The Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit: A Catered Dining Experience
Twenty years since its last event in Singapore, The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) 62nd annual Global Summit returned to the Republic – this time at Marina Bay Sands.
On 12 to 15 June, the CGF Global Summit brought together more than 1,000 delegates from over 70 countries to Singapore – making it the association’s largest flagship event in Asia to date. Attendees included C-level executives from top global FMCG brands and retailers and regional CGF member companies, as well as political and government leaders. The theme for this year’s event was “Consumer Centricity in a Data-Driven World.”
When asked why CGF chose to make its way to Singapore, Sophie Appell, Senior Manager of Event Solutions at CGF, said: “As the only organisation bringing consumer goods retailers and manufacturers together globally, we try to hold the CGF Global Summit in different cities every year to ensure our positive change agenda can reach our entire membership. We’ve been to Cape Town, New York, and more recently Berlin, so we thought it was time to come back to Asia. Singapore seemed like the perfect fit because of our theme this year, and also because the city-state is known as a retail and tech hub.”
The iconic Marina Bay Sands was ideal for the global association and its international attendees. Aside from its highly accessible location and its extensive meeting space, the integrated resort’s main draw lay in its ability to provide CGF with a customised, sustainable event solution.
A key highlight of the Global Summit was the customised menus creatively created using products by PepsiCo, Campbell and Lotus, co-created by Marina Bay Sands’ chefs and their counterparts from these FMCG brands.
Served during the brand-themed luncheons, tea breaks and dinners over the four-day conference, these menus featured items such as Sauteed Garden Medley & Tostitos© Habanero Sauce, as well as Poached Pear with Lipton© Peach Ice Tea Jelly.
The CGF Global Summit 2018 culminated in a sophisticated gala dinner led by L’Oréal, which saw the expo halls of Sands Expo and Convention Centre transform into a grand, Chinese-themed setting decked out in lanterns and traditional Asian decor.
Appell added: “We worked a lot with the chefs from Marina Bay Sands, who opened their kitchen to the chefs of our companies for the very first time. This allowed them to work together to create menus especially for our participants, which was very interesting. These menus were also sustainable and made with responsible seafood and vegetables that were sourced within 400km of Singapore, thanks to Marina Bay Sands’ green meeting expertise. This was an overall great experience for both sponsors and the venue.”
