There is no doubt that physical finance events have returned post-pandemic. Since 2024, however, organisers have stepped up, making their events stand out and attract a mainstream audience. The key challenges are curating a lineup of captivating speakers and topics, as well as interesting and interactive booths. This past Saturday, I attended FSM Invest Expo 2026, organised by FSMOne. Judging by the crowd that was there early on a Saturday morning, they were successful at overcoming both challenges.
The second I walked into the event hall at Suntec, it became clear to me what made it successful. It was the event’s theme, “Investing Profitably: Then. Now. Next.”. A board at the entrance explains how investing has evolved over the past two decades. This sets the tone immediately, and the messaging remains clear throughout the event. In order to guide our investment decisions for what’s next, we need to understand the past and make sense of today.
Designs That Emphasise The Theme, Not Overshadow It
The need to make investment decisions in the context of what had come before powered the event’s design aesthetic. Many of the booths and activities at the event evoked nostalgia for a Singapore that existed not too long ago. Kopitiam tables, biscuit tins, and intricately designed floor tiles all created a sense of familiarity for many of the event’s attendees.
On its own, the event’s nostalgic elements may seem like a fun distraction, but FSM Invest Expo 2026 did well to create a sense of continuity for Singaporean investors both young and young-at-heart. The theme’s message of recalling the past when investing in the future resonated throughout the event, demonstrating that context matters when planning a finance event.
Read Also: Seedly Personal Finance Festival 2025 Round-Up: How It Changed The Way I Think About Money
For example, one fun interactive activity utilised RFID technology. Each of the event’s exclusive Plush Buddies, shaped like Singapore’s iconic snacks, represented different types of investors. For example, Ms. Chilling, the beloved ice cream sandwich represents the “chill investor” who invests in managed portfolios, thus leaving the investment decisions to the experts. By bringing the plushie to the sensor, you could learn about each of the five types of investors. This activity cleverly incorporated familiar Singapore favourites with technology, making it accessible to all attendees regardless of age. Attendees could bring home one of these plushies simply by opening an FSMOne account, or topping up an existing one.
Many Booths Also Found Creative Ways To Engage With The Theme
Another sign of a good event theme is when event partners create unique, relevant booth designs. Eastspring Investments brought in The Vintage Stamp to provide a custom newspaper photobooth complete with props representing items from Singapore’s history. This was tied to their Asian-focused active investment strategies.
Lion Global Investors set their booth up to appear like a gold shop, complete with a gold bar challenge. This was a reference to the LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund.
Stage Sessions Were Well Attended
Another indicator of the success of FSM Invest Expo 2026 was the packed attendance for many of the sessions. The programme began at 10am, lasting all the way to 5.30pm. Throughout the day, attendees filled the seats at the back of the hall, and each session clearly attracted their target audience.
For example, at 11.25am, there was a session entitled “Investing in Your 20s and 30s: How to Get Started”. This featured a panel of Beansprout’s Gerald Wong, content creator Demi Zhuang, and Kenneth Tang, Senior Portfolio Manager, Asian Equity, Amova Asset Management. It was moderated by our very own DollarsAndSense co-founder Timothy Ho. Prior to this panel, many attendees from the previous panel got up and made way for the younger target audience. It was fascinating to see how the crowd evolved as the sessions moved from topic to topic.
Opportunities For Individual Consultations
I also appreciated the opportunities for attendees to get investment advice from the many experts around the event. In addition to the investment advisers, the event also had a “Kopi Talk Schedule” where attendees could meet several of the panellists following their session. This #AskMeAnything style conversation drove home the event’s ability to create valuable interactions in intimate spaces, despite the bustling crowd.
It was also an excellent showcase of how the theme could be woven throughout the event. By designing these intimate sessions with investment experts and other finance personalities with a kopitiam theme, the interactions felt more relaxed and casual, allowing conversations to flow better.
Read Also: 5 Lessons That Singapore Investors Should Learn When They Get Into The Game
Of course, this is not the first personal finance event designed around a coherent theme – the annual Seedly Personal Finance Festival traditionally picks a central theme to build their event around, and even our own DollarsAndSense EveryDayInvestor event, had a football theme complete with jerseys sponsored by Weston Corporation. But what I saw at FSM Invest Expo 2026 was how a coherent theme really helps to give context and focus to the event as a whole.
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