The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has welcomed the recent announcement by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac), Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, that her ministry will be holding talks with the Finance Ministry about allocating funds for the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), to ensure the continued expansion of Malaysia’s business events industry.
This highlights the important role that the business events industry (previously known as MICE – meetings, incentives, conventions & exhibitions) can play in the nation’s economic recovery and growth under the 12th Malaysia Plan and the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030.
General manager of Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Alan Pryor, said, “We welcome this timely move from Datuk Nancy and her ministry. The business events industry, as a legacy builder and job creator, is a key contributor of both the knowledge and visitor economy and can play a significant role in accelerating Malaysia’s economic recovery.
“From establishing trade relations; talent and knowledge exchange; attracting foreign investments; and building industries that support the economy, to human capital development and poverty alleviation, business events are a powerful platform to help enhance a country’s global trade and intellectual engagement, as well as advance socio-economic progress.”
The Centre was recently invited by the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC) to put forward its recommendations in key areas of opportunities for collaboration relative to Malaysia’s economic recovery, and challenges faced by the venue due to the National Recovery Plan, to be presented to the National Recovery Council.
Alan Pryor, general-manager of Kuala-Lumpur Convention-Centre
Elaborating on the recommendations, Pryor said, “We highlighted the potential of driving business events as a nation building vehicle to help the Government progress its economic recovery plans and further the 15 Key Economic Growth Activities (KEGA) outlined in the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030.
“We look forward to a positive outcome from our recommendations and hopefully increased private-public sector collaboration to address the existing industry gaps in raising Malaysia’s attractiveness as the preferred business events destination in the region and internationally.”
Some of the initiatives proposed by the centre are: a dedicated business events campaign to counter active promotion by competitor destinations in the region; formation of a direct communication channel between the industry and government to discuss barriers in business activity and supply chain issues; recognition of the social and economic contribution of business events; and data collection and consolidation of business events statistics to quantify the industry’s contribution to Malaysia’s economic recovery and growth, as well as social well-being and prosperity.
