Recognizing excellence among those participating in the Malaysian business events industry while promoting the growing nation as a hub for international business is the aim of the inaugural “RAWR Awards 2013,” which will be presented in September.
Officials for the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) and the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) launched Malaysia’s inaugural business events awards to recognize excellence, leadership, professional standards, innovation and best practices within the nation’s business events industry. The awards also further establish Malaysia as a premiere business-events destination in line with the country’s mission under its Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), which intends to use the tradeshow industry as a key component toward reaching “developed nation” status by 2020.
“It is our aim to honor the industry’s most groundbreaking work, judged by the industry’s most elite talents from around the region,” said Ho Yoke Ping, general manager of sales and marketing, MyCEB. “The idea is to give due recognition of industry professionalism and best business practices. Award winners and finalists will have the opportunity to leverage recognition in their own sales and marketing efforts and through ongoing public relations and marketing activities. We are delighted to present the RAWR Awards as another milestone in Malaysia’s thriving business-events industry.”
Officials for the MyCEB and the MACEOS are accepting award nominations through July 31 among 27 categories, including Best International Conference Award, Best Trade Exhibition, Best Incentive Program, Best Environmental Initiative Award and Best Event. The awards cover the four main components of the business-events industry; namely, meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE).
“The RAWR Awards stand for ‘Recognizing Award-Winning Results’ within the business events industry,” said Jonathan Kan, president, MACEOS. “RAWR promotes the business-events sector a key contributor to the Malaysian economy and beneficial to the country as a whole.”
The awards are open to business-event products and suppliers who are members of either the MyCEB or the MACEOS as well as event owners, such as national associations or corporations that may not be members of either organization. Applicants must be Malaysian-registered companies and apply to events and business activities that took place between Jan. 1, 2011, and Dec. 31, 2012. The initial sponsors for the RAWR Awards 2013 include the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Radius and Hot Shoes.
The MyCEB was established in 2009 by Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism to further strengthen business tourism and position the nation for the international business-events market. A non-profit organization, the MyCEB serves as a central hub to assist meeting and event planners to bid for and stage international business events in Malaysia and act as a conduit for national product development. MyCEB’s goal is to improve its rankings as an international meetings destination within the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and to grow business tourism arrivals to Malaysia.
The MACEOS was founded in 1990 with the objective of developing and raising standards within the MICE industry nationwide. Organic growth of membership has grown steadily to more than 60 companies encompassing exhibition organizers, conference organizers and suppliers, including freight-forwarders and stand contractors.
