Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) has started two major initiatives to tap talent and business sources in Singapore.
SACEOS’ newly elected President, Janet Tan-Collis (CEO, East West Planners), explains: “Our strategies are two-pronged: build a talent pool and expand our business network.”
Talent pool development target tertiary level students, and existing professionals in the industry, under a major programme to raise the MICE intellectual capacity in Singapore. This is seen as critical to sharpening Singapore’s competitive advantage to combat intensifying competition.
To tap talent sources, SACEOS targets tertiary level institutions, particularly disciplines in hospitality and tourism, to inform and nurture students from apprenticeship to job recruitment. The strategy is to capture this population of students and build a sustainable talent pool for the MICE industry.
For MICE practitioners, SACEOS is working with a range of universities, and the Workforce Development Authority (WDA), to expand the range of educational programmes that are MICE-focused. SACEOS is also raising the quality and recognition of these courses through affiliations with universities and international MICE associations to gain international accreditation.
At the same time, SACEOS is casting its membership net wider in recognition of the diverse community of ancillary service providers who are integral to the MICE industry. President Tan-Collis elaborates: “These companies may not be in the mainstream MICE business, but have long been a part of the industry’s value chain.”
Examples are companies and individuals in the arts, media, mass communications, information technology, interactive media, construction, lighting contractors, designers, photographers and video production houses.
Tan-Collis said: “We must reflect the extent of the MICE industry. It is SACEOS’ job to identify and extend MICE membership to these companies and individuals, and initiate new ways of talent and business development.”
Service providers qualify for SACEOS associate memberships, which will give them access to a wide range of industrial activities. These include workshops, training programmes, business information exchange and networking sessions.
SACEOS also offers individual and student memberships. Individual memberships are open to employees of SACEOS’ corporate members and to professionals who may not be employees of corporate members. The idea is to ensure these individuals keep connected to the MICE community via their own professional association, SACEOS, regardless of their employment status.
Student memberships tie in with SACEOS’ current programmes with Singapore’s tertiary level institutions. SACEOS wants to ensure that students are engaged and conferring membership to them is an effective way to do so.
Individual memberships are priced at $50 per person for employees of corporate members, and $100 per person for employees of non-member companies. Students are entitled to membership at an annual subscription of $20 per person.
Courtesy of Singapore Association for Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS). For more information, call SACEOS at +65 63795300 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.