The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) is partnering with homegrown PEOs and PCOs to grow their events in a bid to accelerate the recovery of the business events industry.
MyCEB’s chief operating officer, Noor Ahmad Hamid, explained: “The homegrown events that we invest in today will be the event that will reward (the country) with international delegates in the future. By supporting these events, we will be able to revive the business events economy.”
While this approach is common in other MICE-focused countries, Noor said this is the first time that Malaysia is grooming local events. MyCEB’s pre-pandemic focus was on attracting international association meetings.
MyCEB is also working to bring more B2B and special exhibitions into Malaysia.
“In the past, we were also not big on exhibitions, and tended to focus more on tradeshows and conferences. We are now in talks with several PEOs around the world, to explore how they can bring an event to Malaysia. We want to help (such events) become a signature that will stay on for five to seven years,” Noor detailed.
When asked how the CVB plans to future-proof Malaysia against potential shocks, he said: “Other than ensuring a certification programme for health and safety is in place for future delegates, we are embarking on capacity building.
“(For example), we need to identify the type of business events that we want for the country, which can benefit the community and not just the industry and suppliers.”
On the sustainability front, MyCEB is working with local agencies appointed by the government, to ensure that the business events industry is aligned with United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, organisers must show their sustainability efforts.
“Moving forward, we also need to be more inclusive in the type of conferences we do, such as an autism-related conference. It’s not about the number of delegates, the impact on the economy, but more of how such business events can benefit the community at large,” Noor stated.
