RIDING THE HEALTHY LIVING EVENT TREND

Abstract

The topic of health and well-being was highlighted at the recent national day rally by our Prime Minister. “Start today, so that we can live healthily and live well,” suggested PM Lee as he urged Singaporeans to change and engage in a healthy lifestyle (Prime Minister's Office Singapore, 2017). A growing trend in healthy lifestyle is evident from the continuous emphasis on the importance of living healthily by a cross-section of the public and the growing awareness and knowledge about health issues by individuals in society. The lack of events with a healthy lifestyle theme despite the growing trend thus provides an opportunity for event planners. Trends play a key role for event planners in a competitive industry. This research therefore aims at examining the potential of events riding on the trend of healthy living and studying the market for such events. It also looks at the possibility for event planners to be the pacesetter in turning Singapore into a hub for healthy living in the future. A pragmatic approach has been adopted in this study to gather valuable information from the public and professional event planners. The results indicate that there is a market for such events and potential event participants are willing to spend on the relevant products. The study also highlights possible ways and ideas for such events to be held by taking into account the needs and desire of the market as well as the assets of Singapore. It is believed that as healthy lifestyle events gain traction here, Singapore’s potential as a hub for healthy living in the region will be realized in the future. Lastly, the following are recommendations for planning future healthy lifestyle events: 1. Events should cater to multiple dimensions of healthy living. 2. Events should provide tangible takeaways to attract participants. 3. Events can consider various outdoor locations. 4. Events should be widely publicised and marketed.