Vision

In 1978, the exhibitions industry reached its first milestone infrastructure boost when the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB, known as Singapore Tourist Promotion Board then) converted two warehouses into exhibition halls. These warehouses formed the first official exhibition complex – World Trade Centre (WTC) Exhibition Complex – commonly regarded as the predecessor of the Singapore EXPO & Max Atria.

The exhibition division in PSA began managing WTC. The Centre was to serve as the location of choice for trading firms, banks, foreign trade commissions, and government bodies involved in trade and industry. Besides facilitating international trade, the centre aimed to combine commercial, recreational and marine terminal facilities under one roof.

This was the beginning of a nascent MICE scene in Singapore. What was known as the Expo Gateway and WTC then saw the likes of trade conferences from the medical, economic, and cultural sectors that brought together partners from the region for collaboration. These shows include CommunicAsia, one of the largest events for the region’s ICT industry; Machineasia, a machinery and engineering equipment show for South East Asia; Security Asia, an international security equipment exhibition and conference; and City Trans Asia, one of the first events in an exhibition and seminar format showcasing technology and developments in urban planning and transportation.

By 1997, the exhibition space at the WTC was slated for redevelopment and a hunt for a replacement venue that could exceed the 34,000 square metres of indoor space began. A location was confirmed in the East, and the venue was named Singapore EXPO.

The divestment of the exhibitions arm from PSA Corp led to the establishment of SingEx Venues in 1999, a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings. SingEx Venues subsequently won the bid to manage Singapore EXPO’s first six exhibition halls built in the East. As a testament to the demand for such spaces, Singapore EXPO hosted over 90 trade and consumer exhibitions in 2000, of which 75 were international. These events attracted an estimated total of over 1 million visitors.

By the end of its first decade, Singapore EXPO hosted 400 events catering to 6 million visitors, while SingEx continued to expand with the formation of the SingEx Exhibitions arm in 2003 to handle a growing portfolio of partnerships in both the B2B and B2C markets.

Singapore EXPO expands with 4 more halls, bringing the total indoor and outdoor exhibition space to 123,000 square metres.

In 2008, Singapore’s MICE scene continued to expand with the incorporation of Sphere Exhibits, a MICE subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings.

Sphere Exhibits acquired Eastern Directories’ B2C events such as COMEX, IT Show, World Food Fair and Food and Beverage Fair. The company also acquired BizLink Services Pte Ltd  and hosted the Singapore Gifts and Premiums Fair, and Franchising and Licensing Asia.

In 2011, Sphere launched its first organic trade event, BuildTech Asia, in partnership with Singapore's Building and Constructing Authority.

As Singapore continued to grow its reputation as a regional hub capitalising on the strength of South East Asian economies, the demand for regional and international trade conferences and business meetings rose rapidly. To cater to the influx, the MAX Atria arm of Singapore EXPO was launched, offering 12,000 sqm of additional meeting space featuring 32 column-free, configurable rooms with spacious foyers, a garden courtyard, and ample space for diverse event formats.

Sphere Exhibits expands its MICE foray into trade conferences with addition of Sphere Conferences in 2012. The new division organised its inaugural conferences in 2013.

SingEx launched new-to-market events in burgeoning regional markets covering automotive and commodities, business leadership, education, environment, healthcare, e-Commerce, logistics and technology. SingEx also acquired the Tyreexpo series of exhibitions in Asia, India, Africa and UK in 2013

Sphere Exhibits Malaysia Sdn Bhd was setup in 2013, acquiring Smart Kids Asia, the Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair and Facon Education in Malaysia. BuildTech Yangon was also launched in 2014.

SingEx established subsidiary offices in Indonesia and India, key markets in Asia.

Sphere Exhibits acquires a controlling stake in Beerfest Asia in 2015.

Singapore EXPO won Best International Venue award at the 10th Exhibition News (EN) Awards in 2016.