THE PCEB ANNUAL REVIEW 2017 LAUNCH

SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG

AT THE PCEB ANNUAL REVIEW 2017 LAUNCH

5th February 2018
DoubleTree Resort by Hilton, Penang

 

Good morning, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to the launch of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB)’s 2017 Review of Penang’s Business Events industry.
Before we move on to the statistics and roundup of 2017, I would like to congratulate PCEB for starting 2018 on an exciting note with the signing of a strategic partnership alliance with Malaysia Airlines Berhad. With this strategic partnership, we believe that PCEB will be able to better position and promote Penang as the preferred Business Events destination in the region by tapping into the airline’s extensive network.

Besides that, I am also proud to announce that Team Penang has just completed its first road show for both leisure and Business Events. Covering four Indian cities – Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, the Penang Sales Mission to India was supported by a Penang delegation of 17 partners. Among the partners were Penang Global Tourism, hotels, destination management companies, event experts and Malaysia Airlines.

About 1,000 interested buyers, as well as media, association chairs and members of the Indian tourism and trade boards attended the roadshow. In all four cities, PCEB organised three events which included the B2B Session, a press conference and a networking dinner. The Penang partners also sponsored lucky draw prizes that amounted to a total of RM 100,000.

The roadshow signifies that Penang has arrived – being the first Malaysian state to organise its own roadshow to India.

After India, Team Penang will also be attending 9 other trade shows this year namely in China, Korea, Germany, London, and America which will benefit and expand the Penang Business Events market by reaching out to more potential buyers and meeting planners.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I stand here today, proud to announce that PCEB and its partners have reached the RM 1 billion target for Penang’s Business Events in 2017. The overall Estimated Economy Impact (EEI) for the year was RM 1.002 billion and Penang hosted a total of 2,511 events, with 267,518 participants. This resulted to RM 1.373 million for room fees with an accumulation of 457,806 room nights.

International events make up to 159 with 141,294 participants, or an EEI value of RM376.65 million. These international events comprise 38% of the overall EEI.

As for the area for domestic events, there was a total of 126,224 participants for 2,352 events, that contributed to an EEI of RM 626.17 million.

The top 3 sectors that have been dominantly prevalent include Commerce, Industry, and Corporate events, which are the factors for the increase of Business Events in Penang.

For 2018, the target has been raised to RM 1.8 billion and we are certain that with the launch of the annual review, the industry is able to focus more on the targeted sectors that are bringing in more income for Penang.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate PCEB on delivering one of the most comprehensive Business Events reports in the nation. This is a proof that Penang is driven by facts and figures, ad that we are committed to developing our economy based on sound analysis after all everything that is worth doing must be measurable.
This report will further emphasise on not only our strengths and challenges, but our collective effort to continue what we do best – for delegates to have an ‘Experiences Unfiltered’ time in Penang.

I wish to applaud everyone in the industry and those who are here for the launch regarding this remarkable accomplishment. The statistics that will be presented are all part and parcel of your efforts and hard work in bringing in Business Events for Penang.

Thank you.