Early adopters, futurists, nation builders and an exciting curation of the city’s best MICE performers were celebrated at this year’s Singapore Tourism Awards.

Now onto their second year after rebranding, the prestigious awards recognise organisations and individuals who have played a part in delivering outstanding experiences to the MICE industry. The awards are organised annually by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

A focal point at this year’s ceremony was Janet Tan-Collis, who took home the Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award. With almost 40 years as the CEO at East West Executive Travellers, Tan-Collis is a one-of-a-kind talent who has helped move her industry, and her city, forward. In Tan-Collis’ own words: “Singapore has been my lifelong inspiration. I always take on a can-do spirit, to be the best that we can be, with no compromise on quality.”

When asked about her expectations for Singapore’s events industry, her outlook was optimistic: “The MICE landscape is ever-promising. The country has all the important infrastructure that businesses today count on—easy access by air, land and sea, safety and sustainability consciousness, a range of accommodation and meeting venues, F&B outlets, and many more pluses.”

Meanwhile, Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre took home the Best Business Event Venue Award, with judges praising the venue’s “conscientious creativity”, which helped transform existing facilities and spaces into a unique experience for clients, was “phenomenal”.

The Best Exhibition Organiser Award went to UBM SES for Food&HotelAsia 2016 (FHA2016), where the group unveiled a Halal supermarket, organised self-guided trails for attendees, and saw strong, steady growth in both exhibitors and visitors.

Using apps for event management is nothing new but PCO Ace:Daytons Direct International took this to the next level during Singapore MICE Forum (SMF) 2016, and subsequently took home this year’s Best Business Event Service Provider Award.

PMG Asia-Pacific nabbed the Best Meetings/Incentives Organiser Award for their work at Aruba APAC Atmosphere 2016, breaking a Guinness World Record for most selfies in a three-minute period in the process, and staging a Tech Playground with five industry-specific experience zones.

The Best Association Conference Organiser Award went to Kranji Countryside Association for their accomplishments at the 27th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference. KCA turned Singapore’s size into a strength, with delegates able to visit the four Kranji farms during the conference itself. Judges said KCA deserved to win for its perseverance and ingenuity.

The award for Best Trade Conference Organiser was granted to unbound for InnovFest unbound 2016. Delegates from over 50 countries gathered at the event, with close to 7,000 registered participants. Alongside keynote sessions and panel discussions, the organiser implemented a visually-impactful main stage and exhibition settings, a start-up pitch stage and corporate innovation programmes.

The awards for the Best Business Event Champions rightfully went to Erik Juul-Mortensen, president of the Tax Free World Association (TFWA), who was instrumental to Singapore securing the bid for TFWA Asia-Pacific Exhibition and Conference from 2018 to 2022, and Dr Chan Yew Weng, chairman of the World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (WCA) 2024 Bid Committee, who was a key driver in directing and winning Singapore’s bid to host WCA in 2024.

Take a look at the full list of winners and nominees below, and learn more about the awards at singaporetourismawards.com.

Original resources: cei.asia/gallery/singapores-mice-game-changers/…