Sarawak a key speaker at Bangkok congress 

KUCHING: Sarawak will be a global business events advocate for the government sector at the 62nd ICCA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand from Nov 12-15.

The Sarawak delegation, led by Datuk Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, is fuelling the global interest in legacy impact initiatives in several power-packed activities on the main stage.

Abdul Karim will be speaking in a power session called “Igniting Destination Growth in Unleashing the Power of Association Meetings” where world leaders and industry influencers dive into the business events industry’s pivotal role in driving change and sharing strategies for the industry to successfully interact with senior officials.

“What you will see from business events is one of the highest levels of advocacy and awareness of critical topics and when there is advocacy, there is awareness. You will build support from those who believe in what you are trying to do.

“Sarawak and ICCA are advocating for the same thing—legacy impact. It is a privilege for me to represent Sarawak at the 62nd ICCA Congress on stage, showcase our successes and contribute to global knowledge on the impactful initiatives taking place in our destination,” said Abdul Karim, who is the Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts in a press statement by BESarawak on Monday (Nov 13).

In a similar press statement, Deputy State Secretary in the Department of the Premier of Sarawak and BESarawak’s deputy chairman, Datuk Hii Chang Kee, will be the lead speaker for the exclusive ‘CEO of the Future’ workshop. 

The statement added that the workshop was designed for C-suite and senior leaders to do a deep dive into critical topics facing the industry and elevate their leadership to meet future challenges. 

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Amelia Roziman in a similar press statement said on Nov 12 at the ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter Meeting, BESarawak were awarded the Certificate of Achievement in recognition of Sarawak’s contribution to the global business events industry

Amelia received the certificate on behalf of the organisation and said Sarawak’s visibility would be widespread at the 62nd ICCA Congress from the strength of the participation this year. 

“We are harnessing the legacies of our collaborations with partners and supporters such as ICCA and are very honoured to be awarded as one of the leaders in the region. This shows ICCA’s genuine interest in our initiatives and their understanding of legacy impact,” she said in the statement.

Other partners joining the Sarawak delegation are Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) led by CEO, Eric Van Piggelen and Sarawak Trade & Tourism Office Singapore (STATOS) led by CEO, Chew Chang Guan.

The annual ICCA Congress by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) is a prestigious global gathering of business events and thought leaders to educate on the industry’s critical matters and celebrate achievements. 

The 62nd ICCA Congress has drawn a crowd of 1,000 delegates worldwide and this is the first time that Sarawak has stepped out of the delegate role and joined as key speakers.