This year, Singapore Experience Awards finalists continue to be a mix of both past and first-time participants.
SINGAPORE – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced the finalists of the Singapore Experience Awards that will compete in the Awards finals on 15 October. This year, the Awards finalists continue to be a mix of both past and first-time participants.
Establishments
33 organisations are finalists for the 11 awards under the Experience category. DFS Galleria and The Hour Glass will be in the running with past-winner ION Orchard for Best Shopping Experience. In a nod to Singapore’s increasingly vibrant dining scene, the Best Dining Experience sees strong contenders such as Chef Daniel Sia’s modern European The Disgruntled Chef, Joel Rubuchon’s L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Joel Robuchon Restaurant.
The Awards also welcomes the recently renovated Mount Elizabeth Hospital and the Singapore PainCare Center under the Best Healthcare Experience category. For education, the Award has been renamed to Best Education Experience (Tourism & Hospitality) to place a greater focus on tourism and hospitality courses and to recognise the integral role that Education providers play in establishing a talent base for the growing tourism industry. Vying for this renamed award will be Temasek Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education College West. With this new emphasis, institutions will also be encouraged to evaluate their current curricula against the needs of Singapore’s tourism industry. Up for Best Hotel Experience are The St. Regis Singapore, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, and the InterContinental Singapore, which is sporting a fresh facelift. Meanwhile, Universal Studios Singapore will be competing with Night Safari and the Jurong Bird Park in the Best Attraction Experience category.
Individuals
Under the categories for individuals, there will be 21 individuals contending for seven awards under Customer Service. Whether it is their enthusiastic energy, their confidence in managing a difficult situation, or being empathic to a customer’s needs, all the Customer Service finalists have imbued a personal touch on top of strong product knowledge to deliver a memorable customer experience.
Events
Along with Leisure Event of the Year contenders Halloween Horror Nights by Universal Studios Singapore, ZoukOut Singapore 2011 and Chingay Parade Singapore 2011, business events populated the Events category with finalists for Association Conferences, Exhibitions, Meetings and Trade Conferences. Events held in Singapore for the first time such as Music Matters and the inaugural Digital Matters, the 11th Asian Congress of Nutrition 2011 and the 21st International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) World Volunteer Conference, are finalists alongside established events such as International Furniture Fair Singapore 2011 and Web in Travel 2011.
Across all categories, the return of many established names to the finalist list proves that experience creation and delivery is an ongoing process. The full list of 2012’s finalists can be found in Annex A.
“The Singapore Experience Awards has always been about exceptional individuals and establishments delivering great customer experiences. We are glad to see a good mix of established names and new players in the various categories. This reflects the growth and dynamism of the tourism industry as well as the determination by established names to constantly stay ahead and achieve more,” said John Conceicao, STB’s Executive Director of Capability & Innovation and Visitor Information & Feedback. “For the individual categories, the contenders were all nominated by their customers and this in itself is a strong validation of their exemplary customer service skills. By sharing all these success stories, we hope to put into motion a positive cycle; celebrating not only achievements but also inspiring others to do the same. This is an integral part of the Awards’ effort to raise the bar in the standard of our tourism experiences in Singapore.”
Judges
A panel of 77 judges used a stringent set of criteria, including interviews and mystery shopping, to evaluate finalists. Comprising both local and overseas-based industry leaders, these judges are recognised professionals in their respective fields such as dining, education, entertainment and hospitality. Finalists were evaluated on their delivery of a complete visitor experience based on both the strength of their products and services.
Mr Purushothaman, Provost, LASALLE College of the Arts, shares his sentiments on his judging experience. “I accepted the invitation to judge the Customer Service category with trepidation. With the huge drive in Singapore for better service quality, I was unsure of what to expect of the finalists. As a quiet observer, I have learnt much through their service about their restaurants and the work that they do. I have also realised that service quality is not an entity to aspire to. Rather it is an organic extension of a business and its belief that it has the customers’ interest at heart through good food and timely service in a good environment. This year’s finalists have brought this belief to life.”
The Singapore Experience Awards is organised as part of TravelRave, Asia’s most influential travel trade festival.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
