The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy's (LKYSPP) Asia Thinker Series - its thought leadership forums with academic experts, policymakers and business leaders - was launched as an online event in March.

The webinars featured prominent speakers such as Professor Jeannette R. Ickovics, dean of faculty and professor of social sciences at Yale-NUS College, and LKYSPP's founding dean, Professor Kishore Mahbubani.

The sessions, streamed via Facebook Live, attracted viewers from Asean states, India, Japan, South America, Africa and Europe.

The school is now working to launch a second virtual series and is considering feedback from its Chinese viewers to launch the sessions on WeChat in Mandarin.

LKYSPP's efforts during the pandemic allowed the school to continue to provide a platform for dialogue, and widen its reach at the same time.

Singapore's strategic location in the heart of Asia makes it the ideal destination for regional summits and conferences. But it also means institutions must stay abreast of developments, and adapt and innovate to offer the most engaging conversations, accurate insights and latest knowledge to allow participants to flourish.

However, hosting virtual-only events may not be the way to go.

Ms Tracy Lee, who heads the external affairs and marketing team at LKYSPP, noted that thought leadership events can be translated easily online. However, she said it "can complement but not completely replace a physical event as some events are more sensory, especially those that require showcase or networking".

Besides established forums, Singapore also hosts some of the world's best-known events here.

The inaugural Gamescom Asia, an offshoot of Germany's Gamescom, which is one of the world's largest gaming events, was to take place here from Oct 15 to 18, but has now been pushed to October next year.