Kuala Lumpur counts centre's benefits

Estimates compiled by the centre show the conomic benefit to Kuala Lumpur's retailers, hotel and airline industries and other sectors. Peter Brokenshire, general manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, said: "Conference delegates or 'super tourists' bring in more revenue as they have three times more spending power and stay longer than leisure tourists." Since its opening in mid-June 2005 through to December 2005, the Centre hosted events attended by over 790,000 people. These events included 76 banquets, 24 onventions, 26 exhibitions, 96 meetings and seminars and three entertainment events. Of these, 13 were international gatherings, attended by 13,017 delegates and 33 regional events attended by 164,123 delegates, which in total represented 20 per cent of the centre's foreign business. There are over 400 bookings to run events at the Centre between now and end 2012. Among the Centre's successful bids is the 30th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA), to be held in 2009. The event is expected to attract some 1,300 delegates. Another success is the 25th World Gas Conference (WGC), which is scheduled to be held in 2012 and expected to attract 6,000 delegates . The centre's director of marketing and sales Jenny Salsbury said: "We work closely with our representatives in Australia and Europe who are promoting the Centre to the international associations market, many of whom are headquartered in Europe, and a local campaign to encourage Malaysian associations to bid for their international counterpart meetings."