Yuki Lei in Singapore
The over 40-member Macao ASEAN International Chamber of Commerce (MAICC) delegation visited yesterday Singapore's New Bahru creative cluster — a renovated old school building — to experience what is widely regarded as the Lion City's first business project combining F&B, retail, health, entertainment, education, and culture.
According to Ryan Michael Minjoot, a representative of the cluster which opened in 2019, the facility occupies an area of about 200,000 square feet (18,580 square metres), which used to be a school, and then was transformed into a leisure community + creative park + service centre as a holistic cultural and creative space. Currently, the cluster comprises more than 35 tenants, with its weekend footfall standing at more than 10,000.
Minjoot said that cultural and creative products have always been the most popular among tourists, but previously Singapore had lacked such a central cluster to gather creativity : "If we as Singaporeans do not support local businesses, then who will?"
Tenants in the cluster are able to enjoy below-market rents and are given marketing support and design guidelines, according to Minjoot, who underlined that
With the rise of the internet, out-of-home advertising has been gradually being replaced by social media. However, traditional marketing still has its value. Also yesterday, the delegation visited the Orchard Road Station of the Thomson-East Coast Line — a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore, during which a representative of the exclusive advertising operator of the line — Asiaray Media Group introduced to the delegation the company's business philosophy, business development and innovative technology.
As a Macau-based advertisement entrepreneur, Keyvin Bi Chi Kin told the Post and Macao Daily News that he had learned a lot from the visit and that there were many elements that Macau should learn from, such as the combination of design and art, as well as artificial technology (AI) to present MRT passengers with an innovative experience of their five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. According to the Asiaray Media Group, the advertising enterprise has cooperated with coffee brand Nespresso in turning the MRT into a sensorial coffee experience, emitting coffee scent along the station linkway.
Bi also suggested that the Macau government consider setting aside space in the construction of the Light Rail Transport (LRT) to help local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) promote their products through advertising.
The delegation arrived at Malaysia’s Johor Bahru yesterday afternoon and began its three-day fact-finding trip there, including a meeting with a senior official of the Johor State Government today.
Caption: Members of the Macao ASEAN International Chamber of Commerce (MAICC) delegation pose during their fact-finding visit to the Thomson-East Coast Line in Singapore yesterday.— Photo: Yuki Lei
