KUCHING, Nov 30 — Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) expects to secure 1,245 business events by 2030 by developing further measures that will put legacy impact and sustainability at the forefront of the sector.
BESarawak is a non-profit organisation that is fully backed and funded by the Sarawak state government.
Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamza said his ministry has pledged that legacy impact and sustainability will be fully supported and will be the ethos of the business events sector.
“Since business events are part of the state government’s post-COVID-19 development strategy (PCDS) 2030, sustainable and legacy-driven events will be key events to achieve our aspiration of economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability.
“The ministry and I pledge to drive positive community, economic and environmental developments from business events and lead the 300 delegates from TriBE Assembly as Sarawak’s business events ambassadors,” he said at the 3rd Business Events Tribal Meet (TriBE Assembly) held at Pullman Kuching Hotel today.
Themed “Reimagine Our Future”, the legacy impact and sustainability of business events were the main topics of the TriBE Assembly, further pushing the message that Sarawak is serious about motivating the sector to think beyond the economic returns of events.
It is also reaffirming that sustainable and legacy-driven events will be the pulling factor for national and international planners, setting Sarawak apart from other destinations and turning Sarawak into a leading destination for ecotourism and business events.
The state government also strengthens its collaboration with the sector to develop practical and ethical policies and guidelines that will steer future business events to be more impactful and sustainable to the destination.
BESarawak chief executive officer Amelia Roziman said that one way to communicate the sector’s impacts and efforts is by using the International Journal of Business Events and Legacies (IJBEL) as a communication platform.
“The journal is the world’s first to merge business events and legacy topics in one title and the first in Southeast Asia on all business events.
“The first issue provides excellent insights and knowledge into how global business event players are evolving and what impacts have been found until now,” she said at the event.
So far in 2022, the state has surpassed its target of 90 secured events, drawing in 94 events (104 per cent achievement) with an estimated total economic impact of RM303 million; RM165 million from direct delegate expenditure, RM9.9 million from tax revenue, and generating 23,755 jobs for Sarawak.
Out of the 94 events, 81 business events have been assessed with a total of 570 impacts on the sector, economy, community, environment, and political governance. These events are eligible to enrol in the BESLegacy Initiative.
