Top Honours for Madam Kay Kuok, Prof. Edison T. Liu and Mr Desmond Lim at Singapore Experience Awards

The inaugural Singapore Experience Awards presentation ceremony held Monday evening at Capella Singapore honoured individuals and organisations with some of the most outstanding and integrated Singapore experiences in Singapore’s tourism industry.

The 2009 Singapore Experience Awards celebrated recipients in the hospitality, retail, dining, entertainment, attractions, and business travel and MICE sectors who had delivered the highest level of excellence in product and service delivery.

Ms Aw Kah Peng, Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, which organised the Awards, congratulated the recipients for successfully creating winning Singapore Experiences and inspiring the industry to likewise create memorable and enjoyable experiences.

“In an industry that demands excellence from businesses and service providers, our award recipients have not only risen to the challenge, but also upped the ante with their customer-centric approach and continued commitment to enhancing their product and service quality. This is why they are being rewarded for being the top of their league, be they established industry players or new entrants,” she said.

The night’s top honours belonged to the Outstanding Contribution category, where three individuals won awards for their exceptional roles in shaping Singapore’s tourism landscape.

• Madam Kay Kuok, Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism
• Professor Edison T. Liu, Business Event Ambassador
• Mr Desmond Lim, Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year

Special Recognition also went to the 2008 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix with the Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism award for its significant impact on branding Singapore as a must visit destination to a global audience. The award is a tribute to all parties involved in successfully staging the world’s first night race and Asia’s first street race, and its accompanying festivities, and whose efforts resulted in a spectacular showcase of innovation, entertainment and hospitality.

In its inaugural year, the Singapore Experience Awards received more than 24,000 unique nominations. Of these, 251 were self-submissions for the Events; Experience; and Marketing and Media categories.

The Customer Service category, which was the only one by public nomination, received 24,163 nominations. An independent panel of judges decided on the award recipients.

Ms Aw, said, “With consumers getting more discerning, it is increasingly challenging for service providers in the frontline to meet their expectations. Against this backdrop, the high number of public nominations received is a heartening gesture of recognition for our service staff. Service is a two-way street and this show of appreciation from the public for good service goes a long way towards inculcating a culture of service excellence in Singapore.”

2009 SINGAPORE EXPERIENCE AWARDS AWARD RECIPIENTS

Outstanding Contribution

Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism: Madam Kay Kuok, President, Singapore Hotel Association

Business Event Ambassador: Professor Edison T. Liu, Executive Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore and President of the Human Genome Organisation

Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year: Mr Desmond Lim, Chairman, Les Amis Group

Special Recognition Award

Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism: 2008 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix

Association Conference of the Year: SIGGRAPH Asia 2008, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd

Exhibition of the Year: Asia Television Forum, Reed Exhibitions, Singapore

Leisure Event of the Year: Singapore Sun Festival 2008, IMG Artists

Meeting of the Year: Merrill Lynch Rising Stars Conference, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Trade Conference of the Year: Singapore Maritime Week 2008, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Experience

Best Business Event Service Experience: Pico Art International Pte Ltd, for Official Opening of Fusionopolis

Best Business Event Venue Experience: Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre

Best Dining Experience: The White Rabbit

Best Hotel Experience: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

Best Nightspot Experience: Zouk Club

Best Shopping Experience: Museum Shop by Banyan Tree

Best Travel Experience: Betel Box The Real Singapore Tours

Best Visitor Attraction Experience: Night Safari

Best Singapore Experience Story – Broadcast: “9am with David & Kim – Singapore” by Network Ten, Australia

Best Singapore Experience Story – Print: “Singapore Surprise” by Rashmi Uday Singh, SPICE, India

Most Innovative Marketing Initiative (Business Events): “Passionate About Everything We Do” by Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre
Service

Customer Service – Food & Beverage: Gerald Lu, Restaurant Madame Butterfly

Customer Service - Hotel: Salinah Lamsa, Royal Plaza on Scotts

Customer Service - Nightspot: Siti Maimunah Binte Razalie, St James Holdings Ltd

Customer Service - Retail: Daniel Hu Tian Shou, Citigems Pte Ltd

Customer Service – Tour Guiding: Mary Lim Bee Lay, Tour East Singapore Pte Ltd

Customer Service – Transport (Taxi): Eric Yeong Cho Ser, SMRT Taxis Pte Ltd

Customer Service – Visitor Attraction: Chen Weiting, Sentosa Luge Company Pte Ltd.

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