ITB Asia News - Day 3

I NEWS I
SAFE EVENTS
AT MARINA
BAY SANDS
Reimagining association
events in the COVID-19 world
MICE-centric webinars at ITB Asia set the tone
ITB Asia - in partnership with K.I.T. Group and Marina
Bay Sands - has organised three-days of webinars on
how to select a destination and organise a MICE event
in the “COVID-19 world”.
Destination image and the
financial benefits of organising
an event remain important. But
overall, the ability to implement
strict hygiene measures for
participants is becoming crucial,
as explained by three speakers in
the first day's session: Jocelyne
Mülli, Managing Director,
K.I.T. Group, Ailynn Seah, Vice
President of Sales-MICE and
Association for Marina Bay
Sands and Ilan Geva, CEO, Ilan
Geva & Friends.
How can the MICE industry
prosper in a COVID-19 world?
MICE have been hardest hit
during the pandemic, as they
normally gather a large number
of people together.
“It is a challenge, but with
increased connectivity and
technology, we can reduce
the risks,” says Jocelyne Mülli,
Managing Director of K.I.T.
Group, one of Europe’s largest
Professional Conference
Organisers.
Landing a destination for a MICE
event will certainly require much
more attention to a number of
issues, starting with, for example,
the ability to actually travel to the
destination - that includes the
question of visas, the difficulty to
navigate through local customs
and regulations and more.
Other evaluation points have
not fundamentally changed
compared to pre-COVID-19
events. Companies need to
identify logistics, transportation,
capacities, service availability as
well as benefits to their image
as a destination. However, this is
a bigger challenge in COVID-19
THE FLEXIBILITY
TO ADAPT TO A
NEW HEALTH
ENVIRONMENT
SUCH AS
PROPOSING
ALTERNATIVE
VENUES OR
POSTPONING
A DATE, AS
WELL AS THE
TRANSPARENCY OF
COMMUNICATION
ARE DETERMINANT”
times. Hotels or transport
capacities for example will
determine the level of health &
safety. The connection with local
authorities will also be crucial
in minimising possible friction
– between the necessity for
strict health measures and the
event itself. “The destination will
certainly be evaluated for future
events, but judging the way they
approach the organisation of an
event, the flexibility to adapt to a
new health environment such as
proposing alternative venues or
postponing a date, as well as the
transparency of communication
are determinant,” indicated Mülli.
Singapore has shown its
willingness to offer the best
conditions for MICE organisers
as soon as tourism normalisation
can be fully implemented.
Marina Bay Sands’ Ailynn
Seah demonstrated the kind
of events the hotel is able to
produce under strict protocol.
Hybrid events and 3D hologram
technology in a debate or the use
of technology in services – such
as catering – are now parts of
the “normal standards” that the
hotel proposes to MICE players.
For Ilan Geva, CEO, Ilan Geva
& Friends and an international
branding expert, selecting a
destination for MICE requires a
strategic plan involving public
authorities such as NTOS,
along with private players. With
MICE organisers, they can
then highlight the economic
and cultural impact of such an
event on the destination and
also include the entire region;
not only the convention venue.
Strengths and opportunities
versus weaknesses and threats
must always stand behind a
decision, he explained
“MICE will be back as professionals
from all across the globe need
to exchange”, Ailynn Seah, Vice
President of Sales-MICE and
Association for Marina Bay Sands
shares her optimism about the
future of tourism. The luxurious
property which has long been
the venue for ITB Asia offers strict
health protocols in order to reassure
anybody organising an event.
Thermal cameras at entrances,
permanent cleaning of all public
areas, disinfection of rooms with
virus-killing sprays, digital apps
to order food even for a buffet
formula… All is done to offer the
safest possible experience in the
hotel, the convention centre and its
mall. It’s the perfect example of how
Singapore can work under new
circumstances
Marina Bay Sands
SINGAPORE
RELEASES
A ROAD MAP
FOR SAFE MICE
Ever heard of the IRR? It is the
Singapore Tourism Board’s
newest acronym for Industry
Resilience Roadmap: a joint project
by Singapore Tourism Board
(STB), Singapore Association of
Convention & Exhibition Organisers
& Suppliers (SACEOS) and
Enterprise Singapore (ESG). The
IRR aims to strengthen Singapore’s
MICE industry by making the city
state “the MICE destination” in 2021.
“We aim to set Singapore apart
as the world’s leading destination
for safe, trusted and innovative
MICE events,” said Edward Koh,
Executive Director, STB, following a
presentation prior to ITB Asia
4 ITB ASIA NEWS • FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER 2020
www.itb-asia-news.com