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[SINGAPORE] A new hub for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) in the downtown area could be in the works, as Singapore aims to capture a larger share of the valuable sector.

Grace Fu, the minister in charge of trade relations, said at the annual Tourism Industry Conference on Friday (Apr 11): “To boost Singapore’s global competitiveness, we are studying the development of a new Mice hub in the downtown area of Singapore that can leverage the synergies of existing Mice venues and attractions located in the city.”

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) aims to treble tourism receipts contributed by the Mice sector by 2040.

On average, a Mice visitor spends twice as much as a leisure tourist, making it “an exceptionally valuable segment” for Singapore, pointed out Fu. “With the global Mice sector expected to double in value over the coming decade, and the Asia-Pacific being one of the fastest growing markets, Singapore is well-positioned to capture a larger share of Mice visitors,” she added.

Addressing the media, STB’s chief executive Melissa Ow said that while Singapore is in a “great competitive position to vie for more Mice business”, it needs to future-proof its infrastructure supply and ensure that the sector has the right capabilities.

Ong Huey Hong, assistant chief executive of STB’s Industry Development Group and chief sustainability officer, said that the new Mice hub aims to cater to future demand for events, and to serve the needs of delegates who want to engage in “bleisure” – a blend of business and leisure travel, she added.

The venue is expected to provide large-scale Mice expo spaces that can leverage existing and upcoming amenities, including hotels and lifestyle experiences. It will be located downtown, an area encompassing the Orchard and Marina Bay areas and the Civic District, and be connected to MRT stations and current Mice facilities, noted Ong.

“For businesses in the vicinity, the hub is expected to generate increased footfall and create new opportunities through the regular influx of quality business visitors,” she explained. “This would contribute to a vibrant business ecosystem that benefits both Mice operators and surrounding local establishments.”

Ong added that STB hopes to get the new hub up and running by 2040.

The Business Times understands that the STB had in February engaged with private-sector players to suss out interest and industry concerns in the events business.

Ow said: “I think we will have to consider whether there is sufficient physical space, but more importantly, it’s also about making sure that whatever venue infrastructure that we build for the future is versatile and multi-functional enough for different formats.” For instance, she noted, many Mice events have moved from being a singular conference into a hybrid format. “The likes of the tech infrastructure and hardware needs to be in place to fully support the evolution of event formats.”

Singapore has about 200,000 square metres (sq m) of gross exhibition space across six purpose-built venues, three of which are downtown. They are the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, and the Raffles City Convention Centre.

The new hub is expected to host events that tap into Singapore’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, technology and lifestyle, added STB’s Ong.

The Mice sector contributes about 4 per cent to Singapore’s tourism receipts, with the tourism board targeting an increase to roughly 10 per cent by 2040.

The city-state is also looking beyond purpose-built venues. Leisure and lifestyle spaces, such as attractions and entertainment venues, can also be transformed into “unconventional Mice venues that showcase a different side of Singapore” to Mice visitors, STB told BT. Such venues include Gardens by the Bay, Marquee Singapore at Marina Bay Sands (a multi-concept dining and entertainment destination), the Singapore Flyer and New Bahru (a collection of lifestyle businesses).

Another example could be the Jewel mall at Changi Airport. BT notes that in March, US media group CNBC had booked the top floor of Jewel for a conference, hosting well-known names in the tech and investment spheres, billed as a “global gathering of visionaries and entrepreneurs shaping the future of business”. Speakers at the event included the founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates Ray Dalio, Alibaba’s co-founder Joe Tsai, DBS’ chief executive Tan Su Shan and Salesforce chair Marc Benioff.

That two-day conference pointed to the possibilities of holding such events at the mall. Jewel has more than 4,000 sq m of dedicated event space, including that top-floor space called Cloud9 Piazza; it also has the 3,000 sq m Changi Experience Studio, the Valley View Private Suite and the Changi Lounge Meeting Room.

In similar vein, apart from the 11 dedicated event spaces, Gardens by the Bay’s attractions such as Floral Fantasy, OCBC Skyway and Supertree Observatory can be converted into venues for Mice events, said its senior director of business development and sustainability office, Addison Goh.

He added that occupancy for both indoor and outdoor venue spaces has been rising, with close to 80 per cent take-up in 2024. The group has also received queries from overseas associations and conventions requesting for dates up to 2027.

“Given the bullish interest… in the works is a brand-new black box concept exhibition space, the recently announced IMBA Theatre. When ready, the more than 6,000 sq m floorplate building will contain venue spaces that can play host to Mice events against the backdrop of immersive arts and cultural experiences,” noted Goh.

STB’s Ow said at the conference: “Anchoring key Mice events will further deepen our connection to priority industries, enable us to grow our economic heft by convening influential actors and thought leaders in Singapore.”

This year’s line-up include the Semicon South-east Asia conference, to be held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre in May. More than 18,000 C-suite semiconductor professionals are expected to attend the event. In November, the World Robot Olympiad International Finals will be held at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, and host 7,000 delegates.

Events have been lined up for the coming years: In 2026, Singapore will host 25,000 visitors at its largest meeting and incentive travel event, Herbalife Extravaganza. The first Asia-Pacific edition of the passenger terminal exhibition and conference, Passenger Terminal Expo Asia, will also be held in Singapore next year, with 3,500 aviation leaders expected. In 2027, the city-state will host global financial services conference Sibos, with 7,000 delegates to gather. The Aida World Insurance Congress takes place in 2031, and the 22nd World Conference for Non-Destructive Testing, the year after.

Tourism chief Ow said in her speech that STB will collaborate with tourism partners, such as the Singapore Business Federation and the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers, to further grow the Mice industry. It will also defray local stakeholders’ business development costs to pursue Mice leads under an incentive scheme, as well as encourage Mice players to apply for funding that covers marketing and production costs.

While Ow pointed out that it is still too early to ascertain the impact of macroeconomic uncertainty on Singapore’s tourism sector, she remains positive on the range of markets visitors hail from and the line-up of events. “Even as we look to at the immediate year with caution and optimism, I think more importantly, we need to keep an eye out for the long-term prospects and how travel and tourism has proven that it remains one of the most resilient sectors,” she added.