Singapore enhances incentive scheme supporting conferences

Support from a destination at its best: that is the BE in Singapore (BEIS) incentive scheme. It was launched by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau (SECB) – a group of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in August 2006. BEIS is an enabler which was established with the objective of assisting international business events organisers with the staging, expansion or strategic development of their business events in Singapore.

Singapore was recognised as "Asia's Top Convention City" for the tenth time by ICCA Global Rankings 2008 and ranked for the second consecutive
year, "Top International Meeting City" in the Union of International Associations (UIA) 2008 Global Rankings, surpassing the perennial favourites Paris, Brussels and Vienna.

Greater cost savings

Since the launch of the BEIS, over 600 business events have been supported through this scheme. Examples of key business events that the BEIS incentive programme has catalysed include Cityscape Asia, Singapore Airshow 2008, BioMedical Asia 2008, Singapore International Water Week, Carbon Forum Asia and ITB Asia.

In February 2009, the SECB announced a S$90 million initiative to help the tourism sector ride through the challenging global economic climate. Developed in consultation with industry leaders, the BOOST (Building On Opportunities to Strengthen Tourism) package includes an enhanced BEIS which will see the SECB defraying a higher proportion of events'project costs and providing a greater scope of funding support. This will translate into greater costs savings to conference organisers.

[NIEUWE_PAGINA]Beyond cost savings, the enhanced BEIS seeks to support events organisers in raising the competitiveness and positioning of their events. This includes a "Special Assistance Scheme for Value Events" (SAVE) under BEIS to assist smaller conventions and exhibitions maintain
or boost overseas marketing efforts.

Measures of support for Conventions & Exhibitions:

• Enhanced funding to defray a higher portion of event cost

• Expanded scope of qualifying cost to cover all project cost related to the event

• Support provided under Special Assistance Scheme for Value Events (SAVE) for smaller Conventions (minimum 150 VN) & Exhibitions (minimum 1,000 VN).

• Up to 70% of overseas marketing cost.

• Additional funding support for development of new components/content

• Additional funding support of up to 70% for top tier, international distinguished speakers for Conventions (minimum 3,000 VN) and Exhibitions (at least Approved International Fair tier)

• Alliance Development Scheme to encourage banding of at least 2 non-related industry players (at least 1 player to be a Singapore-registered entity) to form an alliance for overseas business development to promote/attract business events to Singapore. Support of up to 50% of overseas marketing cost

• Up to 70% support for the bidding cost of strategic events

• Additional funding support of up to 70% for event hosting fee