The business events outlook for Malaysia in 2025 appears robust.

Key factors driving this growth include the country’s ASEAN Chairmanship, favourable government policies, visa relaxations, and investments in state-of-the-art convention centres.

Destinations across Malaysia are capitalising on these factors to elevate their position in the global business events landscape.

Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) aims to leverage Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship to increase engagement with member countries.

Its CEO, Amelia Roziman shared plans to strengthen partnerships with national stakeholders, ensuring Sarawak’s participation in ASEAN-related activities. BESarawak will also align its business events legacy strategy with ASEAN’s focus on sustainable growth and collaboration.

This month (January), BESarawak will introduce its legacy impact measurement system – a data visualisation dashboard allowing event planners to track economic and legacy metrics.

“After five years of focusing on legacy as a new success metric, we can now offer tools to measure an event’s economic and legacy impact,” Amelia said.

Meanwhile, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) is launching a new indoor dining area in 2Q2025, offering a view of the Sarawak River and seating for around 300 guests. The space can also host networking receptions during conferences.

BCCK recently upgraded its Wi-Fi system to support up to 20,000 devices simultaneously, enhancing the tech experience for event attendees.

As for Sabah, the state plans to leverage its growing air connectivity to attract corporate meetings and incentives from key markets such as regional countries, South Korea, and China.

Sabah Convention Bureau’s CEO, Noredah Othman, has also outlined plans to collaborate with the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), ICCA, and local universities to bid for international conferences, aligning with the state’s economic priorities.

On the north-western coast, Penang is also well-positioned for growth.

According to Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran, the city’s combination of government backing, robust infrastructure, and strong public-private partnerships make it a prime destination for impactful events.

One contributor to Penang’s appeal as a business events destination, is the upcoming Penang Waterfront Convention Centre (PWCC). Set to open in 3Q2025, PWCC will boast a 7,000m² multipurpose hall and 19 meeting rooms.

The opening of PWCC will fill a crucial gap in Penang’s current exhibition landscape, as it can now host large-scale international and regional exhibitions, stated Ashwin. 

Over in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, upgrades are being done to several major venues.

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s general manager John Burke shared that improvements in 1H2025 will include advanced audiovisual equipment, digital screens, and enhanced meeting technology. A new meeting space with an outdoor balcony is also expected to come online in in 2H2025.

Similarly, the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) will be undergoing several enhancements this year. Upgrades include a business centre with additional private rooms, and new dining options focused on nutritious meals.

Additionally, new spaces will include the landscaped Oval Garden, ideal for intimate conferences, and the Garden Terrace, a sophisticated indoor area for cocktail receptions and VIP gatherings. De Heritage, a new eatery serving Malaysian cuisine, will also be able to provide foreign delegates with a taste of local flavours without leaving the venue.

In partnership with Qube Integrated, MITEC will also provide on-site professional event management services, streamlining planning and execution for organisers.

A Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur – featuring 306 rooms and 104 service suites, a spa, a grand ballroom, and two speciality restaurants – will also rise next to MITEC, and is slated to open its doors in 2Q2025.

“Hyatt Regency’s focus on business travel amenities aligns well with MITEC’s offerings, creating a seamless experience for global delegates,” shared MITEC’s CEO, Mala Dorasamy.

MITEC is also developing a sustainable sourcing policy to promote eco-friendly products and practices, including setting achievable goals with suppliers to reduce single-use plastics and prioritise local, sustainable materials.

Recently, at IBTM World 2024 in Barcelona, MyCEB unveiled its MyTripleE 2.0 campaign.

This builds upon the successful initial campaign that concluded in 2024, evolving to redefine Malaysia’s business events sector through three core initiatives: Excel, Elevate, and Enliven. Each initiative caters to regional and international markets, with MyCEB extending financial and non-financial support to qualifying applicants.

The Excel initiative aims to attract regional/international business events as part of MyCEB’s strategy to attract more international attendees. The Elevate initiative encourages organisations to elevate event profiles and meetings, especially event programmes to increase international participation and engagement in the global arena. The Enliven initiative serves as an enhancement to delegate experience through non-financial support.

Support criteria for international events held in Malaysia are a minimum of 150 international delegates if the event is not registered under ICCA, or a minimum of 50 international delegates registered under the ICCA event listing. In addition, the event duration must span three full days.

Meanwhile, the support criteria for trade and semi-trade exhibitions are a minimum three-day show with a gross space of 2,000m², and attended by at least 200 international attendees. In addition, at least 10 per cent of net space must be rented to international exhibitors.