Singex Awarded BS 25999 and SS 540:2008

One of Singapore’s largest purpose-built meetings, incentive, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) venues has been certified business continuity management (BCM)-ready.

Following four months of preparation, Singex Venues, manager of Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre, has been awarded certifications, British Standard (BS) 25999 as well as Singapore Standard (SS) 540:2008.

BCM is a holistic management process which assesses, plans and strengthens the resilience of an organisation’s value chain. A tool that enables companies to identify threats and provides a framework for them to build up capabilities for an effective response.

EXPO hosts 600 events and welcomes six million local and international visitors annually. Given the sheer volume of event and human traffic, it is crucial for Singex to be BCM-ready so as to assure stakeholders that its operations are prepared for the 'worst case scenario' situations and that it will be able to meet their needs in the event of a service disruption.

Chandran Nair, Deputy General Manager of Singex, said, “Providing assurance to clients, exhibitors, organisers, partners, and visitors has always been our primary focus. BCM planning has enabled us to identify potential risks and threats, specify the steps to respond to a disaster or other external events, and determine what needs to be done to resume business within a reasonable timeframe. The dual certification allows us to demonstrate to our stakeholders that our business is run effectively and will continue to do so in the event of a disruption in services or systems.”

Mr Philip Chong, Executive Director, Deloitte & Touche Enterprise Risk Services, Singex’ BCM Consultants, added, “From a corporate perspective, through BCM, Singex can provide assurance to its clients and partners that operational disruptions caused by disaster events are mitigated. The brand and reputation of Singex and its clients and partners is thus preserved. In addition, financial losses are also limited by pro-active disaster management. Finally, the regular review process will boost the level of commitment and motivation, as well as instil a stronger sense of responsibility in every Singex team member.”

Singex is no stranger to public safety matters and crisis management practices, having worked with Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force over the years to develop and consistently upgrade its security protocols to ensure readiness to cope with the dynamic and challenging security landscape. In recognition of its efforts, Singex was awarded the National Safety and Security Watch Group Award in 2009, an award given to commercial building owners and managers who contribute to building robust security protocols to cope with the rapidly changing security climate in the region.

DAC Teo Chun Ching, Commander, Bedok Police Division, said, “Singex has been an active member in our Safety and Security Watch Group. Over the years, the Police and Singex have collaborated on various exercises to develop response protocols and ensure security measures are constantly being improved. We are certain that with this latest dual certification in BCM, EXPO will continue to be an exemplary event venue in Singapore in terms of crisis management and disaster recovery practices.”

See recent travel news from: Travel News Asia, Singex, Singapore