Singapore International Water Week 2024 hosts the global gathering of the urban water community, reflecting significant growth in Southeast Asia’s municipal and industrial markets

Into its 10th edition this year, the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2024 was held from 18 to 22 June at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre. The biennial event ended with record attendance. Over 24,000 water and city leaders, delegates and trade visitors from across the globe came through the doors of SIWW 2024 to exchange knowledge, share best practices on innovative water, coastal and flood solutions, foster collaborations and create new business opportunities to tackle urban water and associated climate challenges.

Ryan Yuen, Managing Director of SIWW said: “SIWW this year marked a major achievement for us. It saw the largest gathering yet with 500 water and city leaders, including over 50 CEOs, representing major urban centers such as New York City, Tokyo, Dhaka, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Sao Paolo, Chennai, Johannesburg, Sydney, Manila and Hong Kong, convening at a single global platform. Their discussions centered on hot-button issues from water sustainability, net zero and decarbonization, to digitalization and coastal and flood resilience, aimed at driving effective climate action. With SIWW2024, we are pleased to be taking our partnership with Messe Munich forward, and through the IFAT global network, present an impactful SIWW Water Expo and delivery of high-quality content across our flagship programs in editions to come.”

SIWW2024 Water Expo – A global trading platform with regional focus

A cornerstone of SIWW, the Water Expo is the pre-eminent marketplace for the latest urban water technologies, innovation, and solutions for municipal and industrial water users in Southeast Asia. Under a ten year agreement between SIWW and Messe Munich’s subsidiary, MMI Asia, to organize the SIWW Water Expo in cooperation with IFAT, the partnership’s first iteration at SIWW 2024 brought record breaking results.

Spanning 22,000 gross square meters over two floors, the Water Expo this year saw a high 35% share of international trade visitors, with significant increase in visitors from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand, underscoring the Water Expo’s distinct value proposition on fulfilling sourcing objectives in the ASEAN region. A marked increase in visitor ship was also recorded from Asia-Pacific countries such as China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia.

Backing the strong visitor numbers is a new record of 51% of exhibiting companies coming from abroad, specifically from 29 countries and regions beyond Singapore. In addition, SIWW 2024 Water Expo was grounds to the largest Singapore Pavilion in its 15-year history, and eight other country and regional pavilions from Australia, Canada, China, Flanders, Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, who brought their latest state-of-the-art solutions and technologies to leverage the growing trend of global water companies seeking business in the region. The expo also recorded a growing representation of water industry players from Germany and China in their respective country pavilions.

Michael Wilton, CEO & Managing Director of MMI Asia said: "SIWW 2024 showed impressive results in bringing together global stakeholders needed to support industry’s transformation in closing the loop for water circularity and supporting climate resilience. The Water Expo continues to be the number one platform for trade visitors, city and utility leaders as well as industry players seeking answers to the varying water challenges. Through Messe Munich’s partnership with Singapore International Water Week, we look forward to hosting even more exhibitors of technological solutions, innovations, and best practices in the next edition of this global event.”

The Water Expo featured exhibiting companies offering smart tech, water digitalization solutions, coastal protection, and flood resilience for city and utility leaders facing rapid urbanization and extreme weather-related challenges such as droughts and floods and the pollution and depletion of groundwater, leading to the need to implement climate resilience and adaptation initiatives, digitalise assets, and implement smart water management systems.

The next edition of Singapore International Water Week will take place from June 15-19, 2026.