Sarawak, Malaysia has thrust its status once more as an international business events destination after being selected as the Asia Pacific host of the Regional Hubs ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) Congress 2020. In total, there are seven Regional Hubs, two of which are virtual, complementing the Global Congress in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
With the reopening of Sarawak's business events (BE) industry in July this year, this win is momentous news for Sarawak. The hybrid Regional Hub Congress—to run simultaneously with the main ICCA Congress 2020 at Kaohsiung—will converge association executives, local and national industry professionals and ICCA members in Kuching on a six-day educational, networking and business escapade to share the latest developments and innovations within the world’s business and travel sector affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
The Sarawak Asia Pacific Regional Hub ICCA Congress 2020 will be themed "ICCA Tribe Legacy" and will focus on the broader value of conventions, often missed, which goes beyond direct delegate expenditure. This theme carries on and expands from the earlier theme “ICCA Global Tribes” in 2016.
Sarawak is no stranger to hosting international conventions. Back in 2016, the state was lauded for hosting the 55th ICCA Congress which capped the milestone for Sarawak’s journey to grow into one of the world’s premier second-tier destinations. While the upcoming hybrid congress marks another milestone for Sarawak, it will also pave the way for more robust regional and national collaborations with a pathway for players in Malaysia to lead the region’s business events industry.
Legacy building from conventions is the core education topic for this year’s regional hub congress, aligning itself with the global business events industry’s direction. “This is at the very heart of why we do what we do.” said Amelia Roziman, acting CEO of BESarawak. “We want to amplify awareness and advocate the power of business events legacies through our educational sessions, which will be led by Malaysian and international presenters.
“Having a legacy vision, planning with purpose, an active implementation process followed by monitoring and measurement will illustrate the often-unrecognized, intangible benefits of hosting conventions.”
Roziman further added that legacies from conventions, harnessed in tandem with the supplier community, local host organizations and with the support of the government, can turn every business event into a tank that achieves key objectives.
ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath used the previous ICCA Congress in 2016 as a benchmark to why Sarawak was chosen “This year’s Congress is the first global hybrid experience that ICCA will host and we’re excited to be able to offer delegates the opportunity to join from a regional hub. BESarawak, a long-standing member of ICCA, was selected as our Asia Pacific regional hub host because of their commitment and creativity, clearly evidenced when the destination hosted one of the memorable congresses of ICCA.”
The Sarawak Asia Pacific Regional Hub ICCA Congress 2020 will take place from October 31 to November 5, 2020 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) with BESarawak as the local host and organizer. The Congress is endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak (MTAC), Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), ICCA Malaysia Committee and Sarawak’s business events industry partners.
Visit events.iccaworld.org.
Related Stories
ICCA Announces 59th ICCA Congress
Abu Dhabi Creates "Safe Zone" Framework for Events and Tourists
ICCA Forms Partnership with ISSA and Global Biorisk Advisory Council
Domestic Business Travel Continues to Trend Toward Recovery, GBTA Says