All systems go!

Recognising the business events industry as one of the main contributors to Malaysia’s economic growth, the government was keen to see it back on its feet quickly. It gave full support to initiatives taken by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) in the challenging period from March 2020 to April 2022. Since travel restrictions were lifted the results have been very positive.

The road to recovery began as early as July 2020 with the Meet in Malaysia (MIM) campaign. It was a significant milestone for MyCEB as, for the first time, it gave support in the form of subsidies or services to business events without international attendees. When inter-state travel was allowed in October 2021 and activities increased, MIM incorporated a Let’s Meet Locally programme and, importantly, a Let’s Meet Tomorrow programme designed to help industry players prepare for future international events.

In 2021 the government gave MyCEB special provision to travel overseas to attend specific industry congresses for promotional purposes. Then, when the borders were fully open again, it was ready to swing into action and welcome international delegates back.

The 3R Initiative (Reset, Restart and Responsible) was introduced last year to upskill meetings industry professionals and encourage them to obtain internationally recognised qualifications. It also supports their attendance at international tradeshows such as IMEX Frankfurt, IMEX America and IBTM World.

Along with the Ministry of Health, MyCEB and the Business Events Council Malaysia developed the digital MySafe Business Events Planner to guide organisers and delegates through the safety measures in place and rebuild public confidence in the business events industry.

MyCEB is working with the Immigration Department on special lanes for business event delegates at major airports to ensure a swift and hassle-free arrival experience. Travellers from ten countries are already allowed to use the autogate (e-gate) for arrivals and departures

It’s also collaborating with the Hybrid City Alliance and Asia Convention Alliance in the belief that together the industry will rebound from the pandemic. And it’s working with various ministries to identify all events coming to Malaysia, whether they are supported by MyCEB or not, to gauge the size of the business events economy.

On top of all this, the Malaysia Business Events Strategic Marketing Plan just launched sets target for delegate numbers, estimated economic impact and total employment figures by 2030.

With the momentum continuing, MyCEB forecasts that 190 events this year will generate revenue that compares very well with 2019 figures. So far, it has secured a further 114 events under its belt up to 2030.

“The solid pipeline of events that Malaysia has managed to anchor reflects organisers’ unwavering confidence in the country’s fundamentals, highlighted by its vibrant business culture, excellent infrastructure, stable government and stellar track record in hosting high-quality events,” says MyCEB CEO Dato’ Sri Dr Abdul Khani Daud.

“The majority of our bidding is based on factors such as the willingness of the national society to bid and work with organisers of international events as well as looking at events that can benefit the nation,” he explains. “As part of our strategic vision, we do align events with the nation’s Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, such as medical, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, digital economy, renewable energy, etc. But, more importantly, we focus our bids and support for business event activities that have a profound impact to society, the business community and the population at large.”

Many major meetings take place Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, a world-class facility in the heart of the capital. The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress (APAO) held there in February was the third international congress MyCEB and Dr Kenneth Fong of the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology have brought to Malaysia since 2015. “With more than 4,000 delegates it was the largest ophthalmology meeting ever hosted here,” Fong says. “MyCEB is crucial as they provided a lot of subvention funding to help us secure the meeting and promote it to delegates around the world.”

Another strong endorsement comes from Kai Hattendorf, MD and CEO of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) which held its Asia Pacific Conference in the convention centre in March: “Malaysia lived up to our expectations from the infrastructure to facilities, cascading to the strong working ethic of Malaysians. Being a great location with so much growth potential and a well-developed supporting infrastructure, Malaysia was an ideal host for our first in-person conference in the region after the pandemic.”

It’s not only Kuala Lumpur which is ramping up its business events. There are some fine, modern, convention and exhibition centres in other regions and activities are increasing in destinations such as the state of Penang, which comprises two islands on the north-west coast, and Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, the respective state capital cities of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo.

In Penang, Setia Spice Convention Centre is the world’s first hybrid solar-powered centre. A unique subterranean building, it has with 16 multifunctional meeting and event spaces. And the recently opened PICCA Convention Centre @ Butterworth Arena is the largest convention venue in the northern region, with the capacity for 8,000 delegates at any one time,

In Sarawak, the team at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) took the opportunity during lockdown to revamp, reinvent and revitalise the centre, focusing on improving modern comforts, digitalisation and efficiency. They were delighted to see association-led events returning steadily last year, including the International Digital Economy Conference, International Conference on Clean Energy and World Engineering Science & Technology Congress.

This year it’s welcoming many more diverse international congresses. “Initially, we thought it would take at least four years for the industry to bounce back to pre-covid times but it was a huge relief that it did not take longer,” comments CEO Eric van Piggelen.

There are plans in the offing to expand the BCCK but nothing concrete has been announced yet.