Sarawak will debut at one of the world’s global trade shows, IMEX Frankfurt, 23-25 May with an inaugural stand-alone pavilion – providing an introduction for visitors into the destination’s sustainable practices.
This year, the pavilion — Tribe Legacy Sarawak — by Business Events Sarawak is themed ‘Business Events Support Community Development’, designed to be a unique celebration of the industry’s strong involvement with local communities and contribution to economic, social, and cultural sustainability in Sarawak.
The presence on IMEX Frankfurt’s show floor this year is expected to strengthen its position as an international destination for legacy, thought leadership and innovation.
Pavilion visitors can find the Tribe Legacy Sarawak pavilion at stand number B230 and meet with Sarawak’s six exhibiting industry partners:
- Borneo Convention Centre Kuching
- Pullman Kuching and Pullman Miri Waterfront Hotel
- Tourism and hospitality services provider Hemisphere Corporation
- Professional conference organisers ARC Creators
- Place Borneo
- Destination management company CPH Travel Agencies.
Staying true to the theme of community development, the pavilion floor programme will focus on key talking points. This will include Sarawak’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030, where specially curated plenaries will highlight the strategy’s six economic sectors and seven enabler sectors targeted for growth by the Sarawak Government.
“PCDS is a pivotal government strategy for Sarawak to achieve economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability by 2030,” expressed Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts.
“The Sarawak Government is invested in using business events as a business and collaboration platform to address ESG agendas, therefore the plenaries taking place at the pavilion will be significant for global decision makers and key opinion leaders.”
The pavilion will feature an exhibition on Sarawak’s legacy impact development, Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030, and the International Journal of Business Events and Legacies.
“We are encouraging associations, destination marketing organisations and convention & visitor bureaux from around the world to meet at the pavilion and discuss how we can collaborate to develop legacy impact and sustainability together,” said Amelia Roziman, BESarawak’s CEO.
In addition to the exhibited features, a press conference will be held on the first day of IMEX Frankfurt, 23 May, to unveil the three-year Legacy Impact Master Action Plan. The conference will additionally include an official announcement with the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Sustainability on their commitment to legacy impact.
Building a green legacy
Part of Sarawak’s commitment to sustainability and legacy will begin at home. Sarawak has won hosting rights for the 2023 Asian Association for Sport Management Conference (AASM 2023) due to take place 3 – 7 June – claiming victory for Sarawak as the first East Malaysian destination to host the conference.
The theme for AASM 2023 is The Asian Sport Industry and the Sustainability Agenda: Action and Education through Sport which perfectly echoes the Sarawak Government’s efforts in prioritising its sustainability agendas. It also aligns with the destination’s development path with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Sustainability is one of the three aspirational pillars of the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy. One of our objectives is to develop a more balanced sports policy for youths and other categories of the sports communities,” Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah added.
“This sustainability-driven approach towards sports development will definitely benefit our industry in the long run, therefore we are well on our way to future-proofing the sports industry and communities.”
The minister also believes that, considering Sarawak has a strong sports reputation in the region,“AASM 2023 can elevate that position to make Sarawak a regional sports powerhouse and a good contender in the global sports world.”
Additionally, Dr Wirdati Mohd Radzi, the advisor to Asian Association for Sport Management and Sport Management and Administration Association Malaysia noted that Sarawak is making a conscious effort to elevate Malaysia as the regional sport management hub for ASEAN and Asia.
It is doing this by showcasing the destination and Malaysia as a major sports management and sports conference hub for the future: “AASM and SMAS look forward to further collaborating with Sarawak and the state’s sports industry to make Sarawak and Malaysia a sporting powerhouse.”
Meanwhile, BESarawak is supporting AASM 2023 and believes that there is a much bigger impact from hosting the conference than just the exchange of knowledge and business cards. Roziman said: “We see business events as powerful platforms to connect sports associations, corporate players, practitioners, and government bodies in a single, inspiring setting.
“In the case of AASM 2023, not only will the sports sector grow because of the conference, but we truly believe that Sarawak can achieve the position of being a powerhouse through the opportunities available in AASM 2023.”
AASM 2023 comes in a timely manner as Sarawak was recently chosen to host the 2024 Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) Games, for which about 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference.
