In the wake of Covid-19, entrepreneurs Samuel Lim and Vincent Lim redesigned the event experience for the digital realm. Photo Credit: The Blue Pocket
Event entrepreneurs, Samuel Lim and Vincent Lim, utilised quick thinking and collaboration to push through the pandemic in 2020 — but this wasn’t the first time they had defied the odds. Despite humble beginnings, the pair launched their very own event management business, The Blue Pocket, in Singapore back in 2015.
Initially focused on lifestyle events and brand activations in malls and airports, the business expanded organically into MICE, where the duo managed B2B events and international incentive travel programmes for major luxury brands.
“We cross-pollinate skills and tap on the expertise of our vendors to bring an unconventional approach to MICE,” Lim explained. “We have great mentors who’ve guided us along the way, but we know there’s so much more to learn.”
In the wake of Covid-19, the team came together to redesign the event experience for the digital realm. This included running hybrid retail activations for the domestic market in Singapore, where gamified activities supported by digital content drove foot traffic into malls.
This soon gave way to hybrid business events, and The Blue Pocket supported a number of Singapore’s larger MICE players in several of the island’s hybrid event pilots.
Despite the steep learning curve, the duo took digital transformation in their stride and embraced a never-give-up attitude.
Now, they’re developing virtual event and e-commerce platforms, and have also delivered a series of webinars. “We’re also hiring developers in Vietnam and Indonesia to build a virtual B2C expo.”
With a team of six, the co-founders have adopted an agile business model, often tapping their network to expand and contract when needed.
“We’re constantly bouncing ideas with our mentors and clients. During this period we all came together as partners. We learned to share knowledge and support each other, which has made our partnership stronger,” they said.
“Being an entrepreneur usually means longer hours and less family time as we have to wear all the hats — but the satisfaction you receive when a client or end-user is happy, that’s something money can’t buy.”