Bonding time for the delegates.
SARAWAK, situated in Borneo, the largest island in Asia and home to the oldest rainforests in the world, offers great opportunities for tourism development.
An ideal hub for outdoor, adventure and nature lovers, the Land of Hornbills is endowed with natural wonders that not only make it a valued destination for both adventure and leisure tourists but are also considered as equally desirable assets for businesses that regard Sarawak as a world class business destination.
And playing host to the prestigious International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), dubbed the ‘Olympics’ of the business events sector, in the state capital recently has underscored Sarawak’s ability to fill this dual role.
In 2013, the Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) had already started bidding to host the ICCA by submitting documents, explaining to the decision makers why they should choose Sarawak as their next host.
“Being a wonderful gateway to the rest of Asia, Sarawak, in hosting the ICCA Congress, would allow the participating countries to strengthen their business presence in the region. This, in turn, would contribute to ICCA’s membership growth in knowledge economies in the Far East and Southeast Asia,” said SCB head of Bids and Communication Jamie Wang.
Following the submission of documents were presentations and site inspections, and despite the challenges, the SCB won the bid to host the Congress in Sarawak, the second to organise the event in the Asia Pacific region after Shanghai in 2013.
It was the result of a joint effort among a number of parties nationwide.
As a global community and knowledge hub for international association meetings, the ICCA represents the main specialists in terms of organisation, transportation and accommodation at such events.
“The ICCA is a great platform for us to showcase our destination to the world and we leverage on this event with a marketing approach to tell the world that Sarawak is an ideal destination for business events and that we are capable of holding a world class convention.
“Through hosting the ICCA, we hope to attract more conventions of various scales to Sarawak over the long term,” said SCB general manager of Government and Industry Relations Chew Chang Guan.
For ICCA chief executive officer Martin Sirk who led the site inspection with other ICCA office representatives, the team stood out in presenting themselves as role models and inspirations to other second-tier cities, based on how they have used ICCA’s educational and marketing platforms to build on their professionalism and creativity.
He regarded this as part of a sophisticated national development strategy.
“What Sarawak did — which, for me, was very clever — was that they promised to not just use the ICCA Congress as a value-adding platform for the state but also share their experiences of taking a literally unknown destination and putting it on the world map. As such, they were very successfully in winning bids.
“They promised us they would share stories and help us design education sessions which tell people from second-tier destinations in the ICCA community how they can also do this,” Sirk explained.
An orang utan puppet was a major highlight at the Congress.
Amazing job
According to him, there are many destinations around the world which are not famous and struggling to distinguish themselves, and Sarawak did an amazing job in creating that brand and image.
“With all the good raw resources in Borneo to work with, it was a really good story, and the willingness to give back to the delegates, coupled with the total confidence that the team knew what they were doing and trusted each other, showed how they were working together and thinking things through. That was the reason behind ICCA’s decision to come Sarawak and the state deserved it,” he said.
The places the team inspected included the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), the Kuching Waterfront, the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre and Pullman Hotel Kuching.
Aside from the Congress, the delegates were also entertained to various tribal dance performances at the Sarawak Cultural Village.
Sirk opined that the SCB’s excellent organisation of the Congress would enhance their reputation over the next decade in line with the ICCA 2016 Delegate Experience Concept — which is to connect, challenge, grow, enjoy, own and deconstruct.
“Sarawak’s 10 years of aggressive positioning on creative business event initiatives is reaping topline benefits. We have now hosted the world’s most prestigious annual gathering of professionals for the ICCA, an association representing over 1,000 members and holding a strong presence in over 90 countries. We are bringing the ‘business events’ world to Sarawak’s doorsteps,” noted SCB chairman Dato Sri Dr Muhd Leo Michael Toyad Abdullah.
The Bid Committee, better known as Team Malaysia, included SCB, BCCK, Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), UCSI Communications and AOS Conventions & Events (AOSCE).
It is also supported by Malaysia Airlines, Pullman Hotel Kuching, Cat City Holidays and Event Horizon.
Green environment
Dr Leo said one of the major selling points for the state to attract business conferences such as the ICCA was its green environment.
“It’s vital to treasure our natural environment and emphasise on its conservation as part and parcel of development for a developing country such as Malaysia,” he added.
Over 800 delegates from over 90 countries took part in the networking events, showcasing the best of local cultures throughout the four-day Congress, including a fete at the Kuching Waterfront, a mini rendition of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) at the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) and a gala, honouring traditional cultures from around the world.
Convention general manager of marketing and sales Amelia Roziman said holding a congress of such prominence in Sarawak indicated the state had overwhelming potential to be the hub of international business events.
“This is synergy in its purest form — among industry partners, government agencies and the destination. We hope Sarawak will inspire other second-tier destinations to rise with us and trailblaze the business events revolution.
“As an SCB pioneer, it is fulfilling to witness the success achieved by the bureau over the last decade,” Amelia said.
The SCB also brought world attention to the plight of the orang utan during the Congress through various activities, including launching the Borneo Orang Utan Project in conjunction with the annual international ‘Orang Utan Caring Week’ in November this year.
Senior communications executive Jonathan Soon noted: “The ICCA loves the idea of us giving back to the Orang Utan conservation project, a CSR initiative by SCB. This included a book-sharing initiative whereby we called on the delegates to bring books from around the world for distribution to the rural communities in Sarawak. It serves as a reminder of the importance of wildlife conservation.
“The SCB did an amazing job in elevating the delegates’ experience, pushing them to grow and reach out for future business plans. I believe over the next 10 years, people, especially those in the business and meetings industry, will be talking about Sarawak and that’s because of the incredible commitment, dedication and professionalism of the team that has put this together.”
Business-sharing session on the Sarawak River Cruise.
Knowledge sharing
Apart from visiting places of interest in the state, the delegates also managed to get insights into the world business industry through several knowledge-sharing sessions with many interactive activities aimed at building and reinforcing influential business events networks, skills, capacities and knowledge.
As a young and relatively unknown second-tier business destination, Sarawak plays a great role in the decision-making process.
Sirk said: “What I personally like about small and intimate type of destination is that when the Congress comes to town, the delegates can feel they own the town.
“Kuching has driven lots of personal connections and networkings, removing communication barriers between the meeting professionals and creating a fantastic mood for them. They feel they are really part of the ICCA culture that emphasises on openness and brings significant values to us all.
“Therefore, I have really enjoyed the Kuching-Sarawak cultural experience which has enabled our business objectives to really be made. I admire what the SCB have done to chase the bid professionally.”
However, he pointed out that Sarawak still had room for improvement, especially in terms of facilities and infrastructure.
“Sarawak is a strong second-tier world class business destination, enabling business delegates and organisers to achieve their business objectives. Sarawak should pat itself on the back for this.
“Several other matters which can be enhanced include developing meeting design skills and engagement practices. There is so much you can improve on in these areas, and so many highly skilled people who can contribute to ensuring the state remain highly competitive in the business and meetings industry.”
Sirk hoped more companies would be exposed to the idea of hosting, organising and supporting the services of an international association in the Asia Pacific region and join the ICCA.
The 55th ICCA Congress, a catalyst for transformation, has produced major impacts on business professionals and industries.
SCB managing director
Mike Cannon said substantial events such as the ICCA Congress wielded a profound effect on Sarawak.
“It benefits all sectors of the business and professional community. The active pursuit of substantial business events creates greater exposure of the state’s international profile, paving the way to a stronger Sarawak as an established leader in the region,” he added.
The business events landscape in Sarawak is populated by a myriad of industry players who are integral to government and private sectors. From ministries to hotels, it’s the involvement and contributions of these bastions that help keep the wheels of these business events turning.
From 2006 to end of 2015, the SCB has won 393 convention bids, representing 156,596 delegates and 544,321 delegate days, contributing an estimated direct delegate expenditure of RM322.186 million to Sarawak.
To date, the SCB has won nine international awards and one national award which have greatly strengthened Sarawak’s international and national profile.
The ICCA will be hosted in Prague next year.
For more information about the ICCA Congress visit www.congress2016.iccaworld.org. Learn more about ICCA at www.iccaworld.org.