I developed a concept around the theatre’s natural language: the spotlight. Rather than positioning the innovators as exhibitors at static stands, we created an immersive experience with tastings for all guests and each of them was given a moment: a short, focused presentation under a dedicated spotlight, decentralised stages. The format was intimate but charged. Guests weren’t passive. They were an audience. And there is something powerful about an audience, it creates attention, presence and memory in a way that a mingling crowd simply cannot.

This decision restructured the entire evening. The usual rhythm of a diplomatic reception — arrival, canapés, a speech, more canapés — gave way to something more considered. Movement between the innovation stations felt purposeful. Conversations had context. The Swiss buffet by The Capitol Kempinski, crafted with locally sourced Singaporean ingredients, became part of the discovery rather than a backdrop to it.

On the design side, I worked with the architecture of the room rather than against it. The styling of the venue was conceived to honour its heritage while making space for something modern and forward-looking — which is, after all, exactly what Swiss innovation represents. Every detail, from the table arrangements on the stage to the flow between the different zones, was considered as part of a single coherent experience.