Marina Bay Sands has geared up for its busiest MICE month ever as it hosts 13 tradeshows and several key conferences in the month of October.
The 13 tradeshows - approximately four times the monthly average since Sands Expo and Convention Center opened in April 2010 - will attract up to an estimated 46,000 delegates from industries as diverse as architecture, property, travel and hospitality as well as energy.
This comes as Sands Expo and Convention Center was awarded the coveted 'Best Business Event Venue Experience' award at the annual Singapore Experience Awards on Monday evening. The annual award ceremony is organized by the Singapore Tourism Board to recognize companies and individuals who create positive experiences for visitors to Singapore. This marks the first time that the integrated resort has won this award.
Kicking off its flurry of events in October was the recently concluded 5th World Architecture Festival, which welcomed over 1,500 international architects over 3-5 October in celebration of architectural excellence from across the globe. The prestigious show was held in Asia for the first time, having been staged in Barcelona since its inception.
Other new-to-Singapore exhibitions taking place at Marina Bay Sands include the inaugural 100% Design, Houses of Worship Technologies for Asia, GAS Asia Summit, as well as the prestigious SkyBridge Capital's SkyBridge Alternatives Conference (SALT), a new add-on to the largest US annual hedge-fund festival. Singapore beat four other cities, including Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai, to host this conference, which will see luminaries such as former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, gather at Marina Bay Sands this week.
Mr John Mims, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Resort Marketing Asia, Las Vegas Sands Corp. said: "October marks a milestone for us as our team builds on the MICE momentum since we opened in April 2010. We have the honor of welcoming several new-to-Singapore shows that have chosen to debut at Marina Bay Sands, including the highly-anticipated SALT conference. Winning the 'Best Business Event Venue Experience' award isa great testament to our successful teamwork. It also highlights the growing dominance of Marina Bay Sands in the minds of event organizers from around the world when they look for an iconic location in Asia to hold their world-class events."
To date, Marina Bay Sands has sealed over 6,000 event deals which will bring over 1.9 million visitors to the property. Returning shows for October include Build Eco Xpo (BEX) Asia, a trade show for the green building sector; APVIA Photo Voltaic (PV) Asia Pacific Expo 2012, which features solar and PV energy; as well as ASTD (American Society for Training & Development)-STADA (Singapore Training & Development Association) Asia Pacific Conference 2012, which focuses on human capital.
The world's top tourism leaders and travel professionals are also gathering at Marina Bay Sands for the annual TravelRave 2012 from 15-19 October. Five of the eight TravelRave events will be held here. They are:
- Hotel Technology Conference
- Tourism Destination Investment Conference Asia
- Web in Travel Conference Asia
- Aviation Outlook Asia conference
- ITB Asia 2012
Held for the first time at Marina Bay Sands, ITB Asia 2012 will attract an estimated 10,000 visitors throughout its duration. The annual show will feature several conferences, panel discussions, networking sessions and an expo for Asia Pacific's leading travel companies, emerging small and medium-sized travel enterprises and top international buyers from the MICE, Leisure and Corporate Travel markets. One of its highlights is an exclusive get-together hosted by Marina Bay Sands for VIP guests on the Sands SkyPark.
2012 marks the first year that Singapore International Energy Week will take place at Marina Bay Sands. Involving about 8,000 visitors and running from 22-25 October, the event will consist of conferences and a tradeshow, with several other ongoing exhibitions including:
- Asia Smart Grid 2012/Asia Future Energy Forum & Exhibition
- APVIA PV Asia Pacific Expo 2012
- EMART Asia 2012
- Downstream Asia
- Gas Asia Summit
With 120,000 square meters of MICE space across six expo halls and 250 meeting rooms, Sands Expo and Convention Center has proven its mettle in delivering a diverse spread of events. Its expo halls have been converted into sporting arenas for large-scale wushu,archery, fencing and boxing showcase matches as well as an enchanting botanical garden for the World Orchid Conference last November. The very same halls transformed into a series of inspiring art galleries for both ArtStage 2011 and 2012 and fashion showcases during Men?s Fashion Week in 2011 and 2012.
Marina Bay Sands has also been the venue of choice for a stellar line-up of brand new shows, including Art Stage Singapore 2011, Cruise Shipping Asia 2011, Asia Expo 2011, IFAI Expo Asia 2011, Men?s Fashion Week, Women?s Fashion Week, Aesthetics Asia and WasteMET Asia 2012.
About Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd Marina Bay Sands is the leading business, leisure and entertainment destination in Asia. It features large and flexible convention and exhibition facilities, 2,560 hotel rooms and suites, the rooftop Sands SkyPark, the best shopping mall in Asia, world-class celebrity chef restaurants and an outdoor event plaza. Its two theaters showcase a range of leading entertainment performances including world-renowned Broadway shows. Completing the line-up of attractions is ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands which plays host to permanent and marquee exhibitions. For more information, please visit www.marinabaysands.com