BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, June 4, 2010
ADMINISTRATORS of Brunei exhibition halls were called to be more hands-on in bidding for international events to be hosted in the Sultanate apart from domestic events, as this could make an impact on both the tourism and economic sectors, said Chief Executive Officer of Brunei Tourism Board yesterday.

Speaking during the official launching of the fifth International Halal Products Expo 2010 at the International Convention Centre (ICC), Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohammed said, administrators of exhibition halls like ICC and BRIDEX should be more “proactive” in looking for international events to come to Brunei.

“Do not wait for government-driven events. This is an important message. The world is looking for new venues all the time, and Brunei is such a wonderful country. It’s peaceful and has lots of land area and clean air. So we will welcome event organisers to go somewhere new,” he said.

He pointed out that having more international expo’s in Brunei was good for the board’s tourism campaign.

Meanwhile, he praised the annual International Halal Expo saying that it will position Brunei as a “potential international exhibition venue”.

“There is even a Japanese media crew here in Brunei doing the coverage on the Brunei Halal Expo that will be shown in Japan. So that is why I need more of these exhibitions in Brunei, international and not domestic,” he said.

Citing the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre as well as Malaysian’s exhibition centre as examples, Sheikh Jamaluddin said Bruneian owners of exhibition halls should follow their footsteps by logging onto websites to “bid for big events”.

“They look for events and make bids and (find out) how much it is to host the exhibition. This is what Brunei should do. I hope to see more of these kind of activities that bring people in for exhibition purposes,” he added.

When asked what type international exhibitions Brunei can host in the future, he said, ” We can have art exhibitions for example, a big motor-car exhibition and even an Information Technology (IT) exhibition.” (RTM1)

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