Country Focus
Malaysia meetings restart
CMW REPORTS ON HOW MALAYSIA ’ S MEETINGS INDUSTRY IS GEARING UP AGAIN FOR BUSINESS
M alaysia ’ s business events sector is able to restart , following the Government ’ s announcement relaxing restrictions on 18 October 2021 .
Events can go ahead with reduced numbers and provided strict SOPs are adhered to .
Malaysia Association of Conventions , Exhibitions , Organisers & Suppliers ( MACEOS ) president Francis Teo said 50 % of Malaysians had completed their double dose immunisation by mid-October , something , he believed , would “ help the country ’ s economy reopen quickly ”.
Attendees and visitors are still limited to 50 % capacity in the states under the Government ’ s Phase 3 category , with physical distancing applied , and industry association MACEOS has proposed a 4sqm per person density rate for exhibitions . There is a 2.25 sqm per person density rate required for events in the states operating under Phase 4 regulations .
One of the leaders of the sectoral recovery is the Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre ( MITEC ) in Kuala Lumpur .
All staff at MITEC are fully vaccinated and work in strict adherence to SOPs .
MITEC has not been sitting idle and management has introduced the Smart Trade Zone ( STZ ) platform and co-working space , an incubator programme which helps businesses harvest new potential trade leads .
Mala Dorasamy , acting chief executive officer MITEC , said : “ With the re-opening of business events , we look forward to welcoming back all conferences and exhibitions . MITEC is creating jobs again and has provided jobs for over 100,000 people since its inception .”
MITEC has hosted some prominent events such as the SEA Games 2017 , Defense Services Asia Exhibition and Conference 2018 , Global Halal Summit 2019 , SEMICON Southeast Asia 2019 , ASEAN Super 8 , POWERGen Asia 2019 , Malaysian International Furniture Fair , Malaysia International Water Convention 2019 , Malaysia International Halal Showcase ( MIHAS ) 2019 , TCE Baby Expo 2020 and more .
The venue has also been a catalyst of a new township , KL Metropolis . Hotel and service suites are available within walking distance such as Arte Mont Kiara , and Somerset Metropolis will be ready by 2023 .
MITEC collaborated with Malaysia ’ s Ministry of Science , Technology & Innovation ( MOSTI ) to handle over 12,000 people for vaccinations per day and also operated as one of the
Below : The Meet in Sarawak roadshow has been a great success
Industrial Vaccination Centre ’ s ( PIKAS ), under the Public-Private Partnership collaboration .
“ With the relaxation of domestic travel restrictions , 50 % capacity currently permitted and introduction of travel bubbles , Malaysia is indeed on the road to recovery ,” Mala said .
Travel Safe Alliance ( TSA ) Four of Malaysia ’ s major sectoral players have united by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) to promote a new Travel Safe Alliance ( TSA ) and standards .
MACEOS , Malaysian Association of Hotels ( MAH ), Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents ( MATTA ) and airlines under the Malaysia Aviation Group ( MAG ) have all joined a campaign to ramp up destination readiness to reopen and welcome back visitors .
Certified by Bureau Veritas Certification Malaysia , the MoU is an ecosystem of safe travel solutions made up of the ‘ Travel Safe ’ label for travel and tour arrangements , ‘ Clean & Safe Malaysi ’ label for hotels , and ‘ SafeBE ’ for business events and convention venues that meet the severe SOPs specified by the National Security Council . The whole collaboration is designed to position Malaysia as a safe business events destination .
MAH president Dato ’ N . Subramaniam reiterated the marketing and branding potential of TSA Malaysia , saying : “ MAH was the first in the industry to introduce an independently certified hygiene and safety label for hotels in July 2020 , with over 130 hotels on the programme now . Our Clean & Safe Malaysia hotel label is an added assurance given to our guests .”
“ We are sending a strong message out to the world , that Malaysia is ready to welcome everyone back ,” he added .
Meet in Malaysia ( MIM ) An initiative , involving event subsidies ,
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