Malaysian industry council urges greater collaboration with government

Business Events Council Malaysia (BCEM) chairman Alan Pryor has urged the Malaysian government to engage more with the business events industry. Pryor highlighted that business events would be a crucial part of the post-Covid recovery in Malaysia. A recent survey by BCEM found that 100% of venues experienced at least an 85% decrease in total events, resulting in a minimum of 75% plunge in overall 2020 revenue compared to the previous year. Their biggest concerns were financial challenges surrounding employee wages, building utility and maintenance payments. A 2018 report by the Malaysia Convention and Exhibitions Bureau found that the business events industry was expected to contribute RM3.9billion to the Gross National Income, and to provide about 16,700 jobs, by 2020. Pryor commented: “As the collective voice of the Malaysia BE industry, we are actively reaching out to the government to maintain a more consistent communication channel to discuss how venues and the industry can help the government rehabilitate the country’s economy. “2020 was a tragic year for the industry and it continues to be so as the industry is unable to operate in line with Government restrictions. With vaccines finally coming within reach, giving way to herd immunity, potentially allowing us to put the uncertainties behind us, the pent-up demand for meetings, conferences and business events will supersede the supply.”