OPENING ADDRESS BY MR S ISWARAN, MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE CONFERENCE AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME ON 7 DECEMBER 2006, 7.00PM AT THE FULLERTON HOTEL

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Introduction

Good evening. I am delighted to be here this evening to launch the Conference Ambassador Programme. This is a key initiative of the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB), a group of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), to recognise the individuals who play an important role in strengthening Singapore’s position as a leading destination for Business Travel and MICE.

The BTMICE sector is a key pillar of the STB’s strategy to double visitor arrivals to 17 million and triple tourism receipts to $30 billion by 2015. It currently accounts for over 30% of total tourism receipts or over $3 billion. STB’s target is to raise this to at least 35% or $10.5 billion by 2015. This is an ambitious goal and we therefore need to seek new ways to grow the BTMICE sector.

In August this year, STB launched a suite of new incentives to encourage the development of business events over the next five years. Called “BE in Singapore” or “Business Events in Singapore”, this initiative supports the efforts of the industry to attract, bid for, and grow a sustainable volume of strategic events, leveraging on Singapore’s key economic clusters.

STB has also embarked on a three-year global marketing and advertising campaign revolving around the theme with the tagline, “Singapore, where great things happen”, to showcase Singapore as a premier BTMICE destination. The Conference Ambassador Programme complements these initiatives by targeting to attract more conventions to Singapore to drive the growth of the BTMICE sector.

Benefits of Conference Ambassador Programme

As industry professionals from fields as varied and diverse as medicine, science, law, engineering and education, you are “ambassadors” for Singapore. You can play an important and persuasive role in urging your foreign counterparts to consider Singapore as the host city for future conferences.

Hosting a global conference puts the industry and the conference venue on the world stage. A well-organised conference is an effective way to draw international attention to the exciting developments in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. As “ambassadors”, you will be able to tap the expertise of the SECB. Ambassadors will also receive financial and logistical support for the development and preparation of professional bid documents, conference bidding and marketing. With our collective effort, I believe we can and will gain a sustainable competitive advantage in this effort.

For professional conference organisers and destination management companies, the launch of the Conference Ambassador Programme heralds greater business opportunities as more conferences and business events will eventually be held in Singapore.

Conclusion

I am confident that the Conference Ambassador Programme will foster closer cooperation between ambassadors, industry partners and the SECB to the benefit of all parties. Through this collaborative effort, I believe we will reinforce Singapore’s position as a top convention city in Asia and a leading BTMICE destination in the world.

On this note, I wish you all a pleasant evening.Thank you.