Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign Sets New Global Benchmarks for Business Events

The Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign has achieved its most significant impact to date, driving record growth in Sarawak’s business events sector and firmly establishing the state as Malaysia and Borneo’s Legacy Capital of Business Events.

Driven by strong collaboration across government, industry, academia, communities and global partners, the campaign has reshaped the way business events are delivered in Sarawak – shifting the focus from short-term tourism gains to long-term economic, social and environmental value. This sustained momentum culminated in Business Events Sarawak’s (BESarawak) strongest performance to date in 2025, as the organisation approaches its 20th anniversary.

A Legacy Movement Generating Tangible Economic Outcomes

In FY2025, Sarawak secured 160 business events, surpassing its annual target by achieving 115%. These events, scheduled to take place between 2025 and 2030, are projected to deliver a total economic impact of RM483.5 million.

Projected direct delegate expenditure reached RM262.8 million (€55.7 million), generating RM29 million (€6.1 million) in tax revenue across 177,453 delegate days. Sarawak also sustained a 100% bid success rate since 2022, underscoring continued international confidence in the destination’s leadership, readiness and supporting ecosystem.

Key events secured during this period include the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Conference 2025, the Asian Congress on Occupational Health 2026, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Triennial General Assembly 2026, and the International Council on Archives (ICA) Conference 2027.

On the hosting side, Sarawak successfully delivered 159 business events in 2025 – a 27% increase year-on-year. These events generated RM491.4 million (€104.1 million) in total economic impact, including RM267 million (€56.6 million) in direct delegate expenditure. A total of 59,926 delegates were welcomed, contributing RM29.5 million (€6.3 million) in tax revenue and supporting more than 38,000 jobs across the state.
 

Shifting Global Perceptions Through Tribe Legacy Sarawak

“I am very proud to announce that 2025 represented the best performance in Sarawak’s business events history,” said The Honourable Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (above), Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, during the Board of Directors Appreciation Dinner.

“We have reshaped how the world looks at Sarawak – from a once overlooked destination into the legacy capital of business events in Malaysia and Borneo. It is a powerful journey of vision, perseverance, and partnership, and one that we proudly celebrate as we mark our 20th anniversary this year. This is not the achievement of one organisation, but the result of a united ecosystem working with shared purpose.”

The Minister further highlighted that the period from 2026 to 2030 represents the final phase of the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, aligned with Sarawak’s 13th Malaysia Plan.

“Our next phase must ensure that business events continue to deliver meaningful contributions to our economy, society and environment. Tribe Legacy Sarawak provides the platform to mobilise talent, partnerships and innovation at scale.”

Building a Measurable Legacy Ecosystem

Through the Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign, impact measurement and legacy design have been embedded into Sarawak’s business events strategy. Of the 166 legacy-focused events secured in 2025, 60 have been selected for a pilot measurement programme, with 10 already validated and the remaining 50 currently undergoing assessment to evaluate economic, social and community outcomes.

As part of the legacy initiative, 13 high-value national and international events have been activated across strategic sectors including hydrogen and carbon markets, the digital economy, healthcare, literacy and aerospace – directly supporting Sarawak’s PCDS 2030 priorities.

“The last five years focused on building the legacy ecosystem and developing the Legacy Impact Master Action Plan,” said Datu Hii Chang Kee, Chairman of BESarawak. “Our next phase will deepen data intelligence, digitalisation, partnerships and talent development – ensuring Sarawak remains globally competitive while delivering sustainable value for our people.”
 

Global Leadership in Legacy Innovation

Through the campaign, Sarawak has set international benchmarks with pioneering platforms such as LEGACY360 Education, the Legacy Event Advocacy Policy (LEAP) Summit, the Borneo Inspires Legacy Awards and the Sarawak Business Events Forum – collectively creating integrated ecosystems for advocacy, education and recognition.

Sarawak also became the first government to adopt the Borneo Legacy Declaration, with the Business Events Sarawak Alliance serving as its first implementation milestone across ministries and agencies.

“We are incredibly proud of how Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign has mobilised the entire ecosystem,” said Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak. “This campaign proves that when government, industry and communities align around shared purpose, business events become powerful platforms for national transformation and global contribution.”

Sarawak’s leadership has also been recognised internationally through the ICCA Award of Appreciation, The Iceberg Excellence Award, and Amelia Roziman’s appointment as the first Asian Trustee on the Iceberg Board of Trustees.

Looking Ahead: Tribe Legacy 2026–2030

As BESarawak approaches its 20th anniversary in 2026, the Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign will focus on accelerating data intelligence, digital platforms, leadership capability and cross-sector partnerships – ensuring sustained growth aligned with PCDS 2030, the 13th Malaysia Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The campaign reinforces Sarawak’s ambition not only to host world-class business events, but to build a destination and industry driven by higher purpose – creating enduring legacies that will benefit generations to come.
 

Curtin University Malaysia Leads IJBEL’s Global Platform

Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) has also formally transferred the management and operational responsibilities of the International Journal of Business, Events and Legacies (IJBEL) to Curtin University Malaysia, marking a significant milestone in the advancement of academic–industry collaboration within the business events sector.

The transition was formalised through an official agreement signing, witnessed by Amelia Roziman under which Curtin University Malaysia assumes full responsibility for the journal’s management and operations. BESarawak will remain recognised as the Founding and Strategic Partner, acknowledging its instrumental role in the creation and establishment of IJBEL.

“The transfer of ownership reinforces BESarawak’s legacy principles of continuity and sustainability, enabling legacy-driven business events to evolve as a field of study,” said Jason Tan Chin Foo, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of BESarawak. “We will continue to support the journal through advocacy, promotion, and guidance to ensure that IJBEL lives on as shared, global intellectual capital.”

“This Memorandum of Agreement with Business Events Sarawak marks an important step in strengthening academic–industry collaboration to advance research, knowledge sharing, and thought leadership in business events and legacy studies. Through IJBEL, Curtin University Malaysia is proud to provide a credible, internationally aligned platform that brings together academic research and industry perspectives, while enhancing the visibility and impact of business events across academia, industry, and government,” stated Professor Vincent Lee Chieng Chen, Pro Vice-Chancellor, President, and Chief Executive, Curtin University Malaysia.

Launched in 2022, IJBEL was the world’s first academic journal dedicated specifically to examining how business events generate economic, social, environmental, and cultural legacies. Since its inception, Curtin University Malaysia has served as the journal’s academic and operational foundation, delivering editorial leadership, global reach, and scholarly rigour, while effectively bridging industry practice with academic research.

In 2025, BESarawak and Curtin University Malaysia reached another important milestone with Korea’s announcement of the 2026 IJBEL Korea Special Edition. As part of this collaboration, the Goyang (Korea) Convention Bureau will partner with Curtin University Malaysia to publish the special edition and host a legacy forum during Goyang Destination Week, further strengthening IJBEL’s role as a global platform for advancing legacy-driven business events.
 

Published by Meeting Media Company, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.