World-class convention and exhibition centers
World-class convention and exhibition centers
Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Singapore offers event organizers an extensive choice of
state-of-the-art meeting and conference venues, with facilities
available not only at star-rated hotels but also at other
convention and exhibition centers.
At least 100 hotels operating in Singapore, mostly star-rated,
provide different-sized meeting and convention rooms to meet
customers' different needs.
The Carlton Hotel Singapore, The Grand Hyatt Singapore, The
Oriental Singapore, The Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel and the
Swissotel Stamford Singapore, for example, provide meeting rooms
for between 20 and 500 participants.
At the Carlton, business delegates can hold a meeting or
discussion in comfort at the Empress Ballroom, which recently
underwent a face-lift.
The hotel has established three new Victoria Rooms as part of
its refurbishment project. The elegant rooms are equipped with
sophisticated sound-systems and cordless microphones, making them
an ideal place to convene.
The hotel's elegant meeting venues are popular among
international business executives thanks to its high-speed
Internet and high-quality service.
Swissotel Stamford Singapore has the Raffles City Convention
Center, offering 6,503 square meters of meeting space in 27
meeting rooms of different sizes suitable for either meetings,
conferences or functions.
Larger convention and exhibition spaces can be found at the
Suntec Singapore International Exhibition and Convention Center,
the Singapore Expo and the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The centers feature the high-quality supporting equipment and
services needed for meetings, conferences, conventions,
exhibitions and other events. They are equipped with
sophisticated technology like audio-visual equipment,
videoconferencing, motorized projection screens, and slide and
film projectors. Most also have infrared simultaneous
interpretation systems to cater to several languages.
Speakers at a seminar or conference can take advantage of the
latest audio-visual equipment to enhance the quality and content
of their presentations and keynote addresses. Webcasting and
videoconferencing are enhanced with the venues' broadband IT
infrastructure.
Most of the centers also have theatrical and lighting effects,
telescopic seats and mobile stages.
High-speed Internet service is also available at the centers,
allowing participants, exhibitors and visitors instantly to
access their email accounts, surf the Internet, log onto a
corporate Intranet and demonstrate their products and services
via the Internet.
In addition to this sophisticated equipment, most of the
centers also feature restaurants, banquet rooms and event
catering. With large in-house kitchens, the centers can cater a
variety of events like cocktail receptions for product launches,
opening buffet luncheons for conferences or closing gala dinners
for exhibitions.
It is not surprising that the venues are not only popular for
meetings, conferences and exhibitions, but also for small and
large events, such as commercial shooting or filming,
competitions, tournaments, fashion shows, concerts, plays,
cultural performances, corporate events, examinations,
entertainment industry award presentations, festivals, public
forums and product launches.
Suntec Singapore is located close to the Central Business
District and is only 20 minutes by car from the Changi
International Airport.
Suntec Singapore, the first purpose-built convention and
exhibition center in the country, is at the heart of a self-
contained, totally integrated events infrastructure.
The venue has direct access to 5,200 hotel rooms, 1,000 retail
stores, 300 restaurants and Esplanade - Theater on The Bay,
Singapore's new center for the performing arts.
Opened in 1995, Suntec Singapore has 31 meeting rooms, four
convention halls, five exhibition halls, a multipurpose ballroom
and pre-function areas, and a 596-seat theater.
From a small meeting room able to seat 50 delegates theater-
style to a large convention hall able to seat 12,000 delegates
theater-style, the Suntec Singapore has it all. The center's
exhibition halls range from 3,890 square meters to 12,000 square
meters.
"There is an exhibition hall that covers 12,000 square meters
of space and can be subdivided into three small areas if
required," said Suntec Singapore's senior executive of marketing
communications, Karen Chan.
The center has a spiral ramp that allows 40-foot containers
direct two-way access to the convention and exhibition halls for
easy build-up and tear down.
Dedicated loading bays, material handling areas and cargo
lifts are available to ensure that exhibitors will have an
efficient move-in and move-out.
While Suntec Singapore is more popularly known as a venue for
large-scale international conventions, Singapore Expo is known as
the right venue for mega-trade exhibitions.
Opening its doors in 1999, Singapore Expo comprises 60,000
square meters of exhibition space in a series of column-free
halls that can be partitioned into smaller spaces. The center's
exhibition space is expected to total 100,000 square meters when
an additional four halls now under construction are ready for use
by November 2005.
The center houses meeting facilities, restaurants and retail
space, and is the largest of its kind in the region. It has six
exhibition halls, 10 conference halls and nine meeting rooms.
Singapore Expo is only five minutes from the Changi Airport
and close to an MRT station.
The center's six ground-level exhibition halls are
interconnected with retractable walls separating each hall. Each
column-free, air-conditioned hall can be further divided to host
smaller shows. A ceiling height of 10 meters to 16 meters allows
for easier setup.
"Our floor loading ensures that heavy machinery can be
exhibited safely," said Singex Venues Pte Ltd's marketing
communications executive, Joanne Chua Tingting.
Singapore Expo offers a dedicated service area along the rear
of the halls and 24 freight doors to give you direct access.
These allow for quick and easy turn-around for move-in operations
during shows, saving time and costs for show organizers.
Each exhibition hall is self-sufficient with an individual
meeting room. Power, water, telecommunications and compressed air
connections are available in service trenches six meters apart in
each exhibition hall.
Singapore Expo is equipped with newly launched tiered seating
and a mobile staging system that offers greater flexibility to
customers. "Event organizers are able to configure the seating
and staging during events exactly the way they want and not be
constrained by fixed infrastructure," Tingting said.
As part of its efforts to lure event organizers, Singapore
Expo is offering event packages catered to their needs. "Some of
the services we provide include F&B support, sound and lighting
and full-scale event planning," she said.
Singapore Expo has hosted a growing number of exhibitions,
conventions and events attracting some 10 million visitors over
the past six years.
Owned by the government of Singapore, the center is managed by
Singex Venues Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek
Holdings, one of the largest investment holding companies in
Singapore.