The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has become the first convention centre in the world to simultaneously win the Overall Winner Award and the Delegates’ Choice Award at the International Association of Convention Centres’ (AIPC) Innovation Awards 2026, held during the recent AIPC Annual Conference in Bilbao, Spain.
The Innovation Awards recognise convention and exhibition centres that demonstrate exceptional innovation, operational excellence and measurable outcomes for the global meetings industry. The Centre’s dual win marks the first time in the awards’ history that a single venue has been recognised by both an independent international judging panel and its industry peers in the same year.
The winning submission centred on the Centre’s transformation of underutilised space into revenue-generating event venues – most notably the conversion of its former Press Centre into contemporary meeting facilities. Rather than expanding its physical footprint, the Centre chose to reimagine existing assets.
Robert Hatton-Jones, deputy general manager of the Centre, said: “To receive both awards is an extraordinary honour, particularly as they represent recognition from two important groups – the AIPC Board, who served as the judging panel, and delegates from convention centres around the world who attended the AIPC Annual Conference and voted for the People’s Choice Award.”
The AIPC recognition comes amid a strong first half of 2026 for the Centre. Between January and June 2026, the Centre hosted over 552 business events, welcoming approximately 810,685 delegates and generating an estimated RM548m (US$134.3m) in economic impact for Malaysia.
Notable events held at the Centre during the period included the Offshore Technology Conference, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates; Asiawater 2026, with over 10,000 delegates and visitors; the MIA International Accountants Conference 2026, which welcomed close to 1,300 delegates; as well as Automechanika Kuala Lumpur 2026, attracting more than 5,000 participants; the World Federation of Hemophilia Congress 2026, with approximately 2,000 delegates; the International Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) 2026, which drew around 2,500 delegates.
The Centre’s calendar remains busy heading into the second half of the year. Upcoming events include the Malaysian International Food & Beverage Expo (15–17 July), expected to attract more than 10,000 participants; the APHM International Healthcare Conference & Exhibition (28–30 July); Cosmobeauté Malaysia & Beautyexpo (29 September–1 October), which is set to host around 400 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions; and the 22nd Asian Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Engineering Exhibition (OGA 2026), one of the region’s largest energy exhibitions, which is expected to attract more than 22,000 delegates and trade visitors.
