Thanks to pristine waters and its undeveloped nature, Malaysia is a prime incentive getaway, but it's not just about champagne luxury at bargain prices here. Malaysia also boasts the infrastructure to handle big meetings with flair.
Just in the last few years, the country hosted the Asia Pacific Life Insurance Council, which saw a whopping 10,000 attendees descend on Kuala Lumpur, and the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, with 3,000 attendees.
The federation of Malaysia is anchored by Kuala Lumpur, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Southeast Asia. The weather is tropical year-round throughout the country--a long peninsula surrounded by a number of islands large and small--and the international airport here is a major hub for flights around the world.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is served by most major airlines, and the airport itself is a study in convenience. Earlier this year, at the Airports Council International-Airport Service Quality Awards 2006 ceremony, KLIA won in the Best Airport in the 15-25 million passengers per year category, third place in the regional Best Airport in Asia-Pacific category and third place in the Best Airport Worldwide category.
The national carrier, Malaysia Airlines, offers five flights per week to Kuala Lumpur from Los Angeles International Airport and three flights per week to Kuala Lumpur from Newark [N.J.] International.
The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) is situated at the center of Kuala Lumpur’s Central Business District, a 100-acre city within the city that includes a 50-acre park, the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, the six-story Suria KLCC shopping center, and an interactive science discovery center perfect for cocktail receptions.
Don't forget the fish. Under the concourse is the Aquaria KLCC, and with more than 5,000 of our underwater friends it's a good place for spouses to spend the day or for an after-hours event.
The best thing about the KLCC is that there are 1,500 rooms on-site, and more than 10,000 business-class rooms within a 10-minute walk. The 571-room Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur, opened in July 2006, has a lobby that opens right into the KLCC. Also on-site is 643-room Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur and the newly renovated, 335-room Impiana KLCC Hotel.
The various tourism-related organizations also work very well in Malaysia, according to those who have held programs there recently.
Speaking about a recent board meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Robin Lokerman, CEO of MCI’s (an association and event management company) Institutional Division, said, “We are amazed by the level of collaboration showed by the various organisations involved in hosting our meeting in Malaysia, such as Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines, Traders Hotel, Mayflower, and of course, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the host venue for our two-day meeting.”
As the main business center of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur brings the most meeting amenities to the table, but there are plenty of other destinations here that are open for business and prime options for exotic incentive programs. The 238-room Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort, on the resort island of Langkawi, has a wealth of indoor meeting space, access to a number of outdoor off-site locations around the island, and on-site team-building programs.
Traders Hotel Penang, by Shangri-La, is located in the heart of Georgetown, the first British trading post in the Far East. Apart from being Palau Penang's main business hotel, it is also its main convention center. The 443 rooms and suites here offer a complete range of amenities, and dining choices include local Penang delights to authentic Cantonese and Continental cuisine.
For the exotic without the chaotic, and for business that's truly a pleasure, Malaysia is hard to beat, and easy to book.
