Around 25 MICE events have been lined up coinciding with the return of the Formula One race in Singapore, according to The Straits Times.

The Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix F1 race will return to the streets of Singapore from 30 September to 2 October after a 2-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Events taking place around that period include major events such as the Milken Institute Asia Summit taking place on 28-30 September, and the Forbes Global CEO Conference on 26-27 September.

One of Singapore’s largest trade shows FHA-Food & Beverage also made a return as an in-person event on 5-8 September.

According to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the number of events timed to coincide with the F1 are similar to pre-Covid-19 levels. It added that the 25 events are expected to be attended by close to 90,000 delegates.

Since 29 August, masks are optional at large events with more than 500 participants, but attendees will have to be fully vaccinated.

MICE events are also no longer subject to restrictions on group sizes, event capacity limits, or zoning requirements. Safe distancing is also no longer required.

Yap Chin Siang, deputy chief executive of STB, said that marquee events such as F1 benefit the MICE industry, attracting key business events and high-yield business travellers to Singapore.

“The strong return of F1 and business events around it also demonstrate Singapore’s continued appeal as a choice destination for business and leisure,” he was quoted as saying in The Straits Times.