“Malaysia is also gaining attention from the Middle East due
to our similar religious practices such as the ready availability of halal food. These factors are further enhanced by excellent airline connectivity between Malaysia and the Middle East.” Middle Eastern and Islamic events the centre has hosted to date include the 5th and 6th
World Halal Forums (2010 and 2011) and the 6th World Islamic Economic Forum, which took place in May 2010
and attracted 2,000 participants. In order to ensure KLCC is front of mind in the Middle East, the
centre has attended Gulf Incentive Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) since 2007. “GIBTM provides the ideal platform for us to build awareness
of our business tourism proposition while meeting and engaging with potential buyers and existing clients in the region,” says Lue. She also reveals that the US is a new target market for the
centre, a task made easier now that two new trade fair platforms – AIBTM and IMEX America – have been launched this year in North America. “Malaysia remains a relatively new destination for the US
meetings industry and with a location at the heart of Southeast Asia, Malaysia offers something new for those international meetings that have already done the more established destinations,” she says. “Our strategy to explore new markets such as the US will go
Lue notes that the centre has almost “outgrown” its exhibition space for annual exhibitions but will be better-placed to host larger events when the extension adjacent to the centre, Lot91, is complete in late 2013/early 2014.
Lot91 will boost the centre’s current 20,059 square metres of function space by a further 10,000 square metres, opening up opportunities to grow both existing trade and consumer exhibitions and attract new ones.
unit de
“In addition, we will target larger conferences and accommodate events with more than 6,000 delegates and, in turn, grow our conference business from the current 25 percent to a 30 to 40 percent share of all events we stage,” reveals Lue.
In the meantime, she stresses that KLCC will continue to diversify its product offerings and introduce “new value-add propositions to meet and exceed client expectations”.
The centre recently introduced a new value- add package called ‘TenOnCall’ – offering
Angeline Lue
some way towards expanding our footprint and client base in the medium to long term.” Around 25 percent of KLCC’s business can currently be attributed to international conferences – a proportion Lue says can be upped signifi cantly if business from the US and other target markets such as China and India is successfully secured notes tha
KLCC IN NUMBERS
1,181 T e number of events hosted at the centre in the 2010-2011 fi nancial year
1.9 million T e number of delegates attending events at the centre during the 2010-2011 fi nancial year
773 million T e centre’s economic contribution in Malaysian Ringgit to Kuala Lumpur city and Malaysia that year
10,000 T e number of extra square metres Lot91 will add to KLCC’s convention space
4,387 T e number of events the centre has hosted since it opened in June 2005
10 flexible meeting spaces that can be booked at short notice and accommodate between two and 150 people. Packages include scented towels, an epicurean station plus a beverage extravaganza encompassing everything from fi ne leaf teas to fresh fruit smoothies. Lue says KLCC has noticed that clients
es
are increasingly seeking healthy food and drink options with special requests fl ooding in for low-sugar or low-carbohydrate meals. “So wherever possible we offer options
such as energy shots during tea breaks and a sumptuous salad bar for lunch,” she says. “We are also making in-roads into using
more local products in our menus, a move which has been readily accepted and appreciated by many.” Other emerging trends witnessed by
KLCC include requests for all-inclusive price packages bundling IT, AV and technical services, which are otherwise charged separately. Customers desire a “one-stop shop and one-price-for-everything”, says Lue. “Where possible, the centre tries to oblige
by re-engineering menu packages to suit the client’s budget while in the technical and audio-visual (AV) areas, we have incorporated the rental for selected AV equipment and personnel into the room hire cost,” she explains. “Technology and social media are
impacting on how venues are mark- eting themselves and packaging their product offerings.”
/ 63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68