Malaysia’s premier purpose-built venue, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) reports a significant increase in demand for in-person events, with up to 127 global meetings (51 conventions and 76 exhibitions) booked at the venue from 2022 to 2024.
“We definitely are seeing an improvement in Malaysia’s business events landscape after two years, which were heavily impacted by the pandemic. Malaysia as a destination has demonstrated its capability to create a safe environment for business events moving forward and the strength and resilience of its supply chain and logistics, showcasing flexibility and agility in the face of a global crisis,” said Alan Pryor, the Centre’s general manager.
Since the country opened its international borders and eased meetings and events restrictions in April, the Centre has hosted close to 300 in-person events involving around 200,000 delegates and guests. “We hosted a record number of corporate open houses this year during the Hari Raya season, hosting up to five dinners and thousands of guests, in one night. The open houses are an important part of Malaysia’s business culture and are a key avenue for local organisations and companies to build and maintain professional affiliations, as well as engage with their team members during the festive period,” added Pryor.
Pryor added this year the Centre has pioneered the first public-private sector partnership to advance collective sustainability goals, and has placed AI-powered technologies to manage food waste and encourage recycling.
The Centre’s most recent major international convention bid wins were for an architectural convention in 2024 and a medical convention in 2026, with expected delegate counts of 6,000 and 5,000 respectively. Recently, the venue was also recognised with the EventseumTM Hall of Fame 2021 Global Innovation Award for Asia and the ‘Muslim-Friendly Convention and Exhibition Centre of the Year’ by Halal in Travel Awards 2022.
The venue also reports seeing strong traction in the return of live entertainments events in its 3,000-seater Plenary Hall. now until the end of the year, the Centre will also be hosting at least six more concerts and stand-up comedy shows.
The Centre’s upcoming events calendar includes the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 2022 (IGARSS 2022); International Medical Exhibition & Conference (IMEC EXPO) 2022; 6th Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Congress (APGC) 2022; International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference (IGEM) 2022; International Congress on Infectious Diseases 2022; and IEEE International Instrumentation & Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC) 2023.
Photo: Delegates connect face-to-face at Rail Solutions Asia 2022 at KLCC, 22–24 June.
