Stadia and Arena Asia Pacific 2014 was held at the Singapore Sports Hub. The exhibition features manufacturers, architects, consultants and other players from the industry. There are also a series of roundtable discussions and open forums to discuss pertinent matters related to the stadium and arena sector.
From the list of consultants, Arup was one that was out in force. Arup has worked on a number of stadium projects in Asia Pacific, including the Singapore Sports Hub and the Perth Arena. They believe that the Asia Pacific region will continue to provide large scale arena projects in the coming future especially in Japan as the country ramps up the level of its facilities in order to host the 2020 summer Olympics.
D.A.S. Audio was also present. With their regional presence centered around their Singapore office, the customized speaker manufacturer are also looking at expanding their business by venturing into the stadium and arena market. Eduardo Lopez, the business operations manager for D.A.S. Audio stated that Stadia and Arena Asia Pacific 2014 provides the perfect opportunity to network and develop contacts.
Vanguardia Consulting had a booth at the show as well. Mark Murphy, who is an associate direction at Vanguardia, has worked on multiple projects including the London Olympic stadium. Having also toured the Singapore Sports Hub as part of the activities scheduled at Stadia and Arena Asia Pacific 2014 he was well place to compare the local stadium with other found across the globe.
Murphy’s main observation was the almost singular focus of the Singapore Sports Hub as a sporting venue at a time when the stadiums in the west are heavily focussing on include corporate hospitality areas to make their venues more flexible in nature. The decision can be explained by the fact that as the national stadium the Sports Hub does not experience weekly usage. Additionally there is the nearby Singapore Indoor Stadium providing ancillary services to visitors as well.
Stadia and Arena Asia Pacific will be returning to the Singapore Sports Hub next year from 28th September 2015 till 20th September 2015.