Two business events, each with on-site attendance of up to 50 people, plus virtual attendance of many others, will take place in Singapore in the next two months.
If successful, this hybrid format could pave the way for more of such events to be held here, said the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) yesterday.
The two functions are the first business events involving physical gatherings to be held here since March, when all physical business-to-business (B2B) events, including meetings, conventions, exhibitions and trade shows, were put on hold as part of measures to contain the Covid-19 outbreak in Singapore.
Such hybrid events, with a mix of face-to-face and virtual interactions, are "likely to be the norm for business events in the near future", the board said.
It also said that as Singapore resumes economic activities, "STB is preparing for the calibrated and safe resumption of B2B events in the coming months".
"To do so, STB has developed a risk management framework for business events of up to 50 attendees, based on strict safe management measures," it added.
Under the Safe Business Event Risk Management Framework, event organisers must achieve five key outcomes.
They must have infection control measures for every stage of the journey of a person attending the event, limits on crowd density, limits on close contact between individuals, ensure a safe and clean environment, and prepare for emergencies related to Covid-19.
STB said the framework was created in consultation with the industry. It is also aligned with international best practices and takes into account lessons learnt in the last few months.
It will be trialled at the 2020 IEEE International Conference on Computational Electromagnetics from Aug 24 to 26, and the Asia Pacific MedTech Virtual Forum 2020 on Sept 24.
Both events will have online discussions, which are expected to draw a total of about 1,000 people.
Mr Gabriel Sim, director of strategic partnerships at APACMed, said it expects hybrid events to take off strongly.
But physical meetings continue to be important, he said, adding: "One of the key foundations of business events is the ability for attendees to connect, network and exchange views. Face-to-face meetings will remain a critical feature... and this is unlikely to be replaced fully by virtual elements.
STB said the two events were selected as pilots because their organisers have actively engaged event venues and STB to examine the safe management measures required.
STB added that it is working with Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers to formulate an Industry Resilience Road Map, to give the Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector further guidance in planning for recovery.
It will focus on establishing standards for new event safety measures, creating agile business models with a focus on digital capabilities, and developing pathways for professional development in the world after Covid-19.
Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said at a dialogue yesterday that Singapore will work with event organisers to have large-scale events that can be broken up into different parts and combined through technology.
Noting that the Mice industry forms a significant part of Singapore's inbound travel, he added: "Our opportunity is this - if we can do this well in Singapore, we will then show the way for the rest of the industry in other parts of the world to come together to work with us as well."
