Kuching outbids Prague for ICCA 2016

Kuching has outbid Prague to host the ICCA Congress in 2016, a win it believes will catapult the secondary Malaysian city onto the global association meetings map.
 
“Look at what hosting ICCA Congress in 2011 has achieved for Liepzig. Shortly after, Liepzig received four major international congresses. We expect the same kind of impact," said Paul D’Arcy, head of Bid Team Malaysia and CEO of Borneo Convention Centre Kuching.
 
As part of the bid, Malaysia Airlines has come onboard to offer discounted airfares, including across its Oneworld alliance partners, while hotels have guaranteed rates for 2016, from US$100. Some 700 to 1,000 pax are expected for the congress.
 
“The value of the bid really is branding, branding, branding,” said a jubilant Mike Cannon, managing director of Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB). “It is a great opportunity for a second-tier city to put itself within the industry.”
 
In 2012, SCB won 45 bids comprising 19,688 delegates and contributing close to RM40 million (US$13.3 million) of direct delegate expenditure to Sarawak.
 
ICCA president, Arnaldo Nardone, said it was a choice between a newly-emerging destination in the fastest-growing region of the world, and a well-established cultural European capital with the potential to help ICCA build a stronger presence in Eastern Europe.
 
“Both presented tremendous bid documents, both delivered strong presentations, both teams were enthusiastic and committed. Kuching, however, stood out in terms of presenting itself as a role model and inspiration for other second-tier cities, was also a whole country bid involving all our Malaysian members, and clearly presented as part of a sophisticated national development strategy.”
 
SCB’s Cannon gave an example of how Sarawak was a role model for ICCA. “The team at SCB, of 27 people, are young and they have been using every educational tool ICCA brought, such as how to research for business, how to bid, etc.”
 
Added D’arcy: “Kuching supports ICCA’s objective of showcasing a city which has risen from obscurity to be the second most successful meetings destination in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur in terms of number of events.”
 
Eric Tan, general manager of Pullman Kuching, an official hotel for the event, said: "This will definitely benefit the state with the number of international event and conference organisers attending who will be able to see the enormous benefits and attractions we can offer for big events  It showcases how a second-tier destination, by working together as Team Malaysia, is able to impress and attract well-travelled partners to come and experience what we can offer here in Borneo.
 
“We have three years to prepare for ICCA and will definitely make it a successful event to really put Sarawak and Borneo on the map."
 
Peter Brokenshire, general manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), said: “Kuching has been active in developing business tourism and this win is a feather in its cap, of course the whole of Malaysia was behind it too. “There will be opportunities for KLCC as Kuala Lumpur is the gateway for a lot of the delegates. We'll be offering post or pre-tour programmes.”
 
Next year’s ICCA congress will be in Shanghai, followed by Antalya, Turkey in 2014 and Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2015.

-TTG Asia.