SARAWAK as first Malaysian state to join global destination sustainability

Catering is an area where a lot of changes have been seen and will continue to progress. Buffet tables are out and prepacked individual meals are now accepted as a way forward. In addition, individual disposable recyclable cutlery and drinks containers should be used.

Testing prior Entry

As extra precautions, rapid COVID-19 testing prior to attending an event looks like it will be normal and part of final registration. While you cannot rule out infection, it would limit the risk and make attendees feel safer. Temperature checks are becoming routine at airports, big venues, arenas, so implement that too, helping to minimise the threat of transmission during your event.

PROFESSIONAL CONVENTION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (PCMA) ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS AROUND THE GLOBE

PCMA continues to expand as it announces new appointments in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Latin America (LATAM) regions.

Florence (Flo) Chua is Managing Director, APAC, with the goal of expanding upon the momentum of region-specific events, thought leadership, community building, education and content. Chua, who will be based in Singapore, has more than 20 years of experience working with corporations and associations throughout the region.

Lucio Vaquero has been appointed Regional Director, LATAM, with the goal of building PCMA’s presence in that region. Currently the association only has one established chapter, in Mexico City. Vaquero has more than 20 years of experience in the LATAM MICE industry, most recently as LATAM Business Development Director for MCI LATAM. He will be based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In the EMEA region, Jaime Bennett was named Regional Director and is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Convening EMEA will be held October 17–19 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The GDS-Index is a globally recognised benchmarking system that will rank Sarawak’s business events and tourism sustainability performance. The assessment will be based on 71 indicators across 4 key areas which are environmental performance, social progress performance, destination supplier performance, and destination management performance.

SARAWAK AS FIRST MALAYSIAN STATE TO JOIN GLOBAL DESTINATION SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

Sarawak has joined the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) for Business Events and Tourism by launching the GDSI Partnership Programme - Sarawak Region (GDSISarawak Partner) which comprises 30 committee members consisting of local government ministries and agencies, academia, associations, and industry partners. This initiative and partnership is a world first for Malaysia.

The Index is fully aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Destination Criteria which is part and parcel of Sarawak’s Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) for Tourism to make Sarawak a leading destination for ecotourism and sustainable business events by 2030.