SIBU: Sarawak has hosted 955 business events with the total economic impact of RM1.6 billion from 2006 until Sept 10.
According to Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the events had contributed RM870 million in total direct delegate expenditure and RM96 million in tax revenue contribution.
“In 2019 alone, Sarawak secured 99 business events with a 94 percent success rate in bidding with an estimated total of RM122.71 million in direct delegate expenditure,” he said at the Business Events Tribal Meet held at RH Hotel here today.
The event was organised by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak).
According to Abdul Karim, Sarawak Economic Action Council (SEAC) will execute plans through BESarawak to boost the economic and legacy impacts from business events in 2021.
The role of conventions as agents of transformation was not just in the economic terms, but also as catalysts in the development of other important areas such as social, environmental, professional development, global visibility, public service and governance, he said.
Abdul Karim also voiced his support for Tribe Digital Campus — Sarawak’s first digital business events, education and business exchange platform.
It offers complimentary and heavily sponsored classes to those who register with the campus community.
Meanwhile, at the event, it was announced that University College Technology Sarawak (UCTS) won the first ever Sarawak edition of MICE Marketing Destination Contest (MDMC), organised by BESarawak in collaboration with Berjaya University College.
Abdul Karim said the contest was held last year to expose university students from multidisciplinary fields to the world of business events, push the boundaries of creativity and innovation to produce a winning business case to market Sarawak as a business events destination.
Apart from teaching participants how to develop a business case, the contest, he added, also placed significant weight on teamwork as one of the core criteria.
