So You Want to Meet in Singapore

As the Lion City counts down to the opening of two mega integrated resorts, LUKE CLARK assesses Singapore’s meetings and events arena.

STAND-OUT PRODUCTS

Let the gaming begin

In a year when the city-state hosted an F1 Grand Prix, APEC and Beyonce, two unfinished projects remain the talk of the town: the integrated resorts (IRs) set to open in the first quarter of 2010. Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) are akin to small cities being built from scratch.

Set at the hotel’s base, the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at MBS alone has 120,000 sq m of meeting space over five floors, with 2,000 exhibition booths, and 250 meeting rooms catering for 45,000 pax. Its ballroom at 8,000 sq m, with banquet seating for 6,600, or 11,000 auditorium-style, will become Asia’s biggest.

Not to be outdone, RWS will offer 27,820 sq m of meeting space, a plenary hall of 3,000 sq m, and a column-free grand ballroom of 6,500 sq m, seating 7,300 guests theatre-style.

The USP for both though lies in entertainment. This is where RWS has played its cards; The Lost World venue at Universal Studios will offer a 1,500-seat Hollywood theatre and 13,070 sq m of outdoor incentive facilities.

Over at Sands, Disney’s The Lion King will open in September. Its retail area will welcome stores by Bally and Chanel, while a 1.2ha SkyPark will be able to host 3,900, amid 250 trees and three linked 50m swimming pools.

Of course, all these guests will have somewhere to sleep – MBS will offer 2,500 rooms and suites, more than any other single property here; and RWS will house Hotel Michael, Maxims Tower and Hard Rock Hotel, among others. Not to mention two brand-new casino facilities sure to keep the cash registers ticking over well into the wee hours.

COST-SAVING ADVICE

1. Be flexible with dates – plan your travel as far in advance as possible to ensure availability.
2. To maximise budget, utilise the expertise of your planner to find a solution that achieves objectives.
3. Plan trips around the lowest airfares and don’t plan flights around meeting times. Planning flights first will open up more opportunities to access lower fares.
4. Consolidate your M&E spending with your transient travel volumes for better leverage with suppliers.
5. The Singapore Meetings & Events team works very closely with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to secure cost savings.

The STB’s ‘Business Events in Singapore’ incentive scheme means the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau (SECB) defrays a higher proportion of an event’s project costs.

Rachel Peedom,Director, Meetings and Events, Asia Pacific, CWT Resorts World Sentosa holds the entertainment trump card

CASE STUDY:

Take me to your leaders

The CWT Meetings & Events team in Singapore brought 30 of their clients’ top leaders from Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific to the city-state, for a programme that included a business meeting, dinner and teambuilding activity, an employee ‘town hall’ gathering, dinner with key clients, a product launch, and media exchanges. The budget was limited and the schedule was tight.

Due to the packed agenda for the group of VIPs, logistics had to be meticulously planned. Fortunately, Singapore’s compact size makes transport easy and there is a range of excellent, inexpensive venues available. Some of the activities included:

• A business meeting at the Hilton hotel on Orchard Road, central to all other events.
• A teambuilding event in the evening. After a spin on the Singapore Flyer, the team cooked dinner together as part of a Thai cooking course at Fort Canning. Most enjoyed the casual atmosphere and learning about Asian food.
• The employee town hall gathering meant moving more than 100 of the company’s employees to the venue for a presentation, a Q&A session and buffet dinner. Capital Tower has an auditorium perfect for this.
• For the product lunch, CWT hired the Asian Civilisations Museum for a wonderful Singapore experience overlooking the river and Boat Quay’s shophouses. A jazz band provided entertainment, with catering by Marmalade Pantry, a well-known local restaurant group. CWT organised cupcakes with the company’s logo iced on top as a takeaway gift – a big hit and relatively inexpensive.
• A red carpet photo opportunity also went down well, with photos printed instantly as a memento of the evening. Room decorations were kept simple yet elegant, in order to watch costs, with most of the budget used to create ambient lighting. The product logo was beamed around the room, while a large helium balloon at the exit sported the product name, for increased brand recognition.
• Novus restaurant at the National Museum has a fabulous private room ideal for entertaining VIPs. The company’s key clients were treated to an intimate dinner with the global CEO and other leadership figures.
• The CWT team worked with suppliers, venues and caterers, while also managing teambuilding, hotel issues, transportation and AV details to ensure a seamless programme. Client resources were focused on the content of their meetings and messaging to various audiences. All communications were centralised through one CWT contact, with one bill presented together with reports detailing the event’s total cost.

BREAKAWAY IDEAS OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

Step back in time, Singapore style, on Pulau Ubin, a small island off the northeastern coast of Singapore. Shaped like a boomerang, it is a favourite haunt for those seeking a break from urban life. Traverse the tiny island on bicycle, easily rented out at very affordable rates near Ubin’s jetty.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY Experience the rich history and lifestyle of Singapore’s Peranakan culture and architecture. Take a walk through a spice garden and enjoy The Singapore Flyer can be used for catered eventsn the display of Peranakan costumes and craftwork; then wander through Peranakan heartlands, Katong and Joo Chiat, where rows of colourful traditional shophouses offer tasty nonya delicacies.

WILD LIFE Try a breakout meal with a difference by feasting on board a moving tram in the jungle at night. Night Safari Gourmet Safari Express offers delicious food, free flow wine and a range of wildlife as you move through a living replica of the world’s finest forest and wetland areas.