I just happen to read an article that appeared in the Channel News Asia website. Singapore Tourism Board estimates that of the 13 million people who visited Singapore in 2011, one third of them did so to attend a business event. The current focus of the Board is to develop Singapore as a "lifestyle and business events hub".
A couple of the industry executives interviewed noted that Singapore faces a shortfall in manpower capability and just simply numbers. This is obviously something that is close to my heart. The MICE sector is definitely in need of large injections of well-trained business events professionals. Our regional competitors include major cities in Asean and North Asia. In many cases we are unable to compete on a price basis, given Singapore's relatively high cost of running events. However, our primary differentiator is capability and professionalism. If we lose this, we will face extremely difficult challenges.
So it has become critical for Singapore to further build on our MICE capabilities and to attract more young, well-trained individuals to enter the sector. There are amazing opportunities in the sector!
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