Sarawak’s Business Event Industry Unites to Connect, Play, and Donate for Impact

A pickleball charity match raised 750 books in support of Sekolah Kebangsaan (National School) Batu Bungan in Mulu, Miri. Among the players were Datuk Snowdan Lawan (Deputy Minister for Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak) and Datuk Sebastian Ting (Deputy Minister for Tourism Sarawak).

Business event players from Sarawak came together for an evening of fun and philanthropy under the theme, ‘Connect. Play. Donate.’, co-hosted by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) and International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

‘Connect. Play. Donate.’ doubled as an industry celebration and a charity night in support of Sekolah Kebangsaan (National School) Batu Bungan of Mulu, Miri. As a gift of love from the industry, the school will be gifted books donated by tonight’s guests through the ‘Books Build Legacy’ corporate social responsibility initiative. 

To foster a greater sense of enthusiasm in donating, BESarawak was assisted by the Kuching Pickleball Association to organise a pickleball charity match. The match saw eight pairs compete to win the highest points, which were then converted into book donations; every point won equated to ten books. Among the players were YB Datuk Sebastian Ting (Deputy Minister for Tourism Sarawak), YB Datuk Snowdan Lawan (Deputy Minister for Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak) and key industry leaders.

“The industry has done a tremendous job in making Sarawak recognisable and identifiable to the world as a strong business event destination. Last year, we hosted 107 business events worth RM 372 million and secured 95 events for 2024–2028 worth RM 346.5 million,” stated Datuk Sebastian Ting, who represented Dato Sri Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak. “We also identified 62% of the 95 events as potential business events to leave a legacy impact in Sarawak, which is a 12% increase against our target of 50%. Legacy impact is a crucial mechanic in contributing to the development of every industry and sector, targeted by the Sarawak government, under the post-COVID development strategy 2030.”

“Tonight’s theme is about making a positive impact as an enjoyable, shared experience and that celebrations can be done in a meaningful way. After many years of collaborating, this is the first time for us to have ICCA and MyCEB as co-hosts to an event, aligning our vision in advocating legacy impact in Malaysia,” said Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak.