Singapore embeds legacy thinking early on, starting with the bidding process itself. Photo Credit: iStock/Vichly44
Legacy planning separates a destination with world-class facilities, from a true world-class MICE destination. In M&C Asia’s latest cover story on legacy in business events, Carrie Kwik, ED, Conventions, Meetings & Incentive Travel, Singapore Tourism Board, discusses legacy as a foundational component of event design, enabling factors, and what meaningful event imprint could look like.
Singapore has been at the forefront of legacy in business events – what’s driving this push, and how does legacy support Singapore’s vision as the ‘world’s best MICE city’?
Business events support our aim of creating long-term economic, environmental and social impact, beyond the benefits brought by the event itself. As a city-state that has always leveraged knowledge, connectivity, and innovation as its key competitive advantages, Singapore recognises that the value of a business event should not end when the last delegate leaves. This is what sets a world-class MICE destination apart – going beyond infrastructure and hospitality to demonstrate that events hosted here generate lasting impact for Singapore and the world.
This legacy-focused approach invites organisers and planners to take a fresh perspective on Singapore's value proposition: one that goes beyond logistics and hospitality to influence purposeful, meaningful outcomes to benefit the community and industry.
Kwik: A world-class destination goes beyond infrastructure and hospitality to demonstrate true that events it hosts can generate lasting impact.Legacy in action
Flight Voluntary Carbon Offset Programme: At GSTC2024 Conference, STB and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council GSTC launched the Voluntary Carbon Offset Programme, empowering delegates to take direct responsibility for their travel emissions by offsetting their emissions through their airline’s carbon offset programme or Singapore Airlines’ voluntary carbon offset programme, which offers a seamless process using an in-built calculator. To incentivise participation, delegates who offset their emissions were rewarded with STB-sponsored SimplyGo public transport cards, encouraging them to explore Singapore sustainably – embedding sustainable action into the very experience of attending the conference.
What frameworks, tools or programmes are in place to support planners in delivering legacy outcomes? How do you measure and track legacy outcomes over time?
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) embeds legacy thinking early – beginning with the bidding process itself. Our bid proposals include legacy support information and case studies, giving associations a clear picture of what meaningful legacy looks like in practice and how Singapore can help them achieve it.
Once an event is secured, we engage organisers with our legacy toolkit, built around the FIRM framework: Frame the vision, Ideate initiatives, Realise action plans, and Measure impact. This structured approach ensures legacy outcomes are clearly defined from the outset and actively tracked over time – giving organisers the tools they need to deliver meaningful and lasting impact. It aligns with Singapore’s broader vision as a global Asia hub for MICE and business, where events serve as catalysts for positive change.
In a climate where ROI is under pressure, what is your message to planners on investing in legacy?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that legacy is a “nice to have” – and that only large-scale events can afford to pursue. In reality, legacy can be intentionally woven into any event, regardless of size or budget.
What planners should do differently is start the legacy conversation much earlier, not as an afterthought once the programme is set, but as a foundational part of the event's purpose and design. STB is ready to work with organisers to kickstart this process through our Legacy Toolkit.
Legacy in action
#BeansOnTheMenu campaign: At Pulses 25, the global gathering for the pulses industry, a year-long #BeansOnTheMenu Singapore campaign led by the Global Pulse Confederation and international advocacy group Beans is How. The campaign mobilised hotels, cafés, restaurants, schools and hospitals to incorporate pulse-based dishes on their menus, with participating food service providers committing to track uptake and share their experiences. This initiative aligned with Singapore's broader national priorities – from food security and public health to climate action and sustainability.
This story is part of M&C Asia’s April–June 2026 cover story exploring how business events across Asia Pacific are creating lasting legacy and impact. Click to read more from this issue._