Sarawak prepares for 93 business events in 2022

Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) is expecting a 2022 calendar of 93 events, which comes right after Malaysia’s first convention bureau celebrated 15 years of legacy-centric business events totalling RM 3 billion at a gala last year.

With the resumption of events in Malaysia since November 2021, Sarawak is looking at an estimated RM310 million (US$74 million) in total economic impact, RM18.6 million in tax revenue, and more than 24,500 new employment opportunities for events starting 1 January this year.

This is on top of 109 business events worth an estimated RM 365 million in total economic impact, amassed from 2020 to 2021.

Despite 34 events being converted to virtual — which meant the loss of more than 12,000 delegates — 43,471 delegates visited Sarawak in this period, representing RM 193.7 million in direct delegate expenditure.

These in-person meets with international attendees included the Annual Conference on Asian Linguistic Anthropology; 2nd ICAN Malaysian International Accountants’ Conference 2020 & 2nd International Conference on Accounting & Finance 2020; and International Conference on Innovative Sciences and Technologies for Research and Education (InnoSTRE) 2020 SPECIAL EDITION: 1st Global Summit on Viral-immunology and Anti-viral Therapy of Covid-19.

In terms of where these delegates hailed from, 65.9% (4,590) attended from within the state, 12.6% (880) from across Malaysia, and 21.5% (1,495) were international attendees. Destinations in the mix included those from Southeast Asia, China, US, Poland, Kazakhstan, UAE, Italy and Mexico.

An interesting finding to note is the difference in numbers between estimated registered number of attendees pre-event, and the actual numbers recorded post-event — where international and national registered attendees were parallel (30.3%) and state slightly higher (39.3%). This could be due to persistent Covid-related threats and disruptions to global and local travel rules, as well as swaying views towards picking virtual, hybrid or in-person meets.

Launched in 2006 as an investment by the Sarawak Government to enter the MICE industry, BESarawak has in its repertoire 20 national and international awards for marketing and branding.

This includes a fun yet informative video on ‘Sarawak - New Normal for Business Events’, and ‘Sarawak 2030’ which won the Outstanding Recognition in Communications at the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) Best Marketing Award 2021.

During the pandemic, BESarawak launched its incentivised packages for planners, and has carried on this track with the latest product: Tribespirit Teambuilding for incentive groups which combines sightseeing, technology and teambuilding in one.

The bureau has also differentiated itself as one which advocates for the legacy impact of business events.

Said Sarawak’s caretaker of Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, The Honourable Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, “Legacy impacts of business events are one of the key strategies to help achieve the Post Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 goals under the tourism sector.

“We strive to secure at least 50% of the total bid wins from now until 2030 to be legacy-driven and beneficial to our sectors, economies, communities, environment, and policy transformations.”

Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak added, "We are very proud to see how far Sarawak’s business events sector has come, especially as it is gaining traction as a contributing sector in the national and global arena."

Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia located on the island of Borneo. Apart from capital city Kuching, other business events cities are Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.