MICE Industry Players Urged To Bring More International Conferences

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysian MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions) industry players must step up their game and bring more international conferences to Malaysia.

Fairs & Events Management Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Kan Thai Kim, said the industry contributed significantly to the economy as it has spillover effects on the tourism industry's sub-sectors such as restaurants, transportation and hotels.

"The spin-off income generated is usually 10 times the amount of the exhibitor's expenditure," he told Bernama.

He said Malaysia was an ideal location for regional conferences and business tourism given its world-class facilities, reasonable cost, language and delicious cuisines.

In 2014, Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, together with industry partners, secured 152 conventions and corporate incentive bid wins, which will bring in 100,754 delegates to Malaysia between 2014 and 2020, an increase of 25 per cent in delegate numbers compared with same period in 2013.

The bid wins would create an estimated economic impact of RM970 million.

Kan, who is also the Project Director for the inaugural ASEAN+ Expo & Forum 2015, said the event would provide a platform for industry players to network and be updated on the latest innovations and solutions in MICE.

The ASEAN+ Expo & Forum 2015, which is scheduled to be held on Nov 11-13 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, is jointly organised by the Malaysia Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) and the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA).

The event would feature international speakers to share their expertise in organising conferences while a total of 130 companies from 10 countries have registered to exhibit their products and services.

There would also be a regional inter-university challenge focusing on MICE planning competition, the AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge 2015, which would involve 12 universities from the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA

Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=1188244