KUCHING: Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) chief executive officer Amelia Roziman became the first woman in Asia to be inducted in the Events Industry Council (EIC) Hall of Leaders 2023.
Amelia, who was appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of BESarawak — Malaysia’s first convention bureau in Sarawak — on Aug 1, 2021, received the award in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.
The EIC Hall of Leaders award is the premier recognition programme in the meetings, conventions, exhibitions, hospitality and travel industry — our industry’s “lifetime achievement award.” The award recognises outstanding leaders who have undoubtedly shaped the industry. The defining quality among these leaders is that the industry would not be what it is today without their contributions.
One hundred fifty extraordinary leaders have been inducted into the Hall of Leaders representing the industry’s brightest talent and outstanding leadership. The presentation of the awards are made during a formal Hall of Leaders Celebration each year.
In addition, each inductee is honoured at the Hall of Leaders Recognition Pavilion, located permanently in the Washington (DC) Convention Centre. The pavilion contains a short tribute video to each inductee, highlighting his or her career.
Amelia is officially recognised as a global mover and shaker in the industry and will continue dedicating herself to empowering communities and people through business events.
A pioneer of BESarawak, she has over 21 years of branding, marketing and PR experience whose career in the sector began as a sales coordinator and 15 years of experience in business events.
Amelia thanked EIA for the honour, saying: ”To be the first woman in Malaysia and Asia receiving this award – a lifetime opportunity that I will never forget. Tonight, I stand here to say that nothing is impossible and no dream is ever too big.
“We have one life to live – own it, claim it, earn it, and do the best we can with it. This award is dedicated to every little girl and woman who grew up in a small town, with big dreams and even bigger obstacles that no greater than the strength within them.”
BESarawak is a non-profit organisation that is fully backed and funded by the Sarawak state government to organise meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions.
She succeeded in developing and implanting a five-year advocacy marketing plan called ‘Sarawak 2030’ to the government sector with a vision of transforming the business events ecosystem entirely.
The first outcome of this plan was the inclusion of business events as one of the priority sectors in the Sarawak government’s Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 — officiating the government’s recognition of and support to the sector. The next anticipated outcome is that by 2030, legacy impact and sustainability will be second nature to the business events sector.
This advocacy plan won the ICCA Best Marketing Award – Communication Category in 2021.
So far, she has contributed to Sarawak’s total win of 23 awards for destination marketing initiatives and received five professional awards.
Her most recent was in 2021 as the first figure in business events to receive the Ahli Bintang Sarawak (Member of the Order of the Star of Sarawak) medal from His Excellency Governor of Sarawak for her contribution to the business events sector in Sarawak. This award further cements the government’s recognition of business events as a vital sector for destination development.
