Mr Ng Lang, CEO, Urban Redevelopment Authority
Mr Lionel Yeo, CEO, Singapore Tourism Board
Mrs Rosa Daniel, CEO, National Heritage Board
Ms Kathy Lai CEO, National Arts Council
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning. Let me extend my warm welcome to all of you attending this inaugural Place Management Seminar.
Amongst the many managed places around the world, some are iconic and memorable. Consider for instance, the “red glass” steps in Times Square, New York. On Valentine’s Day two weeks ago, the red steps became the venue for couples renewing their wedding vows. Organised by the Times Square Alliance, the event was part of a month-long promotion called “Love in Times Square”. It brought added buzz to the precinct and increased sales to its local businesses. It also promoted Times Square beyond time and space in the form of online videos circulated on the internet.
At home, we have our own experiences of managed places too. Consider for instance, Orchard Road Business Association organised Fashion Steps Out and Christmas on A Great Street to highlight Orchard Road’s shopping experiences. Newly formed Club Street Association recently started to organise weekend car-free evenings at Ann Siang Hill and Club Street which proved very popular; Little India Shopkeepers & Heritage Association organised the Deepavali Light-up and Celebrations and Pongal Festival; as well as the street market managed by the Chinatown Business Association, to promote the cultural heritage of the precinct.
These ground-up efforts have generated significant footfall, business and vibrancy for their precincts. It shows how visitors’ experience can be greatly enhanced or transformed by people coming together to promote their precincts.
For place management to be even more effective, we should ask what more can be done to support the various ground-up efforts and render them more sustainable. We should learn from each other the best practices and where there are gaps, we should study them and see how we can bridge them for common good.
Please allow me to share an example of a new precinct association in Singapore – the Singapore River One (SRO).
The SRO brings together businesses along the Singapore River to inject new buzz and vibrancy into this historic waterfront area. Since its launch in August 2012, they have organized a number of events, such as the three-day Saint Patrick’s Day Street Festival and “Christmas by the River”. Recently, the SRO has also initiated a car-free trial over weekends at Circular Road to make the street more pedestrian-friendly. Businesses in Circular Road reportedly grew an estimated 15 per cent in revenue and 25 per cent in footfall. With the positive feedback, SRO has extended this initiative for six months.
While relatively young, SRO has grown steadily. It now has 50 members and employs five full time staff. To finance its activities, SRO collects membership fees, derives revenue through events it organises and sponsorship it receives. In support of the stakeholders’ contributions and commitment, the government provides matching funding to help SRO achieve its objectives.
We are happy to see more stakeholders proactively managing their precincts through the formation of precinct associations. These include the Club Street Association and the Sentosa-Harbourfront Business Association.
What may be next for us?
Although place management in Singapore is off to a good start, stakeholders have reported challenges. These include their difficulty to sustain the current voluntary membership model, as not all stakeholders are contributing to place management initiatives. The uncertainty in membership contributions also hampers mid to long-term plans.
Overseas, place management in many cities involves a formal model. Such set-ups are termed Business Improvement Districts or BIDs for short. BIDs are supported by legislation which empowers stakeholders to manage and develop their precincts beyond the basic services and infrastructure provided by the government. Currently, there are more than 2000 formalised place management districts in the United States and Canada and some 160 in the United Kingdom.
Here in Singapore, we have also received feedback that some precincts may be interested in forming BIDs. URA held a consultation workshop with place management stakeholders in September last year and is now planning to conduct more in-depth discussions over the next few months. We hope to hear from more of you on your views about BIDs and how your precincts can become more vibrant.
In addition, the government will continue to help build place management capabilities through initiatives such as training grants for place managers, and creating platforms for networking and learning, much like today’s seminar.
Many precinct associations and place managers like many of you here today have worked relentlessly and done well in managing your precincts. Today, we want to acknowledge your efforts and achievements and present the inaugural Place Champion Award.
This year’s recipient has made significant contributions towards place management. Under her stewardship over the last eight years, Orchard Road has hosted many signature events, and continues to be a key attraction for local and international visitors. The precinct has indeed witnessed a transformation and seen more vibrancy.
So our heartiest congratulations to Mrs May Sng, Chairman of Orchard Road Business Association. We are very happy and honoured that you are our very first Place Champion Award recipient. I am delighted that the Place Management Coordinating Forum is recognising your outstanding accomplishments. I am sure Mrs May Sng’s work in place management will inspire us to strive for an even higher level of achievements in place management in Singapore.
May I wish you a productive and successful seminar ahead. Thank you.