The year 2024 marked a peak in the digital era, where live experiential events blurred the lines between physical and virtual worlds. From music festivals and concerts to sporting events, the focus extended beyond physical attendance to real-time engagement and enhanced experiences. In Singapore, the live events scene reached new heights in 2024, driven by robust event infrastructure and high-speed connectivity that catered seamlessly to both local and international audiences.
Following the success of multiple high-profile concerts in the first quarter of 2024, concert tourism emerged as a potential growth area for Singapore. More than 500,000 fans across the region attended these events, underscoring the increasing demand for live entertainment. With rising disposable income and growing interest in diverse experiences, Singapore is positioning itself as a key destination for international entertainment events.
The role of emerging technologies and AI in live events is also gaining traction. As the hospitality and tourism sector prepares for further expansion in 2025 — where experiential tourism is expected to grow — event organisers will focus on delivering seamless, immersive experiences. A key enabler of this transformation will be high-speed connectivity.
Enhancing fan engagements during live events
With the rollout of 5G networks and the adoption of Wi-Fi 7, connectivity is not only transforming event experiences but also driving economic growth. Large-scale concerts like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres Tour injected approximately SG$450 million into Singapore’s economy as fans travelled across borders to attend. The Monetary Authority of Singapore reported that these events contributed to a 2.7% rise in GDP in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, boosting hotel bookings, international arrivals, and tourism revenue through enhanced digital engagement.
Today, concerts, major sporting events, and festivals are more than just entertainment — they have become social media-driven experiences, with attendees eager to share moments in real time. To support this shift, robust indoor connectivity is crucial in enhancing on-site experiences. Venue-specific smartphone applications, on-demand video streaming, and augmented reality features can enable eventgoers to engage more deeply. Additionally, strong Wi-Fi connectivity can help high-traffic venues manage pedestrian flow, improve venue operations, and optimise services such as vending and security.
Past events have highlighted significant crowd congestion, particularly along walkways from train stations to event venues, as well as near food kiosks and restrooms. By leveraging analytics and real-time location-based services, venue operators can provide attendees with updates on queue lengths and crowd density, helping to reduce wait times and improve accessibility and safety.
This approach can also enhance parking management. AI-powered parking trackers can monitor available spaces in real time and guide attendees to open spots, easing congestion. Similarly, AI-driven crowd analytics can help event organisers optimise crowd flow and improve overall safety and convenience.
To meet these evolving expectations, event organisers and venue managers must be equipped to harness connectivity solutions such as 5G and Wi-Fi. A more integrated approach — combining Wi-Fi with indoor 5G into a multi-access public and private network — will become increasingly relevant. Such a converged platform can efficiently support both public and private 5G, Wi-Fi, and IoT devices, eliminating the need to operate separate systems. This ensures reliable bandwidth for attendees to upload photos, stream videos, and engage with digital content in real time, enhancing overall event experiences.
Advancing experiences beyond the entertainment scene
Beyond entertainment, high-performing Wi-Fi connectivity is transforming industries such as retail, hospitality, and transportation, enabling a more connected and efficient future. According to digital travel platform Agoda, accommodation searches for Singapore surged 8.7 times during Coldplay’s concert series in January 2024, driven largely by visitors from neighbouring countries and across Asia.
Seamless, reliable Wi-Fi has become a critical factor in the hospitality industry, supporting everything from smooth check-ins to uninterrupted stays. In recent years, Singapore has focused on upskilling hospitality workers in technology to improve guest experiences, incorporating AI into daily operations to address industry challenges. Leading hotel chains have also recognised that a strong network infrastructure is essential for business and leisure travellers, deploying pervasive connectivity across rooms, lobbies, restaurants, and conference spaces. For instance, during the Paris Olympics, hotels implemented advanced Wi-Fi solutions to enhance guest connectivity, improving speeds, security, reliability, and capacity.
To elevate the guest experience, hotels should prioritise enhanced connectivity as a core component of their technology strategy, ensuring seamless access to personalised, high-definition services. This can be achieved through partnerships with connectivity providers, enabling guests to enjoy services such as high-quality streaming, in-room ordering, and digital concierge assistance—now integral to the hospitality landscape. However, the real driver of this shift lies in collaboration between telecom companies, venue operators, hotels, and technology providers. While seemingly a small change, these strategic partnerships can unlock innovative solutions that enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency. In today’s competitive environment, this synergy is no longer optional—it is essential for improving guest satisfaction and driving business growth.
Looking ahead
As connectivity becomes central to delivering seamless experiences, high-speed networks are forming the backbone of the live experiential economy. The convergence of 5G and Wi-Fi 7 is driving tourism and supporting economic growth. As live events continue to evolve, collaboration between connectivity providers, telecom companies, and venue operators will be essential in addressing infrastructure and connectivity challenges, ensuring the hospitality and tourism sector remains dynamic and sustainable.
