Firms prepare for changes in events landscape

Singapore

THE road to recovery for the meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) sector remains uncertain, with restrictions on large events likely to remain in place after the extended circuit breaker ends.

However, some companies have decided not to wait for things to return to "normal" before taking action. Recognising that the events landscape will never be the same after this crisis, they have already started developing new ways to take events online.

For example, The Fun Empire, which organises events and team-building activities, has digitalised some of its offerings. Creative workshops now take place as virtual events after craft kits are delivered to the participants at home. The firm also created a proprietary online platform to host virtual escape room games, with teams working together via video conferencing to solve the challenges.

These initiatives were launched in April and have seen "good pick-up rate" from both consumers and corporate clients, said events director Natasha Toh.

"It is still early days, and we are monitoring the situation closely to continually adapt to the changing landscape brought about by Covid-19," Ms Toh said. "Of course, we are still hoping that the situation improves and that physical events will be allowed to resume sooner rather than later."

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Communications and experience agency motion has also not been idle during the circuit-breaker period. It beefed up its digital event capabilities and recently produced its first digital townhall and media launch for a multinational.

Managing director Juliana Mattar said having to train staff on the new platforms and produce the events remotely was challenging, but this new capability has ensured that the company continues to add value for clients. motion has secured two to three more such events, with a couple more in discussions.

However, digital events have so far yielded only about 20 per cent of the S$1.5 million in revenue pipeline that the agency lost due to the virus outbreak, Ms Mattar said. There is also an expectation gap between the price clients are willing to pay for digital versus physical events, even though the time and effort spent in producing both kinds are similar.

She remains positive, saying: "I believe the use of digital will make a permanent mark in the event landscape and the way we communicate from here on. This crisis and lockdown have shown us that we can achieve a lot remotely, as long as the spine of processes and trust is there in our work culture with our stakeholders."

Informa Markets on Wednesday launched a series of online events that will recur over the next few months. These are not meant to replace physical events like the FHA-HoReCa and FHA-Food & Beverage ones it has postponed, but rather to complement them in the long term.

Online food and hospitality marketplace Saladplate will host Informa Markets' first Food & Hotel Digital Week from May 25 to 29. Attendees will be able to access full-day webinars, engage in live Q&A sessions and download white papers, reports and research from participating exhibitors, speakers and sponsors.

While its Singapore Expo and MAX Atria venues are being used as community isolation facilities for patients who are recovering from or mildly ill with Covid-19, venue operator SingEx Holdings is working on new digital twinning platforms for future physical events.

Said SingEx executive director for enterprise development Lau Chiat Siang: "More so than ever, business agility and the ability to pivot where needed, along with greater collaboration with suppliers, partners and customers, and even competitors, are essentials to the MICE sector's recovery in the short- to mid-term."