Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has recently unveiled a Meet in Malaysia campaign, to help propel the country’s MICE industry forward.
The campaign comprises two components – Let’s Meet Locally, which focuses on domestic business meetings; and Let’s Meet Tomorrow for groups with a least 10 per cent international participants.
Under the Let’s Meet Locally campaign, support will come in the form of a complimentary full-day city tour with an English-speaking guide, for a minimum group size of 30. The group must also stay a minimum of two nights at a participating campaign partner’s hotel.
For larger groups of at least 60 participants who stay for at least two nights at a partner hotel, dinner sponsorship support will be thrown in. For 150 participants and above, organisers can request for sponsorship of a full-day meeting package at a campaign partner’s hotel.
Meanwhile, under the Let’s Meet Tomorrow campaign, MyCEB will provide support for a full-day meeting package, for groups that hold a corporate or association meeting at a participating partner venue for two days or more. Other conditions also state that the event must have a minimum of 120 delegates, of which at least 10 per cent are international participants.
The Meet in Malaysia campaign runs until end December 2021. Currently, 56 hotels and nine venues are participating.
This campaign has been well-received by local stakeholders.
“I especially think the Let’s Meet Locally programme is a very practical solution for short-term sustenance of business event players as it is these crucial eight to 12 months that we will need to pull due to the border being closed to international business events delegates,” Mona Abdul Manap, founder and CEO at Place Borneo, said.
“I appreciate that the eligibility criteria is low, which makes it easy for organisers of business events to be eligible for support. Our focus now is to sustain and keep afloat as best as we can. Once we have weathered the storm, then we can focus on charting our direction, build capacity and progress forward. For now, we need to survive!”
Alan Pryor, general manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, said the campaign was “timely”, as the stimulation of the local market is “essential to the sustainability of the business events supply chain.
“The range of packages to support all types of business events is comprehensive. The campaign is exactly the additional ingredient we needed to support and boost business confidence,” he added.
Vincent Lim, president of Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Suppliers, noted: “The Meet In Malaysia campaign is very timely in light of the Covid-19 pandemic which has affected the business events industry. The subvention support will also give encouragement to organisers of homegrown national, regional and international business events to hold their events in Malaysia.”
