Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (third right) witnesses the MOU exchange between BESarawak Chief Operating Officer Amelia Roziman (second left) and PCMA President and Chief Executive Officer Sherrif Karamat, while PCMA Board of Directors Vice President (Events and Exhibitions) Stuart Ruff-Lyon (left), Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr. Muhammad Leo Toyad (second right) and Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak Permanent Secretary Hii Chang Kee looked on. Photo courtesy of Jacob Slaton Photography
SAN FRANCISCO, 7 JANUARY 2019: Sarawak has made a remarkable impression and entry to the global meetings industry with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange between Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) at PCMA’s signature industry event, Convening Leaders 2020, this morning.
Malaysia’s pioneer convention bureau – Business Events Sarawak 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 events strategists with a vision to transform global economies and communities through business events.
In terms of vision, Sarawak is moving towards mobilising the business events and tourism industry as game changers, mentioned by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak and the Minister of Youth and Sports Sarawak, Datuk Haji 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.”
On the other hand, BESarawak’s Chairman, Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr. Muhammad Leo Toyad, reiterates the significance of the business events industry, “In 2020, Sarawak is moving forward with its Legacy Impact Programme that is in line with PCMA’s vision of change.”
The programme is braced by 4 fundamental pillars of impacts namely Advancing the Field, Community Benefits, Economic Outcomes and Public Policy which are driven by 27 components of change for social, business 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 are members of the Sarawak Government, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (TROPI), Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), CPH Travel, Conference People, Events Horizon and Techno Expo.
