Kuala Lumpur, 26 February 2013 – The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) successfully gathered local business events industry players during a fruitful networking session. As part of the Bureau’s efforts of elevating the country’s business events industry, the Industry Partner Programme (IPP) Networking Session (the Networking Session) aims to further strengthen Malaysia’s competitive position in the global business tourism market.

“The IPP was first launched in 2011. Since then, we have recruited 237 partners which vary from across sectors. These sectors include hospitality, event planners, destination management companies, conventions centres and venue owners,” said Zulkefli Hj Sharif, CEO of MyCEB. “The main objective of IPP is to provide business opportunities for partners that will ultimately increase Malaysia’s success rate in securing international business events. The Networking Session creates a platform to bring industry partners and players alike together to share knowledge and expertise; and to further enhance the quality of our services in order to compete internationally,” he continued.

This year, MyCEB is targeting to recruit 70 or more industry partners under the IPP. Amongst the advantages of the IPP is access to sales leads and business referrals, professional development opportunities through MyCEB’s training sessions, product development programmes and business opportunities through cooperative platforms under the destination umbrella. Companies can also expect to enhance their profile and gain privy to vital market intelligence. IPP’s wide range of sales and marketing initiatives help to propel local companies into the lucrative international business tourism market.

Amongst the activities that were conducted during the Networking Session include a Table Top Session, a talk on Industry Update and Overview and an interesting demonstration of a teambuilding service that could be adapted and considered as a new product by all industry players.

The Networking Session also witnessed for the first time the unveiling of IPP’s logo. Zulkefli elaborates, “The IPP logo represents an identity for the Programme by itself. It also indicates our higher and even more aggressive commitment to connect with our partners. Proactive engagement is most crucial as industry partners play a very important role in contributing to the growth of the country’s business events industry. ”

MyCEB aims to continuously lead the way in championing Malaysia’s business tourism sector through its Networking Session and other innovative programmes. This is in line with its mission under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which is to grow business tourism arrivals from 5 percent to 8 percent of the overall tourist arrivals; which translates to an increase from 1.2 million (2009) to 2.9 million by year 2020, and position the country as one of the Top 5 destinations in Asia Pacific for international meetings.

The Industry Partner Programme is opened to Malaysia-based business tourism product and service providers including venue and accommodation providers, conference and event management companies, transport operators, tour and leisure companies as well as industry associations. To know more about IPP, contact Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau at 03-20342090 or log on to www.myceb.com.my

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For more information, please contact:

Shazrina Othman

Manager, PR & Communications

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau

Tel: +603 2034 2090 • Fax: +603 2034 2091 •Email: shazrina@myceb.com.my

NOTE TO EDITORS

About the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB)

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau was established in 2009 by Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia to further strengthen Malaysia’s business tourism brand and position for the international business events market. A non-profit organisation, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau serves as a central hub to assist meeting and event planners to bid for and stage international business events in Malaysia and act as a conduit for national product development. Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s goal is to improve its rankings as an international meetings destination within International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and to grow business tourism arrivals to Malaysia.

Apart from business events, an important component of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau is the International Events Unit (IEU) which focuses on identifying and supporting international event bids in the areas of sports, art and culture and lifestyle.

In November 2011, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau unveiled its business events tagline, ‘Malaysia – Asia’s Business Events Hub’ which encompasses its aim to communicate Malaysia’s proposition as a gateway to Asia for meetings – where many of Asia’s diverse cultures, languages and lifestyles are represented and have merged through a long history of trade and meetings.

For more information, please visit www.myceb.com.my

February 2013