Singapore sets the pace

By Stephanie Roberts Singapore repeatedly markets its central location in Asia Pacific as a major business advantage and for the exhibition industry, nothing could be more relevant. Many international exhibition organisers, such as Reed Exhibitions, Messe Dusseldorf and Singapore Exhibition Services, have set up Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore as testimony to this fact. "Singapore is so accessible it attracts many regional visitors. Aside from this, it has excellent exhibition infrastructure," Reed Exhibitions Singapore president Mr Jimmy Lau says. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) statistics demonstrate the exhibition industry is improving. "We are happy with the way the exhibition business has turned around since the 1997 crisis," STB assistant director exhibitions & conventions Ms Elaine Ang says. "This has been helped by the major shows we had in 2000. Overall MICE (meetings, incentive conferences and exhibition) visitor arrivals indicated MICE events grew by 14% by November 2000." Confidence in Singapore as a quality exhibition destination is demonstrated by the fact Singapore hosts the highest number of exhibitions in the Asia Pacific endorsed by the Union des Foires Internationales (UFI) - the worldwide organisation for international trade fairs, exhibition organisers and hall owners - 19 out of 51 last year. And exhibitors need not be wary about higher rental costs at the island state's facilities says Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre (SICEC) deputy general manager sales and marketing Mr Jim Papineau. "When comparing Singapore to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur Singapore is more expensive but then it is half the price of Hong Kong," Mr Papineau says. "Singapore has tremendous advantages over its competition because of its infrastructure, because of its business ethics and rule of law, and also because English is the language of business, which again is an advantage over Hong Kong." Singapore has a strong commitment to boosting its exhibition business. Last year, the US$20million Singapore Expo had its grand opening. Known for being the largest exhibition facility in Asia Pacific outside Japan, the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA)-owned Expo offers 60,000sqm of column-free exhibition space throughout six halls which can all be used for just one exhibition, each with its own meeting rooms and food and beverage outlets. "The walk-through concept is one of Expo's best points," PSA Singapore Expo general manager Mr Steven Seet says. Exhibition organiser Singapore Exhibition Services project director (lifestyle events) Ms Lindy Wee agrees. "Singapore Expo is among the best facilities in Asia," Ms Wee enthuses. "As well as indoor space, Expo has paved flooring for outdoor exhibits too." Nevertheless, the centre - just five minutes drive from Changi Airport - closed business last year with just 30% occupancy. With a 60% occupancy target to meet by the end of 2001, Singapore Expo has several initiatives to encourage exhibition organisers to choose the centre. "We have set up a company called PSA Exhibition Ventures, which will provide a one-stop solution for exhibition organisers," adds Mr Seet. "We don't want our customers to just come and use the venue, we want to be able to help them make their exhibition run smoothly. We will help manage their shows." Part of the plan is to offer organisers incentives to run shows during the low season and incentives to shows continuing to expand at Singapore Expo. "We are looking at further investment in more facilities because many exhibitions have a conference component," says Mr Seet. "We're also putting a study together into an adjacent hotel although this is still in its early stages." Exhibition organiser HQ Link hosts shows such as HVAC Asia and the PSA show at Expo. "We will be using Singapore Expo on a regular basis because it's suitable for holding mega-events, it is column-free, it is near the airport, there is ample car-park space for local exhibitors and visitors and it is accessible by public transport," HQ Link sales manager Mr Harris Chia says. "Overseas exhibitors are impressed with the design and lighting of this venue. Besides providing good facilities for exhibitors, the hall owners are working hard to create public awareness of the centre and the shows held there." However, some exhibitors prefer a more centrally located venue for their shows. "I feel Singapore Expo is in the middle of nowhere and not easy to reach," admits retailer Subway development agent Ms Karen Eidsvik, who recently exhibited in Singapore. Encouragingly, a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station opened at the Expo site on January 10, making the centre more accessible for both exhibitor and visitor. A shuttle bus service between Expo Station and Tanah Merah station was also launched. SICEC, in the centre of Singapore, makes up part of Suntec City, which in addition to the exhibition and convention centre, includes seven hotels, five shopping centres, 1,000 stores and the Esplanade Theatre, which is currently under construction. SICEC offers 100,000sqm of floor space in which the exhibition hall provides 12,000sqm and there is an additional 12,000sqm convention hall with seating capacity of 12,000 theatre-style. Extra facilities include 31 meeting rooms, a 596-seater auditorium and a ballroom seating 1,800 theatre-style. "Suntec City is an infrastructure which no other city has," adds SICEC's Mr Papineau. To promote this, SICEC has teamed up with the seven neighbouring hotels and the STB to promote SICEC and the Suntec City area as an integrated conference and exhibition zone. SICEC, STB and the hotels will co-fund the project, which is budgeting S$700,000 (US$400,00) for its first year. "The year 2000 was a good one for SICEC. We're looking for a 20% increase this year and not just because of this project," says Mr Papineau. "We will be hosting four new exhibitions and conventions that did not exist before." Yet, while Singapore can provide the exhibitor with good-quality infrastructure, can the island-state keep meeting the demands of the exhibition industry, especially with growing competition from China as an international conference and exhibition market? "Singapore will always attract its own kind of exhibition, even with the emergence of China as competition," says Reed's Mr Lau. "The cost of doing business in China isn't cheap. Singapore can hold its own, particularly as it's now attracting exhibitions from many of the knowledge-based industries." Government support and promotion of Singapore as an exhibition destination is also crucial and the general consensus from Singapore's exhibition organisers and hall owners is that the STB and the Trade Development Board (TDB) are doing a credible job. "Although there's always room for more promotion," adds Mr Lau. "Singapore has to continually come up with new attractions to attract both the buyers and the sellers. At the moment, we're concentrating on getting more visitors, but we need the exhibitors too as well as retain the shows that already come here." Potential exhibitors should be encouraged to learn the TDB has introduced the International Exhibition City Program (IECP) to strengthen the exhibition industry's presence. "The TDB works closely with industry players to position Singapore as a vibrant international exhibition city," says TDB senior trade officer corporate communications division Ms Sophia Leong. "The IEC programme aims to encourage new international trade fairs to be staged in Singapore, to nurture these events to become leading events in the region and to raise their standards." There are three types of endorsements under the IEC programme: the approved international fair, an approved trade conference, or an event held successfully in Singapore or overseas, with the potential of being developed into a show of international standing. "The TDB are also making local efforts to ensure that people are trained and upgraded to professional levels in the exhibition and supporting industries and maintaining these standards," adds Ms Leong. "We're working alongside the TDB and attending major trade shows, such as the International Association of Exposition Management (IAEM), to showcase Singapore as an exhibition destination," adds STB's Ms Ang. "With the TDB we support exhibition organisers and provide endorsement and initial assistance. It must be emphasised that a destination needs more than space, it needs good subsidiary services, hotel infrastructure and support. We showcase these as well." In addition, exhibitions have support from the relevant government ministries. "For example, the Ministry of Communications supported CommunicAsia and this gives an event a certain kudos and shows government commitment to the industry," adds Ms Ang. SICEC's Mr Papineau acknowledges the government's willingness to promote Singapore and its exhibition industry. "All over the world people know Singapore, even though it's an island with a population of just four million," he says. "And it is no small matter the STB and TDB support the private sector, the TDB helps finance overseas sales trips and site inspections." Singapore featured prominently on the global exhibition calendar last year. Many major trade shows took place such as Asian Aerospace and Internet World, although, says Mr Lau, the numbers were good because many large-scale exhibitions take place on a biannual basis during an even-numbered year. "We would say 2001 will be a slower year because of this fact, so we can't really compare this year and last and predict a growth," adds Ms Ang. "Singapore will still hold many exhibitions in 2001 but on a smaller scale. And we are seeing an increase in annually held exhibitions, especially from the IT industry, which demonstrates a confident market." The outlook for exhibitors is positive. Singapore's exhibition organisers are looking to develop the services they already offer the client. "We're always working towards joint ventures," says Reed's Mr Lau. "And, although there aren't that many good quality ones to have in the region at the moment, we would eventually like a joint venture that will give us good growth in terms of both revenue and exhibitions we organise." Singapore can certainly hold its own in the Asia Pacific exhibition industry. Its location is an added bonus, but this would unlikely to be half as effective if government and exhibition organiser dedication was not as strong as it is. This, and the continual marketing of facilities from both hall owners and the government, point toward a healthy marketplace.