BARCELONA, Spain, 21 November 2025: Sarawak celebrated a defining milestone this week in its business events journey with the unveiling of the ‘Sarawak Destination Legacy Report: A Decade of Transformation’ during the IBTM World in Barcelona.
The report chronicles Sarawak’s journey from the founding of Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) in 2006 to its rise as one of the world’s most progressive, legacy-driven business events destinations, establishing itself as the legacy capital of business events in Malaysia and Borneo.
“True transformation occurs when we believe in the mission, commit for the long term, focus on real value, embrace necessary disruption, build strategic partnerships, and empower convention bureaux to lead — because their leadership strengthens the entire sector,” said BESarawak CEO Amelia Roziman at a press conference at IBTM World Barcelona.
This journey laid the foundation for one of Sarawak’s most ambitious initiatives: the Legacy Impact Master Action Plan (MAP) 2023–2025, introduced in 2023 as a structured, measurable roadmap to embed legacy outcomes into event design and delivery. With 2025 drawing to a close, Sarawak is approaching the completion of this landmark plan, having achieved far-reaching results that surpass both internal and global expectations.
“Looking back, Sarawak began this journey with ambition and purpose. Today, we have transformed that ambition into real impact. We have built a legacy ecosystem, strengthened government–industry collaboration, and established a model that other destinations now look to for inspiration,” added Roziman. “From 2026 to 2030, we aim to develop a new MAP to continue achieving legacy capital status, implementing a legacy-driven ecosystem powered by data and digital technology.”
At IBTM World Barcelona, Sarawak also hosted an official intention ceremony to adopt the Borneo Legacy Declaration. Established on 3 October 2025 following the Legacy Event Advocacy Policy (LEAP) Summit, the declaration formalises a commitment by policymakers and industry leaders from Asia and Europe to advance the global business events industry, reflecting shared vision and partnership. The LEAP Summit was organised by The Iceberg, presented by the Joint Meeting Industry Council, and powered by BESarawak.
“Sarawak is a great example of adopting this declaration and turning intent into real action. The destination has shown how commitment, collaboration and long-term thinking can elevate not only a region but also inspire global partners to do the same. Sarawak isn’t just signing on, it is demonstrating what meaningful adoption looks like, and we look forward to seeing what’s next from Sarawak,” said The Iceberg founder James Latham.
GainingEdge, Executive Director Gary Grimmer, who served as the consultant for Sarawak’s Legacy Impact Master Action Plan (MAP) 2023–2025, expressed his strong admiration for the cohesion shown by Sarawak’s industry.
“Having consulted destinations around the world on legacy-driven events, Sarawak has performed far better than we ever expected with the Legacy MAP. They have delivered achievements we believed would only materialise after 2025. Their focus on legacy showcases the very best of the destination, demonstrating a level of teamwork and shared vision between government and industry that we rarely see.”
In December, BESarawak will formally adopt the Borneo Legacy Declaration and launch the Business Events Sarawak Alliance (BESA) programme for the government sector, fostering collaboration between BESarawak and 12 government ministries in Sarawak to ensure the legacy-driven ecosystem is integrated across the public sector.
The launch of both the declaration and BESA is scheduled for December. It will be officiated by the Premier of Sarawak, The Right Honourable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg.
Sarawak also presented a snapshot of 10 conference case studies, revealing the legacies generated through AI.LEGACY Intelligent Impact Management System that demonstrates how data-driven validation is strengthening the destination’s impact narrative.
For more information on business event opportunities in Sarawak, visit Business Events Sarawak.
(Source: Your Stories — BESarawak)
