In this week’s #SGSafeEventAmbassador spotlight, we speak to Ana Tan, a Freelance Event Professional, as she shares her journey in becoming a certified SG SafeEvent Ambassador and how it will help the event industry provide a sense of assurance.

1. Tell us a little bit about what you do 

I’m an event planner and have been working on a freelance basis since January 2021. Why freelance, you may ask. I had a permanent position with Pacific World for 7 years till COVID-19 impacted us in 2020. The company decided to close for good and I’ve moved on to do a few stints with the other agencies. In the past, work had always been a priority as I was just starting my career in the MICE industry. When COVID-19 hits, it made me realized the importance of kinships and I decided to be a freelancer so I can better manage my time, wellbeing, and work.

My daily work as an event planner includes checking up on project statuses, connecting with the clients, keeping track of the event progress and meeting new people!

2. What inspired you to become a SG SafeEvent Ambassador 

COVID-19 wasn’t going to disappear and we won’t be able to go back to the past where social distancing and wearing a mask wasn’t a big deal. It was becoming a new norm for events to have safe management measures and I felt that I must be able to adapt to this new norm.

Keeping myself updated with the regulation was critical but it didn’t feel sufficient as the information on the daily news is more applicable to the mass public. I wanted to do a deep dive into the regulations that are applicable to the MICE industry specifically and have this set of knowledge at the back of my head. I also wanted to be a SG SafeEvent Ambassador so I could inform my clients that we are ready to welcome them back to Singapore once the border reopens! The endorsement is an action to prove that we have the capabilities to execute their events safely.

3. What are the key learnings and skills you picked up from the course and how will it benefit you in your work? 

The course was effective in conveying the knowledge of planning an event. It covered about human movement flow, the number of zones/ cohorts/ groups, and important pointers that an event planner should know and be able to react when we are placed in a situation.

The second part of the course was also surprisingly interesting! The art of stewarding was covered in this part and it’s true that service is no longer just pure service, but it is a kind of experience. As an event planner, we constantly try to outdo ourselves by providing our clients a seamless experience when they’re in Singapore. It’s great to rethink how service is provided and how it could actually make our clients return to us again.

4. Why would you encourage others to be a SG SafeEvent Ambassador? 

The course provides great insight into measures that keep us safe. I feel that anyone can attend the course regardless of their occupation. During this period where events are mostly virtual, we should upskill ourselves and stay relevant, especially when we are expecting the borders to reopen in the near future.

NTUC Learning Hub was also a great help in clearing my inquiries that I have and provided instructions on the registration. Overall, I had a great experience with the SG SafeEvent Ambassador course!

If you’re interested in becoming a SG SafeEvent Ambassador, click here to find out more, or contact us at [email protected]