Plans for a new floating hotel and marina development beside
the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) in Malaysia were launched at
its flagship business events forum last week.
Representatives from the state government joined conference organisers
to sign a memorandum of understanding as BE in Sabah set out to put this northern
Borneo state firmly on the map.
A long-time favourite destination for Chinese and Korean
tourists, Sabah is eyeing the global conference market – and proving it has the
infrastructure in place to host events at scale.
The third iteration of the annual event, which was jointly
organised by the SICC and the local chapter of the Malaysian Association of
Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS), brought
together some 900 delegates from Asia and further afield.
Its focus was global collaboration through business events,
but the congress doubled as a showcase to show the world its capability.
Yang Behormat Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, assistant minister to
the chief minister of Sabah, told the audience: “Sabah is not only a prominent
holiday destination but also a dynamic hub for the global business community.
Business events are a crucial driver of our economic and development agenda.
“Platforms like BE in Sabah provide essential opportunities
for direct engagement with industry leaders while enhancing the capacity and
sophistication of our local ecosystem.”
He added that the bar was being raised around the world –
but vowed this emerging destination could meet the challenge. “Investment
decisions are increasingly selective, and destinations are assessed for their
readiness to meet stringent international standards… We will continue to
enhance our standards and structure our partnerships with priority on
inspiration and delivery.”
Cross-border collaboration set to strengthen offer
“In a relatively short period of time, BE in Sabah has
progressed from an idea to a platform that returns each year with greater
clarity and purpose, shaped by learning, strengthened through partnership and
sustained by trust,” says Datuk Dr Hajah Rosmawati Haji Lasuki, CEO of the
SICC. “That continuity matters, because it signals our commitment to the
industry, to partners and to the work that lies ahead.”
The event, from 4-5 February, saw the signing of another MOU,
this time between the Goyang Convention & Visitors Bureau in Korea, Goyang
International Expo and the Sabah International Convention Centre. It commits to
long-term collaboration to share knowledge and mutually develop the two destinations.
“The true strength of this forum lies in the quality of participation
and dialogue it enables – creating space for informed exchange, practical
collaboration and shared understanding at an international standard,” added Dr Rosmawati.
With the East ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations) region’s population estimated at 84 million, “we should be the link to
East ASEAN: we have the venue, we have the people – we will be able to service
whatever comes to our state.”
An emerging destination with plenty to give
“Sabah is already a meeting point between Asia and the
world, between ancient and innovation,” said ICCA CEO Dr Senthil Gopinath, who
took to the podium to suggest opportunities for Sabah to position itself to win
conference business.
Making the most of its extensive coastline and exploiting
its ‘blue capital’ was the subject of much discussion. Dr Senthil proposed an
emphasis on sustainability and biodiversity, marine and environmental science,
medical and life science, along with its strengths in indigenous knowledge and
climate resilience and innovation.
Hopes are high for the development of a new industrial park
70km north of the capital Kota Kinabalu to make the most of Sabah’s strategic
location, rich marine biodiversity and expanding industrial and logistics
sectors: seaweed biotech company SEADLING is a prominent local firm leveraging these
assets with large-scale seaweed farming in close collaboration with the
region's communities.
‘A strategic instrument for nation-building’
Sabah’s GDP continues to bounce back strongly from the
pandemic and its unique surroundings, with rainforest older than the Amazon and
a pristine marine environment, offer plenty to capitalise on – particularly for
post-congress tours.
“Business events are far more than a segment of our economy.
They are a strategic instrument for nation-building,” said Yang Berbahagia
Datuk Dr M Gandhi, president of MACEOS.
“Customers say they like to go to a new place they have
never heard of and learn something different. That is where Borneo as a whole
has a sense of intrigue for people and we should take advantage of that. With
the SICC, the hotels and flights, Sabah has got all the ingredients for success
to position itself as a gateway to East ASEAN.”
Embracing the power of legacy
Steen Jakobsen, CEO of GainingEdge, a global consulting firm
dedicated to advancing the business events and tourism industries, noted: “It
is not just who comes but what has changed; what else stays behind. That is
what makes destinations successful in hosting international business events,
and that is the opportunity for Sabah.”
And with so much emphasis on legacy, Sabah stepped up: a BE
Youth Hub took place before the event, a talent development day for young
people to encourage them to join the industry, while local experts also ran a
boot camp before the main conference to boost bid strategies and site
inspection readiness among Sabahan suppliers.
“This event is a major commitment from Sabah. We see great
potential in this region: East Malaysia is a growth market for us,” said Margaret
Connolly, president and CEO of Informa Markets in Asia.
She told the event that it was vital that large-scale
conferences and exhibitions weren’t viewed in a transactional way, with many buyers
keen to build long-term and mutually beneficial relationships.
“Alignment on the strategic level is so important to us: we
are not going to fly in and fly out. We want to make events that are deeply
embedded in the local communities,” she said, adding that Informa is keen to
foster investment and grow the local talent pool: “There is a great deal of
opportunity to work together to foster that on the learning and development
side.”
