Singapore goes glitzy and glamorous
Singapore is on its way to transforming itself into a clubbing and fun capital with its glitzy and glamorous nightlife.
In a country where gum spitting carries the penalty of a caning, the city-state is reinventing itself by offering all-night partying, including drinking and bar top dancing.
The government’s recent decision to build two casino integrated resort complexes is seen as the impetus for investors to pour money into the entertainment industry, ranging from major casino licenses to smaller entertainment outlets, and liquor/ beverage supplies for consumption by its nightlife market.
Smaller investors are believed to have poured as much as US$37 million, multi-playing six-fold into the Singapore nightlife scene over the past year, mainly centered around the Singapore River quayside and Chinatown enclave.
Said Simon Lee from the Wong Sun Group, an investor in the Singapore nightclub scene, “Compared to the rest of Asian nightlife, Singapore offers the widest range of concepts.”
By mid-December, St. James Power Station, one of the city’s biggest names on the nightlife scene, will offer up to nine different forms of music outlets, from live Cuban street party to Chinese karaoke, live Chinese shows, R&B dance music, trans music, Mono and Swing Bar.
London-based competitor, Ministry of Sound, is investing in six entertainment outlets during the same time, identifying its own outlets from Fashion Bar, Kandi Bar, Buddha Bar to FBar. Five of its own outlets will be located at Singapore’s choice nightlife address in Clarke Quay.
“Initially the outlets may have a small impact on the nightlife scene, but in the long run we believe we will have a very loyal following, becoming repeat customers,” said Tracy Philips, Zouk’s marketing manager.
After expansions in Australia and Denmark, it now has the largest dance floor in Singapore.
Added Philips, “Getting more people to appreciate electronic dance music of all genres will only widen the slice of the pie in our niche market since we first started 15 years ago.”
Diageo, which is one of the biggest beverage and liquor suppliers investing in the Singapore nightline market, will handle 3.5 million cases of its beverages in its first year, growing to 6 million in subsequent years.
“Singapore is known as a financial center in the region and the Singapore name goes beyond the country. If you are strong in Singapore you might also be strong in the rest of Asia,” added Jean Berchon, vice president of Moet & Chandon, another global name in the industry. “Singapore has become an important market in Asia.”
Singapore Tourism, under the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) sees the entertainment sector as the key in its plans to bring in 17 million tourists by 2015, pouring an estimated $19 billion into the island’s economy.
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