A Different Kind of Expansion
Venuerific’s Cynthia Jee Yoon Kim says Covid-19 put a stop to expansion plans, but the online venue-sourcing platform found a novel way to support local venues in Singapore and developed new digital tools to prepare for the future.
Cynthia Jee Yoon Kim is co-founder & CMO of Venuerific ​
Venuerific was founded in 2013, with the mission of helping struggling F&B businesses by optimizing their spaces to host events through the power of our event lead generation software. Since then, along with the thriving MICE industry in the region, our company has grown into the largest event venue marketplace in Southeast Asia, with presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Philippines.
This year was poised to be a year of expansion for Venuerific. We set up our Malaysia HQ in Kuala Lumpur and set our sights to expand our market share in the Philippines at the end of the year. To our dismay, the Malaysian government initiated the Movement Control Order just weeks after we began operations in Malaysia. We had to stop all our initial expansion plans. Not long after, the effect of COVID-19 was also felt here at home, and the events industry came to a standstill.
However, we have continued our mission to innovate during this period and launched www.thevirtualbackground.com to optimise the experience of virtual events and conferences. This includes free animated virtual backgrounds of local venues in Singapore to continue the spirit of ‘gathering’ at our favourite venues. In addition, we have introduced Custom Animated Virtual Backgrounds for virtual conferences. With logo, QR code, and event title, name and designation, these custom professional backgrounds act as digital name-cards for virtual events.
In line with recognising the renewed importance of automation and digitalisation in the event planning process, we also developed new features at Venuerific, such as Venuerific Pay. Event organisers can make payments for their events in Singapore from abroad using their credit cards or e-Wallets. On top of that, we are also working to develop video call integration on our site so that event organisers can arrange for virtual site visits with venues.
I believe the recovery of the events industry in Singapore can only happen in Phase 3 of the Government’s reopening plan, or when a vaccine is found. During this time, we believe there will be new trends and innovations that will continue to re-shape the entire industry and our business. We hope to continue to innovate and take the leading steps towards events in a post-Covid world.
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SACEOS is the trade association for MICE and Events in Singapore
1 Raffles Boulevard, Level 3 Venue Management Office, Suntec City, S039593
secretariat@saceos.org.sg
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