THE Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) hopes that the government will ease restrictions imposed on business events in areas under the conditional movement control order (CMCO).
According to MACEOS president Francis Teo, business events industry players have been impacted by COVID-19 since March. Citing a recent survey, Teo revealed that business events industry players have experienced revenue losses of RM2.25 bil, which is a 90% drop since the MCO first started in the country.
Additionally, a total of 5,610 employees had been laid off since that period, equivalent to 17% of the total industry’s workforce.
Taking into account of recent happenings, a full recovery of the business events industry is unlikely to happen before the third quarter of 2021.
While pivoting to virtual and hybrid events was the only other option, only 13% of industry players said they were able to do so successfully while others continued to struggle with the change.
That being said, Teo is confident that the business events industry plays an even more critical role in maintaining economic balance during the pandemic.
“The economic benefits of business events will be cascaded down to many sectors, companies, and the rakyat. The benefits are far and wide, which is why we must keep the industry rolling even at minimum capacity. The important thing is not to shut down the industry entirely at affected areas where restrictions apply,” he said.
To ensure business events are held safely according to government health protocols, the industry has developed a comprehensive framework which was approved by NSC for safe business events to take place during the pandemic.
On this, Teo says, “Guided by this framework, business events industry players are well-prepared, trained, and able to implement the standard operating procedures required to ensure a high level of safety at all our events.” – Nov 5, 2020
