Cvent Accelerate Singapore 2026 returns for its 5th edition

Cvent Accelerate Singapore 2026, the 5th edition of Cvent's flagship Asia Pacific conference for event planners, marketers and hospitality professionals, will take place this August. 

The conference brings professionals from the events, hospitality and marketing industry to explore how AI, data and event-led growth (ELG) are transforming business events from operational exercises into measurable growth engines. 

"Cvent Accelerate Singapore has been the region's premier forum for event, hospitality and marketing professionals for the past four years," said Will Kataria, Country Head & Senior Director, Asia Pacific, Cvent. 

"The fifth edition is particularly significant as it's the first in Asia Pacific since our global brand transformation, and it arrives at a moment when AI is fundamentally changing what events can do. We're bringing together the industry's most forward-thinking leaders to share what's working, explore what's possible and push the conversation forward." 

The programme will feature keynote presentations, executive panel discussions, breakout sessions, live technology demonstrations and networking opportunities covering topics such as AI innovation and the future of event technology, event ROI and business impact, strategic planning in the AI era, and sustainable & high-impact event experiences. Key sessions include:

- Decoding the Shift: B2B Event Trends & The Path Forward in the AI Age 

- The Future of Event Tech: The Next Act 

- AI-Enhanced RFP to ROI: How Planners, Marketers, and Hoteliers Win Together Event 

- Pipeline Anxiety: Solving the Fears That Keep Marketers Up at Night 

- Relevance Redefined: How AI is Reinventing Venue Discovery for Planners 

Attendees will also have the opportunity to experience CventIQ, Cvent's AI capabilities embedded across its platform, and learn how AI is being applied across the event lifecycle to support planning, attendee engagement, content generation and post-event insights. 

This is the first Cvent Accelerate in the Asia Pacific following the unveiling of Cvent's new global brand identity in mid-July. Cvent's new brand promise is built around the Presence Premium - that a room full of real people has great value in an AI-first world. The company also announced at the brand identity launch that it will invest more than US$1 B in technology, AI, and product innovation, the largest investment of its kind in company history.  

Confidence among APAC accountants is up in Q2

- Confidence in Asia Pacific is now meaningfully above average after a sharp Q2 recovery, but it remains weak in North America and Western Europe.

- Economic pressures returned as the top risk priority among accountants in Q2 (22%), ahead of geopolitical instability (20%) and cybersecurity (14%).

Seven in 10 (72%) respondents expect inflation in their country to increase over the next three months.

Confidence among Asia-Pacific accountants and finance professionals rebounded sharply in Q226, according to the latest ACCA and IMA Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS), reversing a Q1 decline and pushing the region's confidence and New Orders indices above their historical averages. This is a stronger recovery than seen in North America and Western Europe, where confidence remains weak by historical standards.

The fallout from the Middle East conflict continues to impact the results the survey, which was conducted between 3 and 17 June, before the renewed fighting and resumption of the US naval blockade.

While the region is very exposed to developments in the Middle East, hopes of a potential resolution of the conflict and the relative resilience of the global economy have likely been factors boosting sentiment, as well as the global AI boom, of which the region’s exporters are major beneficiaries.

Over three-quarters of accountants globally reported increased operating costs in Q2 – above the previous record set in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – amid soaring commodity prices and supply chain disruptions resulting from the conflict. Over eight in 10 (83%) CFOs globally experienced increased costs, following a record-breaking rise of over 20 percentage points from Q1. This is close to series peaks recorded in 2022 and 2023.

Cost pressures also rose in the Asia-Pacific region, with the proportion of respondents reporting increased costs jumping nine percentage points to 66% in Q2, well above the survey's historical average. However, this remains notably less severe than in Western Europe (83%) and North America (74%), where cost pressures are close to record highs.

Despite soaring costs, there was some recovery in confidence among accountants globally in Q2, from what was close to a record low in Q1. While they remain quite downbeat by historical standards, the improvement likely reflects the relative resilience of the global economy and signs at the time of the survey of movement towards a potential resolution of the conflict, which may have reduced fears of worst-case scenarios.

That said, globally declines in the Global New Orders, Capital Expenditure and Employment indices point to some slowing in global growth, likely reflecting headwinds from increased private sector caution, rising inflation, and tighter-than-expected monetary policy, although they do not appear to be signalling a major economic slowdown.

Economic pressures returned as accountants' top risk priority in Q226 (22%), ahead of geopolitical instability (20%) and cybersecurity (14%). Respondents described how understanding today's risk landscape extends beyond traditional economic cycle management, pointing to the converging effects of prolonged wars, rising cybercrime and policy uncertainty. AI featured prominently, with comments focusing on sustainable value, cyber resilience and accountability.

Survey respondents in Singapore echoed these concerns. A Singapore CFO in professional services said: "The inability of economic analysts to forecast the future, and the reaction time of the government when dealing with unforeseen economic shocks are underestimated economic risks."

Another Singapore respondent added: "Increasing operating costs will result in many small businesses going out of business and demand for professional services will accordingly continue to decline."

Alain Mulder, Senior Director, Europe Operations & Global Special Projects at IMA said: "The AI boom is providing major support to the global economy and financial markets, but developments in the Middle East over coming months will be crucial. If progress can be made in resolving the conflict, that would clearly be supportive for global growth as we progress through the second half of 2026. But downside risks would quickly build if there were a return to major hostilities and surge in energy prices."

Jonathan Ashworth, Chief Economist, ACCA said: "Sharply rising costs were unsurprisingly a major issue for firms in Q2. If they increasingly try to pass these on to the consumer, this would significantly raise the risk of policy tightening by the world’s major central banks. That said, policymakers will be hoping for favourable developments on the diplomatic front, and a return of oil prices to around pre-crisis levels, potentially allowing them to sit on their hands for the rest of 2026."

Ashworth concluded: "Despite some improvement in confidence, accountants globally remain very cautious, likely in part reflecting the uncertain and unpredictable operating environment which has become the 'new normal' in recent years."

Details

Read the GECS Q2 2026 report at https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/professional-insights/global-economics/gecs-q2-2026.html

Sustainable Thai flavours celebrated in four-hands dinner at Dining on the Rocks

This August, Executive Chef Kien Wagner of Six Senses Samui and Chef Gongpitak (Im) Boontanaveerapat, Chef De Cuisine from Phuket's Jampa restaurant celebrate sustainable Thai flavours together at Dining on the Rocks, Six Senses Samui. Both chefs believe the best ingredients do not need much persuasion.

For two evenings only - August 13 and 15, 2026 - Executive Chef Wagner welcomes Chef Im for an exclusive four-hands dinner that highlights Thailand's produce, the people who grow it, and the stories that begin long before they reach the plate.

While Samui and Phuket sit just a few hours apart, each island offers its own distinct landscape, seasons and ingredients. This collaboration brings them together in a menu shaped by both places, combining produce harvested from Six Senses Samui's Farm on the Hill with ingredients sourced through Jampa's close network of regenerative farmers, artisans and fishermen.

Guests can expect a tasting menu that is bold in flavour yet restrained in approach, including seafood caught in southern waters, vegetables picked at their peak, as well as fruits, herbs and native ingredients presented with precision.

For Chef Kien, the dinner is a natural extension of the philosophy that guides the kitchens at Six Senses Samui. Chef Im has earned recognition at Jampa for redefining what sustainable dining can look like in Thailand. Awarded a Michelin Green Star, the restaurant is known for its wood-fired kitchen, minimal-waste philosophy and deep commitment to regenerative agriculture. These values will travel to Samui for this collaboration.

This six-course four-hands dinner will be served in two seatings each evening. As seating is limited, advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Details

For more information or to make a reservation, call +66 7724 5678 or email reservations-samui@sixsenses.com

86% of APAC consumers have penalised brands for poor service: Genesys

Genesys, a global cloud provider in AI-powered experience orchestration, has found that customer experience (CX) has become an increasingly decisive factor in consumer loyalty and spending decisions across the Asia-Pacific region (APAC).

Source: Genesys landing page. Consumers compare businesses against their best experiences.

The 5th edition of Genesys' State of Customer Experience report has revealed that half of APAC consumers say they would rather do anything else than contact customer service, with the sentiment rising sharply in Singapore (63%) – the highest among APAC markets covered in the research.

Poor service is also hitting the bottom line. Across APAC, 86% of consumers say poor service has caused them to spend less or stop doing business with a brand altogether. The impact is especially pronounced in markets such as the Philippines and Thailand, where the figure rises to 91%, while Japan stands out as a lower outlier at 67%.

The research found consumers across APAC are increasingly open to AI when it delivers better outcomes. Eighty-four percent expect AI to improve the quality and speed of customer service, while 82% believe it will improve personalisation - both above the global averages.

Consumers increasingly care more about outcomes than whether AI or a person provides the service, Genesys found. Across APAC, 80% do not particularly care whether their issue is solved by a person or AI, as long as it is solved quickly and completely. At the same time, 93% value efficient customer service as much as being treated empathetically, reinforcing the need to orchestrate AI and human agents to deliver the right support at the right moment. 

As customer expectations rise and patience for poor experiences declines, organisations face growing pressure to use AI to strengthen customer relationships and improve service outcomes at scale. Meeting those expectations remains a challenge for many organisations. 

While 96% of APAC consumers expect information to be remembered across channels, nearly half (46%) of organisations do not automatically pass information between virtual and human agents. At the same time, managing data for AI, AI readiness and keeping pace with AI innovation rank among the top challenges for CX leaders, hindering efforts to connect customer data, channels and interactions - leading to customer frustration and eroded loyalty. 

"Across APAC, consumers are increasingly confident in AI's ability to improve customer experiences. But they also expect organisations to remember context, connect every interaction and resolve issues with minimal effort," said Albert Nel, Senior VP and Regional Sales Leader for Genesys Asia Pacific. 

"As agentic AI becomes part of everyday customer engagement, organisations need to use it to reduce customer effort –not just automate interactions. The businesses that succeed will be those that connect AI, people and customer context to deliver faster resolutions and more seamless experiences." 

Other highlights include: 

Customer expectations have never been higher 

Nine in 10 (91%) of APAC consumers want every organisation to deliver experiences on par with the best experience they have ever had, while an equal percentage (91%) judge a company by the quality of its customer service. 

Consumers are embracing AI – but expect it to deliver

Forty-nine percent of APAC consumers are comfortable with AI making decisions on their behalf if it improves speed and resolution. Comfort is highest in South Korea at 56%, suggesting stronger consumer openness as AI becomes more embedded across the customer experience. 

But patience is limited when AI falls short: 82% of APAC consumers will give a virtual agent three attempts or fewer to resolve an issue. 

Poor experiences have real business consequences

Six in 10 (61%) APAC consumers would switch to a competitor after three or fewer bad experiences with their most favorite companies or brands. For 17%, it only takes one bad experience before they switch. 

Organisations see agentic AI and orchestration as key to closing the experience gap. Eighty-six percent of APAC CX leaders expect autonomous AI agents to orchestrate customer experiences within three years, while they plan to spend an average of 32% of their customer service or experience budget on AI-powered CX technologies over the next 12 months.

The findings suggest the future of customer experience depends not only on agentic AI adoption, but on how effectively organisations connect AI, human interactions, data and systems across the customer journey.

Details

Download the State of Customer Experience report at https://www.genesys.com/resources/state-of-cx

*Genesys worked with an independent research firm to survey 5,811 consumers and 1,560 CX and business leaders in more than 20 countries. The study includes responses from 1,426 (24%) consumers and 508 (14%) CX leader respondents across APAC, including Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. 

The survey was conducted in March and April of 2026. Among the business respondents, the industries represented were airlines, automotive, banking, government, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, media and entertainment,professional services, retail, travel and hospitality, technology, telecommunications and utilities.

Decades of market intelligence a question away

ISI, the proprietary data platform for global market intelligence, has launched AskISI, an AI-powered research capability within EMIS, its emerging markets company and industry intelligence research platform. 

EMIS has provided company and industry intelligence across emerging markets for over 30 years. That intelligence is now available as a conversational experience with AskISI.

Early users have found AskISI can cut the time needed to prepare a single market report by up to two weeks and reduce data compilation across a set of companies from roughly half an hour to seconds. 

“AskISI has transformed the way we conduct research by significantly reducing the time required to gather and analyse information—from 15–20 minutes to as little as 5 minutes. Its ability to synthesise information, provide credible source-backed insights, and deliver fast, targeted answers has greatly improved our team’s efficiency. Most importantly, the information is grounded in actual data, making it highly reliable and helping us avoid the hallucinations often found in other AI tools. 

"As we continue to use AskISI, its impact on streamlining and enhancing our research process keeps growing,” said Filipe Mesquita, Market Intelligence Coordinator at Tigre.

“AI is only as valuable as the quality of the intelligence behind it. With AskISI, we’re combining the power of generative AI with three decades of ISI trusted research and market expertise, helping our clients find answers faster while maintaining confidence in the sources behind them,” said Steve Pulley, CEO of ISI Markets.

“AskISI powered by EMIS is designed to accelerate research. Users can now find trusted answers quickly by leveraging EMIS’s rich ecosystem of research reports, news, and company filings, so they can focus on what they do best: making informed decisions and driving results.” said Diego Obere, EMIS MD.

Key capabilities of AskISI 

Faster research

AskISI delivers answers drawn from EMIS’ 2.7+ M research reports, 40+ M news articles, and company filings. 

Verified sourcing

Every answer is grounded exclusively in EMIS’ proprietary and licensed intelligence, with a direct reference back to the original source document. 

Broader research coverage

AskISI surfaces trends, non-obvious connections, competitive dynamics, and strategic signals that manual research may miss.

Built with EMIS analysts

AskISI’s methodology and outputs have been shaped by EMIS’ own industry and company experts, ensuring answers reflect the standards and context of EMIS’ existing research practice. 

Multilingual research

AskISI supports research across EMIS’s local, niche, and global content, originally sourced in 68 languages, allowing users to work across markets without needing translation. 

Details 

AskISI is available within EMIS today, with plans to roll out across ISI’s other product lines in the coming weeks.

Seven trends for China's F&B market

Source: Comexposium-SIAL Exhibition Company. Poster for SIAL Guangzhou.

SIAL in China and trend forecaster WGSN have identified seven emerging trends shaping China's food and beverage industry in 2026.

The insights follow SIAL Shanghai 2026, which attracted 183,302 industry professionals from 132 countries and regions, and over US$14 B in intended onsite transactions, according to organisers Comexposium-SIAL Exhibition Company. 

The Shanghai show, to return 18-20 May 2027, underlined demand around healthier snacks, functional foods, clean-label products, premium beverages and food-as-medicine concepts. These categories are expected to shape the 4th SIAL Guangzhou (西雅国际食品展[广州]). Guangzhou is widely recognized as the gateway between China's production base and Southeast Asia.

The broader product mix planned for SIAL Guangzhou 2026 also includes nutritional solutions, natural products, ready-to-drink beverages, new-style tea drinks, specialty coffee, beverage ingredients, sweeteners, concentrates, convenience foods and products for the silver economy.  

New-style tea drinks and specialty coffee are feeding demand for ingredients, flavours and formats that can be scaled across retail and foodservice. Functional foods are moving closer to everyday consumption, appearing in snacks, beverages and ready-to-eat formats. Convenience, meanwhile, is redefined: consumers still want speed, but increasingly expect better ingredients, stronger provenance, and a sense of occasion.

The seven trends are: 

- Digestive, wellness, dairy

Functional dairy products, including A2 dairy*, camel milk and nutritional solutions, are meeting growing demand for gut health and personalised wellness.

- Clean-label protein snacking

High-protein snacks and premium meat-based products are redefining convenient nutrition with cleaner ingredients and better textures.

- Tea-flavoured innovation

Tea flavours are expanding beyond beverages into snacks, dairy, coffee and confectionery, creating new product opportunities.

- Asian low-alcohol by volume (ABV) revolution

Tea cocktails, sparkling rice wine and ready to drink (RTD) beverages are bringing new experiences to younger consumers.

- Low-glycaemic index (GI) & functional bakery

Low-sugar, slow-release energy and functional bakery products are offering healthier ways to enjoy everyday foods.

- Mood & sensory snacking

Extreme sour flavours, cooling effects and multi-sensory experiences are transforming snacks into experiences.

- Food-as-medicine wellness

Herbal nutrition, botanical drinks and zero-sugar solutions combine traditional ingredients with modern wellness concepts. 

Taking place from 3 to 5 September 2026 at the Guangzhou Poly World Trade Center Expo, SIAL in Guangzhou arrives at a time when international buyers, distributors and retail procurement teams are looking more closely at supplier reliability, product differentiation and faster access to Asian growth markets.

The event is expanding to four exhibition halls this year, hosting over 1,500 exhibitors across 15 sectors. The ambition is to make South China’s edition a more prominent international sourcing platform, especially for buyers seeking export-ready Chinese suppliers and Asian market insight in the same place. 

New initiatives planned for 2026 include a Halal Food Village, reflecting rising demand from Muslim consumers across Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East as well as growing interest from retailers and foodservice operators looking for certified products with international potential. 

The village will showcase halal-certified products from China's major Muslim food-producing regions, including Xinjiang and Gansu, alongside international exhibitors and country pavilions, including from Thailand. 

With Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Gulf markets continuing to expand on halal food imports that respond to mainstream expectations around quality, convenience and innovation, the segment is expected to become one of the exhibition's fastest-growing categories. 

According to the organisers, the halal category also overlaps with clean labelling, traceability, premiumisation and food safety, all themes that resonate beyond Muslim-majority markets. 

The International Top Buyer Programme is another major part of the 2026 proposition at SIAL Guangzhou. Targeting procurement leaders from Southeast Asia, South Asia, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the programme is designed to bring decision-makers closer to qualified suppliers through matchmaking, sourcing support, translation services, VIP networking, hotel accommodation and curated meetings.

Beyond sourcing, SIAL Guangzhou 2026 will include events such as the SIAL Innovation Awards, SIAL in China Awards, SIAL Snacking Awards, SIAL Cup Barista Challenge, SIAL Chic & Tea Contest, Match Me, SIAL White Paper Market Insights and SIAL Elite Hour.

Some of the buyers who will be present at SIAL Guangzhou 2026:

Retail

- Angliss Shenzhen Food Service (上海安得列郎晴食品贸易)

- Busy Ming Group Company (湖南鸣鸣很忙商业)

- Fujian Wanchen Food Group Company

- Guangdong Jiarong Supermarket Company 

- GuangDong Sai Yi Convenience Stores (广东赛壹便利店)

- Hema (China) Company

- Jiangmen Dachang Supermarket Company

- Meiyijia Holdings 

- Rainbow DIGITAL Commercial Company 

- WAL-MART (China) Investment Company

- Yonghui Superstores Company 

Catering

- Guangzhou Restaurant Group Co., Ltd. 

- Guangzhou Tao Tao Ju Company (陶陶居)

- GYH L

- Jiumao Jiu (Guangzhou) Holdings Company 

- Juewei Food Company

- Luckin Coffee Group Company 

- Mixue Group (蜜雪冰城)

- Shenzhen Yamei Catering Management Company

- Shenzhen Yiren Yiwei Hot Pot Chain Company

- Yuan JI Food Group Company 

- Zhongyin Babi Food Company (中饮巴比食品)

Hotels

- Cixi Tiandi Jiayuan Hotel Company 

- Fujian Lijiu Jiayan Hotel Management Company 

- Fuqing Longshun Hotel Company

-  HanTing Xingkong (Shanghai) Hotel Management Company 

- Jiangsu Yachengtong Hotel Management Company

- Shanghai Grand Glory Hotel Company 

- Shenzhen ZTE Hetai Hotel Investment Management Company (深圳市中興和泰酒店投資管理)

- Sheraton Hotels & Resorts

- Southern Airline Pearl Hotel

- Wenzhou Four Seasons Hotel Company 

- Zhejiang New Century Hotel Management Company 

E-commerce

- Douyin Company

- Dichao (Shenzhen) Network Technology Company 

- Fuzhou Pupu E-commerce Company

- Guangzhou Sankuai Network Technology Company

- Hangzhou Television Network Technology Company 

- JD 

- POIZON 

- Shanghai 100me Internet Technology Company 

- Taobao (China) Software Company

- VIPSHOP (China) Company 

- Zhejiang Tmall Technology Company

Trading 

- Dreamer Oversea Group Company

- Guangzhou Dingyi Food Group Company

- Guangdong Lingyu International Trade Company

- Guangdong Shengnong International Trading Company 

- Guangdong Wuyang Frozen Food Company

- Guangzhou Xiangsheng Import and Export Trading Company 

- Guangzhou Youxi Cheng Trading Company 

- Qingdao Ximengde International Trade Company

- Shanghai Youliang Industrial Company 

- Xi'an Hecai Trading Company

- Xiamen Kangperruixun International Trade Company 

Logistics

- Guangdong Green Tomato Supply Chain Management Company (广东绿番茄供应链管理)

- Guangdong Jiarong Supply Chain Management Company

- Guangdong Wentai Supply Chain Management Company 

- Guangzhou Nansha Haijixing International Supply Chain Company 

- HeNan Ocean Times Supply Chain Company 

- Hongpeng Supply Chain (Shenzhen) Company 

- Hunan Juyuan Jicai Supply Chain Company 

- Shenzhen Aojia Supply Chain Company 

- Shenzhen Asia Global Fresh Supply Chain (Group) Company 

- Shenzhen Shengjia Supply Chain Management Company 

- Shuhai (Shenzhen) Supply Chain Management Company 

Food manufacturing & processing

- Beidahuang Food Group Hebei Company

- Bestore Company

- Guangdong Beary Foodstuff Company 

- Guangdong Rimei Foods Company

- Guangdong Jiashili Food Group Company

- GUANG DONG JIA YOU Food Company

- Guangzhou Li Shanghuang Food Company 

- Haoxiangni Health Food Company

- Henry Food Company

- Shenzhen Jiulongzhai Food Company

- Zhejiang Yiming Food Company

Others

- China Nanhang Group Aviation Food Company

- Guangdong Meow Fish Cultural Gifts Company (广东喵鱼文化礼品) 

- Guangdong Zhongshan Health Industry Technology Company

- Hangzhou Leke E-commerce Company 

- Hubei Airport Group Aviation Logistics Company

- Lianhua (Xiamen) Aviation Food Company

- Shanghai Eastern Air Catering Company 

- Spring Airlines Company

- Wuxi Anjing Food Marketing Company, Suzhou Branch

- Zhuhai Hengqin Good Sing Culture CCI Capital 

- Zhengzhou Qianweiyangchu Food Company (郑州千味央厨食品)

 

Details

SIAL Guangzhou 2026 | 3–5 September | Guangzhou Poly World Trade Center Expo, Guangzhou, China

Register at https://dwz.cn/I3xC9VAY

*A2 dairy does not contain A1 proteins. Traditionally, cow's milk contains both A1 and A2 proteins.