2,500 to attend largest trade show since Covid-19 pandemic
Another 5,000 will take part virtually in the third of such pilot events
Some 2,500 in-person business visitors, delegates and exhibitors will gather over three days for a trade show at Marina Bay Sands from June 30, in the largest such pilot since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Organised by Conference and Exhibition Management Services (CEMS), the Architecture & Building Services event will have double the number of in-person attendees compared with the first two pilot large-scale meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) events. There were about 1,000 in-person participants over two days at Geo Connect Asia, which was held last month, and TravelRevive, held last November.
All three events were organised under the newly developed hybrid event trade show prototype for safe business events, safe itineraries and digital enabler tools, as part of a collaboration under one of the Emerging Stronger Taskforce's Alliance for Action groups.
Another 5,000 virtual attendees are expected at the latest event, which focuses on the built environment and its related sectors, such as safety and facilities management.
The 11,620 sq m exhibition space will be divided into four zones, with four rotating groups, containing 50 people each, spending about 30 minutes in each zone.
Another batch, consisting of another four groups, will enter the exhibition hall after the previous batch completes the two-hour process, with four batches a day.
Technology will also be used to ensure that guests comply with safe management measures. Robots will be deployed, including at the entrances of the exhibition halls, to record the SafeEntry of guests and conduct temperature screening.
CEMS managing director Edward Liu said the company is in talks with local technology companies Viatick and Trakomatic to provide solutions used at previous events, such as a Bluetooth-tracking dongle used to flag unauthorised interactions between participants from different zones.
In line with the new regulations announced last month by the Ministry of Health, from April 24, those going to Mice events with more than 250 attendees will have to undergo pre-event testing.
Local vaccinated attendees who have had time to develop sufficient protection will not have to be tested.
The Mice industry supports more than 34,000 jobs with an economic value add of $3.8 billion, or nearly 1 per cent of gross domestic product, according to a survey commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board in 2019. Mice business travellers are also high-yield visitors who boost spending in the lifestyle and hospitality sectors.
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