Five students from the School of Architecture & the Built Environment’s Diploma in Integrated Events & Project Management (DEPM) took part in the annual MICE Destination Marketing Contest 2014 at the Taipei International Convention Centre from 17th to 18th September 2014.
An annual contest organised by the TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council), this event also coincides with the Asia MICE forum 2014. This is the second year DEPM students participated in the competition.
The contest constitutes students' ability in exhibition booth creation, marketing strategy and presentation skills. This year's theme is Green MICE Destination where the students will be required to market their country as a green MICE destination. The judging panel include MICE industry experts from Europe, Asia and Australia.
The team of students spent over 6 months preparing for the contest. The students had to conduct research on Singapore’s MICE data along with interesting Singapore facts in which presenting Singapore as the most ideal MICE destination.
The students were given an area of 3m x 6m exhibition area to create a booth that promotes Singapore’s MICE industry. The team was able to use recycled materials collected in Singapore to create most of the display items which were designed and assembled in Singapore before bringing it over to Taipei. One of the display pieces will include a centrepiece showing the colonial area of the Singapore river. This centrepiece was constructed using empty A4 size printing paper boxes collected from the school.
The students used Singapore styled snacks such as kacang puteh, durian sweets and icing cookies as a main marketing strategy to promote its uniqueness and multi-culture society. It was an instant success among the visitors as they were able to experience Singapore through their tastebuds.
Singapore Polytechnic is the only non-university team taking part in this contest and was awarded the 3rd prize in the Marketing Plan Category of the contest.
The students were excited and proud to bring an award back to SP as it truly motivates them to further their career in this highly competitive industry. They also hoped that this award will encourage their peers and juniors of DEPM to strive further as well.
“The whole competition experience has been fantastic. Not only was it an eye opener, it also gave us a first-hand look of how an actual event is built. This has also given us a broader perspective of the MICE industry at an international platform along with an opportunity to interact with fellow students of similar courses from different countries.” - Lim Qian Yu, DEPM Year 3 Student. Member of the MICE Destination Contest 2014 team.
