(Pictured above: Geo Connect Asia is meeting at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre)
Geo Connect Asia 2021 showcases how geospatial technologies and innovations can enable recovery of Southeast Asian economies
- The region’s inaugural premier geospatial and location intelligence technology conference and Singapore’s first large-scale hybrid event of the year will further build the already fast-growing geospatial community in Southeast Asia
- The geospatial analytics market in 2019 was estimated to be worth US$58.35 billion, a figure that is predicted to rise to US$158.84 billion by 2027
- Geo Connect Asia is poised to be the catalyst for a “geospatial revolution” in Southeast Asia as the still-maturing economies of the region embrace wider adoption of emerging geospatial tech
- With a host of safety management measures in place including automated check-in through facial recognition and temperature-sensing wristbands, Geo Connect Asia 2021 is a testament to the resilience of the MICE industry and is a significant step in the tourism sector’s recovery
Geo Connect Asia 2021, Southeast Asia’s inaugural premier geospatial and location intelligence technology conference and Singapore’s first large scale hybrid event of the year, kicked off at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre with nearly 1,000 professional visitors expected on-site and a virtual audience of up to 1,200 international and local attendees. GCA 2021 will feature Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan as Guest of Honor. Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Trade & Industry and Culture, Community & Youth, will also attend the event.
GCA21 is hosting 26 leading companies as sponsors and exhibitors and features Digital Construction Asia 2021 (DCA21) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Asia 2021 (UAV21). From drone applications and mapping and surveying solutions to satellite and underground mapping, GCA21, DCA21 & UAV21 showcase the full range of applications for key government agencies and enterprises.
The associated conferences and tech talks bring together more than 50 industry leaders and experts at the forefront of government and enterprise, providing critical information, best industry practices and opportunities for the region. The conference highlights geospatial planning and solutions as being key to a robust and sustainable recovery.
GCA 2021 underscores the rapid growth of the global geospatial industry, aided by the wider digital transformation, the advent of Industry 4.0, and the emergence of hi-tech solutions with myriad applications across a wide range of fields and sectors. These include, for instance, AI based geospatial intelligence solutions and geospatial analytics in urban planning and smart cities, rising adoption of cloud-based geospatial intelligence solutions, as well as AR and VR solutions. The global geospatial analytics market is expected to grow significantly in the near and medium-term future, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2 percent from 2020 to 2027.
Ng Siau Yong (pictured left), director of the geospatial and data division and chief data officer at the Singapore Land Authority, says, “As a Knowledge Partner of Geo Connect Asia 2021, SLA supports GCA’s role in accelerating opportunities in the burgeoning ASEAN geospatial space and boosting the region’s economic recovery as we navigate the post-Covid normal. As Singapore continues to look to the future with the Smart Nation initiative in full swing and as demands for smart city solutions grow, Geo Connect Asia 2021 could be the catalyst for even wider adoption of geospatial technologies not only in Singapore but across ASEAN.”
Rupert Owen (pictured right), Montgomery Asia Geo Connect Asia Co-founder, said, “In what has been dubbed the ‘Smart Revolution, the growing ubiquity of smart technologies and big data across many industries has given the geospatial industry an integral role in future economic development. Businesses and governments need increasing volumes of geospatial and accurate location intelligence data to build smarter cities and solutions for citizens and customers. The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of actionable geospatial intelligence for public health, as we leverage contact tracing and the like to contain Covid-19. We founded Geo Connect Asia for it to be a catalyst for another revolution—the ‘Geospatial Revolution’ in Southeast Asia, as the region’s maturing economies, aided by the burgeoning geospatial industry, mount a robust recovery from the pandemic.”
Conference Highlights
The Geo Connect Asia 2021 Conference is themed, “Mapping the data-driven future economy,” and features high-level speakers and thought leaders from across the global geospatial industry. Highlights of the Conference include:
- Opening Address by Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Singapore Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative
- Plenary Session: Geospatial Planning & Solutions: the Key to a Robust & Sustainable Recovery
- On the Move: Smart Transportation for Asia’s Dynamic Urban Landscapes: featuring Grab and Google Maps
- Plenary Session: Smart Liveable Cities
- Panel Discussion: Shaping the Future with 5G & Smart Applications
- Closing Remarks: The makings of three out of two. What are the boundaries for Urban Digital Twins?
- Conference Closing Remarks: From an airline to a super app: AirAsia’s digital transformation
GCA 2021’s cast of prominent speakers includes:
- Dr. Mika-Petteri Torhonen, Lead Land Administration Specialist, World Bank’s Global Land and Geospatial Unit
- John Whitehead, APAC director of sales and distribution, Trimble
- Phil Christensen, VP, Digital Reality + Spatial Modeling, Bentley Systems
- Bart De Lathouwer, president, Open Geospatial Consortium
- Julie Gaubin, Construction Cities & Territories Industry Business Consultant Expert, Dassault Systèmes
- Sean Wiid, CEO, UP42
- Tony Fernandes, CEO, AirAsia Group
Making Geo Connect Asia 2021 possible
Geo Connect Asia 2021 is the first large-scale hybrid event of the year in Singapore, following the successful pilot of TravelRevive1in November 2020. The event is a platform to testbed prototypes developed by the Alliance for Action (AfA) on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences under the Emerging Stronger Taskforce2 (EST).
1TravelRevive, the first major international travel tradeshow to take place physically in the Asia Pacific in the current COVID-19 environment, was the first event to testbed the AfA’s first prototype for safe business events, safe itineraries and digital enablers in Singapore.
2The EST was formed under the Future Economy Council (FEC) to review how Singapore can stay economically resilient and build new sources of dynamism to emerge stronger from COVID-19. The EST is co-chaired by Minister for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee, and Group CEO of PSA International, Mr Tan Chong Meng, and comprises members from various sectors, including businesses and trade associations and chambers. It has convened the Singapore Together AfAs, which are industry-led, government-
On-site visitors at GCA 2021 will be greeted by a range of innovative features designed to maximise visitor safety while providing an authentic, interactive trade show experience. These include the conversion of ballrooms into exhibition booths to create two Geo Suites – one each for sponsors Trimble and Bentley Systems. These suites will enable the exhibitors to display their technologies and solutions, as well as provide demonstrations on a stage.
Geo Suites and meeting pods at Geo Connect Asia
At GCA 2021, the innovative Geo Suites will assume the role of a typical tradeshow floor and represent the main mode of interaction among visitors, thus helping to minimize intermingling between different cohorts. In addition, each Geo Suite features 16 meeting pods, allowing visitors to conduct private business meetings safely. These meeting pods are fitted with Plexiglas to separate the exhibitor and buyer, with microphones on both sides for a better auditory experience. Besides meeting pods that facilitate 1-to-1 meetings, larger meeting pods that are double in size compared to those used at TravelRevive will also be piloted at GCA 2021 to cater to 2-to-2 meetings.
The event will also trial the Safe Event platform, a geospatial technology solution created by local tech companies Viatick and Trakomatic during the SafeEvent Challenge at the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) Open Innovation Platform, supported by SACEOS. The Safe Event platform utilizes geospatial technology to monitor attendees’ movements throughout the event via an app and temperature-tracking wearables. It will also allow automated check-in through facial recognition, reducing physical contact between visitors and common surfaces.
Andrew Phua (pictured left), executive director of exhibitions & conferences at the Singapore Tourism Board, says, “The launch of Geo Connect Asia 2021 today showcases our MICE industry’s ingenuity and ability to reimagine the future of business events. The launch of GCA also affirms that Singapore’s reputation as a trusted and sought-after MICE destination remains strong. With strict safety protocols and innovative solutions, we are confident that both buyers and exhibitors will have a fulfilling experience at Geo Connect Asia 2021.”
Key Sponsors and Partners
GCA 2021 has received the support of 50 sponsors and partners across government and industry. Singapore government agency the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a Knowledge Partner of GCA 2021, while new Supporting Partners include government agencies, such as the Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the International Trade Council (ITC), and the Singapore Management University Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SMU IIE). Key Sponsors include Platinum Sponsor Trimble, Gold Sponsor Bentley Systems, Silver Sponsor UP42, and Conference Sponsors Planet, Synspective, and Dassault Systèmes.
Tony Fernandes (pictured right), CEO of AirAsia Group, says, “As I always say you have to evolve or you die in this industry. The decision to pivot into a digital travel and lifestyle platform actually commenced in 2018, well before Covid-19 hit. Innovation has always been in our DNA. We continue to focus on the use of technology to drive greater efficiencies throughout the business and deliver better value and choice for our customers. One silver lining of the pandemic was that it allowed us to focus on and fast-track our digital transformation by growing our non-airline businesses which not only provides new revenue streams, but also creates more job opportunities for our staff to be upskilled and pivot into new roles within the company.”
Phil Christensen (pictured left), VP of Reality and Spatial Modeling at Bentley Systems, says, “The past year has been a challenging one for both the geospatial and MICE sectors, and we are delighted to be able to participate in Geo Connect Asia 2021 and showcase our Digital Twins and Reality Modeling technology. ‘City-scale digital twins’ are gaining traction with governments especially during this time of recovery, and are set to be a key enabler as the Asian region embraces geospatial solutions and smart technologies. We are also excited to be one of the pilot companies to trial the innovative Geo Suite feature, which will provide visitors with both a high degree of safety as well as a true tradeshow experience, enabling face-to-face meetings and professional networking.”
Julie Gaubin (pictured right), Construction Cities & Territories Industry Business Consultant Expert at Dassault Systèmes, explains, “Virtual twin and collaborative data platform will be integral to the continued evolution of smart—and sustainable—cities around the world. As we navigate immediate threats such as the pandemic as well as long-term issues such as climate change, having the ability to digitally study and test ideas when building sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure before they are even built has become ever more important. Dassault Systèmes is pleased to participate in Geo Connect Asia 2021. As the region’s inaugural and flagship geospatial event, businesses have an opportunity to come together and enable city planners and developers to look into smart city concepts as they incorporate virtual twin and collaborative data platforms integral to the continued evolution of smart—and sustainable—cities around the world.”
GCA 2021 will also hold the ASEAN Geospatial Challenge Winners Announcement on Day 1, March 24 at 11.50 a.m. – 12.10 p.m. and the PropTechathon Awards on Day 2, March 25 at 4:20-4:50 p.m.
Registered virtual attendees will receive via email a link to access the Digital Event Platform online. For the latest updates and announcements, visit www.GeoConnectAsia.com.
The first online & offline conference-led event with a specific focus on Southeast Asia, Geo Connect Asia 2021 will bring the industry together for two days of focused discussion and networking on March 24-25 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. The inaugural event will provide a hybrid strategic and collaborative business meeting platform for industry professionals, government agencies, and start-ups to come together to build and develop knowledge of global solutions for Asia’s geospatial & location intelligence markets. Discover how geospatial solutions and location intelligence can take your business to new heights, and meet and network with some 2,200 industry professionals physically and virtually, all sharing a collective vision of the global geospatial community. For more info, visit www.GeoConnectAsia.com
Established in 2016, Montgomery Asia is a fully-owned subsidiary of UK-based Montgomery Group, one of the most widely respected exhibition companies in the world since 1895. Montgomery Asia focuses on the growing Asian market, bringing the group’s flagship events to this region as well as developing new trade shows that meet the needs of the Asian market. For more info, visit montgomeryasia.com
