A way to boost the local economy post MCO

The global business events landscape has experienced quite a significant shift over the past few months. To support the business events industry and stakeholders affected by the impact of COVID-19, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has officially launched the ‘Meet in Malaysia Campaign’.

It is a hybrid event where MyCEB has invited around 250 attendees at the event venue and also did a live streaming via online platform.

Officiated by YB Dato' Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Malaysia, the Meet in Malaysia Campaign Launch took place today at Everly Hotel, Putrajaya. This is followed by a sharing session by the professional industry experts from International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), MOTAC, Malaysian Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS), Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) and Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) where they shared their point of view on recovering efforts for the business events industry.

“I have been briefed on initiatives by MyCEB such as Meet in Malaysia Campaign which we hope to stimulate the business events segment further and help the industry to kickstart their business again as soon as possible. I understand that MyCEB’s latest campaign is very much in line with the strategy of focusing on domestic business tourism. However, I am also told that MyCEB is taking several steps further to build the international audience as well,” said YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri.

The ‘Meet in Malaysia Campaign’ encompasses two simultaneous initiatives entitled Let’s Meet Tomorrow and Let’s Meet Locally programmes.

“We sincerely hope the offer will cushion the impact of the pandemic that spreads out over the whole supply chain, from event venues, hotels, event organisers, restaurants and many more, and that a holistic approach is needed to boost our industry. It is our responsibility to make sure the industry will revive as quickly as possible in order to stabilise our economy,” said Dato’ Sri Abdul Khani, the Chief Executive Officer of MyCEB.

“During this unprecedented time, we are pleased to share that we have successfully secured 4 international conferences which will be held between 2022 – 2024 ranging from 700 – 1,000 delegates,” he continued.

Addressing stakeholders such as Professional Conference Organisers (PCO), local associations, Event Management Companies and Destination Marketing Companies (DMCs), the Let’s Meet Tomorrow programme strives for collaborations with venues to develop competitive and appealing campaign packages.

While the tasks to woo international audiences are taken care of by the Let’s Meet Tomorrow programme, the Let’s Meet Locally programme covers the local market. With the objectives of encouraging corporates to hold their events and meetings in the country, the programme is applicable to a minimum group size of 30 and 50 delegates per conference. Support from the Bureau and partners can come in the form of subsidies or services.

The ‘Meet in Malaysia Campaign’ runs until December 2021. The Let’s Meet Tomorrow programme is initiated to help industry players to plan and prepare for future international business events to be organized in Malaysia for international delegates to come and will take into effect once the international border is open while Let’s Meet Locally will take into effect once the local business events sector is allowed to operate.

Apart from the ‘Meet in Malaysia Campaign’, MyCEB has also rolled out several initiatives to boost the market and cushion challenges faced by industry players. They include the Tactical Malaysia Twin Deal V, Exhibition Enhancement Package, and Homegrown Event Support.

During the launch, MyCEB also announced the winners for the business events competitions. With the topic of “The New Norm in Organising Future Business Events”, MyCEB has received an overwhelming response from the industry players including Professional Conference Organiser, Exhibition Organisers, Association members, and university students.

Winners list of the business events competition as per below:

Conventions:

1st: Jake Lee Jia Jian

2nd: Lee Zhen Xuan and Denise Chy En-Ning

3rd: Medical Conference Partners (Represented by Pravitra A/P Jeyaratnam)

Meeting & Incentives:

1st: Above Creative Events Sdn Bhd (Represented by Alycia Chan)

Trade Exhibitions:

1st: Rafiuddin bin Ridzwan

2nd: Yip Sze Yuen, Ng Kiam Yong, Yap Choy Ching and Yap Meng Chun

3rd: Wong Peng Weng

The competition’s objective was to open floodgates for innovative ideas sharing to ensure that the business events industry endures the challenging times, especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Interested parties that would like to check for eligibility on ‘Meet in Malaysia’ Campaign can visit www.myceb.com.my/meetinMalaysia for more information or call MyCEB at +603 2264 3000.