Conversation NEXT: Asia Pacific’s Business Events Comeback

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This conversation underpins some of the vital industry trend reports available in the market place. We invite key opinion leaders in the Asia Pacific region to connect with our community through some foresight-sharing. It is not a matter of if but when business events return to our shores, what will that look like? How could their opinions help cultivate what is needed to embrace the future of work; the future of business?  Although some data are, relatively, ‘crystal ball’ stuff as we are COVID-transitioning, the business events attributes and legacies remain front and centre of future-proofing our industry. 

Our CONVERSATION continues to focus on the NEXT.

Date: 18 July 2020

Time: 10:00am (MYT)

Location: Virtually, watch from anywhere

Panellists: Who would you like to hear from?

Course Content

Host's Profile
El Kwang

El is a content strategist and immersive experience designer who has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality and business event industries.

He has a passion for connecting dynamic professionals from different disciplines to explore collaboration opportunities.

Recognised as the ‘ideas man’ by his global networks, El loves discovering new ways of facilitating engaging conversations.

Panelists’ Profile

Dato’ Sri Abdul Khani bin Daud

Dato’ Sri Abdul Khani is the Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), a non-profit organisation under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Malaysia.

An established figure that has served over three decades in Malaysia’s tourism sector, Dato’ Sri will lead the country’s business events industry as he officially took office in 5 February 2020.

As CEO, Dato’ Sri will be responsible for the continuous efforts of MyCEB in positioning Malaysia as Asia’s Business Events Hub, making it the preferred destination for business tourism in the region. Dato Sri’ and his dedicated team of experts will place progressive strategies which will enhance the capabilities of Malaysia to host international business events through products development, marketing and policies.

Prior to MyCEB, Dato’ Sri held the role as the Director General of Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC). Throughout his years in the tourism sector, Dato’ Sri has dedicated his career in Tourism Malaysia (the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Malaysia) through various prominent positions. These designations include Assistant Director, Deputy Director, Director and Deputy Director General (Promotion) of Tourism Malaysia.

Dato’ Sri kickstarted his career at the Enforcement Division, dealing with licenses for travel agents and tourists guides. Equipped with the knowledge of the tourism business, he moved to the Marketing Division where he was proactively involved in successful sales missions to the Australasia region.

Earning his stripes, Dato’ Sri was deservingly posted overseas to undertake global markets. His various stints include Tourism Malaysia’s offices in Australia, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand.

His prominent contributions are reflected through his expertise in marketing, which saw a 60 percent increase of tourists’ arrivals from Singapore between year 2000-2004. During his service period of 2004 to 2006, a 45 percent growth for Latin America was recorded, opening the market in particular for Argentina.

Dato’ Sri Khani holds a Master of Business Administration from Australia, Master of Oxcel from the United Kingdom and is currently pursuing his doctorate in the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage Malaysia.

Alicia Yao

Managing Director, IME Consulting Co., Ltd.

Global Board director of Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) 2015-2020

Deputy General Secretary, China MICE Committee, China Association of Travel Services

Ms. Yao joined SITE in 2005. From 2005 to 2006, she actively participated in the SITE China Chapter event, and served as the chairman of the Organizing Committee. In 2006, the SITE China chapter was established and she worked as the council director, actively engaging in the membership development and professional training. In 2009, she was elected vice chairman of SITE China chapter. She participated in the bidding and implementation of SITE Global Congress 2012 and had the SITE congress successfully held in Beijing. After that, she is elected as International board director of SITE for year 2015-2017, and was re-elected as the SITE International board director for year 2018-2020.

In years of incentive travel management, Alicia Yao realized the importance of market development and consultation in destination marketing. After serving 30 years for CITS, he established IME Consulting Co., Ltd in 2013 to provide destination and market development consulting, professional training and professional site inspection and study , international exchange and promotion, marketing and implementation, incentive designing and management and international association conferences’ bidding . She has been invited many times to be a guest speaker in the international and domestic professional trade shows for business and events, association forums, meeting & incentive training seminars.

In 2013, Ms. Yao was elected as the Deputy Secretary General of China MICE Committee (CMC), which is under the direct control of China National Tourism Administration. She is responsible for the CMC association members’ professional training, global destination study and market development. She has been organizing Chinese buyers to AIME, ACE MICE, Meeting Africa, IMEX Frankfurt, IMEX America, ITBM World, IT&CM Asia, IT&CM China, ITB China and helped her members to learn the new meeting & incentive destination, set up a good partnership with the local CVB.

Nichapa Yoswee

Nichapa Yoswee has demonstrated her strategic vision as a savvy and tenacious professional in the Business Events industry for over 30 years.

Her adaptable but precise acumen has seen her contribute to high-level policy-making, establishing her as an industry thought leader, and earning her achievements like the President Asia Pacific Award for outstanding performance when she was Managing Director at Reed Tradex Co., Ltd.

Today, she contributes her experience and strategy as Senior Vice President – Business to Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

Taking a pro-active approach, she helps co-create business opportunities to win bids and attract events to Thailand, especially those in 10 key industries of Thailand 4.0 policy, highlighting return on investment and return on time in Thailand that can redefine success and meet shifting global business demands.

For over 7 years, she has been a creator and key success driver of progressive and effective programs that have supported growth in the MICE industry, such as MICE Capabilities, professional development and accreditation like Thailand MICE Venue Standard, and sustainability programs like “farm to function” and “food waste prevention”.

Her analytical yet daring methods makes her a sought-after strategist in the Business Events community, while her determination to redefine the industry has her taking on advisory roles for many global associations, like UFI and DMAI.

Nitin Sachdeva

Nitin Sachdeva has been in the Travel, Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation industry for 16 years now. With a Bachelors degree in Commerce from Delhi University, he has a strong acumen for business representing the entrepreneurial spirit.

He was the youngest CEO in India for any Destination Marketing Agency when he setup Venture Marketing in 2012, as he was 27 years young then. The company is well known for its progressive vision and aggressive push to bring more efficiency for clients to achieve the goal more effectively and timely.

He has been instrumental in setting up launch strategies for companies to enter the market successfully and also plan, organize and execute various sales and marketing activities to achieve business growth through development of distribution networks.

Nitin is the former Co-Chair of the Young Leaders program of SITE Young Leaders and has served for 05 years. He is currently the Vice President of the SITE India Chapter and Co Chair of Meetings Mean Business India, which is a industry wide coalition advocating the value of face to face meetings.

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