Singapore the Top International Meeting City

Singapore has strengthened its position as one of the world’s preferred business events destinations by clinching the top spot in the “Top International Meeting City” category in the Union of International Associations (UIA) 2008 Global Rankings for the second consecutive year.

In the UIA’s International Meetings Statistics 2008 report, Singapore also moved one notch up from 2007 to third position in the “Top International Meeting Countries” category behind the USA (ranked 1st) and France (2nd).

“In the updated figures for 2004-2008 released this year, the rise of Singapore in the international organisations meeting market is a noteworthy feature. In 2004, Singapore stood at a respectable 10th place in the “Top International Meeting City” category. In 2005 it climbed to 8th place, and jumped to 4th place in 2006. In 2007 it rose to first place, with almost 30% more meetings than the city in second place. In 2008 it has not only maintained its position in first place, it has increased its margin to 50% more meetings than the second-ranked city,” said Mr Jacques de Mevius, Secretary-General, UIA.

Singapore edged out strong competitors to top the rankings in Asia, securing the title of Asia’s top country and city for meetings for the 25th consecutive year.

“This ranking adds another feather to our cap and underscores Singapore’s reputation as an exchange capital of the world where people, ideas and technology converge to generate business success. Singapore’s sterling performance in the UIA 2008 rankings was made possible by the combination of strong business fundamentals, sound business strategies and the unstinting support of our industry partners,” says Ms Aw Kah Peng, Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

Singapore hosted 637 meetings last year that met UIA’s qualifying criteria, representing a significant 36% growth over 2007. Notable meetings include the International Thalassaemia Conference 2008, ISNCC 15th International Conference on Cancer Nursing 2008, the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference and the IEEE Electronics Packaging Technology Conference 2008 which cumulatively attracted over 5,000 visitors to Singapore.

As a destination, Singapore accounted for 26.5% of the meetings held in the Asian continent in 2008, up from 22.5% in 2007.

“These accolades, which signify a high benchmark of excellence, come at an opportune time as they put Singapore in a strong position to further expand our share of the global business events market by partnering with MICE industry players to attract and develop successful business events centred around major growth industries in Singapore and the region. Through these efforts, I am confident that we can continue to sustain a robust business event pipeline for the coming years, and take bold strides towards elevating Singapore’s position as an exchange capital of the world,”  said Ms Melissa Ow, Assistant Chief Executive, Business Travel and MICE Group, STB.

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