Is it safe to get the cheese? Guidlines launched for MICE events

The SG SafeEvents Certification programme will allow business events to be held amidst the ongoing pandemic.

The Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry may soon come out to play.

The SG SafeEvents Certification programme was launched on Wednesday by the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS), and its guidelines are expected to allow events to resume safely during the ongoing pandemic.

The programme is based on the Technical Reference (TR) 84, Safe Event Management for the MICE and Events Industry, developed by the Singapore Standards Council, overseen by Enterprise Singapore.

"With the introduction of the SG SafeEventsCertification and TR84, we are confident that this will help provide a competitive edge for Singapore as a MICE destination and our MICE enterprises as they re-think and re-calibrate their business operations and models for a Covid-safe marketplace," said SACEOS President Aloysius Arlando.

The SG SafeEvents Certification requires organisers, attendees, and other relevant industry players to uphold hygiene benchmarks and safe distancing best practices.

Individual event organisers will have to have a risk management plan in place, document identified hazards, and have necessary control measures implemented before and during events.

Venue operators should ensure periodic and routine cleaning, and have a disinfection plan for their properties.And both organisers and venue operators are encouraged to use contactless technology.

More details on the certification process and bodies will be made available in May.

In the interim, SACEOS has trained 700 SG SafeEvent Ambassadors who will be mobilised onsite at events to facilitate SG SafeEvent standards.

Anticipating an increased demand in events, SACEOS aims to increase the pool of ambassadors to 1,000 by mid-year.

Singapore is still set to host the Special Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum this August.