Members Connect: Mingle & Jingle

Speakers

Richard Ireland

President at SACEOS

Richard has been involved in ‘live events’ for the past 25 years. He has launched numerous exhibitions, conferences, training events and digital commu...

Wong Soon-Hwa

Chairman at PATA Singapore Chapter

His long association with PATA dated back to 1996 and had served in various roles over the years. Recipient of the PATA Award of Merit in 2008, PATA L...

Quek Wee Teck

President at Association of Boat Charter Singapore (ABCS)

Mr Quek is commonly known as Captain Q. His life revolves around the sea. When he was schooling, swimming was his ECA and he pursued this hobby passio...

Ian Wu

President at SKAL International Singapore

Ian Wu is the CEO and Co-owner of HUONE Singapore, part of the HUONE International Group of thematic meeting venues with locations in Denmark and Finl...

Andrew Chan

Founder & CEO of ACI HR Solutions

Andrew Chan, is responsible for the firm’s operations and strategic direction.He has worked in many facets of the industry, commencing his career as a...

Richard has been involved in ‘live events’ for the past 25 years. He has launched numerous exhibitions, conferences, training events and digital communities over a broad range of industries throughout Asia Pacific.

Richard is currently the CEO of Clarion Events Asia and his role is to expand Clarion’s footprint in the region via organic growth, launch and via acquisition. He has held this role since 2014. He has oversight of Clarion’s Shanghai business, Clarion’s Indonesian business and the Clarion business in Singapore. He was previously the CEO of Terrapinn Asia Pacific. He has lived and worked in Singapore since 1995 and has been a permanent resident since 2004.

Richard is also the President of the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS). He has led the association and industry through the re-opening post pandemic, helping drive key initiatives and events such as the MICE Sustainability Roadmap, MICE Internship Best Practices Guidelines and the Asia CEO Summit. He was a committee member of the TR 84 Standards Committee and led the rolling out of the SafeEvent Management courses. Over 3200 certified SG SafeEvent Ambassador have been trained during Covid-19.

As a strong advocate for training and education, Richard has regularly trained both exhibition and conference management to industry, and previously served as Vice President for Professional Development at SACEOS.

He has also provided consultation to a number of business media companies in Asia Pacific focusing on strategy and performance improvement.

Richard has pitched, won and managed joint venture partnerships with some of the region’s and world’s largest trade associations and governments and has led various M&A transactions in the region.

His long association with PATA dated back to 1996 and had served in various roles over the years. Recipient of the PATA Award of Merit in 2008, PATA Life Member Award in 2018 and PATA Special Award in 2023.

Soon Hwa has over 40 years of extensive experience in the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. After a long and successful corporate career, he founded AsiaChina Pte Ltd to tap on the commercial opportunities presented by the two-way trade and tourism flows between Asia and China.

As part of pay it forward, he provides pro-bono services in mentoring start-ups and undergraduates besides serving in several civic and social committees.

A Bachelor of Business Administration graduate of the National University of Singapore, he is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK and an alumnus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Mr Quek is commonly known as Captain Q. His life revolves around the sea. When he was schooling, swimming was his ECA and he pursued this hobby passionately until he became a certified lifeguard. His national service was in the Navy where he learnt boating, fishing and diving. After being an engineer in the construction industry for 11 years, he decided to pursue his passion for fishing and diving and converted this into a business 8 years ago.

Now he is the director of Wanderlust Adventures which charter yachts in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and China. The company also provides yacht brokerage, management, financing services and IT solutions for charter companies to make it a one stop solution for yacht owners. Captain Q is also the principal of My Fishing Frenzy Academy – a school which teaches fishing in a structured manner, a hobby since he was in primary school. He is the co-founder of a non-profit organisation, Marine Stewards, which educates on marine conservation, and the president of Association of Boat Charter Association with the vision to develop a professional network of charter boat operators dedicated to the promotion of marine tourism, sustainable business practices and industry dialogue in Singapore.

Ian Wu is the CEO and Co-owner of HUONE Singapore, part of the HUONE International Group of thematic meeting venues with locations in Denmark and Finland. Overseeing and directly involved in all aspects of the business, Ian has championed digital transformation efforts, preparing HUONE for scalability and expansion. His unique perspective, having been on both sides of the "fence" as an organizer

and venue owner, allows him to understand the industry from multiple angles. In addition to his role in Singapore, Ian also serves as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for the HUONE Group, contributing to the global strategy and growth of the company. He is also the President of SKAL International Singapore, an association with over 11,992 members worldwide, focused on promoting global tourism and friendship, across all tourism sectors.

Before joining HUONE, Ian held multiple positions at SingEx Exhibitions over five years, with his last role being Director (Healthcare - Tech). In this capacity, he led the growth of a diverse portfolio comprising six events across healthcare, automotive, and rubber commodities sectors. Ian's earlier experience includes several years with Informa Exhibitions and 13 years with the Singapore Armed Forces, where he held various training and doctrine development positions, including Organising Secretary of the 2010 National Day Heartland Celebrations.

Ian holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Business Administration and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Andrew Chan, is responsible for the firm’s operations and strategic direction.

He has worked in many facets of the industry, commencing his career as a Travel Agent in Australia and subsequently joining the airline and hospitality industry working with brands such as Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore Airlines and Carlton Hotel Group. In 2005, Andrew took his wealth of industry experience into the world of Executive Search, where he has since established himself as one of the leading HR, Talent and Recruitment experts in travel, tourism and hospitality sector.

A polished and engaging presenter, Andrew has addressed intimate audiences to mega events at travel and hospitality conferences, events, trade shows, as well as educational institutions. He is frequently invited for his commentary by the media, and regularly contributes his expertise on recruitment and HR best practices in industry publications. 

Andrew has twice been recognized as the Recruitment Entrepreneur of the Year, in 2016 and 2019.

Event Details

Agenda

December 4, 2023

18

19

20

20

21

Speakers

Richard Ireland

Wong Soon-Hwa

Quek Wee Teck

Ian Wu

Andrew Chan

Sponsors and Partners

Tickets

SACEOS Members

ABCS Members

PATA Members

SKAL Members

Non-Members

Marketplace

Members Connect: Mingle & Jingle

Event Details

Agenda

December 4, 2023

18

19

20

20

21

Speakers

Richard Ireland

Wong Soon-Hwa

Quek Wee Teck

Ian Wu

Andrew Chan

Sponsors and Partners

Organizer

Organizer

Organizer

Organizer

Venue Sponsor

Registration Sponsor

Dinner Sponsors

Dinner Sponsors

Dinner Sponsors

Emcee Sponsor

Wine Sponsor

Tickets

SACEOS Members

ABCS Members

PATA Members

SKAL Members

Non-Members

Marketplace