Press release —
Pan Pacific Hotels Group Addresses Rising Meeting Costs with Creative Use of Space and Meaningful Experiences
Singapore, 15 September 2026 — Meetings are getting more expensive and harder to justify. Some 71% of planners expect per-attendee costs to rise in 2026, with the average cost per attendee up 4.3% to around USD 169 a day, according to Northstar Meetings Group. Food and beverage alone absorb roughly a third of the typical event budget, audiovisual close to a fifth. At the same time, 36% of organisations name demonstrating return on investment as a key internal pressure on their meetings programme, and the industry mood has shifted from growth to optimisation.
“Return on investment, at least, can be counted. But in our experience, there is another measurement that rarely appears in a post-event report - Return on Experience - the silent measurement,” says Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s CEO, Choe Peng Sum. A meeting can hit every objective on paper and leave nothing behind. The events that keep paying back are the ones people carry with them.”
It is a principle the Group has been testing across its Singapore hotels since March, when it introduced Every Meeting Matters — a framework built on five pillars: Versatile and Creative Spaces, Advanced Technology & Leading Edge Tools, Culinary Experiences to impress every occasion, Seamless and Personalised Service, and Connect Mindfully.
“Transforming a space is not just about finding an unusual venue. It is about understanding why people are gathering, then shaping the room around that,” Choe adds.
The ballroom, reconsidered
The clearest illustration is not an unconventional space at all. At Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore, more than 100 luxury buyers gathered during ILTM Asia Pacific 2026 at Cloud Terrace on Level 18 — home to one of Singapore's tallest ballrooms.
Rather than a conventional cocktail set-up, the room was rebuilt around the hotel's signature biophilic design. A striking botanical bar became the focal point. Living room-inspired lounge areas replaced formal event seating, giving guests somewhere to settle into conversation. Large LED screens, lush greenery and ambient lighting shaped the atmosphere while retaining the hotel's minimalist aesthetic. The floor was zoned so that guests moved between the bar, the lounges and the food throughout the evening rather than settling into a single corner.
The result was a ballroom that behaved like a social destination. Crucially, much of what made it possible was already in the room: PPHG's ballrooms are technology-led, with integrated audiovisual and lighting infrastructure that removes a significant share of what a planner would otherwise have to bring in, rig and strike. Ambition goes into the design rather than the load-in.
And beyond it
The same thinking produces very different results elsewhere. At Keyaki, Pan Pacific Singapore, a select group of VIP travel journalists were hosted for an intimate traditional kaiseki breakfast set within the restaurant's tranquil Japanese gardens. The transformed restaurant was the meeting, and the setting, cuisine and service carried the experience. The adjoining Garden Pavilion hosted an exclusive CEO Luncheon, the same serene space recast through elegant tablescaping and seasonal culinary experiences for executive conversation.
Then there is the lawn. Eleven floors up at Pan Pacific Orchard, an open-air lawn hosts up to 200 guests — a space no floorplan would classify as a venue. For one recent event, the balconies overlooking the lawn were activated with singers and dancers, turning the architecture surrounding the space into part of the performance. Guests below were not watching a stage. They were standing inside one.
“It is a useful illustration of silent measurement. Nothing about that evening was more expensive than a conventional reception. It was simply built to be remembered.”
Across the wider portfolio, lobbies, lounges and other transitional areas are activated with cocktail bars, live music, food experiences and informal seating — turning spaces guests would otherwise walk through into places they choose to stay.
The approach also scales. During Customer Connections Week Singapore 2026, PPHG welcomed more than 230 corporate, MICE and leisure clients alongside representatives from 21 participating hotels. The refreshed Customer Connections Showcase layered networking areas, food stations, bar experiences and dining spaces into a single environment, letting conversations move from business discussion to informal exchange without anyone changing rooms — one activation doing the work of several.
The five pillars
- Advances Technology & Leading Edge Tools — Maximize your next meeting with our innovative tools and state of the art audio visual technology.
- Culinary Experiences to impress every occasion — The menu can make the meeting. From seasonal feasts to creative desserts, we are committed to crafting exceptional culinary experiences.
- Seamless and Personalised Service — Elevate your next meeting with our meeting services expert who constantly deliver genuine and flawless execution of events and creating memories for meeting planners by understanding and activating their personal preferences.
- Connect Mindfully — PPHG pledges to work with meeting planners to integrate mindful practices into event planning, venues and experiences and make our meetings more sustainable.
- Versatile and Creative Spaces — From meeting rooms to ballrooms, studios to suites, and 24 destinations of your choice, every detail is managed with precision.
Together, the five amount to a single claim. PPHG does not sell space by the square metre. It builds environments around the reason people have come together.
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About Pan Pacific Hotels Group
Pan Pacific Hotels Group is a global hospitality company that owns and/or manages more than 50 hotels, resorts and serviced suites across three brands – “Pan Pacific”, PARKROYAL COLLECTION, and PARKROYAL – encompassing more than 30 cities across Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. Headquartered in Singapore, it is a member of Singapore-listed UOL Group Limited.
Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts delivers sincere and graceful service to every guest with a passion for excellence.
PARKROYAL COLLECTION Hotels and Resorts is driven by our passion for life and sustainability.
PARKROYAL Hotels and Resorts is distinguished by its passion for people and places, immersing every guest into local and authentic cultures.
Visit www.panpacific.com.
