What to Know About Events Before Outsourcing in Singapore?

Singapore businesses stage corporate events to drive growth, deepen employee-and-customer engagement, and support the MICE economy. A corporate event is a planned activity organised by a business to achieve a specific goal.

These events have benefits that include creating brand awareness by using brand immersion, strategic alignment (networking), stakeholder alignment and team building. Each business must understand the various types and purposes of corporate events as well as effective experiential execution to create a successful strategy.

Singapore has an exceptionally vibrant business environment, making it a convenient hub for regional and international target audiences to get together. Dynamic and diverse meeting spaces make it a central rendezvous point for global and local Asian teams to gather.

Corporate events span formats such as conferences, workshops, retreats and product launches, each strengthening stakeholder alignment and culture. Doing this reminds your employees of the company culture, how they fit in, and how this helps to achieve team goals.

 Strategically planned corporate events can help secure external positioning for your brand and may also help to secure much-needed executive sponsorship. Alternatively, it could also be a way for your organisation to offer or advertise sponsorship. Modern events use immersive storytelling like video, live interaction, and themed décor, to embed attendees inside the brand narrative.

Singapore organisations use a host of different corporate event types to reach specific goals. The most common major event types include the following:

• Dinner and dance: Hosted by the organisation for its employees, often used as a milestone or annual celebration.
• Gala dinner: Features a seated dinner combined with an awards ceremony.
• Seminars and conferences: Typically used as platforms for networking, knowledge sharing, and professional development.
• Corporate team building: Used by companies to create bonding opportunities for employees and colleagues.
• Community and family day: Family values are an integral part of Singaporean culture. Companies use these days to bring employees and their families together for a day of shared experiences.
• Virtual and hybrid events: Virtual events use digital platforms to schedule meetings and conferences online. This is a valuable way to include global audiences. A hybrid event offers the flexibility of in-person attendance or online participation.

There are several desired strategic outcomes for these types of events. The most prominent being culture building, lead generation, and executive positioning within a local market.

What Is a Dinner and Dance Event?

Singapore is well known for the various dinner and dance events held each year. Essentially, these events are held in the fourth quarter (Q4) of a financial year because they are often used to incorporate award ceremonies and highlight business and individual performances.

As the name implies, dinner and dance events combine a formal dinner with dancing, and allow employees to network and celebrate achievements outside of the usual workplace setting. Recognising outstanding achievements is an effective way to create and sustain team morale.

Dinner and dance events form a key part of corporate appreciation rituals and go a long way toward creating end-of-year cohesion. When employees see the results of their hard work, they become more engaged, making it more likely that they will work even harder to achieve their New Year’s goals.

What Is the Role of a Gala Dinner in Corporate Branding?

For the most part, a gala dinner centres around various external branding functions. These primarily include stakeholder recognition, CSR celebration, and boosting investor relations. Gala dinners should be high-touch experiences which allow for a personalised approach.

Luxury optics allows for building the brand’s values, which in turn allows the brand to establish itself as an exclusive and luxurious option. Observing formal protocols, guest tiering, and brand alignment will contribute to a successful gala dinner event, as well as allow the company to enjoy the long-term benefits, such as employee engagement. 

In Singapore, seminar and conference events are very different in a corporate event context. Typically, a conference is a large, broad event where the focus is on networking, information sharing, and professional development. These events can involve multiple speakers, think-tank sessions, and a diverse audience.

Seminars, on the other hand, are usually smaller, more focused events that involve in-depth training and learning on a specific topic. These events have fewer attendees, allowing for more one-on-one interactions. Despite their differences, seminars and conferences should both have high levels of authority building, thought leadership, and community building.

Essential audio-visual (AV) requirements such as microphones, speakers, projectors, and screens are essential. Host and speaker calibration is essential to ensure a successful event. Top seminars and conferences in Singapore include:

• Singapore FinTech Festival
• The Human Capital Management Asia conference
• Asia PE-VC Summit
• Retail Asia Summit

Essentially, corporate team building is designed to align with HR objectives such as resilience, collaboration, and cross-functional synergy. The primary goal at these events is to provide psychological safety, behavioural bonding, and post-activity reflection frameworks. Employees are encouraged to have fun and interact outside of the usual work setting. Escape rooms and outdoor challenges are popular examples of team-building activities.

What Makes Community and Family Day Events Effective for Engagement?

As we’ve already mentioned, family and community values form an integral part of the Singaporean culture. This means that many organisations use community and family day events to foster inclusivity, employee family integration, and social license building.

Common activities such as live music, carnival games, and goodie bags are essential to create workplace huminisation, and also encourage intergenerational bonding, and allow for an inclusive design in the overall brand image.

How Are Virtual and Hybrid Events Used in Corporate Communication?

A corporate virtual event can be defined as a business gathering which is hosted online, allowing participants to interact and engage via different digital platforms. These events have created an extensive digital reach and continuity of presence during the COVID/post-COVID era. Quality and interactive platforms allow for ease of accessibility and cost-efficient methods to reach a wider audience.

In Singapore, organisations often make use of the digital twin experience, which refers to a virtual representation of the company or business model. This gives users a clear indication of what’s happening in the business, which they may not ordinarily see if they aren’t physically in the business. Virtual and hybrid events allow for more distributed engagement, which enables companies to create more inclusive participation.

Virtual and hybrid events can include live Q&A, polls, and chat moderators to manage and maintain engagement. Some common examples in Singapore include the following:

• Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW)
• Geo Connect Asia 2021

There are several strategic planning phases involved in planning an event from start to finish. Here are the top steps to be aware of:

• Step 1: Define goals, objectives, and expectations using a client brief to compile these.
• Step 2: Create a comprehensive plan which involves outlining all aspects of the event which including everything from venue selection to guest activities.
• Step 3: Determine a realistic budget, factoring in all potential expenses such as catering, venue rental, entertainment, and decorations.
• Step 4: Select the best venue that aligns with your event budget and objectives.
• Step 5: Develop a marketing strategy that will attract attendees, such as advertising on social media.
• Step 6: Execute the event on the day and ensure smooth operation of all activities. Do this by ensuring that all parties know what’s expected of them on the day. Schedule a rehearsal beforehand to ensure equipment and planned processes are working.
• Step 7: Perform post-event analytics and post-event follow-up to determine the event’s success compared to the initial objectives. Use metrics to gather feedback from employees, attendees and stakeholders. Remember to obtain feedback from virtual guests as well, especially if your event was initially planned as a hybrid event.

The key stages involved in a successful event workflow are made up of the following:

• Create an outline of ideas and plans and obtain stakeholder approvals.
• Draw up a budget for all aspects and create logistics calendars.
• Source vendors with experience in your type of event.
• Execute the event and highlight go/no-go checkpoints.
• Review the event and assess the overall success.

What Roles Do Client Briefs and Run Sheets Play?

Client briefs and run sheets are an effective way to ensure the success of your event. Here’s a quick look at what they are:

• Client brief (strategic scope): A client brief outlines the event requirements and objectives. It’s the client’s way of communicating expectations and visions for the project.
• Run sheet (executional timeline): This document is an event blueprint that outlines the overall schedule and activities for your event. A run sheet serves as a guide for all parties in your organising process and provides a chronological timeline of events, responsibilities, and tasks.

How Is ROI Measured for Different Event Types?

The return on investment (ROI) can be measured in two main ways. These are listed as:

• Qualitative measurements: This refers to the qualities and characteristics of your event rather than the numerical values. Metrics used here include interviews, perspectives, and experiences. Qualitative measurements assess the “why” rather than the “how much”.
• Quantitative measurements: With this metric, the amount or monetary value of something is measured using numbers. This can also be measured in time and revenue.

KPIs for lead gen seminars include the following:

• Engagement
• Number leads
• Number of sessions
• Conversion rate

KPIs for culture scores for dinner and dance events:

• Measuring attendee satisfaction
• Engagement levels
• Perceived authenticity
• Post-event surveys

KPIs for brand lift for gala events:

• Brand awareness
• Brand perception
• Website traffic
• Social media engagement

Singapore companies outsource all types of corporate events for several key reasons. These typically include the following core drivers:

• Professional vendor access and expertise (such as entertainment, production crews, decorators)
• Can be cost-efficient, especially when specialised packages are utilised.
• Offers scalability, where events can be upgraded if necessary.
• Experts can prioritise and focus the right energy and resources on core activities.
• Saves time, allowing the business owners and managers to focus on their daily duties.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Professional Event Company?

Several benefits make it essential for any business to consider outsourcing event organisation to a professional service. Link to services pages. These  typically include the following:

• Concise project coordination ensures activities and resourcing are planned correctly
• Creative concepting occurs when you use skilled experts with extensive experience for your type of event.
• Allows for contingency planning in the event of an unexpected issue.
• Offers executional precision which will ensure that all activities, planning, and costing in done professionally.

When Should You Outsource Events Like Gala Dinners or Seminars?

Typically, larger events are more likely to be outsourced because of the volume and complexity of the event. The general recommendations in the events industry are to outsource when your event requires any of the following:

• Has more than 100 pax (participants)
• Requires multiple vendors (such as at a tradeshow)
• Your organisation has premium branding needs

Expert event planners recommend opting for hybrid models for smaller events. This will increase your audience reach, even if your targeted audience can’t attend the event.

What Are the Risks of DIY Planning for Large-Scale Events?

Companies hosting events for the first time may be tempted to attempt DIY planning for their large-scale events. However, there are several risks associated with doing this, as listed below:

• Potential compliance gaps in not knowing what’s allowed in your area (such as outdoor regulations and stage dimensions).
• Creating logistical oversights by neglecting to hire sufficient transport or parking.
• Risking brand misalignment when the type of event doesn’t match brand values.

Having to deal with financial inefficiency when budgets or resources aren’t utilised effectively.

It’s essential to point out that event management companies differ in the services and levels of expertise they offer. When choosing the right event management company for your corporate event, consider the following framework:

• Review the event company’s past work to assess the necessary experience for your type of event.
• Check reviews and overall reputation.
• Assess the range of services on offer and establish if they can host your event, with all specific requirements.
• Consider your budget versus the pricing on offer.
• Establish if they can add creativity and innovation to your planning and implementation.
• Check overall communication and reliability to avoid potential misunderstandings.
• Always opt for event management companies that have experience in Singapore-specific criteria, such as BCA vendor checks and MCST venue familiarity.

What Should You Look for in a Vendor for Hybrid or Virtual Events?

When shortlisting a potential vendor for your hybrid or virtual event, you’ll want a company that has the required skills and experience to handle your event type and size. Here you will want to consider the following:

• Opt for a tech-savvy team that has high levels of tech fluency.
• Experts should understand and be able to perform platform integration.
• Must be able to use audience engagement tools and know how to troubleshoot these in case of a technical issue.

When choosing an events company for your specific event, your requirements will depend on the type of event. For instance, a team-building event and a dinner and dance event will have different requirements. Here’s how these two would compare.

Requirements for a team-building event:

• Provide engaging and diverse activities that encourage collaboration.
• Events should have clear goals that include addressing team issues.
• Should be designed to be fun and engaging.
• Event specialists should have experience with outdoor events.

Requirements for a dinner and dance event:

• Dinner and dance events are sit-down functions with space for dancing and interacting.
• Events planner must have experience in formal, catered functions that could include an awards ceremony.

What Questions Should You Ask During Vendor Shortlisting?

The following questions are crucial to ask when you’re shortlisting potential vendors:

• Can the vendor provide examples and references for past work relating to similar types of events?
• Does the vendor have experience and resources available for contingency handling and planning, especially in instances where technical equipment (such as lighting and sound is being used?
• What timeline guarantees are on offer, and how effective is your planning?
• Is the vendor a cultural fit for the type of event, target audience and brand image?

Singapore has an extensive range of corporate event venues on offer for seminars, conferences, and family days. It’s essential to select a venue that accommodates your type of venue, capacity and number of guests. Consider aspects such as transport and parking required. Outdoor events should have access to seating or picnic areas, play areas for kids, as well as ample public restrooms.

Some of the top venues often used for corporate-scale events in Singapore include the following:

• Singapore EXPO
• Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre
• Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre
• Raffles City

With these locations, it’s essential to choose a venue that caters for all your event needs. Fortunately, the top venues we’ve listed can handle high volumes and are tech-ready, allowing you to create the perfect ambience for your brand and event.

What Are Unique Outdoor Locations for Community-Based Events?

Choosing an outdoor location should be done with the same amount of care and diligence as an indoor venue. Keep in mind that you will require MOH approvals, logistics (transport and parking) and should also have vendor access.

This means that your caterers, entertainers, and production crew should be able to freely get in and out of the venue. The most popular outdoor events in Singapore include the following:

• Sentosa
• Fort Canning
• East Coast Park

Which Venues are Most Equipped for Virtual and Hybrid Events?

Many venues in Singapore are well-equipped for hosting both virtual and hybrid events. Not only do these spaces offer flexible space with built-in broadcast rooms, but they also have 5 G-ready setups. This means they can easily be integrated into your event platform.

Popular options in Singapore include the following:

• Marina Bay Sands
• Singapore EXPO & Max Atria
• Pan Pacific Orchard

Depending on the type of event, it may be necessary for vendors to liase with each other. Coordination across vendors often happens between lighting and AV crews. An easy way to achieve this is by having in-depth meetings with all parties to ensure complete understanding. Having on-ground command centers on the day is essential.

How do You Manage AV, Lighting, and Stage Equipment?

The most effective way to manage your AV, lighting, and stage equipment is to outline and convey specific crew roles.  This is usually done via the lighting director and FOH mixer. Choosing the right gear types and having a few rehearsal sessions is of utmost importance.

What Props or Decor Elements Are Typically Rented for Events?

Props and décor can easily be done via the event equipment rental offered by most event management companies. The most common props rented in Singapore include the following:

• Arches
• LED backdrops
• Thematic décor
• Décor related to seasonal trends

What Does On-Site Setup and Takedown Look Like?

It’s essential to plan on-site setup and takedown before and after the event, as this will determine how smoothly your event runs. This includes adjusting timelines to accommodate time for set-up, testing, and take-down. The set-up process also involves obtaining the necessary insurance documents and being aware of the venue’s standard operating procedures.

What Permits Are Needed for Public and Private Events?

Several legal requirements need to be adhered to when planning a public or private event. These include the following:

• Obtaining a Public Entertainment License, which highlights the event licensing scope.
• Applying for police permits for public spaces to ensure the compliance threshold is met.
• Assess and adhere to location and civic space usage rights.

How Do Health & Safety Codes Apply to Team Building or Family Day Activities?

Team building and Family Day activities usually take place outdoors. This means that regulations about group activities need to be met. These include the following:

• Workplace safety (WSH Act)
• Basic food hygiene standards
• Emergency and first aid requirements

Adhering to these protocols will ensure that aspects such as crowd control, fire safety checks, and health declarations are in place. This forms part of your duty of care obligations and is key for preventative planning and ensures hazard minimisation.

How Does Audience Profiling Shape Event Design?

Audience profiling will shape the type of event you’re planning. Analysis usually involves segmentation by demographics, job roles, and intent. Having an accurate assessment of this affects the venue, theme, content, and format choices of your event. Persona calibration and stakeholder profiling make it simple to create an audience-centric event.

What Are the Cultural Sensitivities in Corporate Celebrations?

Singapore has a wide multicultural landscape, which includes the following:

• Dietary laws
• Attire norms
• Language preferences
• Religious calendar awareness

To accommodate your target audience, you should assess cultural fluency, inclusivity mapping, and interethnic engagement planning.

How Do PR Tactics Help with Seminar and Product Launch Visibility?

Your organisation will have to resort to comprehensive PR tactics to effectively market your corporate event. These typically include the following:

• Cover press releases
• Media kits
• Speaker interviews
• Event media previews

Angles that attract Singapore business press and trade media include highlighting relevance to current trends and audience appeal. Many companies will rely on an earned media strategy, which focuses on creating brand awareness through unpaid, third-party channels.

Using a brand narrative pitch helps to communicate the brand’s core values, purpose and identity to its intended audience. Sharing an executive’s success within the brand forms part of executive spotlighting and is an effective marketing strategy.

What Channels Work Best for B2B Event Promotion?

B2B event promotion in Singapore makes use of channels such as:

• LinkedIn
• Email automation
• Industry newsletters
• Eventbrite

It’s worth noting that LinkedIn and email marketing or automation are highly effective in the Singapore environment. This is because they are excellent at lead generation and boast highly effective calls to action.

In addition to this, event hashtags are used as a unique identifier (a word and the # symbol), which is used on social media platforms to create awareness. Creating a professional KOL outreach allows your organisation to build authentic connections. Focusing on omnichannel orchestration ensures a personalised customer experience.

What Platforms Are Used for Online Event Delivery?

Hosting an event online has become easier than ever before. Some of the more prominent platforms worth considering for your online events include the following:

• Zoom
• Hopin
• WebEx
• Microsoft Teams

Standout features to look for in an effective online platform are sponsor branding, analytics offered and breakout rooms. Opting for options with platform stack alignment ensures that your chosen platform is fully integrated and allows for interface scalability, tech-readiness mapping.

How Do You Balance On-Site and Remote Engagement in a Hybrid Format?

Creating effective hybrid audience inclusion involves several crucial factors. The most common are listed as:

• Dual-stream optimisation
• Synchronous programming
• MC/camera strategies
• Virtual-exclusive content
• Real-time interaction tools
• Content delivery parity

How Does Audience Profiling Shape Event Design?

Audience profiling will shape the type of event you’re planning. Analysis usually involves segmentation by demographics, job roles, and intent. Having an accurate assessment of this affects the venue, theme, content, and format choices of your event. Persona calibration and stakeholder profiling make it simple to create an audience-centric event.

What Metrics Apply to Team Building, Seminars, and Gala Dinners?

After an event, success or failure is measured by a series of impact scoring models and engagement diagnostics. Post-event telemetry can be analysed to assess how effective an event was.

The metrics used to measure event success depend on the event type. A few typical KPIs to consider include the following:

• Participation rates
• NPS
• Satisfaction scores
• Conversation tracking

When choosing the right metrics, keep in mind that metrics can be divided into two subtypes:

• Lead gen metrics: These metrics assess the effectiveness of strategies aimed at acquiring new customers.
• Morale-building metrics: As the name implies, morale-building metrics gauge employee engagement and interest in the event.

How Do Stakeholders Review Event Performance?

It’s essential to review event performance as this will determine the planning of future events and content to be used. These reviews, also referred to as insight harvesting, can be done using any one of the following techniques:

• Stakeholder review meetings
• Post-mortem templates
• Insight dashboards

Keep in mind that HR, sponsors, and marketing may have different evaluation lenses and may review different aspects of the event. For instance, stakeholder expectation alignment measures how the event compares to senior management’s initial expectation.

How Does Audience Profiling Shape Event Design?

Audience profiling will shape the type of event you’re planning. Analysis usually involves segmentation by demographics, job roles, and intent. Having an accurate assessment of this affects the venue, theme, content, and format choices of your event. Persona calibration and stakeholder profiling make it simple to create an audience-centric event.

What Venues Offer Low-Carbon Footprint Event Packages?

If you’re looking for ways to incorporate your event into your brand’s sustainable image, start by looking for venues with a high event sustainability index. Review the venue lifecycle impact and whether or not they have eco-certification compliance.

In addition to this, look for sustainability certifications such as the BCA Green Mark. Check which venues use solar energy or have carbon-offset options. Venues such as Marina Bay Sands offer a series of  Impact Meeting packages, which will help you keep your event as eco-friendly as possible.

What Sustainable Choices Can Be Made for Catering and Decor?

To keep your décor and catering aligned with your sustainability goals, keep the following tips in mind:

• Use biodegradable decor, reusable props, and locally sourced catering.
• Speak to vendors for carbon-conscious catering
• Opt for waste-to-resource planning.
• Speak to your event management company to opt for event material circularity (reuse décor rather than opt for new materials)
• Perform vendor sustainability audits to evaluate your vendor’s environmental, social, and governance performance.
• Liase with your caterer to perform food and beverage (F&B) waste planning to minimise overall waste.

How Much Should I Budget for a Dinner & Dance?

Pricing for dinner and dance events in Singapore is based on factors such as chosen venue, number of guests, menu options, and additional services required (decorations and entertainment). It’s essential to consider aspects such as cost structure benchmarking to assess how your event costing compares to current industry standards. This will go a long way toward ensuring that your event exceeds expectations.

Typically, local examples can include the following:

• Basic: The most basic dinner and dance events usually range from $1,000 per 10 pax (guests). This is an ideal option for small events. Always use value tiering to ensure that the package you’re opting for suits your needs and budget.
• Mid-tier: Can range from $4,088 to $4,888 for a package catering to 150-250 pax. These packages include standard items such as AV equipment, basic decorations, and a stage.

Premium: On this tier, you can expect to pay between $5,000 and $8,000 for 100 pax. This will depend on factors such as venue size, type of catering, entertainment and guest count.

Can I Plan a Virtual Event Without a Full Production Crew?

Yes. Doing this allows you to leverage virtual event platforms that offer a host of different built-in features for hosting and streaming. Factors such as audience size and event complexity are key elements that will determine whether you opt for the DIY route or outsource to a professional company.

When opting for DIY, consider various templates and pre-configured studio packages that will simplify the task, while still keeping it professional. Opting for platform-native delivery allows you to use your apps and websites to host your event. When outsourcing, always look for a team that offers agile crew composition, which means you’ll have a team with all the skills to host and perform all aspects of your event. Whether you choose to DIY or outsource, the goal should always be to offer a lean-stream production which ensures processes are streamlined, and wasteful, non-value-added activities are eliminated.

What Are the Lead Times for Booking a Conference Hall in Q4?

Since corporate events are a part of just about every organisation’s marketing strategy, it’s essential to start planning at least 6 to 9 months ahead. Standard lead times for booking often range between 3 to 6 months, especially during the year-end peak season. When planning your event, be sure to use tools such as seasonal demand mapping to predict seasonal patterns in consumer habits.

This ensures that you engage with your audience when they’re ready to buy. You will also have to access the average booking velocity, as this will help you determine how soon you should make a specific booking. If you’re using external vendors, be sure to assess and enforce vendor lock-in timelines, as these will prevent them from cancelling at the last minute. Be sure to check the contract terms, deposits, and cancellation windows before finalising a venue.