KUCHING: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah will be leading a delegation to the Professional Convention Management Association PCMA Convening Leaders 2020 (CL20), for the first time, from Jan 5-9 in San Francisco.
This follows the signing ceremony between Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) by Sarawak Convention Bureau and PCMA last Oct.
The trip to CL20 is organised by BESarawak and the Sarawak government. The 20-member delegation comprises industry leaders from the Sarawak government, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), CPH Travel, Techno Expo and Events Horizon.
BESarawak, in a media statement yesterday, said PCMA is the world’s largest and most respected network of business events strategists aiming to drive social and economic change around the world.
Tying in with this, PCMA is vying to penetrate the Asia Pacific market after a long list of success in the North American region.
Sharing an identical vision to the global association giants is Sarawak’s business events industry, making the state a perfect candidate to support PCMA’s efforts of expansion.
BESarawak said to cement this, Sarawak is hosting a networking session where some of the world’s top association leaders and industry decision-makers will attend to witness a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) exchange between Sarawak and PCMA.
Abdul Karim, who is also Youth and Sports Minister, expressed confidence that the exchange would take Sarawak to new heights, adding, “Sarawak is already associated with being a knowledge powerhouse in the region. What this partnership does is make Sarawak the first 2nd-tier destination to work with the largest global association and cement our credibility.”
Asides from the exchange, CL20 is expected to be a turning point for the Sarawak delegates to advance their profession, as stated by BESarawak chairman Tan Sri Datuk Sri Dr Muhammad Leo Toyad.
“To be on par with the world’s best, we must foster a continuous learning momentum and that means being on board an excellent professional development opportunity such as this,” he added.
Besides the conference and various networking sessions, the delegates will be treated to a private educational tour by PCMA plus an exclusive meet with the PCMA board of directors.
Further fortifying the trip is a keynote address by Condoleezza Rice, the 66th United States secretary of state, along with other notable keynote speakers namely retired Nasa flight director Gene Kranz, author and organisational consultant Simon Sinek, and Endeavor chief marketing officer Bozoma Saint John.
The four-day event will also feature a special act by renowned band, Maroon 5.
