By Ian Neubauer

‘Showing a united front’ has been identified as key to winning conferences contracts at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Association Seminar this week.

The weeklong seminar, How to Package a Winning Bid, saw an expert panel discuss strategies to promote Malaysia’s attractiveness as a MICE destination.

Among them was Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) former president, Datuk Mustafa Mansur, who referred to his organisation’s successful bid to host of the World Chambers Congress 2009.

“Showing a united front, particularly with government support before the international associations, indicated that we knew what we were doing and we could handle the enormity of the task”, he said.

“In addition to registering our interest to host the WCC 2009 early, we immediately enlisted the help of Team Malaysia members including the centre, Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.”

Convincing international event organisers of the attractiveness of Malaysia as a location was also identified as a key to winning bids, with Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre general manager, Peter Brokenshire, sharing the importance of inviting counterpart associations for site visits.

“An actual visit lets decision makers experience the first-class facilities and eases any uncertainties they may have when considering a new destination. The centre, with the help of Team Malaysia, can host such visits with entertainment opportunities, themed dinners, city tours and cultural showcases,” he said.

Malaysia Airlines was also present to pledge their support for the industry, with special fares and discounts for research trips, speakers and staff.

To learn more about MICE opportunities in Malaysia, click here.