SAN FRANCISCO: Sarawak has made a remarkable impression and entry to the global meetings industry with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA).
The MoU exchange took place at PCMA’s signature industry event, Convening Leaders 2020, on Tuesday.
Malaysia’s pioneer convention bureau —BESarawak by Sarawak Convention Bureau— is now officially collaborating with PCMA to mark Sarawak as the first 2nd-tier destination to unite with the global association giants.
PCMA is the world’s largest and most respected network of business event strategists with a vision to transform global economies and communities through business events.
In terms of vision, Sarawak is also moving towards mobilising the business events and tourism industry as game changers as mentioned by Sarawak Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, and Sarawak Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
“Merging this industry with tourism can and will strengthen our economic impact. However, there is a greater cause than the dollars and cents we make. It is the community.
“My vision is to make Sarawak a prominent driver for social and economic transformation in Asia – by standing with PCMA to deliver high impact business events,” he said.
Meanwhile, BESarawak chairman Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Muhammad Leo Toyad reiterated the significance of the business events industry – “In 2020, Sarawak is moving forward with its Legacy Impact Programme that is aligned to PCMA’s vision of change.”
The programme is braced by four fundamental pillars of impact, namely Advancing the Field, Community Benefits, Economic Outcomes, and Public Policy which are driven by 27 components of change for social, economic and government communities.
The signing event is part of an industry trip to San Francisco organised by BESarawak that brought the first-ever Sarawak delegation to attend PCMA Convening Leaders.
The delegates were from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, CPH Travel, Conference People, Events Horizon, and Techno Expo.
