Marina Bay Sands teams up with local university to co-teach youths, in first-of-its-kind collaboration for hospitality industry

The three-month module, spanning seminars to field trips, aims to provide an insider perspective into the MICE industry and inspire career paths

Doubling up on ongoing efforts to nurture youths, Marina Bay Sands has been partnering the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), a public university in Singapore, to teach a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) module in the first quarter of 2025. This is the first time that a hospitality player is tying up with a university to co-teach in Singapore.

The groundwork started in 2024, with Marina Bay Sands’ MICE team brainstorming potential content with SIT. With Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre staging over 2,200 events and receiving more than 1.2 million delegates on property last year, the team has a deep understanding of the latest real-world challenges and solutions. They leaned on this experience to identify industry needs and eventually co-developed a three-month module, running from January to early April 2025.

The opening seminar was taught by Ong Wee Min, Vice President of Sales & MICE, Marina Bay Sands, who gave an overview of the industry. Other sessions were helmed by the integrated resort’s Banquet Operations, Convention Services, Sales, Sustainability and Technical Operations teams. Partners from Gevme, National Arts Council, Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and Singapore Tourism Board were also roped in to teach, allowing students to hear directly from other industry insiders and learn from their experience.

Students have been attending a mix of seminars and field trips either held on campus or at MICE venues around Singapore, learning the ins and outs of the industry. From event design and technical operations to event execution and crisis management, students will gain an insider’s perspective into the dynamic industry by the end of the course. They will also get to present to an industry career panel, before joining a fireside chat with this panel, providing exposure to real-world learning and networking opportunities.

Developing a pipeline of hospitality talent has always been a priority for Marina Bay Sands. As one of the largest private sector employers in Singapore, the integrated resort has a responsibility to grow the next generation of talent, equip them with relevant skills and build their careers in hospitality. Co-teaching with SIT comes alongside other efforts to develop future talent, from disbursing a US$1 million Sands Hospitality Scholarship to over 100 Singaporean students, to offering internship opportunities or part-time work to students.