headquarters Destination Report Malaysia

is a special edition of

Headquarters Magazine -

June 2012Published by Meeting Media Company (Europe) wwwheadquartersmagazine.com - press@headquartersmagazine.com

MaLaYsIaASIA’S BUSINESS EVENTS HUB

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Introductionhq

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MaLaYsIa’s PosItIonIng as ChaMPIon aMongst eMergIng eConoMIes

Malaysia’s strength in engaging with new and emerging economic centres lies in its rich historical links with China, India and the Middle-East while simultaneously enhancing ties with the West.

Zulkefli Hj Sharif, Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) said: ‘Our recent success in secur-ing international meetings is supported by Malaysia’s positioning as a role model among emerging economies and as Asia’s educa-tion hub. Hosting a meeting in Malaysia meant international associations can use the opportunity to engage with their Asian coun-terparts, raise their association profile and create interest in their respective fields in this region of four billion people.’

‘As outlined in the national Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), Malaysia aims to become a high income and devel-oped nation by year 2020. Investments in key economic areas including medical sciences, technology, oil and gas and education are expediting progress and advancements for the country in the respective fields. This has provided us with the perfect opportunity to strengthen our international networks and

engagements - which is vital through confer-ences,’ Zulkefli continued.As Anouk Rey, Conference Director of International AIDS Society based in Geneva, attested, ‘We are very impressed by the Malaysian government’s commit-ment to provide free HIV treatment to all Malaysians in need of antiretroviral therapy. It underscores our interest in bringing the conference to Malaysia so that our colleagues from around the world can learn from such best practice.’ Malaysia will be hosting the 7th International Aids Society (IAS) HIV Conference in Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention with 5,000 delegates. ‘Hosting the IAS HIV conference in Malaysia in 2013 will not only be attractive to our delegates in terms of destination (touristic aspects, value for money) but it is also centrally located in Asia to attract HIV professionals from neigh-bouring countries,’ said Rey. The 7th IAS HIV Conference was the first large scale event secured under the Malaysian government’s Economic Transformation Programme.

Strategically located in the heart of South East Asia between the two booming economies of China and India coupled with its multi-cultural diversity and excellent value for money, Malaysia offers a compelling proposition for international associations headquartered in Europe who aim to connect with Asia and increase their profile in the world’s most populous region.

Malaysia’s recent success in securing international Meetings is supported by Malaysia’s positioning as a role Model aMong eMerging econoMies

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Monorail

Introduction

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In addition, the prestigious annual Human Genome Meeting (HGM) organised by the international Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) will be held for the first time in Kuala Lumpur in the year 2015. To be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the HGM 2015 is expected to attract 1,000 delegates comprising researchers, acade-micians, clinicians, students and others in science and human genome industry to Malaysia. ‘Malaysia is rising in South East Asia in investment and quality of genomic and genetic sciences. Their hosting of HGM 2015 is a mark of international recognition of these advances. We look forward to partnering with Universiti Sains Malaysia in making HGM 2015 a celebration of genomic sciences in the region,’ remarked Professor Edison T Liu, President of HUGO.

The decision to host the HGM 2015 in Kuala Lumpur is also supported by the positioning of Malaysia as a role model amongst devel-oping nations; an economically prosperous moderate Islamic country which encourages dialogue within the society and the govern-ment. The event will play an instrumental role in promoting Malaysia as a leader on the global bioinformatics and genomics research industry, expediting scientific breakthroughs in the medical, agricultural and industrial sectors. The meeting will be an excellent opportunity for the country to showcase its genomic research capabilities taking into account the 12 genomic centres located all over Malaysia.

Further strengthening the country’s profile as the choice destination for international associations, Malaysia was the proud host of the 70th Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Conference in July 2011. A first in Asia since the IIA’s incorporation in 1941, the confer-ence was expecting an estimated 3,000 delegates and contribute over €4.6 million in economic impact for Malaysia. ‘With members in 165 countries, Malaysia’s diver-sity and cultural richness provides a perfect background for our conference. Malaysia is an affordable - yet still a world-class destina-tion in the middle of a growing Asian market, which makes it very attractive to conference of our size,’ said Augusto Baeta, Manager of Global Professional Development, the IIA, based in USA.

Malaysia in the icca statsMalaysia is shining again in the latest ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) country rankings. The number of meetings hosted in the country grew 6 % from 119 to 126 with an average of 730 delegates per event. Kuala Lumpur leaped from 8th position (2010) to top 5 in Asia Pacific (2011). Malaysia retained its position as one of the top 10 meeting destinations in Asia Pacific, with 1.3 million

business tourism arrivals. This is in line with the country’s vision to achieve 2.9 million in international business tourism arrivals by 2020 and to position the country as one of the Top 5 destinations in Asia Pacific for international meetings.

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Case study

The IIA is the global leader of the internal audit profession with over 170,000 mem-bers in 165 countries, headquartered in Florida, USA. Setting a milestone in the IIA’s history, the IIA 2011 conference was the first in Asia and registered a record-breaking attendance of over 2,200 delegates for a conference held outside the USA. It also provided a platform to celebrate the IIA’s 70th anniversary on a high note.

Malaysia is becoming an increasingly popu-lar inaugural destination for global associa-tions’ entry into Asia which capitalises on its strength as the gateway to the world’s largest region, plus the fact that Malaysia often attracts record attendance.

Richard Chambers, IIA Global President and Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘I am extremely proud that our global organisation had the

opportunity to gather in one of the most vibrant, dynamic and diverse international cities anywhere. Just as Malaysia has a his-tory of long-held traditions and values, it is appropriate that this conference was held in Asia when the IIA was celebrating its 70th anniversary.’

‘Themed ‘Standing Tall’, it is particularly rel-evant as Kuala Lumpur is home to a unique international landmark - the PETRONAS Twin Towers, one of the tallest man-made struc-tures on the planet. The Twin Towers perfectly symbolises the aspirations of Malaysians to ascend to new heights and be leaders in their

own right,’ said Wee Hock Kee, Chairman, Host Conference Committee, IIA Malaysia.‘Standing Tall’ is a call to the internal audit profession to assume even greater leadership roles in promoting and advocating sound governance standards and practices in both the private and public business sectors.

‘Our partnership with the IIA Malaysia has made this event possible and a success. Their resources on the ground provided a high level of professionalism. From a meet-ing planner’s perspective, the local vendors were of high quality. Hosting the event at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre was also a key to our success. Not only it is a world-class facility, the staff support was outstanding. Furthermore, the support from the Malaysian government also played a large role in the success by helping to pro-mote the event and to bring stature to the programme by attending and participating as key speakers,’ Augusto Baeta, Director of International Conferences for the IIA, commented.

Malaysia definitely gave its unique touch to the organisation of the iia 2011 international conference

The commitment and formidable efforts of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Malaysia in hosting and delivering a good show in the recently concluded 70th IIA International Conference 2011 has certainly been nothing short of phenomenal.

CASE STUdy

70th Internal Auditors Conference 70th IIA international

Conference 2011

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Case study

As the first business event to be held with subvention support from the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Chief Executive Officer, Zulkefli Hj Sharif said: ‘We are very pleased with IIA’s achievement and the ‘Malaysia Boleh’ (can do) spirit shown by our local team including IIA Malaysia, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre plus other strategic partners in ensuring a successful conference. This is a real testament of our mission to be recognised as Asia’s hub for business events, providing the leading edge in terms of professionalism and best practices.’

Malaysia definitely gave its unique touch to the organisation of the IIA 2011 International Conference. As lauded by Baeta: ‘We were looking for a central

destination in Asia that could attract del-egates from other continents. Delegates from 93 different countries attended the confer-ence. Malaysia’s diversity and international flavour have made everyone feel at home. The Malaysian hospitality is second to none. We had high expectations regarding our event and Malaysia was able to meet all of them. We would certainly recommend Malaysia to other international associations and meeting planners.’

Yong Ngeak Choo, Executive Director, IIA Malaysia concluded: ‘The success of this event will give impetus for the Institute to take the lead and position Malaysia as the regional hub for the development of the inter-nal audit profession in Asia Pacific - which represents the legacy of this event.’

how to green an event in Malaysia

As its contribution to greening the environment, the delegates of the IIA 2011 International Conference have wholeheartedly responded to MyCEB’s proactive eco-action to green the earth as part of the Malaysia Business Tourism Green Programme. Delegates were given the opportunity to contribute a minimum RM30 (7€) to the tree plant-ing activity and a total of RM25,000 (5,762€) was raised to plant 250 trees at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM).

Richard Chambers, IIA Global President and Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘Our commitment to the environment and helping to make it more sustainable is an inherent part of our Global IIA’s corporate philosophy. A significant impact of this tree planting initiative is the opportunity presented to our IIA 2011 conference del-egates who have participated as a collec-tive global effort from 93 countries in this green programme. We are confident as the roots of these trees grow deeper and stronger with time, so does the impact of the role of internal auditors on corporate Malaysia.’

70th IIA International Conference 2011

Pewter-smithing cultural showcase experience at the conference

70th IIA International Conference 2011: delegates contributing to Malaysia Business Tourism Green Programme

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Infrastructures

Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), Sarawaka hub for busIness events

Historically, culturally and economically, Malaysia has always been at a crossroads. In fact, that’s precisely what makes the country so rich, so fascinating. Add to this, a rapidly diversifying economy and upscale world-class modern infrastructure and you would think they have it all. Malaysia is a true hub for business events, and rightly so. Let us just explain why... and to what extent.

MagnetMalaysia has been a magnet for adventurers and commerce for centuries. Celebrated explorers as diverse as Admiral Zheng He, Douglas Fairbanks, Herman Hesse, Alfred Russel Wallace, Jacque Cousteau, Somerset Maugham, Alawiyeen Families and Ferdinand Magellan were drawn here by the need to trade and engage with Asia, develop ideas and later perform deeds that had a huge impact on the world.

Already in 1821, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in his Introduction to the Malay Annals, argued: ‘When we consider the extent of this unparalleled Archipelago; the infinity of its resources; its contiguity to China and Japan, the most populous regions of the earth; and the extraordinary facilities it affords to commerce, from the smoothness of its seas, the number and excellence of its harbours, and the regularity of its monsoons, it would be vain to assign limits, or to say how far and wide the tide of commerce might

not have flowed or how great the progress of civilization might not have been…’This is the inspiration behind Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s (MyCEB) new branding direction which positions Malaysia as the nexus that has brought the world together for business and trade for over 600 years. The concept communicates Malaysia’s pre-eminence as the preferred destination for visitors seeking to trade and conduct business, and its strength in engaging with new and emerging eco-nomic centres.

port of callAs reflected in the newly coined tagline, ‘Malaysia - Asia’s Business Events Hub’, it communicates Malaysia’s proposition as a gateway to Asia for meetings. Owing to its stature as an Asian microcosm, Malaysia is increasingly becoming a first port of call for international meetings and associations wanting to engage with Asia - the world’s largest and fastest growing

economic region. The new branding is part of MyCEB’s progressive approach towards achieving its mission to be Asia Pacific’s top five meeting destination by year 2020.

Formed in 2009, MyCEB has been commit-ted to fulfilling its role to further strengthen Malaysia’s brand and position for the inter-national meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) market. Malaysia’s growing profile in bidding for and staging international association meetings with record attendances underscores MyCEB and its industry partners’ expertise, experience and strong teamwork in ensuring successful business events are hosted in the country. MyCEB can facilitate bids for regional and international conventions, advise and assist event planners on availability of local prod-ucts and services, provide government liai-son and contacts, assist with site inspections, help with event promotion advice and assis-tance, and provide promotional materials.You just need to ask, it’s free of charge!

froM the sMall intiMate venue to the large-scale conference centre, froM the budget hotel to the five-star hotel, Malaysia can cater to any need

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Infrastructures

infrastructureFrom the small intimate venue to the large-scale conference centre, from the budget hotel to the five-star hotel, Malaysia can cater to any need the demanding meet-ing planners might have. Home to many modern convention and exhibition centres, the country indeed accommodates a wide range of budgets and requirements. Among them are the award-winning Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, for up to 6,000 people reception style, at the heart of over 12,000 hotel rooms, extensive shopping and enter-tainment facilities, and convenient trans-port connections. And only an hour and a half’s flight away is the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), which is located in the eco-friendly state of Sarawak, East Malaysia, which accommodates up to 3,500 delegates.

Malaysia is also one of the world’s best value-for-money destinations when it comes to accommodation ranging from budget-friendly to luxury 5-star hotels and resorts. Being ranked 3rd Most Price

a selection of Major past, current and upcoMing conventions in Malaysia

Year Event Name Expected Delegates

2011 68th MDA AGM/FDI World Dental Federation Congress & Trade Exhibition

2,000

70th IIA International Conference 2011 2,200

2012 25th World Gas Conference 3,500

43rd Union World Congress on Lung Health 2,800

7th Triennial Meeting of the Commonwealth Dental Association

2,000

10th International Scientific Conference of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

1,600

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress (ASC) 2012

2,000

2013 7th International Aids Society (IAS) HIV Conference in Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention 2013

5,000 to 6,000

International Dragon Award (IDA) Annual Conference 5,000

The Women Deliver Conference 5,000

Competitive Country in the World for Travel 2011 by the Travel & Tourism Competitive Index, it offers excellent value for money for meeting planners.

Event planners will find a wide range of international hotels such as Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental, Le Meridien, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, Novotel, Park Royal, Shangri-la, Sheraton, Renaissance and Traders. Examples of national branded hotels include Sunway Resort & Spa, Royale Chulan, Pangkor Laut, Tanjung Jara, Impiana and Swiss Garden Hotels.

Malaysia’s largest city Kuala Lumpur has ample accommodation for large scale conventions with over 36,000 rooms and a number of new properties under devel-opment. Likewise other key destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching also provide a wide selection of accommodation options. Not to forget the 130 million-year-old lush tropical rainforests, abundant wildlife, UNESCO World Heritage Cities, and some of the world’s best resorts and beaches.

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With the rightly-called ‘Association Development Programme’ to be launched by Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), in the second half of 2012, the country aims to become a not-to-be-missed association destination. The goals of the programme are clear: it seeks to support the growth and development of Malaysia’s national associations, to strengthen the engagement of Malaysia’s national associations with their interna-tional counterparts and to encourage and support national associations to bid for and host international conventions.

Kesatria Malaysia To do so, MyCEB will set up educational forums that assist with the development and sustainability of national associations i.e. development of sound business models for NGOs, membership management and development, governance, marketing and sponsorship management, conference management, association management.

They will also engage in international activ-ities to encourage national associations to join and become active members of their international association. Supporting associations that represent Malaysia’s core economic growth sectors and providing convention planning tools to assist with the successful promotion and hosting of international business events are also part of the plan.

The driving force behind this is undoubt-edly Kesatria Malaysia, an ambitious ambas-sador programme designed as an incuba-tor to identify and support potential local

hosts for international conventions. As of January 2012 MyCEB appointed 17 Kesatrias (or knights) consisting of prominent indus-try leaders that have previously hosted or have successfully bid for and secured upcoming international conventions. Their role is to share the experience and benefits of hosting international conventions to their industry peers and related industries. MyCEB’s target is to have Kesatria Malaysia representatives for each of Malaysia’s key economic growth sectors including oil & gas, medical science and health, and finan-cial services.

Meetings reviewedMyCEB is consistently reviewing and devel-oping its product offering for the interna-tional business events market. In this ever-competitive world, they need to make sure they stay proactive to meet the demands of association planners. Some initiatives include, for instance, offsite venue audits and assessments, industry certification pro-gramme, or the above mentioned Kesatria Malaysia and Association Development Programme.

Kesatria Malaysia, an aMbitious aMbassador prograMMe designed as an incubator to identify and support potential local hosts for international conventions

Malaysia has a small number of associations actively engaged in the international arena and a much larger number of new and emerging associations that have an interest in expanding their sphere of influence.

MaLaYsIa’s added vaLueto assoCIatIons

Malaysia for associations

YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, Minister of Tourism, Malaysia launched

the Kesatria 1Malaysia Programme

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Malaysia for associations

MyCEB is facilitating educational pro-grammes to encourage international cer-tification of Malaysia’s business events industry. For example in March 2012 MyCEB facilitated the IAPCO Regional Seminar on conference management for PCOs, association meeting planners and event organisers. The programme was fully subscribed with over 70 par-ticipants. The IAPCO seminar provided 10 hours of continuing education that can be applied towards the Convention Industry Council’s Certified Meeting Professional application.

MyCEB is also looking to create an inven-tory of unique venues for offsite events associated with international meetings. They are conducting venue sites and assessments to determine their suitabil-ity and capacity for business events. In the same line of thoughts, new agree-ments with offsite venues that can cater for groups of 500 to 3,000 delegates have been signed.

green prograMMe In line with the Prime Minister’s commit-ment to offset 40% carbon emissions by year 2020, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has launched the Malaysia Business Tourism Green Programme in November 2010. It is designed to encourage and facilitate business event participants to contribute towards greening the nation through tree planting activities.

As part of an event registration process, participants have an opportunity to con-sider contributing a minimum of USD10 towards the Green Programme through all business events in Malaysia. The con-tributions will then be channelled to tree planting activities facilitated by MyCEB and at areas maintained by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM). In 2011 there were 1,000 trees planted with the two main contributions coming from the 2011 World Congress of Accountants and the 2011 Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Conference, whose case study you can read in this very supplement.

a selection of unique venues in Malaysia

suffolK house penangSuffolk House served as the residence of Francis Light, the founder of the British set-tlement on the Penang Island. A stunning example of an Anglo-Indian garden house, it is one of the most important UNESCO heritage in Malaysia. With its stylish interi-ors and picturesque lawn, Suffolk House is an elegant alternative for social events.

central MarKet Located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the original 1936 Central Market was converted into a ‘festive hall’ and in 1996, reopened as the country’s foremost cultural shopping centre showcasing the finest local crafts. It has since been classified as a heritage site and is now a landmark for Malaysian culture. It is a versatile off-site event venue which sits 650 people.

thean hou teMpleDedicated to Thean Hou (Queen of Heaven), the Hou Temple is one of the largest Chinese temples in South-East Asia. It is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the panoramic view of the Lumpur skyline. Revelling in its cultural offerings, it is avail-able to hold a ceremonial banquet or a regaling gala dinner in the front hallway.

forest research institute Malaysia (friM)Located 16km northwest of the city of Kuala Lumpur, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is one of the leading institutions in tropical forestry research, both within the country and abroad. It has become increasingly popular as venue for outdoor events and informal gala parties.

Thean Hou Temple

Canopy walk at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia

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strategic locationMalaysia is located in the heart of Southeast Asia and between two giant economies of China and India. Asia is also where over 55% of the world’s population reside. It is easily accessible from all parts of the world by air, land and sea.

air access• Over 50 airlines, including low-cost car-

riers, provide direct access to Malaysia from over 100 destinations worldwide.

• International airport hubs in Malaysia include Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. Malaysia is also well-served by 16 domestic airports.

• The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is the main gateway.

• The Malaysia Airlines has a global net-work that spans to over 80 destinations worldwide. In addition to an extensive domestic network, there is direct mid to long-haul access to Australia/New Zealand, the Middle East, the Americas, Europe and Asia.

excellent value for MoneyMalaysia offers excellent value for money, international standard products and services, for both meeting planners and delegates. • The World Economic Forum ranked

Malaysia 3rd Most Price Competitive Country in the world for Travel 2011.

• UBS Price and Earning Report 2009 also rated Kuala Lumpur as having the most competitive hotel rates in Asia.

• Voted as ‘One of the Best Value Destinations for 201’” by Lonely Planet Guide.

strong tracK record Voted Best MICE Country in Asia by the MICE Report Awards 2012, Malaysia has a reputable track record for hosting some of the world’s largest international conventions with record attendances such as:• 70th Institute of Internal Auditors

International Conference 2011 – 2,200 delegates

• 18th World Congress of Accountants 2010 – 6,050 delegates

• 16th World Congress on Information Technology 2008 – 3,225 delegate

• 18th FIGO World Congress of Gynecology & Obstetrics 2006 – 8,300 delegates

safety, stability and securityMalaysia has been ranked the most peace-ful country in Southeast Asia, the fourth safest in the Asia Pacific behind New Zealand, Japan and Australia, and the 19th safest and peaceful out of 153 countries in the world (Global Peace Index 2010). HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey 2012 also included Malaysia in its Top 10 friendliest countries in the world - second in Asia.

Malaysia, truly asiaWith its population of 28.3 million, Malaysia offers a unique vibrant blend of cultures of Asia’s three major races: Malay, Chinese and Indian, plus 47 ethnic groups. This diversity is reflected in its cuisines, art and heritage, traditions, lifestyle and year-round festivals.

about MaLaYsIa

Fast facts

The ‘Colours of 1Malaysia’ show, featuring the best of Malaysia’s cultural heritage

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Fast facts

The Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) was established in 2009 by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia to further strengthen the country’s business events brand and to position the country as one of the world’s leading international business events (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) destinations. A non-profit organisation, MyCEB serves as a one-stop centre to assist meeting and event plan-ners to bid for and stage regional and international business events in Malaysia and to act as a conduit for national product development.

Myceb services and support• Create co-operative industry platforms

to sell and promote Malaysia’s business events products and services

• Advise and assist business events organ-isers to plan and promote their events internationally

• Assist organisers in the selection of local product and service providers

• Facilitate requests for support from government

• Facilitate product development and to promote education, training and accredi-tation for the industry

• Encourage and assist potential local hosts to bid for and host international conventions in Malaysia

subvention prograMMeA subvention programme to support bids for targeted international business events which offers high economic value to the country has also been developed. Support given will be based on an economic assess-ment, an agreed performance criteria as well as mutual benefits for the government and the organisation.

contactSuite 14.3, Level 14, Menara IMCNo 8 Jalan Sultan Ismail50250 Kuala LumpurMalaysiaT. +603 2034 2090F. +603 2034 2091sales@myceb.com.mywww.myceb.com.my

social and tour prograMMesMalaysia has a variety of affordable pre-and post-conference tour options offering exotic and exciting experiences such as, 130 million-year-old lush tropical rainfor-ests, abundant wildlife, UNESCO World Heritage Cities (Penang and Malacca), and some of the world’s best resorts and idyllic beaches.

visa requireMents • Visitors to Malaysia must hold a valid

passport or travel document with a mini-mum validity of six months beyond the intended visiting period. Most nation-alities do not require visas for social or business visits. For further information, please contact the nearest Malaysian diplomatic mission or Tourism Malaysia office - www.tourism.gov.my

• Immigration Department, Malaysia - www.imi.gov.my

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia - www.kln.gov.my

Malaysia convention & exhibition bureau (Myceb)

Diving off Sipadan Island, Sabah

Indigenous Musicians

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