ICCA Announces Sarawak as Exclusive Legacy Impact Certification Contributor

From left: Amelia Roziman (CEO, BESarawak), Datu Hii Chang Kee (Deputy State Secretary of Sarawak, Deputy Chairman of BESarawak), Marta Gomes (President, ICCA) and Senthil Gopinath (CEO, ICCA).

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) announced Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) as the exclusive Seed Grant Contributor for the first legacy impact certification programme - Association Impact Masterclass.

“ICCA is very excited to have Sarawak on board as the destination exemplifies greatness in developing legacy impact, setting a remarkable standard as role models. Their dedication and achievements in leaving a lasting and positive imprint serve as an inspiration for others,” said Senthil Gopinath, CEO of ICCA. “Sarawak’s collaboration with ICCA on the upcoming Association Impact Masterclass is a testament to their leadership and vision in making a meaningful difference for individuals and communities.”

The Association Impact Masterclass is co-created by ICCA, GainingEdge and Meet4Impact. ICCA's goal is to elevate the business events standards and make it inclusive for everyone, from juniors to leaders, to become world-class professionals. The Association Impact Masterclass will also empower the industry to maximise all opportunities in business events by having professional training aligned with the world-renowned ICCASkills Certification.

“The Sarawak Government envisions Sarawak as the Legacy Capital of business events in Malaysia and Borneo. We see the importance of business events and its legacy in materialising our 10-year policy, the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030)”, said Datu Hii Chang Kee, Deputy State Secretary of Sarawak and Deputy Chairman of BESarawak, at the 62nd ICCA Congress seed fund announcement.

Echoing Datu Hii’s comment, Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak added “Being the exclusive contributor will definitely help us to position Sarawak better. However, what is important is growing the human capital with highly qualified legacy impact association members. ICCA has been supporting our efforts to change the narrative of business events for the past 6 years. Our long-term collaboration is with associations who are vital stakeholders with a pivotal role in developing our key economic sectors in PCDS 2030”.

More details on the Association Impact Masterclass will be revealed at IBTM World in Barcelona this November.

IJBEL launched special launch for 62nd ICCA Congress

Fulfilling the promise of creating a special-focus edition for one of the most anticipated Congresses of the year, Curtin University Malaysia publishes Volume 2 Issue 1 of the International Journal of Business Events and Legacies (IJBEL) at the 62nd ICCA Congress. 

The IJBEL special edition was launched by the Strategic Advisory Tripartite consisting of the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP), Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), and the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) on the third day of the ICCA congress. 

In line with the Congress’ theme on legacy and sustainability, the latest release takes a deep dive into how global industry players, from meeting planners to topic experts, strategise business events to positively shape today’s business events environment. Furthermore, it also takes a look at both academic and non-academic perspectives on today’s legacy and sustainability issues.

“Governments are realising that meeting for change is the key to transformation, hence we are advocating legacy impact for the government sector. Sustaining the industry requires government commitment and Sarawak is a role model for such leadership. We are very open to collaborating with destinations, associations and industries around the world to facilitate change together”, expressed The Honourable Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts and the Patron of IJBEL.

Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (centre) presenting Volume 2 Issue 1 hardcopy to Marta Gomes (President of ICCA). On her left is ICCA's CEO, Senthil Gopinath.

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. Meanwhile, IJBEL has 6 strategic partners from academia, associations to CVB — Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), Sarawak Research Society, Goyang Convention Bureau and The Iceberg by Joint Meetings Industry Council. 

“If destinations are serious about change, now is the time to reevaluate how to leverage legacy impact as a disruptor for future meetings,” stated Senthil Gopinath, Chairman of the IJBEL Advisory Board. “Driving a dramatic positive change in society requires a collective approach and this edition of the journal speaks very much on how the global industry is applying legacy impact in the real world to connect their events to the communities they care about. I urge researchers and practitioners to submit a paper for the next issue, and organisations to collaborate as strategic partners.”