News

ACE:Daytons Direct pushes ahead with 1st Prize at MICE coLAB 2014
FEBRUARY 28, 2014

In a keenly contested competition between 25 teams in the MICE coLAB 2014 organised by Singapore Tourism Board from 21 - 23 Feb 2014 at Suntec Singapore, Ace:Daytons Direct’s MICEapps exceeded all expectations to bag the first prize. The mobile application (app) prototype impressed the judges with its ability to incorporate existing trending technologies into its applications and enhance users' experience at various event touchpoints while simultaneously gathering and analysing data.

MICE coLAB 2014 is a hackathon to encourage collaboration between the MICE industry, technology developers and anyone with a great idea. The aim is to develop solutions that utilise technology to enhance connectivity and improve visitor experience while driving MICE productivity and overall profitability of the industry.

The ingenuity of MICEapps could be attributed to the think tank led by the Interactive Creative Director Lee Yoong Foo from Ace:Dayons Direct, a well-established events organiser with over 20 years of experience in the MICE industry. On board the stellar team are several talents in their respective fields, namely, System Analyst Liew Kian Chin, Software Engineer So Xiao Yin, Web Developer Marlowe Destua and Software Developer Noel C. Cadiz.

Within a short span of 3 days, the team members utilised their collective experiences to conceptualise an idea that was refreshing, relevant yet out of the box. Inspired by the free WIFI connectivity at Suntec Singapore, the team worked 2 leading-edge technologies - iBeacon and Augmented Reality (AR) into the mobile app with the aim of achieving an even better interactive connectivity platform to augment the users’ experience. The prototype resulted in experience differentiation and new insights into on-site transactions, whereby location is key.

The amazing combination of these 2 technologies and its integration with the mobile app prove to be powerful tools for the organiser, users and all MICE stakeholders. Besides enhancing users’ experience, the MICEapps saves time and money for the organiser while concurrently capturing conference and leisure database, and analysing business travellers’ footprints and travel experience, from the moment they set foot in Singapore.

With careful consideration, MICEapps checklists modules that have always been important to the MICE industry:

  • Welcome notifications or videos upon arrival
  • Accurate user location for self check-in functionality in print badges
  • Nearby alerts for attendees to drive engagement among buyers or competitors
  • Push notification of offers, surveys, notices and video demos (via AR technology) to attendees in the vicinity
  • Accurate in-hall mapping for navigation purposes and product location
  • Gamification for enhanced interactivity during networking events

Believing that the win will signify a momentous step forward for the MICE industry, Mr. Lee Yoong Foo explains, “We are proud of our MICEapps prototype, given the short time frame. We have created a very powerful solution to answer the needs of MICE by combining enhanced presence technology and augmented reality. Separately, iBeacon pushes information while AR digitally enhances information. By placing them together for specific uses in MICE, we are able to push targeted visualised content beyond the graphical user interface while tracking our users’ movements throughout the event hall. There’s still so much we can do, and we look forward to pushing the envelope with MICEapps.”

For more details, please contact Mr. Lee Yoong Foo at Tel: +65 6 3795306 or email: lee@acedaytons-direct.com