The Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS) is walking the technology talk with their latest slate of partnerships that aim to raise the digital quotient of the MICE trade.
At the sidelines of the Singapore MICE Forum 2019 last Thursday, SACEOS inked two MOUs – the first with data intelligence arm Alibaba Cloud, and the second with local trade technology association SGTech. A third agreement is in the works with Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent.
Under the agreement with Alibaba Cloud, both SACEOS and Alibaba will work together to offer training in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud technology. The two parties will also explore hosting training workshops for SACEOS members to improve technology competencies that can transform their businesses.
On the leisure traveller front, Alibaba Cloud will connect Singapore hospitality industries with the Alibaba ecosystem, and with it millions of potential Chinese customers to drive arrivals and spending. This will benefit hotels and resorts, restaurants and retail companies as they can build and launch mini programmes into Alibaba’s ecosystem. This is in addition to the three-year MoU signed with the Singapore Tourism Board signed in April.
Derek Wang, general manager, Singapore, Alibaba Cloud, shared: “We understand the opportunities technologies can create for the MICE industry. Our partnership with SACEOS is an extension of our partnership with hospitality and tourism sectors of Singapore as a whole.
“We will work closely with SACEOS and its members to demonstrate real world examples on how technology innovations can not only improve the industry’s digital transformation, but also (its) bottom lines.”
Additionally, SACEOS has joined forces with SGTech in a mutually beneficial partnership that will see the two associations organising trade forums to increase cross-industry exchange.
SGTech comprises more than 800 members spanning innovative start-ups, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and multinational corporations that have adopted technological solutions.
SACEOS’ president Aloysius Arlando told TTGmice: “With SGTech having the who’s whos in the IT industry, we are looking at how our members can benefit from each other’s programmes. SGTech has a whole spectrum of solutions and capabilities – and we are the best industry to apply these.
“This will serve as a basis for us to look at how events can be a truly engaging platform that can help to continue conversations beyond events. We will have to look at how physical and digital platforms interplay.”
