KL is a regional gem

Kuala Lumpur's CEI industry has gone from strength to strength over the past six months — a trend that is set to continue with some big conventions and meetings due to hit town in the coming months. In August KL hosted the 12th Asian Pacific League of Association for Rheumatology Congress 2006, which brought 3,000 delegates to the city. Future events to look forward to this year include the 18th FIGO World Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, which is expected to bring 8,000 delegates from 119 countries to Kuala Lumpur in November. Other conventions scheduled for 2006 include the 21st World Savings Banks Institute World Congress this months and the 6th Asia & Oceania Epilepsy Congress in November. Looking to 2007, the Hagemeyer Australia Convention will bring 1,000 people to KL in April and the PM International Top Management Leadership Convention will attract 3,000 attendees. Regionally, the city is also doing well and relishing the challenge being provided by its Asian competitors. "The emergence of convention and exhibition centres across Asia is a positive sign reflecting a demand for the region to be the destination for CEI events," says Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, deputy director general of Tourism Malaysia. KL's properties are well placed to reap the benefits of this constant stream of business. "The good thing about Kuala Lumpur is that it is very user-friendly," says Janet McNab, Starwood's area director of sales and marketing for Southeast Asia and the Sheraton Imperial in KL. "It's a good city — there is lots to do and plenty of good incentive options. "It is also very easy to get around as everyone speaks English whereas China, for example, can be a lot more difficult and potentially scare some groups off due to the language barrier." KL's other strong selling point is its accessibility. "You can do your meetings in KL and then visit the orang-utans in Kota Kinabalu or visit the beach in Langkawi," says McNab. "Two hours out of KL you'll also find Malacca and Fort Dixon." Good value Malaysia, particularly KL, is perceived as being the cheapest and best value-for-money city in Southeast Asia, especially as the fivestar hotels charge such cheap rates. "We provide the same service and quality as Hong Kong and Singapore, but for a fraction of the cost," says Christian Bock, general manager of the JW Marriott. The Malaysian government has a policy that any hotel that does not charge a minimum of US$80 cannot be called a five-star hotel. "Can you imagine that rate in any other Asian city?" says Bock. There are numerous properties in town that have been recently upgraded or opened for business. Near the KLCC, the Crowne Plaza has announced it is to add more meeting rooms to its portfolio. "We are building an extra 11 function rooms for meetings," says Susan Yap, assistant director of business development at the Crowne Plaza Kuala Lumpur. "We have decided to maximise the spare areas we have in the hotel. The work will be completed by first quarter of 2007." The Crowne Plaza will also be doing a soft upgrade on Windows on KL, its function rooms on the top floor of the property, which will also be ready in the first quarter of 2007. The property's key selling point is its proximity to KLCC. "We are close enough to host post-events for meetings groups that are using the KLCC," says Yap. Nearby, the four-star Impiana Hotel KLCC is located directly across the road from the convention centre. Its 335 rooms have just been renovated and it offers an impressive amount of space in each room. Conveniently situated within the city centre of KL, the hotel is also just minutes away from the Petronas Twin Towers. Many of Malaysia's top 100 companies are also based in the surrounding blocks. Meetings options Near KLSentral Railway Station, which links the city to the airport via high-speed rail link, the Hilton is also doing well in the meetings market. Recent groups to hold events include a group of 250 from local company Maxis. The hotel is also a part of the same site as Le Meridien, with the properties falling under the same owner. "We combine a lot of events with Le Meridien next door," says Stefanie Miles, Hilton's director of business development. "We're also currently running a joint programme with them to attract event organisers called Take 2, which allows them to book events using the resources of the two properties concurrently [see News, p11]." The foyer areas in the two hotels' meeting areas are connected for ease of access. "Unlike other hotels, you can have your conference during the day in our rooms and then move effortlessly into one of Le Meridien's venues immediately for cocktails or dinners," says Miles. "There is no two-hour turnaround time for ballrooms because everything is already waiting to go." The Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur is set in KL's Golden Triangle between Bukit Bintang and Chinatown. The hotel is also a part of Starwood's The Luxury Collection, one of only three Asia-Pacific properties to qualify for this title. The 398-room property recently hosted a group of 80 delegates from GlaxoSmithKline while earlier in the year the property also hosted Starwood's Asia Pacific conference, which involved a group of 450 people. CEI planners also keenly await the opening of the new 291-room Novotel Hydro Majestic Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month. "The Malaysian economy is booming and conference, exhibition and meeting planners are taking notice, so Accor believes the timing couldn't be better to enter the market," says Accor Asia Pacific managing director Michael Issenberg. Strategically located across the road from KLCC, it can hold 300 for cocktail functions, and is well suited for corporate events and teambuilding programmes. There are also three additional breakout rooms for smaller events. The Westin Kuala Lumpur is located across the road from the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton. It offers 13 meeting rooms with the largest single space being 615 sqm. The Westin was recently acknowledged as one of the region's best-designed properties when it was awarded the PIABCI Prix d'Excellence Award 2006. The international award is held annually to recognise design in a development project. The Westin was commended for its use of clever use of space.