plenary Singapore continued from p. 24 Another integrated resort property, Resorts
World Sentosa, is located on the island of Sentosa, just off the southern coast of Singapore Island. The property includes Singapore’s second casino, a Universal Studios theme park, and Marine Life Park, which features the world’s largest ocean- arium. The resort is home to six hotels totaling 1,800 rooms, including the 360-room Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, which houses the region’s larg- est column-free ballroom, with seating for 6,500 guests, and an additional 30 function rooms in the Resorts World Convention Centre. I didn’t get the chance to tour Suntec Singa-
pore International Convention and Exhibition Centre because it’s under construction and slated to reopen in May. The $146-million renovation will reconfigure and increase the flexibility of the more-than-1-million-square-foot space. New technology will be front and center, including a 3D-rendering program for planners to visualize what their meeting space will look like ahead of time, a three-story LED screen that will feature facial-recognition technology to change displays as attendees and guests arrive, and touchscreens throughout to guide attendees and provide information. Five minutes from the airport and 15 minutes
Good Fortune Resorts World Sentosa paid homage to the Year of the Dragon and prepared to usher in the Year of the Snake.
from the Central Business District sits Singapore Expo. The cavernous facility covers more than 1.3 million square feet of indoor and outdoor space, with 10 column-free, 107,640-square-foot conven- tion-exhibition halls — six of which can be joined. Singapore Expo’s newly unveiled convention wing, Max Atria, added 32 rooms of nearly 33,000 square feet of column-free space, along with prefunction and foyer space totaling nearly 100,000 square feet. My visit was also chock full of the many interesting
You feel as though you’re enveloped in a lush and rich landscape in the midst of the bustling metropolis.
Wildlife Reserve Singapore provided a view of the nocturnal animals that reside in seven different geographical zones — including zebras, giraffes, wild boar, and Asian elephants. And, of course, anyone who has visited Singa-
pore would be remiss not to mention the incred- ible food. The city’s residents certainly aren’t shy about encouraging you to eat. Much of what is found is Peranakan (or Nonya) cuisine — a combi- nation of Chinese and Malay influences that bring
together various local ingredients and spices. A visit to StraitsKitchen, located in the Grand Hyatt Singa-
attractions the city has to offer, including the Singapore Flyer, a 540-foot-high observation wheel that provides rid- ers with a spectacular view of Marina Bay, the skyline, and nearby islands of Malaysia and Indonesia. A trip next door to Gardens by the Bay revealed a verdant sanctuary in the middle of the city. It includes the Flower Dome, a cool, dry replica of desert regions; the Supertree Grove of artificial trees (some up to 16 stories tall) made of a concrete core and planting panels that function as “living skin,” several with photovoltaic cells that harvest solar energy to light them up at night; and various other gardens, along with the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, located inside the chilled and moist Cloud Forest. A 40-minute tram ride on the Night Safari at
26 PCMA CONVENE MARCH 2013
pore, introduced me to Peranakan dishes, along with a sam- pling of Indian food and other local favorites. Hawker centers like Maxwell Market in Chinatown are open-air food markets where numerous vendors provide inexpensive dishes, such as the must-try Chicken Rice, a spicy noodle soup called laksa, and rojak salad. Seafood is also highly favored in Singapore at restaurants like Long Beach Seafood, which created the world-famous Black Pepper Crab. We also visited more local and fusion restaurants, including Blue Ginger, Wild Rocket, Humble House, The Banana Leaf Apolo, and Cocotte. At each stop, I found myself exclaiming, “This is the best food I’ve eaten!” Which it was — until the next meal.