Global Meet Malaysia 2007
19 – 27 May 2007
Langkawi, Malaysia

GLOBO MEET 2007-Another very successful MICE event organised by Tourism Malaysia in Paradise Island of Langkawi.

The Fifth Global Meet Malaysia 2007 from 19 to 27 May 2007 was held for the first time outside of Kuala Lumpur in Langkawi. Tourism Malaysia again collaborated with Malaysia Airlines to showcase the country’s attractions, attributes and different domestic destinations for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE).

The event was officiated by the Honourable Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan bin Tengku Mansor, the Minister of Tourism, Malaysia, on 21 May at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, Langkawi.

Some 126 international MICE organisers and planners as well as 20 media representatives from 34 countries attended and a total of 102 Malaysian seller organisations participated in this annual event.

The opening session featured two key speakers, Dr Abdul Aziz Yahya from the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia (OGSM) who is also the chairman of the local organising committee of the XVIII World Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics 2006, and Mr. Zubin Karkaria, CEO and managing director of Kuoni Travel Group, India. Both of them shared their own unique experiences and give business tips on organising successful events in Malaysia.

On 22 May, the buyers met with Malaysian sellers at the business session during one-to-one business appointments. Each seller had been pre-scheduled to meet an average of 19 buyers.

A themed welcome dinner was hosted by the Minister of Tourism, Malaysia, on 21 May at the Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort. The Langkawi Development Authority hosted a cocktail reception at the top station of the Langkawi Cable Car on Gunung Mat Cincang and a dinner at The Mutiara Burau Bay, Langkawi, on 22 May.

The visiting media were given a special conducted tour of Langkawi on 22 May. The familiarisation tour includes visits to the Kilim Geopark and other highlights of the island.

There was also a treasure hunt at Laman Padi and Kota Mahsuri on 23 May followed by post-tours to Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Tioman Island and Melaka/Genting. All delegates returned to Kuala Lumpur on 26 May to witness the grand launch of the Colours of Malaysia 2007 in Putrajaya before departing for their respective home countries the next day.

Backgrounder:

• Global Meet Malaysia is an annual MICE familiarisation programme which has been successfully held since 2002. This is the fifth in the series. This year’s theme, “Eco Wonders,” emphasises the country’s ecological or natural heritage, including the Geopark attraction in Langkawi.
• Last year, conference arrivals to Malaysia numbered 820,243 foreign delegates compared to only 773,562 in 2005. This constituted 4.7% of the total tourist arrivals while foreign receipts from conference delegates for 2006 totalled RM2.56 billion (USD673 million).

Text by Allan Lee. Photographs Courtesy of Tourism Malaysia.