BARCELONA: Sarawak today celebrated a defining milestone in its business events journey with the revealing of the Sarawak Destination Legacy Report: A Decade of Transformation at 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 bureau to lead because their leadership strengthens the entire sector,” said chief executive officer BESarawak, Amelia Roziman at a press conference at IBTM World Barcelona.
“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 Amelia.
“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,” she said.
At IBTM World Barcelona, Sarawak also hosted an official intention ceremony for the adoption of the Borneo Legacy Declaration.
Established on October 3, 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 Founder of The Iceberg James Latham.
Executive director at GainingEdge, 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,” he said.
