The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has engaged with key industry leaders in the business events industry to nurture collaboration and to move forward, in line with the nation’s Covid-19 recovery plan.
MyCEB’s CEO, Abdul Khani Daud, recently chaired a virtual meeting that was attended by industry stalwarts such as Irmohizam Ibrahim, chairman Asia Pacific, World Trade Centre Association; Vincent Lim, president, Asia Federation of Exhibition & Convention Association; Francis Teo, president, the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers (MACEOS)and Suppliers; and Alan Pryor, president, Business Events Council Malaysia (BECM).
During the meeting, one initiative discussed was the creation of the MySafe Business Events Planner, jointly produced by MyCEB and BECM. The planner will provide detailed information on the advance planning and organising necessary for event organisers, both local and international, to ensure a seamless experience. It will also contain safety measures Malaysia has put in place to ensure events can be held safely and with confidence. The planner is expected to be ready by 4Q2021.
Next, industry leaders shared updates on their members’ involvement as vaccination centres under the national Covid-19 immunisation programme.
In collaboration with MACEOS, additional manpower will be called upon to assist the current staffing at convention centres that are running the vaccination programme. MyCEB staff and others from the business events industry will be deployed to assist venues such as World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Setia City Convention Centre, Persada Johor, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Sabah International Convention Centre and Setia SPICE Convention Centre.
Abdul Khani also welcomed the statement made recently by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, Nancy Shukri, which called for early vaccination of the tourism and business events frontliners.
“The business events industry will rally behind the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in its recovery plan and seek out key players in the business events industry to be given early immunisation.”
He added: “The business events industry is intertwined with the rest of the tourism industry, including airlines, venues, caterers and transportation providers. We need each other in order to recover.”
“Once our industry is vaccinated, we can hopefully reopen.”
