From left: Dirk Hoffmann, COO, Messe Berlin; Mario Tobias, CEO Messe Berlin; Melissa Ow, chief executive, Singapore Tourism Board; Ong Huey Hong, assistant chief executive, Industry Development Group, Singapore Tourism Board at the MoU Signing Ceremony.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Messe Berlin have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the German tradeshow organiser’s presence in Singapore and across Asia Pacific, with cooperation spanning event development, sustainability, digitalisation, talent and visitor experience.
The agreement is the latest sign of STB’s push to build deeper, multi-year relationships with major international organisers rather than support individual events in isolation.
In May, the agency struck a similar strategic partnership with Informa, organised around business development, experience development, as well as longer-term priorities such as sustainability and talent development.
The new destination-organiser agreement was signed this week at InnoTrans Berlin 2026 by STB chief executive Melissa Ow and Messe Berlin chief executive Mario Tobias.
The collaboration between both parties dates back to the launch of ITB Asia in Singapore in 2008. Messe Berlin now runs ITB Asia, MICE Show Asia, Travel Tech Asia and Smart Health Asia in the city-state, giving the organiser a base from which to develop and internationalise event brands for the region.
Messe Berlin plans to add InnoTrans Asia, CMS Asia and Smart Pharma Asia in 2027, taking its Singapore portfolio to seven events across travel, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, mobility and environmental solutions. The partners will also explore event opportunities in emerging sectors aligned with Singapore’s economic priorities.
Tobias said: “Singapore has been Messe Berlin's home in Asia Pacific for almost two decades, providing the world-class environment and standards that international business events demand. What began with ITB Asia has developed into a major pillar of Messe Berlin's international growth strategy.
“This strategic partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board reflects our long-term confidence in Singapore as a key regional hub and our shared ambition to create globally recognised business event brands that connect industries, drive innovation, and facilitate international trade across Asia Pacific.”
Messe Berlin’s Singapore team has nearly tripled over the past decade and is expected to grow as the regional operation scales, according to the announcement. That local investment mirrors the wider logic of STB’s organiser partnerships: anchor international portfolios in Singapore, build regional capabilities around them and use the destination as a launchpad into Asia Pacific.