This year’s symposium revolved around the theme Going Beyond
This year’s Singapore MICE Forum (SMF) kicked off with the second Association MICE Symposium (AMS) on Wednesday, 29th July.
Staged at the Orchid Ballroom of the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, the event is an initiative of the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) in partnership with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF.)
AMS seeks to empower association leaders to drive growth through strategic events.
This year’s symposium revolved around the theme Going Beyond which calls to mind how collaboration and innovation have contributed to the sector’s resilience in challenging times.
As SACEOS president Richard Ireland declared in his opening remarks: “We’re meeting at a time of uncertainty, but uncertainty has become the norm. Economic volatility, abstinent political tensions, rapid technological changes and evolving member expectations continue to shape the industries that we as an association serve.”
The current scene in Singapore
Ireland pointed out how current challenges have reinforced the vital role of associations.
As he put it: “Associations provide trusted knowledge, bring industries together and foster partnerships needed to solve problems and challenges. This is why gatherings like today are more important than ever.”
According to the most recent ICCA Global Watch report, over 12,400 international association meetings were staged in 2025, 13 percent more than in 2024.
At the same time, Singapore remains in fifth place globally in terms of international association rankings.
The country’s MICE industry receipts likewise hit a record SG$2.3 billion last year, up 35 percent from the year before.
Ireland added: “These figures are very encouraging, but they only tell part of the story. The true value of association meetings extends well beyond the economic contribution. Now I’m going to go a little bit off-speech for a very quick moment and talk about our own experience.”
Navigating through uncertainty
The SACEOS president went on to say AMS 2026 was a great venue for associations to see how they can navigate uncertainty.
It was also an opportunity to build stronger partnerships and harness AI to improve productivity, strengthen member engagement and deliver greater value.
The event likewise took a comprehensive look at how the MICE industry can support these ambitions by providing the platforms and experience to enable associations to conduct communities, accelerate knowledge exchange, and simplify their impact.
As SBF chief executive Kok Ping Soon remarked at the event: “Associations today are operating in a more complex environment, and this complex environment is shaped by technological destruction, is shaped by geopolitical forces, changing workforce needs and stronger and higher expectations from [association] members. But, at the same time, events are no longer just gatherings.