In this interview, Wee Min shares his thoughts on how the meetings industry will change in a post-COVID-19 landscape and how Marina Bay Sands sets the stage for returning events.
Q: How has the MICE industry been affected by COVID-19? In your opinion, how can the industry approach this global phenomenon and emerge stronger?
The MICE industry has definitely taken a hit on all fronts since the start of the year – event organisers / planners, venue operators and the peripheral businesses supporting the industry – as a result of travel restrictions, supply chain disruptions and border closures. Faced with an unprecedented global phenomenon, event planners had to reconsider all options while balancing two priorities, the health and safety of their delegates and minimising any financial or business impact.
Recovery for the MICE industry will not be immediate but instead will be in phases. It has to be a combined effort in order to restart the industry and begin hosting in-person functions again. Venues will play a key role in the recovery of the events industry. Venue operators need to exercise greater flexibility and reinvent themselves in order to respond effectively to changing customer expectations. Continuous engagement and open communication on precautionary measures implemented by venues to ensure safe distancing and hygiene standards will also give event planners and delegates an additional level of security.
Q: How different will events be in a post-COVID-19 world?
Safe distancing measures and reduction of crowd capacity will require event organisers to think creatively when they plan their next event. Venue operators will need to work with clients to re-look the entire event design, from onsite registration process, crowd management to having meeting rooms fully equipped with video conferencing facilities.
COVID-19 will quicken the pace of digital transformation in the industry. Technology will be utilised for pre-event registration to create a contactless customer experience and for contact tracing purposes. There will also be a re-emergence of hybrid meetings – a combination of physical and virtual components, as event planners leverage on the almost limitless reach that virtual streaming offers to engage their wider community and gain a bigger audience than they otherwise would have.
Connectivity is the new baseline. If it had not been a pre-requisite for site selection in the pre-COVID-19 world, it will certainly be top-of-mind now and for the future. Marina Bay Sands’ upgraded Wi-Fi infrastructure and bandwidth is not only vast, secure and high speed – it can also be fractionalised and customised to suit individual event needs. As the single largest owner of first-to-market equipment in lighting, video, sound and logistics equipment within Asia, we have made and will continue to make the investment to ensure that we are well-equipped to meet the varying technical demands from event organisers with their new event set-up.
With the health and safety of the delegates taking centre stage in future events, more clients will be looking to work with venues with recognised hygiene accreditations. Our property is certified SG Clean by the Singapore Government, which assures clients of Marina Bay Sands’ commitment towards hygiene. As we’re gearing up for our IR re-opening, we are building on another layer of initiatives and process re-design to ensure an even higher level of sanitisation.
Q: What are some of the measures Marina Bay Sands will be implementing to ensure the health and safety of delegates after re-opening?
We will re-open with an even more comprehensive suite of hygiene and precautionary measures across our operations.
Enhanced protection and temperature screening
Enhanced Hygiene Protocols
Safe Distancing Measures
Modified F&B offerings
Having an operationally safe venue and sanitised operations will be the baseline moving forward for all venues hosting large business events. It is the collaborative partnership that we have with our clients, partners and stakeholders that will enable us to co-create new experiences for our respective client communities and truly set us apart. Together, we will reimagine the future, just like how we redefined business events experiences in the last 10 years together.
Ong Wee Min is the Vice President of Conventions & Exhibitions, MICE, Marina Bay Sands. Wee Min is responsible for the overall management of the Sands Expo & Convention Centre to ensure its continued success as the top business events and MICE venue in the region.