Sarawak Wins Best Sustainability Initiative at M&C Asia Stella Awards 2024

Sarawak’s legacy impact strategy for business events wins the Best Sustainability Initiative in the Destination category at the prestigious M&C (Meetings & Conventions) Asia Stella Awards. 

The award recognises the Business Events Sarawak Legacy Initiative (BESLegacy Initiative) as the most innovative sustainability programme among all destinations in Asia. 

The BESLegacy Initiative, developed in 2020 by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), is the first and only framework in Malaysia where business event planners can strategise their convention and exhibition legacies and design event programmes that lead to sustainability outcomes such as community development, environmental responsibility, and economic growth.

“Sarawak has been focusing on sustainable business event practices through the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030. Economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability are the three aspirations we wish to achieve and winning this award reflects our commitment to Sarawak’s development,” said the Hon. Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak. “We are thrilled to see our efforts widely appreciated by the global industry and will continue to leverage our strengths to position Sarawak as a leading destination for responsible and impactful business events.”

“We focus on creating a more sustainable economy, society, and environment by looking at the impact and legacies of business events. Our Tribe Legacy Sarawak campaign tagline ‘Driving Impact Together’ perfectly sums up what can be achieved when we collaborate towards the same vision,” said Dato Sri Abang Haji Abdul Karim Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, BESarawak’s Chairman. “Sarawak will build on this success by advocating for sustainable growth, fostering innovative collaborations, and driving initiatives that create lasting legacies for our society.”

“Making a significant impact is the result of many smaller, meaningful efforts,” said Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak. “This boosts our motivation to continue securing business events that align with both government priorities and the interests of our communities, ensuring that each event contributes to long-term, sustainable progress.”

In a related development, BESarawak signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak to conduct an economic and legacy impact study to assess the actual sustainability outcomes— economic, social, and environmental — of selected business events hosted in Sarawak. The study will lead to the launch of the legacy impact measurement “dashboard” (data visualisation of business events’ economic and legacy contributions) in the first quarter of 2025.