Kota Kinabalu: Sabah has signalled its growing readiness to compete on the international business events stage with the successful organisation of the inaugural Sabah BE Bootcamp ahead of the 3rd International Business Events Forum, “BE in Sabah 2026”.
Organised by the Sabah Convention Bureau (SCB), the one-day bootcamp was held on Feb 3 as a prelude to the forum at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), which took place from Feb 4 to 5.
SCB Chief Executive Officer Noredah Othman said the bootcamp was designed as a short, intensive and immersive training programme focused on sales and bidding — a critical skill set needed to position Sabah as a competitive business events destination.
She said Sabah’s business events ecosystem must develop a different approach to promoting and selling the State internationally, adding that the bootcamp was the first of its kind organised by SCB.
“Through this inaugural bootcamp, we are incubating and empowering our collaborators — including government agencies, academia, international and regional association members, and business events suppliers — to work in partnership with the Convention Bureau to sell Sabah as a destination for business events,” she said.
The inaugural edition, themed “From Leads to Bids”, featured instructors from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and global consultancy GainingEdge. Participation was capped at 50 to ensure an interactive and hands-on learning environment.
Participants were exposed to best practices, real-life case studies, brainstorming sessions and pitching simulations, including a crowd-favourite segment known as “The Buaya Pit”.
Programme manager Jane Vong Holmes of GainingEdge explained that the session simulated a high-pressure pitching environment similar to a business reality show, where teams presented their “Why Choose Sabah” business case to mock decision-making committees representing international conventions and incentive groups.
“In the Buaya Pit, we have only friendly ‘buayas’ with one aim — to share knowledge in the interest of improvement,” she said.
Participants described the exercise as one of the most impactful elements of the programme, citing teamwork, practical pitching experience and constructive feedback as key takeaways.
One participant said the hands-on pitching challenged them to think on their feet, while another noted that valuable learning also came from roundtable discussions with fellow participants during preparation sessions.
GainingEdge Senior Partner and Senior Consultant Mike Williams, who served as lead instructor, said he was impressed by the strong turnout and enthusiasm from across Sabah’s business events community.
“The level of engagement from industry players, professional associations and government representatives shows how seriously Sabah views the potential of business events,” he said.
Noredah said SCB plans to introduce more editions of the bootcamp in the future, with variations tailored to the diverse needs of the business events community.
“Each bootcamp will maintain its signature approach — practical, hands-on training with strong emphasis on knowledge sharing and exchange. Participant numbers will continue to be capped to preserve an intimate and interactive experience,” she said.
Sabah BE Bootcamp 2026 was presented by the Sabah Convention Bureau with support from SICC and knowledge partners ICCA and GainingEdge.
