MICE Organisers Can Now Apply For Business Events With Up To 250 Participants

The Singapore Tourism Board has recently announced that event organisers will be able to apply for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) events accommodating up to 250 participants from 1 October onwards. This move is a trial in Singapore’s safe reopening phase as a means to resume economic activities in the Events industry.

The local events industry has suffered tremendously since March this year as the government imposed tight restrictions in gatherings and social functions to minimize and control the spread of COVID-19. As such the industry has grinded to a halt since then as no events could be held at all. This includes personal and corporate type of events, from weddings to exhibitions.

It was only after Circuit Breaker that the government gradually allow gatherings to resume. Before this announcement was made, gatherings were allowed up to a maximum of 50 pax only. However, event organisers should also be cautioned that this is an opportunity to experiment with larger events, but not yet a green light but huge events to resume.

What Event/MICE Organisers Should Note

To be allowed to organise these large scale events, organisers must demonstrate the capability to implement safety measures such as crowd density control and infection control, pre and post event. Here’s a brief checklist from Singapore Tourism Board’s website:

1. Implement infection control measures for pre and post-event
2. Limit overall density of persons especially in enclosed areas
3. Limit opportunities for and number of close contacts between individuals
4. Ensure safe and clean enviroment for employees and participants
5. Prepare for any emergencies relating to Covid-19

Link to this list with more information can be found here.

Why Is This Important

Singapore’s events industry contributes to about 1 per cent of the local GDP, supporting about 34,000 jobs. Business travellers are also almost twice the quantity as leisure travellers, thus further contributing to the economy. In 2018, the MICE industry generated almost 3.8 billion for the country.