Awards finalist (2026)
Singapore Economic Development Board: Converge Live
Brand:
Singapore Economic Development Board
Entered by:
CNBC
Credits:
CNBC Events, AmCham Singapore, Milken Institute
Category:
Branded Event
This approach was grounded in a key insight – that today’s decision-makers are not short of information but rather, saturated by it. While content is abundant, opportunities for meaningful interaction are scarce. The most valuable conversations no longer happen within industries, but at the intersection of them.
This led to a clear strategic shift. Rather than adding to the volume of content, the solution was to create a platform built around convergence – bringing industries, ideas and decision-makers into direct conversation. The goal was not to deliver more information, but to facilitate interactions and relationships that emerge when traditionally separate sectors collide.
Building on the success of its inaugural edition, CONVERGE LIVE was developed as this platform – an immersive, invitation-only summit designed to convene leaders across business, finance, technology and policy. The return of EDB as presenting sponsor reinforced the platform’s proven ability to engage high-value business stakeholders.
The venue Jewel Changi Airport further strengthened this positioning. As a globally recognised symbol of connectivity, innovation and movement, the venue itself became a reflection of the summit’s core idea, bringing global industries and perspectives into direct conversation within an iconic Singapore setting.
Within the broader strategy, the event functioned as an engagement engine, bringing together influential voices and creating a space for direct interaction through panels, roundtables and discussions, while generating high-value content amplified across CNBC’s global media ecosystem.
By shifting from content delivery to convergence and connection-building, the strategy transformed a branded event into a scalable platform for influence, positioning Singapore at the centre of future-focused dialogue.
Content Solution
The creative approach behind CONVERGE LIVE was to reimagine the business summit as an immersive environment rather than a series of schedule sessions. Instead of relying on a traditional stage-led format, the event was designed as a dynamic ecosystem of experiences, where conversations could unfold across multiple settings and levels of engagement. Across two days, 28 stage sessions, 18 roundtables and eight curated activations worked together to create a fluid journey between insight, interaction, and exploration, allowing audiences to engage with ideas not only through discussion, but through participation.
CNBC’s editorial authority was central to this approach. Leveraging its global journalism expertise and access to influential leaders, the event delivered real-time, insight-led conversations grounded in global market relevance. Anchored in themes such as global markets, AI, energy and the future of industries, the content reflected the interconnected nature of today’s challenges, ensuring it remained both credible and highly relevant to decision-makers.
To meet the objective of building meaningful relationships, the experience was designed to prioritise direct, high-value interaction at scale. Closed-door roundtables, limited to small groups of senior leaders and conducted under Chatham House rules, enabled candid, off-the-record dialogue between EDB and key prospects – creating depth and trust that traditional stage formats cannot achieve.
Experiential elements were designed as physical extensions of CONVERGE LIVE’s editorial themes, allowing audiences to engage with ideas beyond the stage. Interactive environments such as the Robotics & Frontier Tech Lab translated discussions around AI, automation and future industries into tangible, hands-on encounters while wellness zones featuring advanced recovery technologies reinforced broader themes around innovation and human performance. Curated tasting experiences including the showcasing of locally crafted Singaporean gin introduced a distinctly local dimension to the event, supporting EDB’s objective of bringing Singapore’s culture, creativity and hospitality into the delegate experience. Together, these activations transformed the event from a highly intensive programme of discussions into an immersive environment where audiences could explore convergence in practice.
By integrating editorial authority, experiential design and intentional interaction, CONVERGE LIVE delivered a content ecosystem that directly supported EDB’s objective, transforming a branded event into a platform where meaningful relationships could be initiated, deepened and sustained.
Media/Content Amplification Solution
The amplification strategy was designed to extend CONVERGE LIVE beyond a physical event into a global, always-on platform for engagement, leveraging CNBC’s unique position as both content creator and media owner.
At its core was an integrated paid media strategy across broadcast, digital and social ecosystems, ensuring high-value content generated on the ground could reach international audiences at scale. Rather than treating amplification as a post-event phase, distribution was embedded into the campaign from the outset, allowing content to be created, captured and deployed in real time.
Amplification began well before the event itself through CNBC’s On the Road to Converge editorial series, which explored the intersecting forces reshaping global business. By positioning Singapore at the centre of these conversations ahead of the event, an editorial foundation was established and then scaled through CNBC’s global media ecosystem, where paid television placements and live broadcast integrations and key moments from the event were extended into high-attention business environments worldwide.
Rather than duplicating content across channels, each platform served a distinct engagement role – LinkedIn drove professional relevance, YouTube sustained deeper attention, and social platforms accelerated real-time discovery and conversation. In addition, paid amplification was designed not simply to maximise reach, but to maximise relevance, ensuring CONVERGE LIVE reached senior decision-makers in environments they already trust.
Strategic partnerships further strengthened the influence of the event beyond CNBC’s own ecosystem. Collaborating with organisations such as AmCham Singapore and the Milken Institute embedded CONVERGE LIVE within trusted networks of business leaders, investors and policymakers, while media partnerships with international publications amplified visibility across key markets.
The influence extended into earned media. International outlets including Bloomberg, Reuters, Forbes, CNN International, The Wall Street Journal, SCMP, alongside local Singapore media including Channel News Asia, Mothership, and Lianhe Zaobao, attended and reported on conversations emerging from the event, amplifying key themes across influential business audiences. This external validation reinforced the event’s relevance not simply as a branded experience, but as a globally significant platform for leadership and industry dialogue.
The result was a multi-layered amplification ecosystem, designed to combine the depth of in-person engagement with the scale of global media distribution. By aligning content creation with paid media strategy and platform behaviour, CONVERGE LIVE extended its impact beyond the event itself, transforming a two-day summit into a sustained, international conversation.
Results
CONVERGE LIVE significantly exceeded its core audience objectives, demonstrating strong demand for a platform designed around high-value engagement and cross-sector dialogue. The summit surpassed its attendance KPI by 146%, attracting a highly senior and internationally diverse audience of business leaders. The diversity of participating industries, seniority levels, and international representation reinforced the event’s core premise – that today’s most important business conversations happen at the intersection of sectors rather than within them. Nearly two-thirds of participating companies were headquartered outside of Singapore, reinforcing the event’s success in engaging globally relevant audiences beyond the domestic market.
The quality of engagement further validated the strategy. Roundtable participation skewed heavily toward Presidents, Founders, and C-suite executives while curated discussions and closed-door sessions enabled direct interaction between EDB executives and global business leaders. Beyond the main programme, dozens of private meetings created tangible opportunities for relationship-building and continued dialogue.
CONVERGE LIVE’s influence extended well beyond the physical event, generating earned media coverage with a combined potential reach of 2.6 billion across leading international business and news outlets such as Bloomberg, Forbes, SCMP, and CNA, elevating conversations from the event into broader global discourse. Social engagement further demonstrated the event’s international resonance, generating 3.1 million impressions, while close to 90% of online mentions originated outside Singapore. Together, these results demonstrate strong international reach and sustained interest beyond the local market.
Audience sentiment reinforced the effectiveness of the experience, with 100% of attendees indicating the event met or exceeded expectations, close to 80% expressing high satisfaction with the quality of discussions, and close to 90% likely to recommend CONVERGE LIVE to peers and colleagues.
Together, these results demonstrate CONVERGE LIVE’s success in creating this kind of meaningful, cross-sector engagement that traditional conference formats often fail to achieve, positioning Singapore at the centre of future-focused global business dialogue.
