Return of Penang’s largest convention set to deliver more than $34m to local economy

Penang in Malaysia is set to host its largest incentive group convention once again after a hiatus of two years. The V-Convention Malaysia by V Global will be coming back, 7-11 October, with close to 13,000 delegates from 50 countries. The five-day event will see a series of motivational speeches, product, and services training, a trade exhibition as well as a corporate conference happening simultaneously at Setia SPICE Convention Centre. Organisers say the conference will offer a platform to motivate individuals to not only improve their lives and the lives of others but at the same time to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship. Quoting the theme of the convention this year, chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said: “The theme of this year’s V-convention, ‘Be the change’ caught my attention. It’s an amazing message to people of all ages that all failures and successes must be reaped with our own hands. It’s pivotal to… choose to be the creators of our own journeys. Penang has always stood by this and created a name and legacy on its own. And the milestones achieved by Penang during these years are significant and impeccable.” Organisers believe this convention is set to play a significant role in activating the incentive travel sectors again in order to boost demand for the destination. Dato’ Sri Subahan Kamal, representing V Global Management and QI Group said: “We have been waiting for this day for almost three years now! Penang has been the home of the V-Convention since 2008 over the past 15 years bringing over 200,000 people to this beautiful island. We’ve missed being back here. This is our biggest event of the year and a very important platform for us as we celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship. “We want to show the world that Malaysia is back and Penang is the place to visit.” The five-day conference, it is forecast, will have an economic impact of RM157m (US$34.8m).