Malaysia’s MICE Side

Malaysia is one of South East Asia’s fastest growing Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions (MICE) destinations. A cursory glance at the events the country has hosted is enough to bear this out -- Bollywood staged its prestigious IIFA awards in the country in 2002, the NAM Summit (Non-Aligned Movement) was held here and this year the entire Indian travel fraternity TAAI (Travel Agents' Association of India) is in Malaysia. The country has a sound background of hosting mammoth events such as FoodTech Malaysia, 14th ASEAN Congress Of Cardiology Exhibition And Congress, Malaysian International Gift And Premium etc.

With a strong economic foundation, Malaysia is constantly building on its wealth of infrastructural facilities. The Multimedia Super Corridor, an IT city in Kuala Lumpur, has been recently constructed and two other world-class convention centres are also underway.

But swanky skyscrapers and hi-tech infrastructure are not the only elements dotting the Malaysian skyline.

True to its slogan 'Malaysia Truly Asia', the country has an essentially cosmopolitan culture and eclectic character. And this diversity is also reflected in its geographic make-up comprising scenic beaches, centuries-old rain forests and virgin islands, making it a very viable incentive destination.

With a plethora of activities, places and attractions, Malaysia is becoming a very popular incentive destination and has hosted corporate big-wigs like Sansui, Raymond, Star TV, Bajaj Fans, ICICI Prudential, General Motors etc. It's special attraction for India is that the country is just a five-hour flight away. Says P Manoharan, director, Tourism Malaysia, "Being a short-haul destination, most business houses preferred to send their corporates to a closer and affordable destination. This was exactly what Malaysia offered - a reasonably priced destination. This further resulted in significant business travel growth. New destinations were introduced so that business houses could have a change from the regular Kuala Lumpur and Genting to the more unusual Langkawi, Penang, Melaka, Sabah and Sarawak that offer variety in abundance. The next step was hosting events that raised Malaysia's stature as a popular choice venue in the region for international events. This showed that Malaysia was gearing itself to move quickly to capture a greater share of the international MICE market."

If a company is serious about incentives in Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia organises familiarisation trips for the decision makers. "We feel that it is important for the person to experience and know the place so that they are convinced that they are truly rewarding their staff with an 'incentive'," says Madhu Saliankar, marketing manager, Tourism Malaysia.

Incentives

The concept of incentives is gradually moving away from simply visiting a destination to actually experiencing various facets and activities available. Taking a cue from the changing trend in this segment, SOTC's sports division 'Sports Abroad' have launched the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix travel product so that corporates can feel the thrill of Formula1 closer to home at an affordable price. Explains Frederick Divecha, senior vice-president, SOTC, "Basically, the volumes come from corporate houses which is why each one of the 'Sports Abroad' products have been distributed as incentive products to organisations desiring to reward their dealers, star performers and staff. Corporates today are tired of the same old incentive holiday itineraries and destinations. Anyone can plan a holiday to Australia but plan it around India playing cricket against Australia and the dealers will try their best to qualify."

Testifies Vikas Kapai, director marketing, Hyatt Regency, who attended the F1 in Malaysia, "The biggest advantage of it being held closer to home is the affordability factor, both in terms of time and money and of course the experience is simply exhilarating."

The F1 is just one among the many "incentives" that Malaysia has to offer.

Like most countries even Malaysia has some hidden treasures that people may not be familiar with. Taman Negara, for example, remains a select visitor profile's best-kept secret. While most people know that Malaysia is renowned for its age-old rain forests, very few have had the chance to experience it.

Another great incentive destination is Tioman Islands. A beach haven, it is easily accessible from Singapore, about a four-hour boat ride. With long stretches of pristine white sands, Tioman island offers jungle trekking opportunities, snorkelling and with crystal clear waters, 30 metres in depth, it's also a great spot for undersea walks offering spectacular views of marine life. This beach offers spectacular diving opportunities.

The city of Johar Bahru is another great spot. Across the creek from Singapore, this city has all the ingredients for an incentive offering pulsating nightlife, outstanding shopping and an array of good restaurants apart from historical monuments and cultural attractions.

Introducing new stops on their circuit, Thomas Cook has recently explored the terrains of Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah is famous for its national parks, OrangUtan sanctuary and of course islands. Sarawak boasts some extraordinary natural wonders including national parks, caves and endless rivers. However, the big attraction for corporate incentives here is white water rafting.

Conventions & Exhibitions

Malaysia doesn't lag far behind on the conference and convention scene either. A host of significant conferences and conventions are held here annually. Important events include the Malaysia International Furniture Fair (MAFEX), Foodex Asia, International Rubber Glove Exhibition And Conference (Malaysia is the largest producer of surgical gloves), Medical Scientific Exhibition And Conference and many such events.

Malaysia has the expertise, state-of-the-art centres and services to cater to this segment. It has a sound backing of world-class hotels adjoining the convention centres. The country has an inventory of 1,33,495 hotel rooms spread across 2,031 hotels. The Putra World Trade Centre has the Pan-Pacific and The Legend Hotel adjoining the centre. The Mines Resort has the Palace Of The Golden Horses, Genting has the Genting Hotel, Resort Hotel, First World etc and the Batu Ferrangi beach stretch in Penang is replete with four-star and five-star hotels catering to convention facilities. The country showcases world-class convention centres in snazzy cities and cities that serve as hi-tech convention centres. Among the prominent convention facilities are the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), located in the capital of Kuala Lumpur, that has a sprawling 35,000 square metres of exhibition space. The centre also has integrated sophisticated technology including contemporary telecommunication systems, fibre optic cable systems. The other important centre is The Malaysia International Exhibition And Convention Centre, located at the Mines Resort City, 20 minutes from Kuala Lumpur. However, the most popular in the lot, the Genting International Convention Centre (GICC) has more than 9,847 square metres of convention and meeting space with nearly 10,000 rooms spread over five hotels in the area. It is the largest convention and meeting venue in Malaysia. Genting, for example, is a one-stop-shop for conventions. It offers all the required infrastructure to host a large convention with a huge seating capacity and a large room inventory to accommodate delegates. Apart from that it has all sorts of entertainment options within its fold to keep delegates occupied even post seminars and business sessions. Says Gulu Jagtiani, chairman of the convention committee, TAAI "Genting is a great destination to host the TAAI convention, not only because of its commendable infrastructure but also because of its plethora of activities and entertainment."

Big on the MICE map is Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre in Petaling Jaya, that can accommodate up to 2,000 delegates in their pillar-free Grand Lagoon Ballroom. Delegates are also entitled to discount coupons for select boutiques at the Pyramid shopping complex as well as an entrance ticket to the Lagoon Theme Park.

Apart from the infrastructure and facilities, Malaysia also offers professional expertise to facilitate your conference or convention needs in the country. This makes the procedure a whole lot easier and cost-effective as you can commission local professional support as against flying down people from India. The country actually has companies termed ‘Professional Conference Organisers’ that cater to your MICE needs. You also have exhibition contractors who would handle the logistics and functioning of a small to large scale exhibition.