Long-awaited ticketed events that are coming back to Singapore (2022)

As social distancing measures and regulations loosen up in Singapore, more and more in-person events are coming back including concerts, gaming events and festivals.

From Michael Jackson tributes and JJ Lin fans to (G)I-dle for the Kpop fans out there, here are the complete lists of concerts, events and even trade show you need to know for 2022, as well as some tips and tricks to save while you spend.

List of concert/show/festival dates

List of gaming events/expo

Date	Who/what	Where
Sept 15	TECHSPO Singapore 2022 Technology Expo	Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre
Sept 15 to 16	DigiMarCon Singapore 2022 - Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition	Marina Bay Sands
Sept 21 to 22	Tech in Asia Conference 2022	Virtually
Oct 14	Meta Expo Singapore & Web3.0 Summit	Marina Bay Sands
Oct 20 to 23	Gamescom Asia	Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre
Oct 20 to 23	Dota 2: The International (TI) Playoffs	Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre
Oct 29 to 30	Dota 2: The International (TI) Finals	Singapore Indoor Stadium

List of trade events

Date	Who/what	Where
Sept 29 to Oct 3	STB Brussels Media Familiarisation Trip	STB Western Europe
Sept 29 to Oct 4	Sponsorship Opportunity for Leisure Trade Familiarisation (FAM) Trip	STB Americas
Oct 13 to 16	Reverse Roadshow & Family	Singapore - STB Oceania
Oct 16 to 18	Sponsorship Opportunity for ITB Asia 2022 Pre-event Familiarisation Trip	STB
Oct 19 to 21	Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB) Asia	Singapore - STB HQ

With everything coming back all at once, there may be just one too many events you want to attend. To be able to attend all the events, one would need to finance their budgets efficiently and effectively. It is also important to keep an eye on when the tickets go on sale and when the last chance to purchase these tickets are.

Cashback and discounts

Using cashback credit cards, one can gain more benefits from the returned value. There are cards with an annual fee and ones without an annual fee.

There are also a lot of options for credit cards that are suitable for entertainment transactions.

OCBC FRANK Credit Card

Consider this if you frequently spend money on shopping and entertainment

• Pros
  • 6 per cent rebate on online, mobile contactless, and FX spend
  • Fee waiver with $10,000 annual spend
• Cons
  • 0.3 per cent rebate on general purchases
  • Annual fee after two years
  • Capped cashback at $75

The OCBC Frank Card offers a 6 per cent rebate on online purchases, mobile contactless spend, and on FX transactions. To be eligible for these rebates, one must spend $600 per month, which is on the lower end compared to other cards. On all other spend, there is a 0.3 per cent cashback with a monthly cashback capped at $75.

There is also a cashback of up to 5 per cent through purchasing at movie theatres, bars, and cafes. The annual fee of $80 is waived for the first two years and will continue to be with a $10,000 of annual spend.

Citi Lazada Card

Consider this if you want a card that gives great perks for online shopping

• Pros
  • Four mi (10pts) per $1 spend on Lazada
  • Two mi (five pts) on dining, transport & more
  • Shipping rebates & exclusive Lazada deals
• Cons
  • Bonus Reward Points capped at 3,600 mi (9,000 pts) per month
  • $192.60 fee waived just one year
  • General spend earns 0.4 mi per $1

The Citi Lazada Credit Card lets users earn four miles (10 pts) per $1 spend on Lazada and two miles (five pts) per $1 spend on local dining, entertainment, travel, and transport. Shopping online, users can also get shipping rebates and exclusive Lazada deals. There is a monthly cap of 4,000 miles (10k pts) on rewards which is a spend of $1,000.

There is an annual fee of $192.60 that is waived for one year and a complimentary travel insurance that comes with it, perfect for travelling far to see a concert or show. These Citi Rewards points are valid for up to three years and can be redeemed for cash rebates, miles, vouchers, or merchandise.

Maybank Platinum Visa Card

Consider this if you spend $300-$500/month

• Pros
  • Great starter card for young adults
  • Good fit for budgets between $300 and $500/month
  • $80 annual fee
• Cons
  • Few extra perks
  • Doesn't award specialised spend (ie dining, shopping)

Maybank Platinum Visa Card allows cardholders for a rebate of 3.33 per cent with as low of $300 monthly spend at up to $30/quarter. Usually for most other cards, a monthly spend of $300 results in just a 0.3 per cent base cashback rate. Cardholders also get free travel insurance which is also perfect for travelling to events or shows.

There is a $80 annual or $20 quarterly fee, however, this is waived simply by using the card at least once each quarter. It is easy to maintain for a greater cashback reward compared to other credit cards.

Citi Cash Back Card

Consider this if you want a card with great petrol discounts and huge rewards for dining and groceries 

• Pros
  • Great dining and groceries rewards
  • High petrol discounts
• Cons
  • Lacks shopping and entertainment rewards
  • Not suitable for lower budgets

The Citi Cash Back Credit Card provides 8 per cent cashback on groceries and 6 per cent cashback on dining with 0.25 per cent cashback on all other purchases. To earn a bonus cashback, a minimum monthly spend of $800 is required, with monthly cashbacks capped at $80. There are also up to 20.88 per cent of fuel savings at Esso and Shell gas stations with 8per cent cashback at other gasoline stations.

Currently, there is a promotion going on with a gift of an Apple iPad 9th Gen, Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2, a Samsonite Straten Spinner, or $350 worth of cash within 30 days of card approval. Through these high rates of cashbacks, one could easily save up to visit shows and purchase concert tickets.

Other ways to save

Volunteer in concert venues

Most concert venues, especially larger venues will have sign ups for volunteers. This means that you would not have to pay for the concert tickets, but it also means that you might not be able to enjoy the concert with full experience.

Subscribe to mailing lists or Spotify lists

By subscribing to mailing lists of concert venues or even by following your favourite artists on Spotify, they will send an early email in advance. Keep an eye out on your email inbox for early bird deals and discounts to your favourite artists!

Last-minute tickets

After the tickets have been on sale for a while, even right before the show and still have not been sold, it is likely that sellers and resellers of the show will drop the prices of the tickets. However, this is also based on the fact that the tickets have not been all sold out.

Conclusion

While purchasing and obtaining tickets for events and shows are expensive and need thoughtful planning, there are various ways that money can be saved. These include credit card cashbacks, discounts from buying tickets early or late, and rewards you can obtain through spending.

ALSO READ: 4th time lucky: WeiBird finally in Singapore after concert postponed 3 times in 2 years due to Covid-19

This article was first published in ValueChampion.