MyCEB chief retires

The chief executive officer of Malaysia’s Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), Dato’ Sri Dr Abdul Khani Daud (pictured), is retiring on 21 April 2023 after 38 years of service in the tourism and business events industry. Dato’ Sri Dr. Abdul Khani Daud is the former director general of Islamic Tourism Centre (2018–2020) and played a pertinent role in spearheading efforts to develop a Muslim-friendly Accommodation Recognition programme . He has been director at Tourism Malaysia’s offices in Australia, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand and oversaw an increase of 60% tourist arrivals from Singapore between year 2000 to 2004. He was the mastermind of Global Meet 2006 during his tenure as the advertising director of Tourism Malaysia for more than a decade. In 2018, he was the organising chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). Dato’ Sri Dr. Abdul Khani officially took office at MyCEB on 5 February 2020 and has served on the MyCEB  the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees since 2017. He has spearheaded various projects, including the Meet in Malaysia campaign, which has generated an estimated economic impact of RM1.05bn (US$24m) for the country, 2020-2022. Additionally, he created the 3R (reset, restart and responsible) initiative. This has supported the participation of 19 industry players in international trade shows, assisted 50 professionals in obtaining Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM), and helped 114 local partners retain their local and international association memberships. He also played an instrumental role in easing travel to Malaysia where he helped secure a Business Events Special Lane at major airports to ensure smooth entry process, and MySafe Business Events Planner, a digital planner to assist and guide international business events planners and organisers. He was also the driving force behind the 10-year plan, the Malaysia Business Events Strategic Marketing Plan 2021–2030 which forecasted by the year 2030, business events are expected to contribute RM42.12bn in estimated economic impact while creating around 25,833 jobs. Dato’ Sri Dr. Abdul Khani has guided the organisation through several reinventions, including working closely with various ministries to track all business events activities that are taking place in the country. This includes some major events organised by the different ministries such as Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), and others. He led the Bureau in joining the Hybrid City Alliance together with other 21 cities around the world and formed Asia Convention Alliance together with Thailand, Taiwan, and Korea – two initiatives aimed at strengthening the business events industry for Malaysia and for the region. “Since the establishment of MyCEB, our relationship has never been closer under the leadership of Dato’ Sri Dr. Abdul Khani especially during the dire pandemic situation of the business events industry. His efforts to fight for the survival of the industry were well appreciated by all today. As we turned around for the better, Dato’ Sri Khani spurred the momentum to take the industry to a greater scale to stay relevant and resilient. He is a man with a clear vision to continuously take the country a notch higher that ensured Malaysia is established as a world renown destination for business events convergences. With that, we humbly extend our grateful gratitude for your vast contributions to all stakeholders of the industry. We would like to wish our heartiest congratulations on the remarkable career and have a well-deserved retirement,” said Francis Teo, president of Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) – one of many tributes.