Lifting of VDS for Mice events reduces manpower cost, brings in foreign attendees

SINGAPORE - The lifting of vaccination-differentiated safe management measures (VDS) for events with more than 500 participants has led to more planning visits and site inspections by Mice event organisers - interactions that should result in more contracts being signed, the Singapore Tourism Board said.

This should add to the pipeline of Mice events for the rest of 2022 and 2023, accelerating the restoration of a sector which before the Covid-19 pandemic had accounted for 0.8 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product and supported more than 34,000 jobs.

Mice refers to meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.

Organisers said the lifting of VDS will ease manpower constraints and reduce costs, sometimes by as much as 50 per cent.

More importantly, it gives peace of mind to foreign participants - particularly those from countries with lower vaccination numbers - who before this had to authenticate their vaccination status or could not attend shows at all.

The Ministry of Health, in lifting VDS from Oct 10, said there is no longer a need to count the number of shots and boosters each individual has received, with the coronavirus now endemic.

It was one of the last of Singapore's Covid-19 restrictions to go, after the bulk of rules, including the need to mask up in most settings, were dropped in late August.

Ms Elaine Chia, Asia-Pacific chief executive of event organiser Comexposium, said the need for manual screening of participants' vaccination status increased direct costs of all labour by 40 per cent to 50 per cent.

This was particularly the case for events where there was a higher percentage of foreign participants, whose vaccine certification may be confusing.

She added that organisers can now confidently expect a higher turnout.

"Many who were vaccinated were dissuaded to travel by lengthy VDS procedures to prove they were vaccinated. It was a hassle to attend a show," she said.

"Most regional countries have lower vaccination numbers per capita and Singapore relies on a sizeable proportion of regional attendees to its events."

Mr James Boey, a senior-vice president at organiser Constellar, said the removal of VDS will "certainly help minimise operational costs".

He cited both manpower and equipment needed for vaccination status checks.

"More importantly, it makes for a better visitor experience without further delay to the entry process."

The Mice sector had been recovering quickly even before the latest easing of measures, with bugbears like group size limits and dining restrictions having been removed by April.

The recent Formula One Singapore Grand Prix recorded the highest attendance in the race's 13-year history even with VDS, attracting 302,000 fans over three days.

Mr Richard Ireland, president of the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers, said the reopening of Mice events is now in full swing, and that the industry has never been in a stronger position to rebound to pre-pandemic levels.

Organisers can decide whether they still want to mandate masks or check vaccination status.

"The resumption of large-scale Mice events was always going to be a phased and calibrated approach," Mr Ireland said. "We are confident that the safety of all attendees has always been and will continue to be the top priority for our industry players."