The several initiatives launched will lead to a more sustainable and impactful business events industry in the Lion City.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched several initiatives to raise sustainability standards across the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry and to reinforce its position as the ‘World’s Best MICE City’.
In a concerted effort to pave the way for a greener and more sustainable future for MICE events, STB launched its Legacy Toolkit, a Singapore MICE Industry Carbon and Waste Baselining Study and announced its ambition for carbon neutral participation at international tradeshows.
“Since the launch of the MICE Sustainability Roadmap in 2022, the Singapore Tourism Board has remained steadfast in our commitment to fostering a more sustainable and impactful MICE industry. We are pleased to share that the initiatives we unveil today will not only steer the MICE industry towards a more sustainable future, but also provide tangible ways in which event organisers and planners can make meaningful, lasting impact in Singapore. We will continue to collaborate with stakeholders and uphold our ambition to be the World’s Best MICE City,” said Mr Yap Chin Siang, Deputy Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board.
Empowering event organisers with a Legacy Toolkit The ‘World’s Best MICE City’ global positioning campaign launched in March 2024 aims to strengthen Singapore’s pioneering role as a sustainable MICE destination and ensure that business events can leave a positive and lasting impact.
Singapore is committed to supporting the impact ambitions of events by inviting event organisers and planners to co-create business events that yield meaningful outcomes.
The legacy toolkit, designed to assist stakeholders to understand legacy and impact and embark on creating their own, contains a clear framework titled ‘FIRM’.
The toolkit encourages planners to Frame their vision, Ideate their initiatives, Realise action plans and Measure impact. It also contains case studies to inspire legacy possibilities in Singapore. The legacy planning process aims to foster greater engagement between event organisers, venues, local communities, and stakeholders. That includes working with established community organisations and institutions that serve as local points of contact to provide support and resources.
The National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre is a prime example of such an institution in Singapore, providing valuable networks and expertise to build an inclusive and caring society. STB encourages meeting planners and event organisers to tap on the toolkit to maximise long-term positive impact from their events. The legacy toolkit can be downloaded here.
Understanding and reducing carbon emissions locally and abroad
STB is committed to understanding and reducing carbon and waste emissions in the MICE industry and has rolled out a two-pronged approach.
First, Singapore was one of the first countries in the world to commence a national MICE Industry Carbon and Waste Baseline exercise in 2023 to study the MICE industry’s environmental impact, thus meeting one of the targets outlined in the MICE Sustainability Roadmap announced by STB in 2022. Through this study, an aggregated baseline of sustainability data points was established, focusing on Energy, Water and Waste. These metrics can be consistently measured and are aligned with the global Net Zero Carbon Events Methodology. The findings revealed that:
- The average MICE venue-related carbon emissions per attendee stand at 14.13 kgCO2.
- A large proportion, 94% of MICE venue-related emissions, comes from Energy.
The aggregated data will assist STB and the industry to track carbon emissions baselines regularly, and insights gained will be instrumental in driving waste reduction and decarbonisation strategies for positive environmental outcomes.
Second, STB will adopt a pioneering role in understanding carbon emissions when participating in international MICE trade shows. STB is therefore aiming for carbon neutral participation at key international tradeshows from 2024, namely IMEX Frankfurt, IMEX America and IBTM World. This long-term goal is part of the proactive approach to environmental stewardship, which aims to significantly reduce its own carbon footprint as an exhibitor at these platforms.