Overview 

A Flourishing Landscape for Lifestyle Sectors

Why Hold Lifestyle Events in Singapore? 

A Vibrant F&B & Retail Sector Driven by Tech

Singapore is known for its culinary prowess with bars like Atlas, and Jigger and Pony, as well as restaurants like Odette, Les Amis and Burnt Ends¹³ , rated amongst the world’s top¹⁴. In the retail world, the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF) supports local labels, with success stories from Martha Who and Kanzi Collection. TaFF also regularly holds events on topics like analytics, design thinking, sustainability and merchandising to help fashion retail businesses scale¹⁵. Online stores complemented existing physical stores are user-centric and equipped with real-time inventories to reach larger international audiences. 

With the launch of the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) for both the retail and food services industry, Singapore is set to become an important hub for F&B and retail players.

Business opportunities abound, especially as both sectors ramp up innovation and digital efforts to increase cost savings and engage with their customers. For example:

• 

  Ratio

  Although robots have long been used in the F&B sector to clear trays¹⁶ and as baristas¹⁷, cafe and lounge, Ratio, has taken this a step further by tapping on both robotics and artificial intelligence to offer made-to-order drinks in the exact ratio that one prefers¹⁸.
  
  

• Ma Cuisine

  As the COVID-19 pandemic drove multiple F&B outlets to innovate and bring the restaurant experience to homes¹⁹, gastro wine bar, Ma Cuisine, developed an app that went beyond taking reservations and orders. Now, one can also purchase curated tableware, art and gourmet produce, and even chat with the co-owners directly.

• Commune

  Furniture retailer, Commune, mixes 3D floor planning and virtual reality (VR) simulation to help buyers make visualise their purchases²⁰.

• Decks

  Fashion retailer, Decks, introduced a radio-frequency identification system to manage its inventory and facilitate self-checkouts²¹.

• Shiseido 

  Shiseido Asia Pacific expanded its presence in Singapore with a new Asia Pacific Innovation Centre to develop products for Asian consumers and to train beauty professionals in the region²².

A Growing Agri-Food Sphere

Singapore’s commitment to produce 30 percent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030, and the set up a $60 million agri-food cluster transformation fund²³ make the country an ideal location for business events in this arena.

Locally, the sector is growing rapidly with the development of salt-tolerant tilapia, climate-proof vegetables²⁴, and Temasek Rice, Singapore’s first home-grown rice capable of withstanding floods²⁵.

In the realm of alternative proteins, biotech company, TurtleTree Labs, is pioneering the production of milk using cell-based technology²⁶, and Shiok Meats is developing a method to grow seafood and meat from cells instead of animals²⁷.

Global players have also been drawn to Singapore. This includes: 

• Perfect Day

  A US-founded alternative protein company that uses fermentation biotechnology techniques to develop and produce animal-free dairy proteins, casein and whey. In 2020, Perfect Day announced the launch of its Asian-based research and development (R&D) centre in Singapore²⁸.

• &ever

  &ever, a German indoor vertical farming company which specialises in a proprietary “dryponics” substrate, and end-to-end automated farming system, opened its first global R&D centre in Singapore²⁹.

• Buhler

  Swiss-based global giants, equipment manufacturer, Buhler, and manufacturer of flavours, fragrances and active cosmetic ingredients, Givaudan, set up a dedicated plant-based food innovation centre in Singapore.

• Oatly

  In partnership with Singaporean beverage company Yeo’s, Swedish oat drink company, Oatly, is investing S$30m to build its first plant-based milk production facility outside of Europe and North America³⁰.

These businesses, along with accelerators like GROW, Hatch Blue, Trendlines and The Yield Lab³¹, make Singapore an ideal location to connect with both existing and rising agri-food players. 

The Merging of Design and Business

Furniture design and urban planning have helped Singapore make its mark at global festivals like the Venice Biennale of Architecture and Milan Design Week³².

Award-winning international architects have also worked on various projects in the country. This includes Learning Hub by Thomas Heatherwick³³, the Interlace and DUO by Ole Scheeren³⁴ and Jewel Changi Airport by Moshe Safdie³⁵.

With the sheer number of green buildings like Gardens by the Bay and Park Royal on Pickering³⁶, Singapore has incorporated sustainable practices with ambitious design.

Efforts to raise our design profile continue with areas like Design Orchard, an integrated retail and incubation space that aims to groom new and emerging designers in the lifestyle and fashion sector³⁷, and the launch of the Singapore Good Design (SG Mark) to benchmark good design and quality³⁸.

Testament to our growing profile, Singapore is home to Tupperware Brands' Global Design Centre for Asia³⁹, Asia’s first Porsche Design Studio⁴⁰ and Proctor & Gamble’s (P&G) Singapore Innovation Centre — an international innovation hub for P&G’s global hair care, skin care, home care, and personal health and grooming products, just to name a few.

These examples help cement Singapore’s reputation as a leader in the design sphere, making the country a natural choice for events in architecture, fashion and more.

There is also potential for conferences and exhibitions revolving around design thinking. Interest is rising in this area as the Singapore government leads the way in using design thinking to develop digital parking and programmes for people with disabilities. Businesses have also come on board with Dsg’s Business Value of Design programme, an initiative that encourages companies to leverage on design thinking to improve their bottom lines⁴¹. 

An Innovative Travel Sphere

The creativity and resilience demonstrated by Singapore’s travel players has given rise to multiple smarter ways to travel, and in turn a myriad of case studies and experts that event organisers can tap on.

• Hotels

  The hotels sector has long started leveraging on artificial intelligence, with Hotel Jen using robot butlers since 2017⁴². Now, features like self-check-in kiosks, chatbots, contactless payments and digital in-room dining services are the norm. Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Hotel Association have also launched a facial recognition tech E-Visitor Authentication System (EVA) to smoothen the check-in process in Swissotel The Stamford and Grand Park City Hall⁴³.

• Experiences

  Operators like TourHQ, Airbnb's Online Experiences⁴⁴ and Monster Day Tours⁴⁵ offer virtual tours that mix in live-streamed events with pre-recorded footage. Hotels, museums, tour operators and more are also coming together to offer bundled packages to provide one-stop services to our travellers⁴⁶.

• MICE Events

  Marina Bay Sands set up its first hybrid broadcast studio⁴⁷ capable of projecting 3D holographic avatars onto a physical stage for a truly immersive presentation. Singapore EXPO launched FleX, a modular breakout room solution which offers spaces easily configured with different layouts to cater to hybrid events. One can also look forward to faster, cheaper and accurate methods of COVID-19 testing at immigration checkpoints and MICE events to facilitate safer travel and event experiences in the future.

• Airport

  Changi Airport, which welcomed over 65 million visitors pre-pandemic, is the first airport to upgrade its check-in systems with fully automated, touch-free kiosks⁴⁸. Today, immigration lanes are fitted with biometric systems for contactless identity verification that uses iris-recognition technology instead of the traditional fingerprint scans.

Get Inspired 

Asia-Pacific Agrifood Innovation Summit 

Singapore’s annual summit explores the latest innovations and market opportunities across Asia’s agri-food supply chain.

FHA-F&B and FHA-HoReCa

Southeast Asia’s largest food and hospitality trade event, FHA is a launchpad for new-to-market innovations and a platform for international suppliers to network and harness opportunities in Asia. The inaugural FHA-HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant & Café) in 2022 will showcase an extensive line-up of products and smart technologies in areas including but not limited to bakery, food service and hospitality equipment.

Gamescom Asia 

A platform for SEA game developers to explore partnerships and connect to international publishers. 

ITB Asia 

A trade show for leading travel companies, SMEs and international buyers from the MICE, leisure, corporate travel and tech travel markets. 

Singapore Design Week (SDW) 

As one of Asia’s premier design festivals, SDW is a design thought-leadership event, open to the public, where the worlds of design, business and public policy intersect.

Singapore Media Festival

A three-week long festival focused on Asian storytelling and the “made in Singapore” ethos. 

TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference

The leading trade event for the duty-free and travel retail industry in APAC. A chance to find out about the latest research, brand news, trade advice, and to network. 

ILTM Asia Pacific

An exclusive, invitation-only, luxury travel event catered to the top travel agents and businesses across the Asia Pacific region.