Mice industry to see boost from higher capacity cap of 750

Singapore

THE relaxation of measures for events, particularly commercial ones, will see a boost to local demand, even as some industry operators await more clarity on whether travel processes will be adjusted to allow for more foreign attendees.

The uplift for event venues in Singapore may be uneven, however, with larger venues that are able to accommodate large crowds, safe distancing and pre-event testing for the Covid-19 virus, such as convention centres, likely to gain more, industry players said.

From April 24, as many as 750 people, up from 250, will be allowed at business events, sporting events and live performances, but only if the organisers implement pre-event testing. And, they will still have to place attendees in zones of up to 50 people each. This was announced on Wednesday following the further easing of safe management measures by the multi-ministry taskforce on Covid-19 amid an expansion of Singapore's vaccination programme.

Also, individuals who have completed the full vaccination regimen and have had time to develop sufficient protection - for instance, two weeks after the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna Covid-19 vaccination - will be able to enter events that implement pre-event testing without undergoing the testing.

Aloysius Arlando, president, Singapore Association for Conventions & Exhibitions Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS), called the announcement a "much-needed boost" to the meetings, incentive travels, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) industry in uncertain times.

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"We will continue to work closely with the industry, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Enterprise Singapore to set safe operating standards for the industry and help our businesses chart a new path in a Covid-19-safe environment," he said.

Currently, some operators have taken to conducting hybrid events, or events with a mix of virtual and in-person elements, to get around capacity restrictions, but these "have their limitations as far as in-person interaction is concerned", said Kris Vimal, Singapore chief executive at MacGyver Consultants International. "Events are all about connecting with people, gaining knowledge and generating future business."

Industry players expect that the demand for business events will show signs of an improvement in the next half of this year, as such events typically take at least a few months to plan.

Instead, the one-month buffer before the new measures kick in may allow hosts to adjust their budgets to accommodate the costs of providing pre-event testing and event operators to work with venues towards facilitating pre-event testing.

Some operators, like Tricom Events director Dylan Sharma, are also waiting for more information from the authorities on whether travel and vaccination processes for foreign visitors will adjust in tandem with the relaxed measures for events. Otherwise, the cap of 750 attendees and requirement of pre-event testing will mainly "work well for local attendees", Mr Sharma said.

Still, Adam Piperdy, chief experience officer at Unearthed Productions, noted that the experience will allow event organisers to get comfortable with the new processes, so that they will be ready to host international and larger events again when borders reopen.

For now, major events expected to take place here in the second half of the year include Aviation Festival Asia and Shangri-La Dialogue in June.

Said Keith Tan, STB chief executive: "Over the past year, we have been encouraged that Mice events continue to pick Singapore as a host destination. This shows that our efforts to progressively resume Mice events in a safe, trusted and innovative way are paying off."

In addition to commercial events, the authorities also announced on Wednesday that marriage solemnisation ceremonies and wedding receptions will be able to host larger groups - 250 people from April 24, up from 100.

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