The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) recently hosted five board members from Association Management Companies (AMC) Institute for an immersive educational visit. The programme was designed to provide an all-encompassing experience of the Centre, Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia’s attractive and affordable business events proposition and to provide a direct educational exchange that could benefit local association development.
The itinerary for the US visitors was created and organised by the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Business Events Alliance (KLCCBEA), providing them with a first-hand experience of the one-of-a-kind proposition offered in the integrated Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) precinct, a 100-acre ‘city within a city’ development that was designed as a one-stop hub to work, play, shop, visit and live. Malaysia’s kaleidoscope of cultural diversity, historic traditions, rich culinary heritage and exciting attractions was on show and the experiential immersion was combined with an educational platform, so the board members could engage with Alliance partners and local associations and share their expertise and knowledge on association management and global trends impacting on the meetings industry.
The Centre’s General Manager, Alan Pryor, shared, “We are delighted that AMC institute accepted our invitation. It was great to spend time with them exchanging ideas, exploring business collaborations and providing a platform for local associations to gain international insights on association management and global trends.”
Alan continued, “Hosting this visit was part of our global industry engagement programme to grow our business acquisition of international corporate and association meetings and events. It also serves to help drive our market presence, business development initiatives and client interaction in North America. Furthermore, it provided us with an opportunity to support our association development programme in collaboration with the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) who partnered with us on this initiative.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Chief Executive Officer of MyCEB, Datuk Zulkefli Hj. Sharif, said, “We believe that the Association Education & Knowledge Exchange Session created a tremendous platform to exchange ideas, network, express thoughts and debate issues that will impact future growth and sustainability of associations in Malaysia.”
“When we started in 2009, we found that local associations are great at what they do and they have a lot of potential to go even further in championing not just a cause but an industry. That is the bar we wanted to raise, helping them develop expertise for their cause, which will in turn positively impact the country in other ways. The session will be another boost to our efforts as it is applicable to associations from all industries,” he continued.
Part of the programme included an Association Education & Knowledge Exchange session to help build the capacity and capability of local associations. Over 200 Malaysian stakeholders, including many local associations, attended the event where the five AMC Institute board members shared their invaluable knowledge and experience on six association-related topics. These included disruptions facing associations, engaging membership and volunteers to thrive and survive, and challenges facing associations in today’s environment, to name a few.
Thanking Alan and his team, AMC Institute Chief Executive Officer, Tina Wehmeir, CAE, CMP, said “Following my immersion in Kuala Lumpur, I can say that this destination with its hotel offerings and the convention centre, is among the top two that I have experienced in my entire professional career! The warmth of the community is overwhelming and the centre capabilities are outstanding. It truly encompasses the whole experience as it relates to the business events industry. The willingness to be flexible and embrace various diverse needs is exceptional and all this is done without losing the culture that makes the destination so incredibly inviting and unique. I can’t say enough about my experience. I am definitely an advocate for Kuala Lumpur and all it holds for the meeting industry!”
In addition to the thought-provoking Association Education & Knowledge Exchange session, the programme was designed to understand cultural nuances and adaptability through a variety of interactive localised experiences and of course trying out all the delectable local cuisine which is a must in Malaysia!
