LEADERS of the meetings and conventions sector are urging firms here to close ranks and organise more joint events together to fight off competition from the region.
When doing this, they should pool staff, resources and funding and share organising duties so their events will offer better value to exhibitors, said Mr Edward Liu, who heads the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers.
He is also urging the Government to throw a funding lifeline to small- and medium-sized enterprises, so they can take part in trade shows more often and transact with foreign business visitors who come here for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions, or Mice.
Mr Liu was speaking on the sidelines of the International Exhibition Convention and Meeting Industry Event held yesterday.
The two-day conference, which ends today, has drawn over 130 participants from six countries.
Mr Liu's call comes just as those in the Mice sector are expecting a tough year ahead in the race for a slice of the Mice pie:
Cities like Bangkok and Hong Kong have been expanding venue spaces and been aggressively bidding to be show venues.
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
