Singapore Convention Center Survived Bad Times; Looking To Lure Big Acts

When the Eastern economy started to head south in 1997, the then 2-year-old Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre headed off disaster with a quick switch to volume food sales, adding snack bars, changing menus and snagging the local office lunch crowd to keep the Centre afloat.

Now that the end to the crisis is in sight and people may have more money to spend on entertainment, the Centre has added a new department — Entertainment and Show Production — to build upon the venue's entertainment capabilities, and management is looking to draw more international acts to the city.

"We've not fully turned the corner, but by the end of the year, I'm very confident, we'll be around," said Managing Director Klaus Jurgen Scholz. "No matter how hard you work, if the economy is bad, there's not much you can do."

In an effort to increase ticketed show business, Scholz hopes to team up with venues in other countries to offer a package that will be attractive to popular acts. "Coming for one little dot — Singapore — is not enough," Scholz said. The Centre's Convention Hall has a seating capacity of about 12,000, with 7,560 retractable seats and 4,500 theater-style chairs. He hopes to create partnerships in Hong Kong, Melbourne (Australia) and Japan.

The Centre will host a Star Trek ticketed attraction this December through January. Shipping these kinds of attractions from Europe can be very expensive, so attraction owners prefer to visit several Asian destinations at once. Now that the economy is improving, Scholz wants to "ride the wave up," he said. "I see a lot of potential."

The main problem the Centre has encountered recently is stiff competition. "Neighboring countries are becoming more competitive because of currency fluctuations," Scholz said. Singapore is stable, but goods and services are cheaper in other Asian countries, he said. To combat this, Scholz will focus on quality and a high standard of service, he said. "To compete with destinations that are much cheaper, I'd have to lower my standards. That's not something I'm willing to do."

The Entertainment and Show Production department is expected to bring in more theme party business. "That's a segment where we want to be more in the future," Scholz said. Evelyn Seah has been hired to head up the department. Seah has an event production background and experience with the technical equipment at the Centre that has mostly laid dormant because it has not been marketed sufficiently to event organizers.

"This department will quote clients competitively, so we'll have everything under one roof," said Florence Neo, assistant manager in the marketing department. "If our clients have the budget, she can work miracles."

The department will provide everything from "the nitty gritty to overall planning," Seah added.

Affordability will continue to be a selling point, though, Scholz said. Tickets for cultural events sell for between $15 and $50 ($25.50 and $85 U.S.), while themed events will be $25 ($43.50). However, 100 tables at a New Year's Eve bash planned for the Centre are selling for $10,000 ($17,000) each, despite the fact an act has not yet been booked.

Most of the Centre's advertising dollars go toward "image maintenance." Convention capabilities are advertised in convention magazines. There is no television advertising because it's too expensive, and Singapore television does not reach enough markets, Scholz said. Advertising is supplemented by general Singapore Tourism Board ads. The center is within walking distance of 6,000 hotel rooms.

Later this year, Scholz hopes to offer packages to tourists that include tickets to shows at the Centre, along with hotel and airfare.

Tickets to events held at the Centre are provided by two services: Ticketcharge and Sistic.

The Centre contains seven million square feet of space. It is owned by 11 private Hong Kong-based shareholders.