World Global Marketers Week 2020 in Singapore postponed
Sequel to the current global unease due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the world Federation of Advertisers (WFA) Global Marketers week 2020 earlier billed to hold between 31st March-3rd April this year in Singapore has been postponed.
A statement from the website of the global advertisers’ body said the postponement was due to advice from the Singaporean authorities. “Following advice from the Singaporean authorities, Global Marketer Week will be postponed to next year”. The city state has moved to DORSCON Orange which means that event organisers are being advised to cancel or defer large scale event”, the statement added.
Restating its commitment to still organise the event in “Singapore next year April, organizers of WFA Global Marketers Week said, “Our commitment to Asia-Pacific, and Singapore specially, remains unchanged. We will therefore be postponing Global Marketers Week and returning on April 20-23,2021”. However, the organisers observed that the shift was disappointing, but added that “the safety of our members, delegates and WFA colleagues is our top priority”.
Earlier, the advertisers’ body had last year April in Lisbon announced that it would hold its Global Marketer Week 2020 in Singapore between 31st March-3rd April 2020. The event which was to be held with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is an annual global festival of advertisers.
The choice of Singapore was said to have reflected the critical importance of Asia-Pacific as a growth generator for global brands, as well as the importance of Singapore as a hub for global and regional marketers.
Despite uncertainties over the global economic outlook and ongoing trade tensions, WFA members still overwhelmingly see Asia-Pacific as a critical source of growth for their brands. 72% of respondents to WFA member barometer said it would be their main source of growth in the next five years.
WFA has invested significantly in the region. Its growing Singapore team, led by Ranji David, Director, APAC – Marketing Services, hosts more member meetings than any other city. It will also be the fifth time in a decade that the event would have been held in Asia-Pacific following Tokyo in 2018, Kuala Lumpur in 2016, Sydney in 2014 and Beijing in 2011.
“I am very excited about Singapore in 2020. Ever since we opened our office in 2012, the city has become an increasingly important hub for WFA. Asia-Pacific is where our members are looking for so much of their growth so it’s no coincidence we’re now hosting more events in Singapore than in any other city. Global Marketer Week in Singapore 2020 will help cement its role as a lynchpin in Asia-Pacific for marketers and brands,” said Stephan Loerke, CEO of WFA.
“WFA’s Global Marketer Week brings together the most creative brand marketing minds from all across the world. As it will be here for the first time in Singapore, the event will offer the opportunity for many of our local and regional brands to learn and exchange insights and experiences with their international counterparts. This bodes well in terms of capability development and innovation growth for our local marketing professionals, and we hope it will lead to future collaborations within a global network of marketers,” said Melissa Ow, Deputy Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board.
“Asia and ASEAN continue to see strong growth driven by increasing consumer demand and new technologies. Singapore has emerged as the preferred base for corporates to anchor digital marketing and innovation activities to access the region’s growth. I am pleased that WFA has similarly selected Singapore as the venue for the next edition of its Global Marketer Week, which reinforces our efforts to position Singapore as a leader in marketing innovation,” said Kelvin Wong, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board.
The showpiece event would have been the WFA Global Marketer Conference on April 2nd, which would have brought together some of the global industry’s biggest brands to share strategies for growth in a fast-changing world and inspire marketers with innovation across a wide range of categories, media channels and regions. The week would have also included a number of side events for both policy and marketing professionals.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.