• Up to 2,500 people are expected to attend the Architecture and Building Services 2021 trade show
• The event will be held from June 30 to July 2
• Vaccinated attendees in Singapore will be exempted from pre-event Covid-19 testing
• Those who have not completed their vaccination regimen will have to undergo antigen-rapid testing
• A robot able to take temperatures will be trialled at the trade show

SINGAPORE — A pilot trade show to be held at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) is set to be the first such event where a substantial number of participants, namely those who have completed their vaccination regimen, will be allowed to bypass pre-event testing for Covid-19.

The Architecture and Building Services (ABS) 2021 trade show, which is on its seventh run, will be held over three days from June 30 to July 2 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

Up to 2,500 people are expected to turn up, event organisers Conference and Exhibition Management Services said in a statement on Thursday (April 8).

This is the third pilot trade show since the pandemic. The first was TravelRevive in November last year, and the second was Geo Connect Asia held last month.

ABS 2021 will feature stakeholders from the built environment and related sectors, and will feature seven concurrent trade shows and 12 conferences over its duration. It will involve both virtual and in-person events.

Organisers will be deploying a robot that can scan the temperatures of participants, the first time such a robot has been deployed at large-scale events.

Other safety measures at the event will include: Protective plexi-glass set up between participants and the separation of participants into zones of no more than 50. These were implemented at the two previous pilot tradeshow events.

At a press conference on Thursday, Mr Andrew Phua, executive director of exhibitions and conferences at Singapore Tourism Board, highlighted the good headway Singapore has made in its national vaccination programme.

“This gives us the opportunity to roll out and refine newly developed protocols, such as exempting all vaccinated local attendees from pre-event testing requirements at larger scale events.”

The authorities announced in March that from April 24, those who have completed their full vaccination regimen and have had time to develop enough protection against the virus, which is two weeks, need not undergo testing before taking part in events.

Participants at the pilot event will have to show proof that they are vaccinated through vaccination certificates, for instance, to be allowed into the event without testing. Those who have not completed the vaccination regimen will still have to undergo antigen-rapid testing before entering.

OTHER SAFETY MEASURES IN PLACE

A new feature at the event will be a stationary robot that will be placed at the entrances of exhibition halls and conference halls, that will act as an additional layer of screening and is the first time it is being used at a large-scale event.

The 1.4m-tall robot — called Servbot — can take the temperatures of up to three people at once, and if a high temperature is detected, it will sound an alarm to alert any staff members who are screening at the entrances.

The robot also has facial recognition capabilities that can facilitate contact tracing, but this feature will not be used in the upcoming event.

The event will also feature the same safety measures from previous pilot trade shows, such as the use of plexiglass dividers between participants.

Mr Ong Wee Min, vice-president of conventions and exhibitions at MBS, said: “The plexiglass was first tested in TravelRevive, and used as a scaled-up version in Geo Connect. 

“I think when ABS 2021 comes along, we will scale it up even further to ensure that there’s a safe, trusted and collaborative area for our exhibitors.”

As for the distancing dongles used at the Geo Connect Asia event, which utilise Bluetooth technology and tracks users’ information, the event organisers are still in discussions with the firms behind the technology.

Mr Edward Liu, managing director of organiser Conference and Exhibition Management Services, said: “We plan to use it, but our requirements may be different from the last event.

"We have to find out what (the firms) are able to offer, and how much it will cost us.”