Ong Wee Min, vice president of sales and MICE, Marina Bay Sands, speaking during the Autumn Showcase. Photo Credit: Natalie Chew
Marina Bay Sands’ annual Autumn Showcase kicked off with dazzling
display of colour and sound, as MICE industry stakeholders were treated
to a synergistic feast for the senses.
This event served to offer a preview of the venue’s latest
innovations and offerings, as well as trends in the coming year for
business delegates and guests:
Asia’s first event design lab to launch
Together with Marina Bay Sands, Event Design Collective will be
launching its event design lab at the end of the month – a first for
Asia. This space will provide event planners with workshops and training
opportunities, allowing participants to work with certified event
designers to effectively plan and design their upcoming events to be
held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
Using a visual chart and planning methodology created by Event Design
Collective, planners will be able to identify goals and pain points in
their event design process. Currently, over 90 Marina Bay Sands team
members have been certified with the programme.
Marina Bay Sands' pastry team presented a stunning Autumn-themed dessert table to showcase sweet and savoury offerings for groups and guests. Photo Credit: Marina Bay SandsASEAN’s culinary diversity under one roof
The ASEAN region has a diverse array of culinary offerings, and
Marina Bay Sands will be working with its staff to bring flavours from
all over the region into its meetings and events.
Part of this endeavour includes promoting Singapore’s UNESCO hawker
culture, by working with 12 of the city-state’s most famous hawkers
including Haig Road Putu Piring, Sing Swee Kee Chicken Rice, and Kway
Guan Huat Joochiat Popiah.
“We can do the food ourselves,,” said Ong. “But when you bring in the
hawkers and the stories behind their food, the food itself takes on a
totally different view, and it elevate the experience for our clients.”
Gamification takes events to next level
In a bid to boost visitorship to its partners around the Marina Bay,
Marina Bay Sands has partnered up with technology provider Gevme to
offer gamified experiences for groups and guests, encouraging bonding
and exploration around the Marina Bay precinct.
“No delegate comes to Singapore just for the conference; they come
for the experience,” shared Ong Wee Min, vice president of sales and
MICE, Marina Bay Sands. “Marina Bay has all these wonderful experiences
when we have international guests coming to Singapore, and [we felt] it
would be a waste not to leverage this.”
Using an app, delegates can join groups to take part in specific
challenges that see them traversing around the Marina Bay precinct for
gastronomical, cultural or fitness challenges.
With workshops like sound meditation and harmonious communication, THRIVE aims to help business delegates achieve better results in events. Photo Credit: Marina Bay SandsTHRIVE wellness initiative
Mental health and wellness have grown to become an integral part of
business events, and THRIVE, Marina Bay Sands’ new holistic suite of
intellectual, mental and physical wellness experiences for event
organisers and delegates, aims to offer guided experiences that will
allow participants to function at a higher level.
As a collaborative effort between Marina Bay Sands and
BEAMexperience, THRIVE offers workshops that run the gamut from sound
meditation to energy forecasting, balancing between physical and
intellectual experiences.
“We ask ourselves: ‘What will the meeting delegate of the future
want?’” said Ong. “It’s not just the ability to meet or network but also
to work on themselves. So, we work with partners like these to offer
programmes where they can find themselves in the moment and re-energise
at the end of an event.”