THE SARAWAK CONVENTION BUREAU (SCB)

The Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) recently commenced operations and will provide all the full impartial and free advisory services expected and received from Convention Bureau Worldwide. SCB has been making news in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions industry with its matketing campaings and award winning strategies. Its campaign theme awaken the Worrior Within.

The SCB is a 'one-stop' for independant information and assistance and will give a planner advice on all aspects of hosting and organizing conventions and business events within Sarawak. SCB its a new in industry but helmed by Datuk Seri Dr Muhammad Leo Micheal Toyad now realises the state untapped potential.

Qualified buyers familiarization visits and site inspections to introduce Sarawak to planners will be coordinated by the bureau and the potential buyers are invited to familiarize themselves with the destination, including Social Programs, Pre and Post Tours and Incentive Packages and Sarawak Suppliers. These impressive figure are no less helped by the advertising campaign. The businee direction to bid for specific target groups and association is paying off.

Sarawak is delivering and has the potential to deliver more to meet this market need. SCB churned out a Meeting and Plannner Guide that adequately intoduced Sarawak and its facilities to the industry to meet that need.

Sarawak is an attractive option for the convention and meetings market since there is an additional feature of Sarawaks cultural and holiday destination features which are incoptated
1

into the meeting and convention package, appealing to participants who are into nature conservation and eco tourism.

MY OPINION ABOUT SARAWAK CONVENTION BUREAU

In my opinion, the Sarawak Convention Bureau is a non-profit company whose aim is to bring Sarawak to the forefront as a competitive destination for international meetings. The Bureau provides professional advice to meeting planners and helps connect NGOs, corporations, and government bodies. Inside Investors asked Managing Director Mike Cannon about the state of MICE visitation in Sarawak and the objectives of the Bureau.

Primarily SCBs marketing Sarawak as a leading business events location and aim, significantly, to be the driving force in securing business events for the state. Such events comprise of conventions, incentive travel rewards programmes, corporate meetings, corporate product launches, as well as exhibitions and special events. SCBs want to drive maximum delegate numbers through marketing activities for events that the Convention Bureau has won. SCBs has exchange ideas, and to network development and trade contacts for partners such as hotels, airlines, and event organisers and for business beyond tourism.

Business events and conferences are giving more back to a destination than tourists. That doesnt mean that tourists are not important: They create infrastructure for the businesses to stay. But, as opposed to the Sarawak Tourism Board are not marketing to tourists. The SCBs idea marketing to corporate and association heads and cause of this idea of course use the same infrastructure such as hotels and restaurants. The Sarawak government has to recognised that business events enhance society and the social economy as there is more money behind the business events visitor compared to the tourist, leisure visitor. This is one of the best ways to reach Sarawaks 2020 target of being a high-income state is to bring in more meetings.

SCBs must to provide many things, depending on the needs of the meeting organisers and become a business matchmaker to link them with services providers such as venue operators, restaurants, hotels, airlines, and such. Provide a successful experience in Sarawak. For example, if a conference is held in the Borneo Convention Center Kuching, the biggest and best equipped in Sarawak, then they could organise a gala dinner in the nearby museum garden. For tours, can guide delegates through the national parks. In other hand, they keep a focus on business and add an element of culture and adventure. For example, if there is a scientific conference, the delegates would normally spend about 48 to 55 per cent of their time talking about business. The rest of their time is spent on tours and events. They might go to the longhouses, they would see the Culture Village, and they would have dinner in the museum. If its an incentive event, its a different story altogether. For example, if Honda is launching new motorbikes in Sarawak, we take the participants to places where the can test the bikes, and where they can see the real Sarawak and find great photo opportunities, which is, in turn, good for branding.

CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, the most importantly, its not only the number of visitors, its also about how the conferences and events enhance Sarawaks society and benefit the long-term legacies for Sarawak, such as the exposure to best practice operations, enhancement of business relationships and international prestige, enlargement of the business migration inflow, trade opportunities, commercial sponsorships and fundraising opportunities, and the leveraging of existing exports such as mining, timber and agriculture.

APPENDIX & REFERENCES