"Have you eaten yet?” From street corners to boardrooms, this is the familiar greeting exchanged across Singapore. A nation of foodies, few topics ignite more passionate debate than what’s on the menu.
As Singapore celebrates its golden jubilee, marking 50 years of independence, the island nation’s rich culinary traditions are a proud reminder of its multicultural heritage; where Chinese, Malaysian, Indian and European influences play a starring role.
“Singapore has managed to artfully blend the best of the old with the new and maintain its soul,” says Singapore Tourism Board area director northern and western Europe, Jonathan Loh.
For exhibition and conference organisers, the country’s thriving food culture is a marketable point of difference.
“In 2013, the inaugural World Street Food Congress took place in Singapore and this continues to bring together street-food chefs and their specialities from around the world,” Loh says.
Meanwhile, the World Gourmet Summit, held in April, is an epicurean platform to showcase the skills of chefs and vintners.
Add to the mix Singapore’s status as a gateway to Asia and organisers can benefit from access to four billion people within a seven-hour flight radius, including the fast-growing Asia Pacific markets of China, India and ASEAN, Loh adds.
He credits the country’s vibrant knowledge, wide networks, ease of doing business and sense of fun, with its competitive edge within the international exhibition market.
Eating is known to be a national hobby
And Singapore’s MICE industry has a growing list of awards to prove it. Among a cache of international accolades, the country was named the World’s Easiest Place to do Business for the eighth consecutive year by the World Bank in its 2014 Doing Business report.
Last year, the country maintained its ICCA Global Ranking as Asia’s Top Convention City for the 13th consecutive year.
For small-scale exhibitions and events, hotels remain a cost-effective and flexible option and here Singapore doesn’t disappoint, with options including The Fullerton Hotel, Raffles Hotel, The Fairmont, Grand Hyatt, and Raffles City Convention Centre.
At the other end of the scale is the striking Marina Bay Sands integrated resort. Launched in 2010, the city’s largest hotel complex features 2,561 rooms, 15,000sqm of gaming area and 120,000sqm of flexible space at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
Marina Bay Sands vice president of sales, Mike Lee, says the complex has attracted more than 380 new-to-Singapore MICE events since its launch, including the 8,000-delegate Interpol World 2015.
A growing demand for sustainable dining options prompted the resort, which has ISO 20121 certification, to launch its Harvest Menu option, Lee says.
“More clients are requesting green menus, with the aim of reducing their event’s carbon footprint,” Lee says. “This is in line with our sustainability push in all areas of our integrated resort.”
From 20-person meetings to 7,000-delegate exhibitions and conferences, demand for the menus, which focus on locally or regionally sourced ingredients, has increased year-on-year.
“Many clients also request to glam up their menus with a celebrity chef component,” Lee says of the resort’s 60 dining options, which include nine celebrity chef restaurants.
“Although Singapore continues to set the pace as the key MICE destination in Asia, the MICE industry in the region continues to expand at a rapid pace. Malaysia and Thailand are stepping up their game,” Lee says.
SingEx Holdings chief executive, Aloysius Arlando, says the Singapore Tourism Board’s MICE 2020 Roadmap is a “shot in the arm” for the industry.
Developed in consultation with more than 200 MICE executives, the board’s plan focuses on playing to Singapore’s strengths, while generating greater value for visitors and organisers.
“The local industry also has to manage the ongoing difficulties posted by increasing costs, manpower crunch, infrastructure constraints during peak season as well as clients’ evolving demand for quality, expectations of value and tighter budgets,” Arlando says.
Singapore Expo, and its convention wing MAX Atria, is focused on attracting new-to-market events to its 10 exhibition halls, spaning more than 100,000sqm. Recent wins including Last Mile Fulfilment Asia, the World Rubber Summit and RadiologyAsia.
Requests from MICE organisers for bespoke menus infused with local flavours, such as chilli crab and laksa, are on the rise. Meanwhile,
Arlando’s team is also fielding more requests for gluten-free, vegetarian and halal certified meals.
“Eating is known to be a national hobby,” says Arlando. “In this cosmopolitan society, the country is the classic example of cultural diffusion; from hawker centres offering local delicacies to high-end restaurants serving international delights.”
On Singapore’s National Day, August 9, all eyes will be on the world’s largest high-definition video wall at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. The complex is offering a free simulcast of Singapore’s National Day Celebrations.
The complex re-opened in 2012 after closing for a year-long S$184m (US$134m) renovation.
Connectivity is a highlight of the upgraded centre, which features free wifi that can sustain 6,000 simultaneous connections throughout the centre, according to chief executive Arun Madhok.
Renovations focused on creating flexible spaces, with moveable walls, to cater for an increase in confex events.
“We’ve seen a lot of changes over 20 years,” Medoc says. “People are more discerning in getting exactly the experience they are looking for.”
Eat Streets: Top tips from SingEx’s Aloysius Arlando
Insiders’ choice
“A unanimous hit among our staff is the Bedok Hawker Centre, just a five-minute drive from Singapore Expo. It is the perfect choice for visitors who crave authentic local hawker fare, while avoiding the usual tourist traps.”
Decadent dining
“My recent dining experience with a group of clients at Salt Grill and Sky Bar was really outstanding as celebrity chef Luke Mangan pampered us with his signature dishes, set against the breathtaking Singapore skyline view.”
Dessert safari: a confex culinary adventure
Organisers’ growing appetite for confex format events inspired an award-winning catering experiment at Suntec Singapore... Read more
