WiT Experience Week 2020 will not only be Singapore’s first travel pilot hybrid event but possibly also the first global travel conference to have a physical footprint when it streams live from Marina Bay Sands’ new Hybrid Broadcast Studio on Oct 1.
WiT Singapore, which has been held in the city for the last 15 years, is one of the first pilot hybrid events approved by the government for up to 50 persons. It is Northstar Travel Group’s first travel event to have a live component this year.
“We are pleased to have been approved as the travel industry’s first pilot hybrid event for up to 50 persons. We have worked closely with STB over the last few months and their guidance and support have been instrumental in getting us to this point,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder, WiT. “We are proud to play a leading role in the safe resumption of business events in Singapore with our partners.”
From October 1, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will start accepting applications to pilot large-scale meetings of up to 250 people, as part of plans to gradually resume economic activities.
Andrew Phua, Executive Director, Exhibitions and Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said: “As we gradually and safely resume MICE events, we look forward to having WiT Singapore lead the way in being Singapore travel industry’s first pilot hybrid event. Public health and safety remain our priority and we have worked closely with the industry to create strict protocols, as well as develop new ways of organising events. We will continue to work with industry partners to set Singapore apart as the world’s leading destination for safe, trusted and innovative MICE events.”
Alicia Evanko, Executive Vice President, Travel Group Global Events, Northstar Travel Group said, “WiT’s passion, dedication to travel, creativity and innovative approach has continued to stay alive and thrive during this global pandemic. WiT has continued to bring the travel industry together through virtual experiences.
“WiT Experience Week will also include a live component which is the global travel industry’s and Northstar’s first travel hybrid event. Northstar Travel Group is so proud to have WiT, who is truly a pioneer in the industry, as a part of its family. We know that this live event will pave the path to get our global industry back to meeting in person.”
To deliver the hybrid event, a first-of-its-kind partnership has been forged with Marina Bay Sands and GEVME which is, in turn, creating a tech alliance with Singapore events startups Jublia and Pigeonhole Live to deliver an integrated and interactive events platform.
Said Yeoh, “It is fitting that we broadcast Season Finale, the last day, of WiT Experience Week from a venue that’s been home to us for the last eight years. It’s almost sentimental, a reunion, returning to a familiar place, considering all the challenges we’ve all had to face personally and professionally.”
Marina Bay Sands launched its new Hybrid Broadcast Studio in August. Designed to accommodate a live studio audience with a maximum capacity of 50 persons at any one time, the Hybrid Broadcast Studio – which offers broadcast-quality live-streaming capabilities and hologram functionalities – was in response to the wholesale migration of events online.
Said Ong Wee Min, Vice President of Conventions & Exhibitions, Marina Bay Sands, “The response to date for our Hybrid Broadcast Studio has been extremely encouraging, demonstrating that there is a genuine need for this industry-first offering at a time when large-scale physical events are not able to take place.
“WiT has held its signature Singapore conference at our venue for the past eight years and was a natural partner for the first travel industry hybrid event to take place in Singapore at this time. We look forward to collaborating to deliver a new kind of experience at this year’s event.”
On the tech side, WiT Experience Week, which runs from September 28-October 1, will be powered by GEVME, a SaaS platform for digital events. To beef up the tech offering, GEVME is partnering with Jublia and Pigeonhole Live, whose services have been used by WiT in previous events.
Said Veemal Gungadin, CEO of GlobalSign.In Pte Ltd (GSI), “Hybrid is set to become the future of events. With GEVME Live, we are empowering event organisers to succeed in this new normal by providing them with technology solutions that blend the physical and digital components of their events. We are excited to partner with WiT, Marina Bay Sands and Singapore-based event tech companies (Pigeonhole & Jublia) to provide an optimum experience for attendees joining in the new event format.”
Said Kuan Yan Tan, CEO of Jublia, “At Jublia, we enable attendees to discover event content and meet relevant others through our AI Engagement platform. Jublia is well positioned to deliver game changing solutions with our deep partnerships with leading global event organisers in the digital transformation of their businesses.”
“At Pigeonhole Live, we are dedicated to enabling meeting and event planners to better interact with audiences across all event formats and meet the different requirements that arise as the industry evolves,” said Lyon Lim, CEO of Pigeonhole Live.
“We’re at a unique crossroads in the events industry, and we are thrilled to be partnering with WiT, and Marina Bay Sands to showcase our expertise and technology in this new hybrid format that will chart a path for business events to safely resume.”
WiT Experience Week, themed “Travel Zero.O: Back To The Future” will be held over four days. The first three days, Sept 28-Sept 30, will be fully virtual.
Featured Photo Credit: Marina Bay Sands
