Business Events (BE) Malaysia|Vol 6|No 1|2020|MITEC

BE B U I L D I N G

B U S I N E S S

E V E N T S

VOl. 6 I NO. 1 I 2020 ISSN 2289-893X RM10

POWERED BY

BUSINESS EVENTS MALAYSIA

Malaysia Business Events Awards BE Forum Panel on Festivalisation

MITEC’S SMART TRADE ZONE, AN INSPIRATIONAL BUSINESS HUB Gunther Beissel, Chief Executive Officer, MITEC

E X C E L L E N C E

Publisher’s note

Publisher’s Note

MACEOS Secretariat

Level 3, East Wing, Menara MATRADE, Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.

H/P No: 012-640 6106 Fax: +603-6203 7034 Email Address: secretariat@maceos.com.my ADVISORS Tan Sri Dr. Ong Hong Peng Former Secretary General, Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture (MOTAC) Datuk Wan Latiff Wan Musa Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) Dato’ Dr. Tan Chin Huat Founder, Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) Noor Ahmad Hamid Regional Director Asia Pacific, International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (2018-2020) President Dato’ Vincent Lim, C.I.S Network Sdn Bhd Vice President, Conference Amos Wong, AOS Conventions & Events Sdn Bhd Vice President, Exhibition Kenneth Fong, Messe Worldwide Sdn Bhd Vice President, Industry Partners Eric Ho, PICO International (M) Sdn Bhd Vice President, Event Management Mark Lee, The Hot Shoe Show & Co. Sdn Bhd Honorary Secretary Francis Teo, Setia City Convention Centre SUB-COMMITTEE (2018-2020) Industry Research & Statistics Chair Tiffany Chung Special Projects & CSR Edwin Lai Publications Gerard Leeuwenburgh Strategic Planning & East Msia Region Gracie Geikie Education & Training Winnee Lim Membership Services Melvin Shu & Jaggarao Simancha Government Liaison Faris Hashim & Belle Yam Industry Partners Alix Lim Committee Member Conference Dee Dee Quah MACEOS Youth Chair Jason Teh Northern Region Chair Eugene Goh Southern Region Chair Dato’ Jonest Wong Sabah Region Chair Raymond Fang SECRETARIAT Senior Manager G’ny Chin Project Executives Tan Jia Chee & Yvette Yong

Business Events Malaysia is published 3 times a year for MACEOS by

Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd (609031-W) W-9-12, Menara Melawangi, Amcorp Trade Centre, 18, Persiaran Barat, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +603-7932 3259 Email: hello@harini.com.my Publisher/CEO V.S. Ganesan Senior Editor Vimala Seneviratne Editor Khaw Chia Hui Creative Norshazila Isamuddin Advertising Consultant Faridah Ismail Marketing Manager Karthik Ganesan Printed by United Mission Press Sdn Bhd (755329-X) No. 25 & 27, Jalan PBS 14/14, Taman Perindustrian Bukit Serdang, Seri Kembangan, 43300 Selangor.

Tel: +603-8941 6618 Fax: +603-8945 5168

GERARD WILLEM LEEUWENBURGH

Country General Manager Informa Markets / UBM Malaysia

Dear MACEOS members, The BE Industry is currently experiencing disruption because of the COVID-19 outbreak and the consequences for business travelling.

The Malaysian government has handled the situation cautiously and wisely by emphasising on the facts and not panicking influenced by (false) social media creating fear.

Malaysia is a safe travel destination and remains an excellent business partner. The BE Industry has always been resilient to crisis situations and this will be no exception.

MACEOS has played an active role in the dialogue with governmental institutions on how to handle the situation and how to best support our industry. While several large scale events had to been postponed we expect business as usual soon.

I’d like to congratulate the organising committee on a successful BE Forum and a fantastic Malaysian BE Awards night. It was great to meet industry leaders, who took the time to show their support to the association.

We have compiled the two events for those who could not make it.

You will be able to learn from our key speakers and panellists who shared their insights into the industry.

I would also like to say kudos to a great BE Penang conference. I hope our coverage of the event will show that the industry is pushing forward despite the challenging global times.

In addition, one of our cover stories puts a spotlight on MITEC – Malaysia’s largest exhibition venue – and its efforts to spur the Industry 4.0. MITEC recently launched its Smart Trade Zone in partnership with the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation. I look forward to see innovative products and services in the near future.

Our other cover story focuses on Jonathan Kan, Founder and CEO of Fairs & Events Management Sdn Bhd. Jonathan is one of Malaysia’s BE pioneers. I’m delighted that he is willing to share his experiences and views with us.

As we enter the year’s second quarter, we are gearing up to our AGM soon. I would like to cordially invite all our members to participate in the AGM, and also take the opportunity to network with all stakeholders. I’ll see you there.

All authors automatically agree to indemnify MACEOS and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd against any loss, costs, expenses (including legal fees), damages and liabilities that might arise from their own incapacity, negligence, breach of contract or other civil misdeeds. We reserve the right to edit all articles. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2019 by MACEOS and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MACEOS and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd. MACEOS and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography, illustration and other editorial materials.

Contents

Vol. 6/No. 1/2020

COVER STORY 06

MITEC’s Smart Trade Zone, an Inspirational Business Hub Malaysia’s largest exhibition centre launches an initiative in partnership with Malaysian Technology Development Corporation.

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06 FEATURES 04

MACEOS accomplishment & engagement in 2019

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BE Forum 2019 – BE memorable

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Recognising Excellence: Malaysia Business Events Awards 2019

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Breakthrough Mindset for Breakthrough Performance

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BE Forum Panel on Festivalisation

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I.D.E.A - DEVELOPMENT

Feature

MACEOS accomplishment and engagement in 2019 President Dato’ Vincent Lim recaps the year past and plans to continue pushing the industry forward.

The ceremony also witnessed the creation of the Malaysia Iconic Event Award, designed to uplift homegrown niche events that are capable of putting Malaysia on the world map.

EDUCATION: PROFESSIONAL PATHWAY

A

s MACEOS continues to revolutionise Malaysia’s business events industry through engagement and innovation, here are some of the highlights of 2019.

INNOVATION: BE FORUM

The BE Forum promotes Innovation, Development, Education and Advocacy or I.D.E.A. With every content deliverable, MACEOS strategises to stay in-line by presenting relevant topics to the industry so the stakeholders gain insight to better plan their businesses.

DEVELOPMENT: MALAYSIA BE AWARDS

MBEA honours the industry’s best and recognises individuals and organisations who have significantly impacted BE enabling the industry stay competitive in the global marketplace to rethink creativity to innovate, to inspire and the courage to benchmark their performance to an award-winning level.

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Total Event Management (TEM) was launched to help BE talents propose sound event ideas as it provides intangible value to existing core services.

MACEOS also moved its outreach through TRiBE: Innovation Masterclass – a collaboration between MACEOS and BESarawak. This aims to groom and empower future leaders in the BE industry with skills, knowledge and ideas to lead Sarawak as a competitive BE destination in the region.

ADVOCACY: ENGAGEMENT WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

To stay effective and relevant, MACEOS constantly adjusts its strategies to shape the BE industry of tomorrow. There was lots of stimulating discussions taking place with the relevant ministries and agencies to propel Malaysia’s BE industry such as meeting the Minister of Federal Territories, Khalid Samad.

It is to seek support from City Hall to facilitate event licensing and the establishment of Kuala Lumpur City Bureau. The bureau will be crucial in enabling the city to rank as the top three BE destinations in Asia Pacific.

Currently, KL is placed 4th after Singapore, Sydney and Bangkok.

MACEOS also had a dialogue with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department to discuss the Professional Visit Pass (PVP) issues as well as several meetings with MyCEB and MATRADE to discuss industryrelevant issues and development.

MOVING FORWARD

MACEOS has upheld the BE industry for nearly three decades and will continue to serve by positioning itself as the voice of the industry, driving efforts to represent BE players. A strong membership had enabled MACEOS to accomplish so much last year.

Ushering in the 30th anniversary of MACEOS, President Dato’ Vincent Lim unveiled MACEOS 10-year plan (2021-2030) that is in line with 12th Malaysia Plan and Shared Prosperity Vision 2030.

The 6 planned initiatves encompass: 1. Creation of a Malaysia Business Events Support Fund; 2. A robust research agenda; 3. Capacity building and skills development; 4. Establishment of Kuala Lumpur City Bureau; 5. Better infrastructure planning and investments; and 6. Reduce the cost and complexity of visa for BE arrivals.

MACEOS looks forward to more fruitful collaborations with the members and various authorities to boost Malaysia’s position as the preferred BE hub of Asia through the association’s 10-year plan.

I.D.E.A - ADVOCACY

Cover Story

MITEC’S SMART TRADE ZONE,

AN INSPIRATIONAL BUSINESS HUB

T

he Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) is catalysing its way as a venue provider through the launch of the Smart Trade Zone (STZ) platform recently.

The event was graced by Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Dr Ong Kian Ming, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) CEO Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa and Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat.

The STZ platform is a facility that serves as an ecosystem that drives trade and investment opportunities.

Located at MITEC, the STZ is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, private PC stations, smart IoT seminar area, private meeting rooms and lounge area for business matching.

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The STZ is an ideal platform for Industry 4.0 advancement as a trade and investment incubator, facilitate processes between company and government and local council institutions.

Representing the country’s largest exhibition centre, MITEC CEO Gunther Beissel said that the STZ initiative was mooted based on the needs of the industry and market.

“We hope to use our capabilities in hosting business events as an avenue to facilitate and generate leads that help create opportunities for businesses, leading to more trade and investments for the country.”

With MITEC as a major player in the business events industry, STZ also aims to use the venue as an opening to connect local with international players.

As such, it features a Smart Partners Programme which encourages alliances to use the platform

to create opportunities for collaborations and partnerships, enable participation in business forums or consultations, global missions and ultimately facilitate data and resource sharing.

Another feature designed especially for STZ members is the STZ mobile app. “What users can expect with this app is to have the ease of booking meeting spaces, review one’s events, generate QR codes as virtual business cards and also business matching on the upcoming e-Connect.

“From time to time, members can enjoy exclusive privileges, and for today, I am pleased to announce that members will be able to utilise the STZ facilities for free in the first six months of registration,” said Beissel.

STZ has established its inaugural BizLab activities in partnership with MTDC to build and nurture new SME events relating to Industry 4.0.

STZ has also secured other partnerships with CEMS Sdn Bhd as the first collaboration to start the inaugural Malaysia Travel and Tourism Mart (MTTM) for 2020 and Best Events Sdn Bhd for the coming Global Drone Conference Kuala Lumpur (GDKL) 2020.

SHUTTLE SERVICE

On the same day MITEC also unveiled its complimentary shuttle bus service exclusively for clients, guests and visitors. The shuttle buses runs between MITEC’s precinct and KL city centre.

Q&A WITH GUNTHER BEISSEL

1

What are your thoughts on the current business events industry, locally and regionally?

Putting aside the current Covid-19 outbreak, the business events industry is increasing both locally and regionally. As per MyCEB, Malaysia has secured 1,255 business events over nine years, welcoming nearly 900,000 delegates and generating RM10.4 billion in economic impact.

Regionally, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Statistic Report Country & City Rankings (2018), more than 2,900 meetings took place in the Asia Pacific, with Malaysia holding 134 meetings.

Asia Pacific is definitely catching up in just one segment of BE and there is more room to grow with the potential Malaysia has to offer.

2

What exhibitions would you like to attract to MITEC? With the STZ and our ties with MATRADE and MITI, MITEC is in line to attract, but not limited to, exhibitions that fall under IR 4.0 - Agriculture & Farming, Auto Mechanic & Smart Manufacturing, Environmental & Sustainability, Lifestyle & Tourism, Pharmaceutical & Medical, and Textile.

These industries are also major contributors to the country’s economy.

3

How was MITEC’s performance in 2019?

We hosted some of the world’s largest and prominent events: Global Halal Summit 2019, SEMICON Southeast Asia 2019, ASEAN Super 8, POWERGen Asia 2019, Malaysia International Water Convention 2019 and more.

Attracted some of Malaysia’s long-standing business events such as Beyond Paradigm Summit 2019, TCCA Critical Communications World, EPC Summit 2019 and the Selangor International Business Summit 2019.

Over 300 events held: in comparison to 2018, 2019 saw 25 repeat events and 2020 will witness 14 major events from February to December, including the 2020 AIPC Annual Conference and 62nd General Assembly in the third quarter.

4

What are the benefits of working with MACEOS? Information sharing - MACEOS is a great source of trade information on market demands.

Resources sharing - Working with MACEOS means you are part of its network and it is an opportunity to advocate industry needs and support strategy. Also, trade associations have international affiliations that will also enable knowledge sharing.

Check and balance - MACEOS is a great organisation to help keep the industry in check and shape policies that are beneficial to stakeholders. They also act as a sounding board to authorities.

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BE FORUM 2019 – BE MEMORABLE

More than 300 local and regional delegates gather for the forum’s fourth edition.

M

ACEOS once again presented the BE Forum 2019 on October 23, 2019. Held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur, the fourth edition of the

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annual conference was themed “Be Memorable”.

This year’s BE Forum featured a broad spectrum of current topics all lined up under three segments – BE Inspired, BE Innovative and BE Youth. Speakers in and outside the industry brought fresh perspectives

into focus on the current trend of “festivalisation” in the Asian region, AI and data-driven innovations and future ideas for creating memorable conferences and exhibitions.

In his welcome address, Dato’ Vincent Lim, President of MACEOS said, “The BE Forum is a platform

for MACEOS to reflect our four main pillars of promoting Innovation, Development, Education and Advocacy or I.D.E.A. “With every BE Forum, we strategise to stay in-line and present topics that are current and relevant for the BE industry’s developments so it can take our players several steps ahead. Needless to say, we have upheld the BE industry for nearly three decades and will continue to serve by strategically reforming BE. “We positioned our self as the voice of the industry, driving efforts to represent BE players.”

The industry is poised for further growth with business events expected to contribute RM3.9 billion in incremental Gross National Income (GNI) and 16,700 jobs created as a result.

The guests of honour and VIP’s present at the event were Organising Chairperson of BE Forum 2019 Kenneth Fong, chairperson of Business Events Council Malaysia Alan Pryor, Chief Executive Officer of MITEC Gunther Beissel, Taylor’s University Vice-Chancellor and President Prof Michael Driscoll, Taylor’s University Faculty of Hospitality and Leisure Management Executive Dean Prof Dr Nitya Nathan, Executive Members of the MACEOS Committee, members of MACEOS and the media.

SPEARHEADING TALENT AND INDUSTRY GROWTH

The forum also saw the signing of MoU for Elite Program for a talent development between MACEOS and Taylor’s University. MACEOS was represented by Dato’ Vincent

The BE Forum is a platform for MACEOS to reflect our four main pillars of promoting Innovation, Development, Education and Advocacy or I.D.E.A. - Dato’ Vincent Lim, President of MACEOS

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and witnessed by Lim Win Nee, the chairperson of MACEOS’ Education and Training while Taylor’s University was represented by its Vice-Chancellor and President Prof Michael Driscoll, witnessed by its Faculty of Hospitality and Leisure Management Executive Dean Prof Dr Nithya Nathan.

The Elite leadership programme was launched by Taylor’s University for tourism and events in 2016.

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Taylor’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events has been recognised recently by the QS World University Ranking By Subject 2019 as the 14th university in the world for their hospitality and leisure management subjects.

The university has recently also received accreditation from the Asia Pacific Institute for Events Management (APIEM) as the International Centre of Excellence in Event Management. Companies that are involved in or part of the Elite programme have opened their doors for Taylor’s University students to be trained as interns to gain exposure and experience that would help equip them for the industry.

These companies included CIS Network, MITEC, Hot Shoes, Informa Markets, Goche Corporation, PICO, Setia City, Trade-link Exhibition Services, X Two Media and Messe Worldwide, all of which their representatives were invited to the stage to witness the MoU signing.

Another MoU was also signed between MITEC and MACEOS to create a strategic alliance to ensure the success and growth of local and international trade show industry for Malaysian industry players.

BE FUTURE 2030”, where millennials represented by a team of students from Taylor’s University presented their vision of the future of business events in 2030, involving creative technology for problemsolving.

- Kenneth Fong, Organising Chairman.

The MoU is aimed at accelerating Malaysian economic growth through the exhibition sector by leading the exhibition industry to work towards

a few goals – to create international best practices, implement innovative business models to harvest local niche market growth potentials, accelerate exhibitions with local industry key stakeholders, foster industry cooperation and participation between local and international role players as well as to assist in creating a globally recognised South East Asian exhibition standards blueprint.

The MoU was signed between MACEOS President Dato’ Vincent and CEO of MITEC Gunther Beissel.

INSIGHTFUL, RELEVANT TALKS

The keynote address was presented by Astro Awani Network’s vice president and deputy editorin-chief Kamarul Bahrin Haron. In his lively session, Kamarul shared key thoughts and examples on how “Content and Festive Play” is instrumental in making business events a more innovative and valueadding experience.

This was followed by the BE Inspired segment that kicked off with a panel discussion involving Informa Markets Country General Manager Gerard Leeuwenburgh, Medical Conference Partners Founder and Director Dee Dee Quah, Kamarul, and Borneo Convention Centre Kuching Chief Executive Officer Eric van Piggelen, moderated by The Hot Shoe Show & Co’s chief operating officer Lee Mark.

Different speakers then took to the stage with a wide variety of salient topics undergirded by their depth of industry experience and insight.

Some of the sessions covered were “Managing 2nd Tier Cities for Memorable Events” by CEO of Borneo Convention Centre Kuching Eric van Piggelen; “Building Communities Through Events presented by EventBank President and Co-Founder Olivia Jingshu Ji; “Empowering B2B Events2” presented by Jublia Pte Ltd Business Development Director Ryan Tan;

“Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch” presented by Founder of Klean Malaysia Sdn Bhd Datuk Dr. Nick Boden; “Internet of Things (IoT) in Business Events” SPIX Technologies Sdn Bhd Executive Director Joey Azman and “Creative Events of the Future”

by MITEC Director of Marketing Mala Dorasamy.

BE’S FUTURE ASPIRATIONS

This year’s BE Forum, in line with the main four pillars, Innovation, Development, Education and Advocacy or I.D.E.A. has given the stage to the upcoming generation of business events industry talents by showcasing youth presentations.

The first presentation was “BE FUTURE 2030”, where millennials represented by a team of students from Taylor’s University presented their vision of the future of business events in 2030, involving creative technology for problem-solving.

This was followed by two teams which had represented Malaysia in the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) Asia Meetings, Incentive, Conference,

Exhibition (MICE) Youth Challenge presented their winning presentations.

First runner-up winners of the 2018 AFECA MICE Youth Challenge in Goyang, South Korea – Taylor’s University team as well as the Berjaya University team who had represented Malaysia at the 2019 AFECA MICE Youth Challenge in Manila, Philippines shared their exuberant presentations which featured innovative ideas for BE in the coming years. While the sessions were happening, business networking was also going on as usual at the BE Marketplace area the whole day.

The BE Forum ended with the closing remarks by BE Forum’s Organising Chairman, Kenneth Fong Come evening time, the second segment of the BE Forum commenced with the transition to the highlight of the evening, the inaugural Malaysia Business Events Awards (MBEA) 2019.

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RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE:

MALAYSIA BUSINESS EVENTS AWARDS 2019 MACEOS honours the industry in conjunction with the BE Forum.

T

he inaugural Malaysia Business Events Awards (MBEA) 2019 seeks to honour some of the industry’s best as well as recognise every player that contributed significantly to the industry.

It also witnessed the creation of the “Malaysia Iconic Event” Award, designed to uplift homegrown niche events that will put Malaysia on the world map.

In 2019, six Malaysian business events were presented with the Malaysia Iconic Award, which is hoped to spearhead efforts to increase awareness, particularly to encourage government agencies to work closely with the private sector to

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strengthen Malaysia’s positioning as Asia’s BE hub.

“MBEA has been an eye-opener to how far we’ve come in regards to the quality of our homegrown BE events that are on par with global standards. In view of this, MACEOS hopes to garner more support and commitment from the government to create more visibility for local champions and the next batch of homegrown iconic events.

“This is both encouraging and inspiring especially for those who are working unceasingly towards creating world-class, creative and innovative platforms that will attract foreign counterparts which in turn will boost business events’ dollars to the country and create more revenue streams

for the Malaysian economy,” said MACEOS President Dato’ Vincent Lim. In his speech, he said: “MBEA is the ‘Oscars’ night (for BE) to recognise the success and celebrate achievements by industry players. It is also the night to show that finalists have demonstrated the courage to rethink creativity to innovate, to inspire and the courage to benchmark their performance to an award-winning level.”

The Awards is an effort by MACEOS to confer recognition on excellent innovative business events. In addition, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Dr Ong Kian Ming was the evening’s guest-of-honour. In his speech, he said: “MBEA will help

Feature

enhance Malaysia’s business tourism in line with the government’s vision to increase tourist arrivals and tourism spending in the country for next year and beyond.

“We’re very excited about 2020 because it’s not only Visit Malaysia Year but also importantly for the country but also our ministry as we will be hosting the APAC 2020 which will bring in many key businesses and government leaders from 21 APAC economies to Malaysia.”

MACEOS has collaborated closely with industry players by supporting over 300 business events in the country that includes 84 conventions, 194 corporate meetings as well as 21 trade exhibitions attracting more than 160,000 international delegates and recorded an estimated RM2.5 billion economic impact in 2018.

“The government looks forward to working together with MACEOS under the leadership of Dato’ Vincent. Of course, Visit Malaysia

Year 2020 is coming and this is also a very good showcase where we can try to achieve our target of 30 million international visitors and RM100 billion tourist spending. I’m sure with MACEOS’ help, we will be able to achieve these targets.

He added that Malaysia possesses all the key ingredients to be the top destination for events given its strategic location ASEAN and English-speaking yet multilingual and multinational population.

“This makes Malaysia one of the best value for money destinations in the region. We have moved away from our traditional agrarian sector and the economy is now driven primarily by services and to a lesser extent, manufacturing.

This is why I very much believe that with your contribution to the services sector, together with the help and assistance of the relevant government agencies and ministries, including MITI, MATRADE, MOTAC, I’m sure the future is very bright for us.

“The awards will be a morale boost for others to see how far you’ve come and also an encouragement to see how far all of you can grow together,” said Dr Ong.

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Stand Contractor 1st Place: Kingsmen Exhibits VVIPS IN Sdn ATTENDANCE Bhd

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Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Dr Ong Kian Ming

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Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture Sarawak Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew

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Deputy Director-General (promotion) of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Dato’ Mohmed Razip Hasan

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CEO of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) Datuk Zulkefli Hj Sharif

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CEO of Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE)

Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa •

Board member of MyCEB Tan Sri Dr Ong Hong Peng

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CEO of MITEC Günther Beissel

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Group MD of Asean Business for Informa Markets - UBM Malaysia M. Gandhi

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President of Arts, Live Festival and Events Association (ALIFE) Rizal Kamal

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•

Chairman of Business Events Council Malaysia (BECM) Alan Pryor

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President of Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA) Datuk Seri Garry Chua

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President of Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Kamaruddin Baharin

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President of International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) Aloysius Arlando

Feature

AWARDS RECIPIENTS - MBEA 2019 WINNERS INNOVATIVE BOOTH DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD (36SQM & BELOW)

INNOVATIVE BOOTH DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD (37SQM-72SQM)

INNOVATIVE BOOTH DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD (73SQM & ABOVE)

Penang State Government @ IGEM2018 - by PICO International (M) Sdn Bhd

WOONGJIN Coway Malaysia @ HOMEDEC 2019 – by Just Unique Consultation Sdn Bhd

NISSAN @ KLIMS 2018 – by PICO International (M) Sdn Bhd

SEMI Southeast Asia Pte Ltd @ Semicon SEA 2019 by PICO International (M) Sdn Bhd

UNIQUE VENUE EXCELLENCE AWARD

HOTEL WITH MEETING FACILITIES EXCELLENCE AWARD

MOST INTERESTING EVENT EXCELLENCE AWARD (1,000 PAX & BELOW)

MOST INTERESTING EVENT EXCELLENCE AWARD (1,001 PAX & ABOVE)

Main Garden Tomboriudon Hall @ KOKOL Haven Resort

Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Honda Asian Journey 2018 – by The Hot Shoe Show & Co. Sdn Bhd

Expo Negaraku 2017 - by PICO International (M) Sdn Bhd

BEST ORGANISED INCENTIVE PROGRAM THAT PROMOTED MALAYSIA (INBOUND)

BEST SERVICES/ PRODUCT PROVIDER EXCELLENCE AWARD

DIGITAL INTEGRATION EXCELLENCE AWARD

PURPOSE BUILT CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE EXCELLENCE AWARD (15,000SQM & BELOW)

LivaNova KL Photo Hunt – by Pacific World Destination East Sdn Bhd

MOSES 2019 – by DOREMi Services & Rental Sdn Bhd

Penang Signature Gold Fair 2018 - by Elite Expo Sdn Bhd

Setia City Convention Centre

PURPOSE BUILT CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE EXCELLENCE AWARD (15,001SQM & ABOVE)

CONGRESS/CONVENTION EXCELLENCE AWARD (500 DELEGATES & BELOW)

CONGRESS/CONVENTION EXCELLENCE AWARD (WITHIN 501-1,000 DELEGATES)

TRADE EXHIBITION EXCELLENCE AWARD (GROSS SPACE 15,000SQM & BELOW)

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

APOA Sports Meeting 2019 incorporating Orthopaedic Research – by Medical Conference Partners

World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Symposia 2018 – by Medical Conference Partners

ASEAN Super 8 – by Informa Markets UBM Malaysia

INNOVATIVE PAVILION DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD

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TRADE EXHIBITION EXCELLENCE AWARD (GROSS SPACE 15,001SQM & ABOVE)

CONSUMER EXHIBITION EXCELLENCE AWARD (GROSS SPACE 10,000SQM & BELOW)

CONSUMER EXHIBITION EXCELLENCE AWARD (GROSS SPACE 10,001SQM & ABOVE)

NEW HOME-GROWN EXHIBITION EXCELLENCE AWARD

ARCHIDEX – by C.I.S Network Sdn Bhd

17th Deepavali Carnival 2018 – by ASC Agenda Suria Communication Sdn Bhd

HOMEDEC – by C.I.S Network Sdn Bhd

Metal Technology Expo – by MTE Exhibition Sdn Bhd

INDUSTRY RECOGNITION BE EDUCATION EXCELLENCE

BE PERSONALITY

School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (SHTE), Taylor’s University

Datuk Zulkefli Hj Sharif, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) CEO

MALAYSIA ICONIC EVENTS PAM’S ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CONFERENCE (DATUM:KL)

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FOOD & HOTEL MALAYSIA (FHM)

INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN & BUILDING EXHIBITION (ARCHIDEX)

MALAYSIAN INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR (MIFF)

RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL (RWMF)

BUSINESS EVENTS MALAYSIA

MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL HALAL SHOWCASE (MIHAS)

I.D.E.A - DEVELOPMENT

BREAKTHROUGH MINDSET FOR BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Media plays a synergistic role in BE festivalisation.

“W

hy look at RM3.9 billion when you can look at the US$1.07 trillion of what the Global Events Council in 2017 said business events of the world are worth?” Keynote speaker at BE Forum 2019, Astro Awani deputy editor-inchief Kamarol Bahrin Haron (recently promoted to editor-in-chief) presented a refreshing perspective of BE with a view of how the media could play a

synergistic role in BE festivalisation, using case studies gathered from Astro Awani’s short but eventful run organising business events since 2017.

The television channel on Astro has also been the only Malaysian media invited to cover the World Economic Forum for the past four consecutive years while making history with its engaging coverage of the 14th Malaysian General Election besides being one of the smallest newsrooms in the country (according to the WEF website).

“Astro Awani is small but we’re not afraid of the big superpowers of Google and Facebook even though in Malaysia, they have taken 80-90% of our income,” he said.

“Because not only are they disruptive, but we can disrupt them.

But I need your help – not many people know that events are the way out for local media.”

He shared how over the past two years, Astro Awani has had a chance to organise several profitable medium-sized events and from there,

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BUT HOW DO WE MAKE GREAT STORY TELLING?

He highlighted an example of how Astro Awani’s news editors and TV producers, with their journalistic research and curation skills, brought alive a local sultanate palace protocols involving the keris through songs, videos and virtual reality in a story presentation to help bridge a perception gap between a largely SME audience with their client (Petronas) for an event.

Kamarul also shared his observations of how the WEF as a BE allowed a small, sleepy town like Davos to transform itself into a town of global recognition, generating millions of euros in revenue.

MEDIA, BE AND STORYTELLING EQUALS REVENUE

he observed a few key points which might pique the interest of BE events industry players.

HOW TO DO BE IN AN UNCERTAIN ECONOMY?

Kamarul asserted that events are a “great content place” and one way to create that festive atmosphere and content is to create your own stories.

“BE events are a great avenue to bring storytelling to life.”

Festivalisation and content play makes for great storytelling. He cites the “cliffhanger” during the elections as an example of festivalisation and content play.

BE in uncertain economies should be about convergence, in his opinion.

He said in the fourth industrial revolution 4IR – social convergence is important although it is touted as being technology-centric. The biggest media mainstream in the world cannot rival the number of content, air time, video playtime and whatever it is on social media, he said.

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As his television channel can potentially reach out to millions of viewers, they also leveraged on their viewership for events. For example, using the popular sports football as a unifier – the channel organised a long-tail activation of content on tv and digital post-match which brought in revenue.

They had held the activation event featuring football-loving leaders from opposing political parties after a Liverpool vs Manchester United match, showing the adversarial sides of the

match and yet, the event was something which united Liverpool and Man United fans together in a festive atmosphere.

This resulted in the generation of substantial footprints, he said, as famous players like former Liverpool player Vladimir Smicer even Mikael Silvestre, formerly of Manchester United both posted about the Astro Awani event on their social media.

Kamarul also said holding events like these at venues like malls have helped the festivalisation of the event, even with retail tie-ins like vouchers from mall retailers and sponsors coming in.

He also touched on the future of BE with the convergence of AI being inevitable where the opportunity lies in the human touch of convergence with the arts, social, media, culture and a participatory culture to make festivalisation more successful.

He closed the keynote by issuing a call for collaborations, especially looking at the east of Malaysia for opportunities.

As the Indonesian government has moved its capital to Kalimantan he urged participants to think about a “Dayak BE”, referring to the 2.2 million Dayak populace in Borneo.

“I’m looking for partners but we can do this because Malaysia, BE festivalisation, and content has converged and we are here to stay.”

I.D.E.A - DEVELOPMENT

BE FORUM PANEL ON FESTIVALISATION How it is influencing exhibitions and meetings.

“I

n times of disruptive technology and uncertainties, it’s always good to get on with progressive action.”

The sassy Lee Mark, Chief Operating Officer of Hot Shoes Show & Company Sdn Bhd said as he moderated a lively session of panel discussion with four strategically selected distinguished speakers playing key roles in the industry’s ecosystem.

They were Gerard Leeuwenburgh, Country General Manager of Malaysia for Informa Markets, one of the biggest

trade exhibition organisers in the world; Founder and Director of Medical Conferences Partners, PCO Dee Dee Quah with 42 conferences under her wings thus far, Eric Van Piggelen, Chief Executive Officer of Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), and from the media’s perspective, Vice President and current Editor-in-Chief of Astro Awani Sdn Bhd Kamarul Bahrin Haron.

Festivalisation was the topic of the day and the panellists brought with them years of both local and international experiences in the industry, resulting in engaging

perspectives that added to the discussion.

This current trend has swept the industry worldwide with the demographics of even-goers who prefer immersive experiences such as being a part of multi-day extravaganzas filled with elements combining business, the latest technologies and the creative arts.

The panellists looked at how the bottom line is impacted via the perspectives of delegates and business owners who participate in conferences.

“For medical conferences, the scientific

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Feature

content is what drives delegates over; however, at the end of the day, it’s the experiences that they will carry home with them,” Quah shared.

“Festivalisation is the icing on the cake which everyone brings back. Thus, we have to find a way, especially in Malaysia, to make conferences more memorable,” she said. As a venue which regularly initiates activities which are turned into festivals, Van Piggelen said, “these (festivals) need business and in order to get more business in, you have to create businesses.”

He explained how for Ramadan last year, instead of the usual buka puasa, they took into account the diversity of the local populace and turned the BCCK into a massive “village” with many types of fun games for children, making effort for the venue’s space to appeal to different people. As a result, the fasting month saw about 35,000 people in total through its doors with a target for 40,000 in 2020.

TURNING EXHIBITIONS FESTIVALISATION INTO PROFIT

Leeuwenburgh said, “Understanding which target groups we are serving as we deal with each event. Trade exhibitors are also consumers – and research has shown that basics like parking, quality of food, distance, signage, services and friendliness etc are still key factors of either satisfaction or dissatisfactions at trade exhibitions.”

He emphasised that festivalisation is not a generic thing in trade exhibitions as it differs from exhibition to exhibition. So, in order to generate profit, partners in the BE value chain really need to understand how different target groups behave, how to cater to them for example during networking sessions, and think of how it benefits the target group. For Quah, festivalisation happens apart from the scientific presentations at medical conferences for doctors during the social aspects – opening ceremony, cocktails, and congress dinners.

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The other instance she saw festivalisation happening was when they tried to keep delegates at the exhibition floor (which would keep sponsors happy) and keep them all within the conference venue.

Quah pointed out that food reflects the local culture and in Malaysia, it’s all about food, thus a big element of festivalisation centres around food served to delegates.

Working with the venue to come up with attractive displays would attract delegates to sample our cuisine and hospitality to create a different and lasting impression, she said, “And that’s where we will win.”

The discussion gear shifted from how to make profits to how to create something different for festivalisation.

“Convergence is not only about industries and technology, but it’s about who your participants are,” said Kamaru who also shared on how WEF delegates were willing to pay up to RM1 million just to be there due to the unique experiences offered and topics discussed at the conference.

“It’s because the knowledge and activation cannot be gotten elsewhere,” he said, citing how delegates experienced a day in the life of climate change scientists during a field trip to ice mountains simulating their research done at the Arctic and Antarctica.

He posits disruptive knowledge. For instance – one of the first dengue death prevention filters is right at the triage stage where GPs play a bigger role in measuring the liquid loss which the virus breaks into. “So, if an activation on dengue is done but you don’t put the right people in, then, the experts are missing it. And that’s why dengue deaths are high.”

Kamarul said it’s about putting unlikely things together, like linking scientific medical conferences with socio-economic policies.

The multiplicity of various aspects in a particular industry’s BE, he said, would bring conferences far. In other words, it’s about seeing a simple

situation from different dynamics to get spillover; it really is about storytelling.

HOW DO VENUES DO STORYTELLING?

Van Piggelen said that in Sarawak, he observed they tend to incorporate its rich local culture – music, dances, outfits into events. For instance, the Kuching fest is about food but they also have carnival rides and other attractions.

He also brought up the Sarawak jazz festival as an example. Bringing in value-added elements like even having drones made for an amazing atmosphere.

A question came from the floor asking how to appeal to different generations apart from the ones targeted during the conference.

Lee Mark also added another aspect to the discussion – how do we look at all aspects to ensure we don’t miss out on opportunities for festivalisation?

Kamarul suggested a customised approach – “There would be new KPIs with each new partner and you will have more to offer. The event can be done well but do the people care?”

He continued to share what he had observed at WEF where, for instance, awards featuring artistes and celebrities were given out, creating a draw for the audience.

Exhibitors also pay a high price to rent stall along the streets. His point was, you don’t have to get your client to pay for all but to get in sponsors.

Van Piggelen concurred with Kamarul.

“You’ve to figure out what the client really wants and what is it they are after? And after that, see how you can add value to the overall experience.”

NOT SELLING SPACE BUT SELLING EXPERIENCES

Lee Mark said, “When you connect with somebody it’s not enough but there’s got to be rapport. When you get the rapport, you engage. When you engage, sexy things happen.”

He asked the panellists: how do we do festivalisation from a larger perspective?

Gerard replied, “A memorable event is an event which touches your heart.

Three components we have for that is through a lot of partners, then, the traditional components like services and products on display and lastly, we have to emphasise the role of our exhibitors, vendors, our clients in the way that they interact with their public, the second part is content (skill and education for example), and the third is fun elements He posited that memorability for an event is at one level a personal experience but it’s also about a sense of community and belonging to something special.

“In order for us to keep things interesting for the next generation, different things are important – the use of technology, personal approach, sense of belonging, and sustainably.

Sustainability is about being good in the nature of the company (good causes, not merely profit-driven nor ticking the CSR box) “For instance, MIFF giving a platform to local artists was something done because they really felt it was fun, something important to their team to support good local work. Yet, they also incorporated it structurally into the event.

GET ENGAGED, MOVING FORWARD

In closing, most of the panellists agree that the human touch should drive BE

In order for us to keep things interesting for the next generation, different things are important – the use of technology, personal approach, sense of belonging, and sustainably.

- Gerard Leeuwenburgh

festivalisation forward. For Quah, the impetus for her organising medical conferences has always been to improve the healthcare in the Southeast Asian region. “As a company, we want to make conferences that resonate more with the community,” she said, citing her hopes that the coming autism congress she is organising together with BCCK would engage airlines to enable children with autism, their parents and caregivers join them there.

Festivalisation means getting many parties to join in, to help create a lasting impact, to make their journey and time

at the conference memorable. Quah agreed with Kamarul, “It’s time we worked together and bring it out to the rest of the world and not just focus within our industries.”

Van Piggelen said relationships take precedence over technology.

“The fun part of festivalisation involves creating emotions so, engaging others emotionally is the way forward.”

Kamarul reiterated festivalisation is about getting people to connect.

“You’ve got to be human. You must put people first, solve their problems because that’s what businesses do.”

It is about looking at issues from the perspective of others to find the answers that would resonate with people. “If you can disrupt your BE to give the truthful answers delegates come to your event to seek for, then people will flock to you.”

Leeuwenburgh emphasised an important aspect of spreading Malaysia’s BE potential to the world.

“All the ingredients that we need to make memorable experiences, great business events is already in Malaysia – the people are super friendly, great food, nature, professional capabilities and facilities. It’s just a matter of marketing it all really well.”

He said Malaysians don’t tend to shout about the good things they have well. “There’s great potential for Malaysia to make memorable events because people here have the ability to touch hearts.”

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