KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has won three highly competitive bids to host world class business events which are expected to generate a collective economic impact of RM32.7 million.
The winning bids are for the hosting of the World Tunnel Congress (WTC) 2020, the 17th World Congress for Endoscopic Surgery of the Skull Base and Brain (ENDO KL) 2020 and the Congress of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) 2022.
Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), in a statement, said the WTC 2020 was expected to generate RM17.2 million in economic impact with 1,500 delegates; the ENDO KL 2020 (RM8.8 million in economic impact and 900 delegates) and the IBBY 2022 (RM6.7 million in economic impact and 800 delegates). Over 60 per cent of the delegates are expected to be from overseas.
The five international conferences and exhibitions are the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare: Asia 2017, the IWA-ASPIRE Conference and Exhibition 2017, the World Congress of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), the 18th Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention & Exhibition (APRCE) and the 11th Asia Pacific Vitreo-Retina Society Congress (APVRS) 2017.
MyCEB chief executive officer Datuk Zulkefli Sharif said Malaysia secured several prestigious conferences in the bid to position Malaysia as top-of-the-mind country of choice globally for business events.
“Our winning ingredients reflect the country’s commitment of offering value-added benefits for organisers to select Malaysia as their next business events destination,” he said.
Zulkefli said it brought Malaysia’s business events calendar forward by delivering a business conference that was progressive and at the cutting edge of innovation and business networking.
He also said between August and December 2017, the country would also play host to five international conferences, exhibitions and 6,000 delegates and generate an estimated economic impact of RM46.9 million.
Meanwhile, MyCEB General Manager of Business Events Ho Yoke Ping said the upcoming FIATA World Congress 2017 would coincide with the expected implementation of the Logistics and Trade Facilitation Master Plan by the Transport Ministry, designed to improve the efficiency of transport and trade facilitation and elevate Malaysia to become the preferred logistics gateway to Asia.
“The FIATA 2017 is also expected to generate RM11.5 million in economic impact to the country and increase Malaysia’s potential as a top regional gateway for freight transport and logistics.
The four-day conference is expected to attract 1,200 participants of which 60 per cent are international participants,” she added. — Bernama