Even with more than 2,000 exhibiting companies, destinations and services from the US and around the world vying for attention from nearly 4,000 hosted buyer and buyer attendees, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has once again succeeded in creating an impact at the recent IMEX Las Vegas through its very own Malaysian ‘Spice Market’ event.  

The concept is a modern interpretation of the historical market that thrived 600 years ago along the Silk Road and transported attendees on a time travel back to the glorious era of the Malacca Sultanate. Enacted complete with Malay, Chinese and Indian traders, it underscored the point that MyCEB makes about Malaysia as a meetings destination – a microcosm of Asia due to its strategic location as a gateway for global associations to connect with the world’s largest region. Visitors were provided with a specially created ‘MyCURRENCY’ and the cultural and historical experience is heightened with trading and bargaining where attendees are encouraged to negotiate for the best deals with the costumed traders speaking in different languages. 

“We wanted to bring this highly interactive experience to IMEX Las Vegas to introduce the Malaysian culture to our international counterparts. It is a business networking session but with a Malaysian twist. Items sold in the booth denotes the cultural make-up of the country such as Songket/Batik (Malay), chopsticks (Chinese), Saree cloth (Indian) and beaded work (Indigenous Borneo),” said Ms Ho Yoke Ping, General Manager of Sales and Marketing, MyCEB.  

Ho continued to relate positively, “There were many unexpected exciting turns that happened during the ‘Spice Market’ in IMEX Las Vegas. Due to the extremely overwhelming response, all items were sold out in just one hour. I truly believe that we have managed to showcase the cultural diversity of Malaysia with this experiential networking event which can also be incorporated as a theme event for incentive groups.” 

IMEX Las Vegas is America’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events and is already the largest tradeshow for the industry in the USA. MyCEB leads a delegation of six industry partners from Malaysia which includes Sarawak Convention Bureau, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Putrajaya International Convention Centre, Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur and M-Vision Travel Sdn Bhd.