The team at Marina Bay Sands shares strategies for making sustainability and wellness a priority.
Across the global business events industry, sustainability has irrevocably become top-of-mind for every destination, venue, organiser and delegate. The resource-intensive industry has a responsibility to be environmentally conscious, and its key stakeholders are heeding the call.
In Singapore, the movement towards being sustainable is not new. In late 2022, the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers launched the MICE Sustainability Roadmap, signaling their steadfast commitment to prioritising sustainable practices.
The roadmap is guided by the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, setting out three specific targets, including for purpose-built MICE venues to obtain internationally or nationally recognised sustainability certification – or both – by 2025, and for the Singapore MICE industry to start tracking waste and carbon emissions by 2023, reduce waste by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Sands Expo & Convention Centre has been a market leader in Singapore and across the region, as a triple-platinum certified venue accredited under Events Industry Council (EIC) Sustainable Event Standards for Venues, the U.S. Green Building Council, and Singapore Building and Construction Authority. It also tracks waste and carbon emissions, among other indicators, across the wider Marina Bay Sands property.
A dedicated sustainability team works with event organisers to customise environmentally-friendly solutions for their events. From donating unserved surplus food to creating event assets from upcycled materials, there is a suite of green solutions available. In 2023, the organisers of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Global Conference donated over 2,000 radios and headsets to migrant workers in Singapore, for example, as part of a movement to give back to the community.
To better support event organisers in delivering events with a reduced environmental footprint, some 100 MICE Team Members have undergone the EIC Sustainable Event Professional Certificate programme to date, making Marina Bay Sands one of the largest teams in the MICE industry to be accredited in sustainable event management.
“Sustainability can no longer be just a selling point; it must be ingrained in every aspect of our operations,” says Ong Wee Min, Vice President of Sales & MICE, Marina Bay Sands. “We now have a critical mass of certified team members across various departments, from logistics to event management, who are equipped to engage with clients on sustainability.”
It is not just sustainability that is disrupting the events industry. Wellness has become central to events today. A 2024 report by the non-profit Global Wellness Institute found that the global wellness economy drives 5.6 per cent of total gross domestic product and global per capita spending on wellness ($706 USD) is on par with consumer out-of-pocket spending on healthcare ($711 USD).
Instead of the traditional stretches at the start of a keynote address or neck-and-shoulder massages between panels, delegates are increasingly opting for more unconventional wellness experiences that allow them to better focus and perform at an optimal level.
At Sands Expo & Convention Centre, event organisers and delegates can opt for a mix of physical, mental and intellectual wellbeing experiences, under the THRIVE wellness programme. The programme provides delegates with activities such as sound meditation, dance-movement inspired routines, trust-building exercises and mindfulness sessions, tailored to their specific event needs and led by certified practitioners. The goal is for delegates to feel rested and recharged even after consecutive days of meetings.
The dynamic events industry continues to evolve, with new micro-trends in sustainability and wellness emerging. Being innovative allows industry players to stay ahead of the curve and continue to stage successful events.
