MIRI: Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Sarawak had achieved an estimated RM106mil on total economic impact for business events between January and September this year.
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said this amount had contributed to RM58mil in direct delegate expenditure; collecting tax revenue of RM6.4mil and opening 8,480 jobs created within various sectors.
“What attributed to these 31 total secured business events from years 2020 to 2024 with 39,356 delegates are the Business Events Planners Incentivised Packages,” he said at the Business Events Tribal Meet organised by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) here on Thursday (Oct 1).
He said the packages lent extensive support that injected additional funding as well as other financial incentives to help organisers get back on their feet and continue their planning processes.
“The packages have also proven their effectiveness as business events cancellations are at a low with just three cancellations, leaving 95 per cent of events ongoing under the business events calendar this year.”
Meanwhile, BESarawak’s acting chief executive officer Amelia Roziman said that while the economic impact was impressive, there was a deeper value to business events.
“We are 68 per cent on achieving our target this year and focusing on business events topics from Sarawak seven key focus areas.
“We believe that the tourism impact, which counts the number of delegates, is just a portion of what’s important. Business events bring far greater values that can ultimately change our economic sectors and communities for Sarawak overall better known as legacy impact.”
Amelia said legacy impact was the new mindset in the global business events sector, and it was about bringing vast quantities of knowledge that stimulates investments, business connections and addressing societal challenges.
“Sarawak will benefit from harnessing the legacy impacts of business events.”
The Sarawak government emphasises on bringing business events that are centred around Sarawak’s seven key focus areas being Urban Development, Social Development, Environmental Development, Re-engineering economic growth (previously known as Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy – SCORE), Rural Transformation on Agriculture Development, Service Industry and Digital Economy.
In the meantime, the event also touched on the sector’s push towards developing the corporate meetings and incentives segment, whereby Sarawak aims to increase its market share by at least 20 per cent over the next five years in line with the objectives of the Sarawak Economic Action Council (SEAC). Currently, the state’s strength lies in conventions, with 80 per cent of business derived from associations.
For further details on planning a business event and how to utilise the Business Events Planners Incentivised Packages, business events organisers can contact Donny Tan (Conventions and Exhibitions senior business development manager,) at donny@sarawakcb.com or Crystal Phang (Corporate Meetings and Incentives business development manager) at crystal@sarawakcb.com
