Kota Kinabalu: Director of Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) Mubarak Hamad Al Shamsi said he was in Sabah for the first time, and was impressed, as any BE destination like SICC is not just a venue but has a lot to offer in terms of influencing policy change for the better and investments as it has happened for his country – the United Arab Emirates.
Drawing from the United Arab Emirates’ experience, Al Shamsi illustrated how convention centres can serve as catalysts for policy reform and investment attraction, not merely as venues for gatherings.
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He encouraged Sabah to maintain its current trajectory while deepening strategic partnerships to enhance value chains across the business events ecosystem.
His observations about inter-emirate collaboration within the UAE offered a model for how Sabah might work with neighbouring states and regions to create complementary rather than competing offerings.
He said, “Sabah has to keep doing what it is doing right. We all need to be who we are to get onto the next level working very closely with strategic partners to enhance the ecosystem value chain. This is my first time here, and I can see a bright future ahead for Sabah.”
He was among panel of speakers for the Plenary Session titled: “The Global Growth Engine: Powering Trade, Investment and Confidence Through Business Events” at BE in Sabah 2026 held at the SICC recently. The event was attended by hundreds of local and foreign delegates.
Other speakers were Datuk Dr M. Gandhi, the Founder & Chairman of Bumiati Holdings Sdn Bhd; Margaret Ma Connolly from Hong Kong SAR, the President and CEO of Informa Markets Asia and CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran of the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB).
He explained that even though Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the ADCEB is under the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi works closely with the seven different Emirates to complement each other.
“This cannot be done without collaboration,” he said, explaining that many start-ups, businesses set up shop in Abu Dhabi, including companies that have decided to transfer their headquarters operation to Abu Dhabi consequence of having been educated on the UAE business ecosystem which led to vast improvement in the country’s financial services sector besides other industries.
Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran said he is a strong believer in collaboration with government and stakeholders with buy-in by internal parties and boosting the ecosystem with industries that PCEB has been supporting.
Ashwin provided perhaps the most personal testament to Sabah’s evolution. Recalling his initial engagement with the region nearly a decade ago, before the convention centre existed or a dedicated bureau had been established, Gunasekeran traced a remarkable transformation.
He emphasized that Penang’s own success had been built upon internal alignment—securing buy-in from stakeholders and government before pursuing external investment—and suggested that Sabah’s progress in building these foundational relationships bodes well for its future.
The filled conference rooms and engaged industrial partners at the current forum, he noted, represent tangible evidence of progress that has been methodically constructed over years of sustained effort.
He said PCEB’s role is beyond just organising but is supportive of businesses and the government of the destination with so much more to explore, PCEB has to generate leads.
It has formed a module to engage with all partners with cooperation on data sharing. Penang is positioned with a soul in it encompassing people, culture, food and free trade zone attractions etc.
“We have also been a strong believer in collaboration. When we speak of collaboration, it has also been about the ecosystem itself among our internal stakeholders and the government. It is important for us and them to have this buy-in from this internal process to move on to the next level of garnering investments.
“For Penang, we have created a module to engage with all the partners on data sharing, focusing on the various sectors on organising Business Events, with PCEM acting as the intelligence agency to generate leads and improve the overall performance for Penang.
“Sabah is doing well. When we first started working here with ICCA, the convention centre (SICC) was not built yet, the convention bureau was not there yet.
That was 8 – 9 years ago. How I see this thing moving today, it is moving in the right direction. Definitely it will take time, but they are moving in the right direction.
“We are here in the third forum and the room is filled with all industrial partners, everyone has done well. We also have good exhibitions. We have got very aggressive partners.
“We just have to maintain that partnerships, keep building that internal ecosystem – partners, stakeholders, and government. As long as this core is strong, just keep moving forward,” Ashwin stressed.
Throughout the discussions, certain themes recurred with notable consistency: the necessity of authentic differentiation in an increasingly crowded global market, the foundational importance of government partnership and political stability, the long-term nature of business events development, and the competitive yet collaborative dynamics that characterize successful regional ecosystems.
For Sabah, the recognition from these international practitioners represents both validation of past efforts and encouragement for future ambition.
The state’s ability to host BE in Sabah for a third consecutive edition 2026, maintaining quality and expanding scope, suggests an organizational capacity that matches its natural advantages.
As the business events industry continues to evolve, with increasing emphasis on purposeful gatherings that generate genuine economic and social value, Sabah appears well-positioned to convert its ecological authenticity and strategic location into sustainable competitive advantage.
The forum’s emphasis on sustainability resonates with ongoing efforts to integrate eco-tourism into MICE frameworks, ensuring minimal ecological footprint while maximizing visitor enrichment.
As Sabah consolidates its status amid Asia Pacific’s dynamic MICE landscape, the consensus is clear: with unwavering commitment, it stands poised to become a preeminent BE powerhouse, fostering prosperity for generations.
