‘I teared up’: Woman says she was turned away from MBS trade show for bringing baby
A woman said she was denied entry to a trade show at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) because she was carrying her nine-month-old son in a baby carrier, which allegedly violated a rule barring those under-18.
In a Facebook post on April 9, Cheryl Choe expressed her frustration at being turned away from GITEX AI Asia, an artificial intelligence (AI) and technology event held at MBS from April 9 to 10.
According to GITEX Asia’s LinkedIn Page, more than 550 technology enterprises and startups were present at the event, with participants from more than 110 countries.
Ms Choe said in her post that she brought her “quiet” baby in a carrier but was stopped by staff, who told her that children under 18 were not allowed.
“I’ll be honest… I teared up when I walked away. I was so, so, so upset. Not because I don’t understand rules, but because it just felt so off,” she wrote, adding that the policy felt unsupportive of parents.
“So we’ve designed spaces for mothers to exist but not to participate?”
Speaking to Stomp, Ms Choe said she arrived at around 3.30pm and had planned to attend the event after she recently pivoted to the industry. She also intended to visit a booth run by her friends.
At registration, the 36-year-old business development manager was stopped by a staff member.
When she requested to speak to someone regarding the issue, she was directed to a company representative who informed her that the ban was universally applied to all individuals under 18.
First time being rejected
Ms Choe said this was the first time she was rejected from an event for bringing her child. She had initially planned childcare arrangements, but these were cancelled at the last minute.
Checks by Stomp showed the rule barring those under 18 was stated in the footer of GITEX Asia’s website.
While she acknowledged she had missed the rule, Ms Choe said she would expect it to apply to “those that are grown enough to be disruptive, like toddlers running around or a newborn that cries every 30 minutes”.
She added that she would have stepped away if her baby became fussy.
When she shared her experience with friends, Ms Choe was told such practices were common in the industry. While she understands the need for such rules, she hopes more flexibility could be given to parents in similar situations.
Left after being turned away
Although she did not incur financial losses as she had free entry to the event, she expressed some regret that her father had taken time off from his job as a private-hire driver to send her to the venue.
“I felt super bad because he could have picked up a customer or two instead,” she said.
After being turned away, she went to a nearby nursing room in the mall to breastfeed her baby and did not attempt to re-enter the event.
Stomp has reached out to GITEX Asia for comment.
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
Explore more on these topics
