PCMA signs Collaborative Agreement with Sarawak at Convening Leaders in Ohio

Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) has signed a collaborative agreement with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) as a strategic partner to develop the International Journal of Business Events and Legacies (IJBEL) in North America and worldwide.

IJBEL is the world’s first academic journal to merge business events and legacy topics under one title. It includes high quality research, reviews and viewpoints offering wide and varied perspectives on business events issues for the events industry — practitioners, researchers, academicians, students and event enthusiasts.

This is a collaboration between BESarawak, the International Congress & Convention Association as the exclusive international association partner, and Universiti Teknologi MARA and Sarawak Research Society as strategic partners to provide a knowledge sharing platform for the business events industry globally. IJBEL is managed by Curtin University Malaysia.

IJBEL has 48 collaborators ranging from editors and advisors to association and academia partners from Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

BESarawak and PCMA's newfound collaboration under the strategic partnership category is expected to open new opportunities for Sarawak—a second tier destination in Malaysia—with PCMA’s network of audience and members to expand the journal’s reach and make it an efficient tool for academic and practical use.

“Sarawak is an emerging point for serious thought leadership and innovation. We have spent several years learning and facilitating business event legacies, and are the first to put social and economic progress at the forefront of Malaysian business events,” said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts at PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2023 signing ceremony today. “Our newfound strategic partnership with PCMA is expected to open new opportunities to collaborate with their wide network of audience and members to expand the journal’s reach and make it an efficient tool for academic and practical use. We openly welcome more academicians and convention bureaux to become strategic partners of the journal.”

“The agreement with Business Events Sarawak is completely aligned with PCMA’s vision of growth as both organisations share the same goal — to demonstrate how business events transform societies, businesses and communities,” said Sherrif Karamat, PCMA President and CEO. “We look forward to collaborating with BESarawak to develop the journal as it elevates the influence of business events and advocates legacy and sustainability impact globally.”

The Sarawak Government developed the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 to recalibrate Sarawak’s economy post-pandemic and achieve the strategy’s three aspirations: Economic Prosperity, Social Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability. PCDS identified 6 key economic areas and 7 enablers targeted for growth and the business events sub-sector is now part and parcel of achieving these aspirations.

From current observation and assessments, IJBEL’s objectives and content are meeting expectations in optimising human capital and promoting entrepreneurship; leveraging research to drive global innovation, and promoting sustainable agendas and development through research activities. IJBEL also aims to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals of Quality Education and Partnership for the Goals.

“Sarawak’s business events industry is proactive in searching for new ways to deliver business events successfully and lead the way in terms of industry development,” said Amelia Roziman, BESarawak’s CEO. “We are about more than just winning bids; we want to be part of the global industry’s reset-and-recovery through education. This involves forging collaborations at micro and macro levels with local, national and international players.”

On 30 November 2022, IJBEL’s first volume was launched with 11 articles being published. Articles focused predominantly on legacy and sustainability, proving that there is a necessity to establish a platform where such topics can be discussed.