Convention venues in larger Malaysian cities city are banking on Ramadan break fast offerings to make up for leaner meetings business during the holy month of Ramadan which starts mid-May.
Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) general manager, sales operation, Oh Kin Tat, said the centre was dependent on its Ramadan break of fast spreads as there were no government and corporate meetings confirmed as of press time.
He said: “Last year we had almost 5,000 guests enjoying our breaking of fast buffet spreads. This year we are looking at an additional 2,000 pax.”
The higher target is aimed at government spending which Oh thinks will increase after the national general election on May 9. This is because PICC is located at the administrative capital of Putrajaya, home to many government ministries and departments.
In the city centre, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre recently held a media preview of their break of fast spread this year which featured traditional favourites from various states in Malaysia. Its general manager, Alan Pryor, said the break of fast offerings provides additional business revenue for the centre.
“It’s harder to capture business during the fasting month. Local meeting sizes tend to be smaller, of less than 150 people. This year, the Centre is offering a new meeting package that starts at 15.00 and ends with the breaking of fast buffet,” shared Pryor.
As for Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC), it is hoping to draw more foreign meetings during the Muslim fasting month, as government and local corporate meetings are also slow.
Rajiv Kapoor, general manager of LICC and The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, said: “Ramadan is a slow month for the entire island. There will still be some corporate groups coming from Kuala Lumpur to have their meetings, but the number of such meetings and group sizes will be small.
“During this period, we are banking on international business from Singapore, Australia, India and China.”
