The Joint Leadership Summit (JLS) of four exhibition industry associations AEO, SACEOS, SISO, UFI will be held in Singapore, 5-7 October, and will bring government leaders and event organisers to the same table to chart a reopening roadmap for the region’s exhibition industry.
Located in the Fullerton Hotel, the summit will see the first in-person meeting, since the pandemic, of ASEAN government ministers, major global organisers, trade association leaders and tourism bureau chiefs.
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is supporting the event which will underline the value of exhibitions as vital economic drivers and a sustainable way of promoting and accelerating global commerce.
As the first international business event with fully vaccinated participants to be held in Singapore, the JLS will put forward a plan to restart business events in the region.
To prime the industry’s evolution through a new operating environment, the event will also witness the launch of the Asia CEO Summit @ Singapore, an annual dialogue for the regional exhibition industry taking place over three years from 2022 to 2024 in Singapore.
The October event is accredited with the SG SafeEvent Certification - a mark of assurance for event organisers in Singapore in upholding the highest standards of hygiene and safety management measures and best practices.
Aloysius Arlando, president of SACEOS, said: “As the global exhibition industry embarks on our next phase of recovery, there is a critical need for industry players and governments in the region to work together to restart business events in an endemic Covid-19 world. With exhibitions and business events brought to a standstill the past 18 months due to the pandemic, it is now time for the region to rebuild global connectivity and reopen inter- and intra-regional business travel. On that note, Singapore is adopting a calibrated and practical reopening strategy, with the JLS paving the way for the restart of exhibitions and business events not just locally, but regionally.”
Anbu Varathan, president of UFI added: “UFI's mission is to bring together the exhibition industry, those who build, maintain, and support the world’s market places. For too long, we have not been able to meet face-to-face to do what we do best - bring people together. The upcoming Joint Leadership Summit in Singapore is a significant milestone on the road to pandemic recovery. It demonstrates that through co-operation, we can safely and productively restart business events.”
Hervé Sedky, chair of SISO and president and CEO of Emerald, said: “SISO represents the leading for-profit show organising businesses around the world and as such has taken a major role in working with key partner organisations in advocating for the safe reopening of the exhibitions industry across the globe. This meeting of the leading industry associations is an important part of this ongoing advocacy mission. The SISO CEO Summit is known as an influential annual gathering in North America of the leaders of our industry. We now are planning to replicate this leading event for an Asia-Pacific region focused event.”
Carina Bauer, chair of AEO, and CEO of IMEX Group, said: “The UK is home to many of the largest independent exhibition and event organisers who operate across the world. One of our key functions is to provide these industry players with the perfect platform which brings them together to exchange ideas. For some time we have been seeking to build knowledge and develop relationships with leading exhibition and event organisers, and other stakeholders in the ASEAN region and have a unique opportunity to start this journey at the Joint Leadership Summit.”
Yap Chin Siang, deputy chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, added: “The Joint Leadership Summit and the launch of the Asia CEO Summit reflects Singapore’s strong standing as a Global-Asia node for MICE and business. While the pandemic has changed the way we work and travel, Singapore remains committed to strengthening existing partnerships while forging new ones.”
