- Singapore named 'Top International Meetings City' in the UIA 2009 Global Rankings for the third consecutive year.
- For the first time, Singapore ranks second in the 'Top International Meetings Country' category, up one spot from third postion in 2008.
- STB announces recent wins in the Meetings and Conventions sectors.
SINGAPORE, 24 August 2010 – Singapore has clinched the title of ‘Top International Meetings City’ for the third consecutive year, affirming Singapore’s standing as a leading business events destination, ahead of 1,653 cities.
Singapore has distinguished itself from the competition which had staged events that qualified for inclusion in the Union of International Associations (UIA)’s International Meetings Statistics 2009 report. Significantly, for the first time, Singapore also climbed a spot, from third position in the 2008 rankings, to be placed as the second ‘Top International Meetings Country’ out of 194 qualifying countries, behind the United States of America (USA) in first place and ahead of France. Furthermore, for the 26th consecutive year, Singapore remains both the top city and country to hold meetings in Asia.
“The Union of International Associations recognizes Singapore as an increasingly strong market leader in international associations meetings. This year's UIA Statistics Report reflects an impressive five-year growth trend. The UIA congratulates Singapore on the hard work and quality offerings that make such continued growth possible,” said Jacques de Mévius, Secretary-General of the UIA.
Singapore hosted 689 meetings in 2009 that met UIA’s qualifying criteria, representing a growth of 8 per cent over 2008. Key examples of these meetings include the Singapore International Energy Week 2009 (SIEW), the Singapore International Water Week 2009 (SIWW), APEC 2009, Congress of the World Federation of Hainanese Associations 2009, FDI Annual World Dental Congress 2009, the 78th Interpol General Assembly 2009, the Congress of the International Society for Vascular Behavioural & Cognitive Disorders, and the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) Congress 2009, all of which drew robust attendance.
"UIA’s accolade is a strong endorsement that underscores Singapore’s position as the world’s preferred business events destination. Our continued success can be attributed to sound business fundamentals and the unwavering support and hard work of our industry partners," commented Ms Aw Kah Peng, Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
"What is attractive to an event organiser is the fact that our city is constantly re-inventing itself and constantly innovating. This year, highlights include the two Integrated Resorts (IRs), and the beautiful Marina Bay which is now an integral part of the Singapore skyline. Singapore is an exciting, liveable global city with a dynamic pro-business environment built on knowledge and networks, and a concentration of business and leisure offerings that enable business event organizers to stage successful business events and customize fun and exciting experiences for their business and leisure needs."
Singapore’s Business Travel, and Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry continues to surge ahead with recent new wins. Thus far, from September 2010 to 2016, there will be a total of 160 association conferences with an expected attendance of more than 170,000 international delegates and participants. Key examples include the World Model United Nations (WorldMUN) 2011, Public Broadcasters International 2011, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Annual Conference 2012, the 13th International Conference of Associated research Centres for Urban Underground Space (ACUUS) 2012, 2013 International Congress on Ultrasonics, Asian-Pacific Congress on Computational Mechanics (APCOM) 2013, and the 8th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health 2016.
Said Melissa Ow, Assistant Chief Executive, Industry Development II Group, “Singapore’s pipeline of business events is a barometer of the health of the business events industry. There has been sustained growth in the number of international meetings held here over the years. This attests to Singapore’s ability to continually transform itself, anticipate and meet the evolving needs of business event organisers and delegates. As Singapore continues to undergo a dynamic transformation, we are confident that organisers will always find reasons to choose Singapore.”
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For more information on winning bids of significance, please refer to Annex 1. For information on upcoming events and developments in Singapore, please refer to Annex 2 and Annex 3. For more information on the UIA International Meeting Statistics, please refer to http://www.uia.be/stats and the UIA media release in Annex 4.
Notes to Editors:
1. Significance of place holding: Singapore’s place holding as second top country worldwide is a reflection of its strength as a meetings destination, as the city state held 6% of all meetings, while nearest rival Brussels held 3.4% of all meetings, yet Belgium placed sixth as a country with 4.1% of all meetings.
a. Whilst the USA (9.4% of all meetings) placed first in the country rankings, none of their cities gained a top ten ranking.
b. Singapore’s closest competitor is Paris (2.8%), France (5.5%), as both ranked third place in the city and country rankings.
About the Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is a leading economic development agency in tourism, one of Singapore’s key service sectors. Known for partnership, innovation and excellence, the Board champions tourism and builds it into a key economic driver for Singapore. STB aims to differentiate and market Singapore as a must-visit destination offering enriching experiences through the “YourSingapore” brand. For more information, please visit www.stb.gov.sg
About the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau
The Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB), part of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), is the lead government agency for the business events sector in Singapore. Its mission is to champion business travel and business events as key drivers of the tourism sector and enablers for cluster growth in Singapore. It also assists business event organisers, corporations and associations by providing comprehensive and impartial information on Singapore’s MICE facilities, incentive venues and industry partners. The SECB is a member of the BestCities Global Alliance, the world’s first and only convention bureau alliance with eight partners in five continents.