating with the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) to formulate an Industry Resilience Roadmap (IRR) – a public-private partnership focused on three strategic objectives: Establishing best-in-class standards for new event safety measures, creating agile business models with a focus on digital capabilities, and developing pathways for professional development in the post-COVID-19 world.
The idea is for the IRR to direct the event organizers in Singapore as they prepare to restart B2B events securely as part of a sustainable recovery.
Keith Tan, Singapore Tourism Board Chief Executive, says: "Business events sector in Singapore has demonstrated a lot of resilience during this tough time and we are thankful for their innovativeness and adaptability. Though Covid-19 has severely disrupted the industry, I trust Singapore will lead the way in rethinking what a secure and high-quality business event would look like. We want to set Singapore apart together with our industry as the world's leading destination for healthy, trustworthy, and creative business events.'