Malaysia Meeting—and Beating—Expectations
Meetings AsiaPacific
A few weeks ago when Tourism Malaysia won a slew of coveted tourism industry awards—at both the Incentive Travel & Conventions Meetings Asia show and 17th Travel Trade Gazette Annual Travel Awards 2006--many in the meetings industry began realizing how the country’s tourism community keeps meeting and beating expectations.
Friendly people, breathtaking scenery, and some of the most memorable off-site adventures a planner could ever imagine are just a few of the many things Malaysia has going for it. But more than anything, the cutting-edge facilities here will meet and beat all expectations of the typical North American meeting planner.
Slated to open next summer as the anchor property of the Cotai Strip, The Venetian Macao will feature nearly 3,000 all-suite rooms, 1.2 million square feet of meeting and exhibition space, a 15,000-seat arena, and more than 350 premium retailers in a luxurious retail mall.
Malaysia offers a wide choice of meeting locations in both its cities and its more remote scenic regions. The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has hosted big citywides without a hitch, including the 8th APLIC (Asia Pacific Life Insurance Council) Congress 2005, with a whopping 10,000 attendees, and PATA’s Travel Mart 2005.
While at the centrally located, 1.3 million-square-foot convention center, check out Aquaria KLCC, with 5,000 exhibits and 150 different species of marine life at this aquarium seamlessly integrated below the center.
The Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, has a total of 263,000 square feet of event exhibition space in three exhibition halls, 17 meeting rooms, a press conference room, and VIP suites.
Another standout facility in Malaysia is the Putrajaya Convention Centre (PICC). Located in the new federal administrative centre of Putrajaya (15 miles south of Kuala Lumpur), the center boasts 1.4 million square feet of exhibition space spread over nine levels, and private meeting rooms for smaller gatherings.
When it comes to smaller meetings or incentive trips, a standout property is the Sheraton Perdana Beach Resort, off the west coast of the country on the lush island of Langkawi. Touted by Tourism Malaysia as one of the region’s leading incentive hotels, the 176-room resort offers 7,700 square feet of meeting space. A wide range of themed dining events are easy to do here, and catering at unique off-sites around the island is available.
Another property that should be on any planner’s radar is Traders Hotel, Penang (formerly known as Shangri-La Hotel, Penang), located in the heart of Georgetown. The main business hotel in the former British port, the property boasts 22,000 square feet of meeting space and is the main convention facility in Penang. Its 443 rooms and suites offer the full spectrum of amenities. The food here is especially notable. Choices range from superb dining styles such as local Penang delights—a cuisine known worldwide--to authentic Cantonese and continental cuisine.
If this sampling of the wide range of first-class facilities isn’t enough, 2007 promises to be a jam-packed year when it comes to public celebrations--planners should look at Tourism Malaysia’s online calendar (www.tourism.gov.my/vmy07/events_jan.htm) to see if their meeting in Malaysia coincides with any of the many colorful festivals and events.
To learn more about Malaysia, read our country overview here: www.meetingsfocus.com/AsiaPacific/destinations.asp?id=6959
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