The Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) has launched a safety certification programme, as the city-state ushers in the return of events of more than 1,000 attendees.
To achieve the SG SafeEvents Certification, MICE and event companies must uphold a set of hygiene benchmarks and safe-distancing practices. These include having a risk management plan, documenting identified hazards and necessary control measures that have been implemented before and during events, having a cleaning and disinfection plan for venue operators, using contactless technology as well as implementing protocols to contain and manage emergency situations.
More details on the certification process and panel of certification bodies will be announced in May 2021 through an industry briefing, for which SACEOS is now accepting registrations of interest.
To ensure the certified standards are upheld at events, SG SafeEvent Ambassadors trained by SACEOS and the National Trades Union Congress Learning Hub will be deployed on-site. SACEOS aims to train a pool of 1,000 ambassadors by mid-2021, when more and larger events are expected. Currently, 700 trained ambassadors are ready to be mobilised.
Aloysius Arlando, president of SACEOS, said: “We are confident that this will help provide a competitive edge for Singapore as a MICE destination and our MICE enterprises as they re-think and re-calibrate their business operations for a Covid-safe marketplace.
“Adherence to the national standards provides a mark of assurance to the industry and the global community that events organised by certified organisers and suppliers, and held at certified venues, are recognised under the programme to be safe; and the health and well-being of all involved are managed with the utmost care and consideration.”
Announced at the Singapore Tourism Board’s Tourism Industry Conference, the SG SafeEvents Certification is based on Technical Reference (TR) 84, “Safe event management for the MICE and events industry”.
TR 84 is a paid guide that lists recommended best practices in hygiene and sanitisation, safe distancing and emergency management for business events, beyond the government-mandated Safe Management Measures.
It was developed by the Singapore Standards Council and overseen by Enterprise Singapore, and closely references the Events Industry Resilience Roadmap released by SACEOS in October 2020.
Director-general (quality & excellence) of Enterprise Singapore, Choy Sauw Kook, said: “The certification programme provides the added assurance that enterprises in the MICE and events industry have implemented the necessary measures to address and minimise any risk of Covid infection or its spread. TR 84 also lends confidence to overseas organisers holding large-scale events in Singapore when they know our enterprises adhere to best practices in developing customised hygiene, crowd management and emergency protocol systems.”
