Mr Richard Ireland, President, Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS)

Distinguished guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

Introduction

 

1    I am delighted to be back at the Singapore MICE Forum, and tonight’s Singapore MICE Awards (SMA) 2025. I truly believe in our MICE sector. When I first started in office, I was assigned the portfolio of the MICE sector. The MICE sector was a very different sector then – it was a very different environment during the depths of COVID-19, and the turnaround is really testament to all of your effort and talent.

 

2    This evening’s theme is “What’s Next?” But we also need to think about what is before us, “What’s Now”, “What’s New”, and then we think about “What’s Next?”.

 

3    I spoke briefly about what happened before us, and that is the challenges during the COVID-19 crisis. But let us now come to the present, and reflect on what is happening now. 

 

What’s Now

 

4     The global situation now is getting increasingly uncertain, with US tariffs, conflicts, wars and economic uncertainty. Now, more than ever before, Singapore must shine. The world must know that Singapore is a shining little red dot in a time of great uncertainty – a trusted place to do business and a trusted place to hold events. 

 

5    And all of you tonight are key to this effort. You have all played integral roles in making Singapore’s MICE industry world class. 

 

a. Thanks to you, we are Asia Pacific’s Top Meeting City – an accolade we have held for 22 years in a row. 

 

b. Last year, Singapore placed third in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Worldwide City Rankings. 

 

6    These are of course global recognitions, but what do they speak about our industry? These global recognitions have bolstered Singapore’s position as a leading MICE destination, with world-class infrastructure, our strategic geographical location, our people, and most importantly, our ability to organise. We want organisers to know that when you choose to hold your event in Singapore, you can be sure that we will do a fantastic job.  

 

7    These inherent traits, in good and uncertain times, like COVID-19 and now, are critically important. 

 

8    But it is not just important to get great at organising events and be recognised for it. Here in Singapore, we never ever rest on our laurels. We must always refresh our offerings. 

 

What’s New 

 

9    Which brings us from What’s Now to What’s New. Let me highlight a few new events that we can look forward to in our pipeline: 

 

a. First, Singapore will host the Asia edition of world-leading tradeshows, building on the success of their parent events in Europe. These include Passenger Terminal Expo Asia and Breakbulk Asia in 2026, and InnoTrans Asia in 2027. These are frontier shows covering growing industries such as aviation, logistics, and transport technology, areas that support Singapore’s economic industries and strengths. 

 

b. In addition to those shows, we will also host the SWIFT International Banking Operations Seminar (SIBOS) 2027. This further reinforces our status as a global financial hub, shaping the future of fintech, as well as economic collaboration. 

 

c. We recently secured rights to host the Milken Institute Asia Summit from 2026 to 2028. This again underscores Milken Institute’s confidence in Singapore’s ability to facilitate discussions on sensitive topics, such as geopolitical risks and economic uncertainties. 

 

d. The innate ability to attract these new events to Singapore is testament to our industry’s dedication to excellence and reputation. But as an industry, we know that we must continue to push the boundaries.  

 

What’s Next 

 

10    We now go from “what’s now?” to “what’s next?” What is next? We aim to grow MICE tourism receipts three-fold from S$1.4 billion in 2019 to S$4.5 billion by 2040. Why? Because we know that the global MICE market is projected to double in value, with the Asia Pacific region as one of the fastest growing markets globally. 

 

11    But to get there, we need to do a few things: 

 

a. First, we must focus on quality tourism. Quality tourism is a key principle that has shaped our Tourism 2040 (T2040) roadmap. We want to grow our tourism receipts faster than the rate of international visitor arrivals. 

 

i. As we pursue high-growth segments, our MICE industry has thus become increasingly more important. We are now intensifying efforts to attract more MICE visitors, who are estimated to spend twice as much as leisure visitors.

 

ii. As many of you are aware, we are also studying the development of a new MICE hub. 

 

b. The second is to focus on talent, not just young talent. People are at the heart of the MICE experience. Behind every successful MICE event are dedicated professionals who deliver these experiences. That is why we must continually identify, grow and develop talent for our industry. 

 

i. Tomorrow, the inaugural Singapore MICE Development (SMD) initiative will bring together over 600 registrants, comprising visitors, jobseekers and MICE companies, and young students from IHLs, ITEs, polytechnics and universities, to connect talent with opportunities that they are building in our MICE industry.

 

ii. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and SACEOS have co-launched BeInspiredSG, an event incubator and accelerator pilot programme to provide promising local event concepts with mentorship from industry veterans and professional consultancy services. This aims to lower barriers to launch, scale and anchor for new and innovative events in Singapore, and hopefully cultivate them into impactful international events. Engagements with potential concept owners have already begun, and we are on track to secure event concepts from key sectors such as the Applied Health Sciences and Mobility. We look forward to sharing their successes in due course. 

 

c. Third, focus on partnerships. Our MICE industry is one where if one succeeds, others succeed. The benefits to one part of our ecosystem can uplift the entire industry. That is why STB has been working with SACEOS and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) to bring our industry together.

 

i. In April this year, STB and SBF signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen our local MICE ecosystem and expand the pool of local hosts for Association Conferences. This includes identifying and supporting local trade associations to bid for and host world-class business events in Singapore. 

 

d. Finally, it is the focus on Green & Tech. First, Green. Last year, I spoke about raising our green ambitions. We have made progress since we launched our MICE Sustainability Roadmap in 2022. 

 

i. Last November, the Singapore MICE Sustainability (MSC) Framework attained global recognition from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). We are making steady progress towards our goal of having all six purpose-built MICE venues and 80 per cent of SACEOS members obtain internationally or nationally recognised sustainability certification. To date, four out of six MICE venues in Singapore have attained the relevant certifications. Our remaining venues are taking active steps to follow suit.

 

ii. On Tech – at the Singapore MICE Forum (SMF) earlier today, business leaders from different sectors got together, and spoke about how trends and innovations in the tech sector are shaping the future of how we organise business events. You are already using new digital tools to plan your events. I spoke to one of our members, and we talked about a very interesting example. It’s about STB’s collaboration with WeMeet. AGenAI-powered meeting planner called MeetSGwas launched on WeChat to streamline event planning for Chinese organisers, one of our key growth markets. 

 

12    There will no doubt be more green and tech applications as we explore and implement new concepts to further differentiate Singapore as a key MICE destination. 

 

13    We have spoken about What’s Now, What’s New and What’s Next for our MICE industry. The last part of my job this evening is to focus on the awards. 

 

14    What’s Now for the Awards. We are giving away awards to celebrate the spirit of enterprise and the excellence of our event organisers. 

 

15    What’s New for the Awards. We are introducing three new award categories today – the Association Event of the Year, Event Tech Application of the Year and LIVE Event of the Year. These awards reflect our industry’s growing emphasis on association-led events, technological innovation and the resurgence of live experience.

 

a. Spanning 16 award categories, we have received a record number of around 70 nominations, which is a strong signal of our MICE industry’s continued pursuit of excellence.

 

b. Notably, the Sustainability Award of the Year received the highest number of submissions, underscoring our industry’s growing commitment to driving sustainable practices. Thank you for raising the green bar. 

 

c. To honour this years’ winners, SACEOS collaborated with RISIS to design a newly reimagined trophy. Those who received the award for three consecutive years will receive a special trophy to celebrate their dedication and contributions.

 

16    Which now leads me to what’s next – to congratulate our award recipients and to honour you tonight. You represent the best of what Singapore’s MICE industry has to offer, and thank you all for putting Singapore on the map. 

 

17. Thank you and congratulations to all.