Organised annually by the Singapore Tourism Board, this Awards aim to continuously inspire and raise the bar in experience creation by celebrating and acknowledging exceptional organisations and individuals that have delivered distinctive and compelling Singapore experiences.
SINGAPORE – Open for a month of nominations till 3 July 2015, the public and industry are encouraged and can nominate key outstanding organisations and/or exceptional frontline service staff for the Singapore Experience Awards (SEA) 2015 at www.SingaporeExperience.com. Organised annually by the Singapore Tourism Board, this Awards aim to continuously inspire and raise the bar in experience creation by celebrating and acknowledging exceptional organisations and individuals that have delivered distinctive and compelling Singapore experiences.
Recognising excellent and differentiated experiences
Since its inception in 2009, SEA has honoured individuals and organisations represented across various tourism industries, including Attractions, Business Travel and MICE, Dining, Entertainment, Hospitality, Learning Travel, Medical Travel and Retail, in exemplifying the spirit of pushing the envelope and delivering unique, quality experiences in their offerings.
“Since the inception of the Awards, many businesses are not just raising and focusing on their experience delivery standards; which remain important, but also emphasising on differentiating and customising their products and services to enhance experiences and entrench loyalty for their customers,” said Ms Choo Huei Miin, Director of Visitor Experience and Capability Development. “One of last year’s award recipient, SingEx Exhibition Ventures, was a good example of how these qualities were exemplified,” she added.
SingEx Exhibition Ventures was named Exhibition Organiser of the Year 2014 for organising GreenUrbanScape Asia 2013, an event platform for the landscaping and greenery industry. The company understood the needs of their attendees and leveraged the use of technology to deliver an exceptional experience for conference participants. For instance, interactive digital platforms were also introduced specially to increase business networking amongst the attendees and exhibitors, thus adding greater value to their conference experience.
“The recognition has certainly spurred us to raise our delivery standards and strive to deliver positive impact to our clients and conference participants. It bears testimony to the difference we are making in Singapore’s MICE industry and economy. We will continue to strive for excellence in our events and service delivery,” commented Mr Aloysius Arlando, Chief Executive Officer of SingEx Holdings, which owns SingEx Exhibition Ventures.
Recognising frontline service
The frontline service staff play an instrumental role in the delivery of an exceptional experience, and it requires the right attitude, patience and personal dedication in service delivery to maintain consistently high standards. SEA has been recognising frontline service staff with these unique attributes, such as recipient for Customer Service – Hotel 2014 and 2010, Shaik Shidek B Shaik Osman (Shaik Shidek).
For Shaik Shidek, who is part of the lobby concierge team at The Westin Singapore, each day of work brings new challenges and more excitement.
“It is always about exceeding expectations, going that extra mile to make someone’s day, and knowing that I have created a memorable, personalised stay for all our guests motivates me and also makes my job special and immensely fulfilling,” said Shaik Shidek.
How to nominate
The public and organisations are strongly encouraged to show their appreciation for worthy frontline service staff by nominating them for the Customer Service category. Public nomination forms can be found at major attractions, hotels, retail and dining establishments. The public can also nominate these individuals online while organisations can submit corporate nominations of their staff via the Awards’ website at www.SingaporeExperience.com.
Organisations can self-nominate in the Experience and Marketing & Media categories online through the same Awards’ website.
The nomination period will close on 3 July 2015, followed by evaluations by a panel of local and international judges. Recipients will be announced in October 2015 during the week of TravelRave where up to 30 awards will be given out, in categories spanning Experience, Customer Service, Marketing and Media, Outstanding Contribution and Special Recognition.
AWARD CATEGORIES
A. Experience
1. Best Dining Experience
2. Best Healthcare Experience
3. Best Hotel Experience
4. Best Learning & Travel Experience
5. Best Nightspot Experience
6. Best Shopping Experience
7. Best Visitor Attraction Experience
8. Leisure Event of the Year
9. Association Conference Organiser of the Year
10. Business Event Service Provider of the Year
11. Business Event Venue of the Year
12. Exhibition Organiser of the Year
13. Meeting/Incentive Organiser of the Year
14. Trade Conference Organiser of the Year
B. Marketing and Media
15. Best Singapore Experience Story (Broadcast)
16. Best Singapore Experience Story (Digital)
17. Best Singapore Experience Story (Print)
18. Most Innovative Marketing Idea
C. Customer Service
19. Food & Beverage
20. Hotel
21. Nightspot
22. Retail
23. Tourist Guiding
24. Transport
25. Visitor Attraction
D. Outstanding Contribution
26. Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism
27. Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year
28. Best Business Event Champion
E. Special Recognition
29. Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism
30. Exceptional Achievement
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
