Call for Malaysia’s business events frontliners to be vaccinated as priority as industry unites to pool staff

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) took the initiative to bring business events industry leaders together as the sector works out a recovery plan. A virtual meeting was held on 14 June which included industry stalwarts such as YBhg Dato’ Sri Dr. Irmohizam Ibrahim, chairman Asia-Pacific of the World Trade Centre Association (WTCA), YBhg Dato’ Vincent Lim, president of Asia Federation of Exhibition & Convention Association (AFECA), Francis Teo, president of Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS) and Alan Pryor, president of Business Events Council of Malaysia (BECM). The meeting was chaired by YBhg Dato’ Sri Abdul Khani Daud, CEO of MyCEB. The industry leaders shared updates on their members’ involvement with vaccination centers (PPV). They noted the business events industry was rallying behind the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in its recovery plan and efforts to seek out key players in the business events industry to be given early immunisation. MACEOS was assisting efforts to secure staffing at selected convention centres that are running the vaccination programme. MyCEB staff and others from the business events industry will be deployed to assist venues such as World Trade Centre KL, MITEC, KL Convention Centre, Setia City Convention Centre, Persada Johor, Borneo Convention Center Kuching, Sabah International Convention Center, Setia SPICE Penang. “The business events industry is intertwined with the rest of the tourism industry, including airlines, venues, caterers and transportation providers. We need each other in order to recover. We welcome the statement made by YB Dato’ Sri Nancy Shukri, minister of tourism, arts and culture, early this month in calling for early vaccination for the tourism and business events front liners. “Once our industry is vaccinated, we can hopefully reopen,” said Dato’ Sri Abdul Khani Daud, the MyCEB CEO. The second initiative in the pipeline is the production of the MySafe Business Events Planner which is jointly produced by MyCEB and BECM. This planner will provide detailed information on the advance planning and organising necessary for event organisers, laying out clear steps for assisting international associations, meeting planners, and trade show and exhibition organisers to guide them through the safety measures.