Photo Credit: National Arts Council
Marina Bay Sands (MBS) is taking a bold step to showcase Singapore's
cultural identity beyond its renowned cuisine. As part of a wider
three-year partnership with the National Arts Council (NAC), MBS aims to
transform its spaces into a living canvas for local arts, with a
particular focus on homegrown music.
The centrepiece of this initiative is "I Play SG Music", a
collaboration with local music portal Hear65 that will introduce a
playlist of Singaporean music throughout MBS's venues and public areas.
This move marks a shift from traditional cultural showcases, expanding
the sensory experience for visitors to business events at the iconic
venue.
“We all talk about authenticity and how local food could tell our
story. Music is a perfect showcase of who we are as a nation, as a
people, as a culture. We want to leverage our space and events as a
canvas to showcase to Singapore,” said Ong Wee Min, vice president of
conventions & exhibitions, Marina Bay Sands, at the launch of the
initiative during Singapore MICE Forum this week.
Ong emphasised the potential of MBS's vast reach, hosting 2,400
events and 1.4 million delegates annually. “I hope every event organiser
will use all of our events in Singapore as a music canvas to promote,
showcase and innovate Singapore culture.”
Lynette Pang, deputy chief executive of the National Arts Council,
highlighted the importance of this business-arts collaboration: “The
interface between business and the arts is so critical. We look forward
to more partnerships where commercial businesses and enterprises can
come forward, lend their expertise, their resources and their
capabilities.”