Sarawak Celebrates Another Milestone Year for Business Events

KUCHING,Malaysia,Dec. 18, 2024/PRNewswire/ --Sarawak'sbusiness events sector concludes the fiscal year with highlights including record-breaking event performances, impactful initiatives, and exceptional international recognition.

Record-Breaking Performance

In FY2024,Sarawaksecured 111 business events, surpassing its target of 100 events by 111%. These events will generate an estimated total economic impact ofRM313.6 million, includingRM170.4 millionfrom direct delegate expenditure by 38,248 attendees.

Between 2022 and 2024,Sarawakupheld an unbroken record of 100% success in bidding with major wins for this year such as the Asian Congress on Occupational Health (ACOH) 2026 and the 15th World Congress and Exhibition on Design and Health (WCDH) 2026.

As for hosted events,Sarawakbroke the record with 124 business events across Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu, and Miri. These events generatedRM375.2 millionin total economic impact, includingRM204 millionfrom direct delegate expenditure by 45,758 delegates.

Some major events that took place were the Asia Pacific Green Hydrogen Conference& Exhibition (APGH) 2024, the 10th World Congress of Herpetology (WCH 2024), and the 21st International Congress for Tropical Medicine& Malaria (ICTMM 2024).

"100% of events secured in 2024 align with the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030. Business events are helping us progress towards the 2030 goal of economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability,"saidThe Hon.Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahmah Hamzah, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Sarawak."2025 will be a year of outstanding innovation and collaboration, cementingSarawak'sposition as the legacy capital of business events inMalaysiaandBorneo, and a leading business events destination inAsia."

Sarawak'sWorldwide Impact

In April,Sarawakmade history as the first destination in the world to host the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) Association Impact Masterclass. The two-day class, hosted by BESarawak, certified 19 association and industry leaders as association impact leaders.

In August, a memorandum of understanding was signed between BESarawak and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) to conductMalaysia'sfirst economic and legacy impact study. The economic impact study will generate updated economic data while the legacy impact study will help to develop the world's first legacy impact measurement system.

Sarawakalso made headlines after winning the'Best Sustainable Initiative - Destination'category at the M&C (Meetings& Conventions) Asia Stella Awards in 2024.

"The award recognises the Business Events Sarawak Legacy (BESLegacy) Initiative as the most innovative programme inAsiafocusing on social, economic, and environmental sustainability,"saidDato Sri Abang Haji Abdul Karim Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, BESarawak's Chairman."Our landmark moments reflect the collaborative spirit of BESarawak's team and stakeholders to transformSarawakinto a competitive regional hub for business events."

Meanwhile,Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak, expressed"FY2024 has been a great year for optimising opportunities. Looking at event legacies is an essential perspective. While more destinations are entering this space,Sarawakis maturing up and leveraging this growth."

"In 2025, we are enhancing our business events campaign, Tribe Legacy Sarawak, with new programmes and state-of-the-art tools that allow us to deliver the brand promise of driving impact together,"Rozimancontinued.

Other key activities in FY2024 included generating new business from more than 20 key tradeshows around the world, attracting over 2,000 visitors to its standalone pavilion at IMEX Frankfurt, and making a critical presence at the first EventXpo in Kuala Lumpur.  In Q1 2025,Sarawakwill launch the first legacy impact measurement system.

ABOUT BUSINESS EVENTSSARAWAK

BESarawak was established in 2006 by the Sarawak Government as a non-profit convention and exhibition bureau to promoteSarawakfor national and international business events. Support and services include, but are not limited to, developing and bidding for business events of interest, funding assistance and crafting itineraries. BESarawak is also known as'Biro Konvensyen Sarawak'(Bahasa Malaysia) or 砂拉越会议局 (Mandarin).www.businesseventssarawak.com

ABOUT BUSINESS EVENTS'LEGACY IMPACT

'Legacy impact'refers to the long-term, positive benefits that business events bring to sectors, communities, trade and investment, the environment, and governance.Sarawakis the first inMalaysiaandBorneoto focus on legacy impact as a sustainable method of measuring the value of business events. Business events are listed as one of six sectors in the Sarawak Government's Post COVID-19 Development Strategy to achieve economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability by 2030.

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SOURCE Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak)