Major MICE events in Singapore, such as June’s Shangri-La Dialogue, August’s World Economic Forum (WEF), and November’s Bloomberg New Economy Forum will proceed as planned, according to The Straits Times.
Organisers have assured attendees that they will be prioritising health and safety measures, in response to increasing local infections and tighter restrictions in the city-state.
As part of the measures, the Singapore government has reduced event attendance limits from 750 to 250, and made pre-event testing compulsory for meetings with more than 100 people.
Although these restrictions are currently in place till May 30, conditions remain fluid and uncertain, and event organisers will have to review the options available based on the latest developments.
Other events like the World Cities Summit (WCS) – organised by the National Development Ministry’s Centre for Liveable Cities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority – will continue with scaled-down plans.
It was originally set to be held at the Marina Bay Sands’ Expo and Convention Centre from June 20-24, but instead, will take place with a mix of hybrid and fully virtual sessions from June 21-23, before a series of webinars from July to November.
Come year-end, the Bloomberg New Economy Forum from November 16 to 19 will gather government leaders and top businessmen, including Tesla boss Elon Musk, to discuss global challenges.
In December 2021, Singapore is also set to host its inaugural Global Esports Games (GEG), the flagship event of the Global Esports Federation. More than 400 international esports athletes from more than 80 countries and territories will be competing in Singapore in the multi-titled world championship.
GEG will be held annually in December, featuring multi-title esports competitions. GEFcon, a global convention, and the GEFestival, billed as a “dynamic celebration of inclusive esports culture”, will be held parallel to the Games.
Update: WEF announced its decision on May 17 to cancelled its event in Singapore. Its next annual meeting will be held in 1H2022, with no determined dates and location yet.
