LAUNCH OF THE PENANG MEETING PLANNERS GUIDE 2017-2018 BY PENANG CONVENTION & EXHIBITION BUREAU (PCEB)

SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE PENANG MEETING PLANNERS GUIDE 2017-2018
BY PENANG CONVENTION & EXHIBITION BUREAU (PCEB)

11am | Friday, 14 April 2017
Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa

Good morning.

Please allow me to start by saying how delighted I am to be joining you here today to officiate the launch of the second edition of the Meeting Planners Guide published by Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau.

Business Events is a key component of Business Tourism, which sees the business traveller spending an average of RM7000 compared to RM2000 spent by the leisure traveller. According to Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), the tourism industry is a significant contributor to Malaysia’s GDP, maintaining an average growth rate of 12% per annum since 2004. Malaysia will be a major business tourism destination by 2020 with a GNI of RM3,947 million.

Penang has risen to become a preferred second-tier destination in the region in for Business Events. In 2016, Penang hosted 141,864 delegates from 1,251 business events, contributing an estimated RM808 million in economic impact to the state. Almost 42% of this estimated economic impact was recorded from internationally-sourced meetings, corporate events and incentives. Developing this sector will boost the overall tourism industry, further driving the local economy for businesses as well as the people of Penang.

In March, PCEB kickstarted an industry wide awareness campaign called The Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) to shed light on the value of meetings to people, business and communities. PCEB’s industry partners, hotels and venues banded together to play a part in the international social media campaign carrying the hashtag GMID, putting Penang on the global meetings destination map. Throughout Penang, the meeting industry creates thousands of jobs, generating hundreds of millions of ringgits in revenue, supporting the local community. Last week, the Penang State Government proclaimed the 6th of April 2017 as the Penang Meetings Industry Day to recognise the impact of meetings and the meetings industry to our communities, businesses and economy.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year, we aim to increase the economic impact of Business Events by 20% and hope to break the RM1 billion mark. Hosting international business events is a driver for development in the state, with business tourists spending nearly four times more than the ordinary tourists. We have built capacity in the form of infrastructure and developed transport plans for greater connectivity. We are developing capability by building human capital and software for hospitality and professional management

The Penang Meeting Planners Guide 2017/18 features over 130 listings comprising of convention centres, hotels, unique boutique meeting venues, restaurants, and suppliers from all over Penang. Penang is blessed with a variety of offerings for the Business Events segment, from luxurious hotels and grand convention centres to distinctive venues and established restaurants that capture the contemporary cosmopolitan and cultural heritage of Penang.

I believe this publication will serve as a useful resource to promote and highlight the outstanding values and unique opportunities that Penang’s Business Events industry has to offer to the world - service, quality and integrity.

My heartiest congratulations to PCEB for successfully publishing the second edition of the Meeting Planners Guide. I wish the Business Events industry every success in promoting Penang’s Experiences Unfiltered.

Thank you.