KUCHING: Sarawak is carving its place in the global business events industry through the prestigious Borneo Inspires Legacy Awards (BILA) 2025 that celebrates impactful contributions from around the world.
Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Sarawak must continue to adapt, innovate, and embrace change to stay competitive amid rapid digitalisation, evolving event formats, and shifting audience expectations.
“Therefore, the prestigious BILA, an evolved form of the Anak Sarawak Awards, has now expanded its scope to accept and recognise global contributions.
“We have carved out a unique positioning as the first destination in Malaysia to establish as a legacy capital for business events in Borneo.
“The Sarawak government fully supports this movement. We aim to create a thriving business events ecosystem” he told a press conference for the BILA 2025 at Baitulmakmur II building here today.
The BILA 2025, he said, will feature several categories, including Conventions Legacy Excellence, Exhibitions Legacy Excellence, Corporate Meetings and Incentives Corporate Social Responsibility, and Sarawak Industry.
“The four main categories share the same subcategory pillar whereby submissions can be focused on Social, Economic or Environmental achievements; or Honorary, which consist of all three achievements.
“We also have a special category for Journalism with subcategories of Broadcast, Print/Online.
“I strongly encourage all of you to consider submitting your entries and actively participating in the awards,” he said.
As BESarawak chairman Abdul Karim further emphasised that Sarawak is redefining the future of business events with a focus on collaboration, legacy, and sustainability.
“This is our chance to recognise those who contribute to the success of the development of Sarawak, strategically aligned with the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
“Our success is driven by the dedication of industry players, the event organisers, professionals, researchers, and associations who have placed Sarawak on the global map.
“The state is no longer confined to local matters such as in conferences and business events, we are reaching beyond as Sarawak aims to play a global role in industries such as aviation, energy, and more, as we see a shift towards a broader, outward-focused vision,” he added.
BESarawak CEO Amelia Roziman encourages those eligible to participate include business event (corporate meetings, conventions, corporate incentives, exhibitions) organisers, government sector, corporate organisations, industry partners and suppliers, journalists, and other professionals from Malaysia and around the world to participate and submit their entries for the awards.
“For each category, except for journalism, we have four subcategories: economic, environmental, social, and honorary, which encompasses all three.
“These subcategories align with the PCDS 2030, serving as a measure of success for ministries and agencies.
“Submissions and criteria will follow the same framework, focusing on these three pillars. As for the journalism category, the topic doesn’t always have to be related to business events,” she said.
