Winners of scholarships to attend 55th ICCA Congress 2016 revealed

MIRI: Young professionals from the international business events community across the Asia Pacific recently battled to win one of five exclusive sponsorships to attend the 55th International Congress and Convention Association ( ICCA) Congress 2016 in Kuching this November.

In a press statement, Sarawak Convention Bureau ( SCB) managing director Mike Cannon said the ICCA Young Professional Scholarship 2016 was the result of Sarawak’s efforts to create international buzz in the countdown to the world’s biggest business events sector event.

“The response was overwhelming and from as far as India and New Zealand,” he highlighted.

The final pursuit saw five under-30s winning the acclaimed scholarships, which are an enterprise of the Asia Pacific Young Professionals Development Programme sponsored by SCB in collaboration with ICCA’s Asia Pacific Chapter.

Candidates submitted a written piece encompassing their thoughts on Kuching as the destination for 55th ICCA Congress 2016, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives for the next ICCA Congress, or the implementation of new technologies in future congresses.

Shortlisted candidates then underwent a gruelling teleconference interview that ended with Jovina Singh ( India), Melanie Adan ( Korea), Siobhan Donalson (New Zealand), Stephen Liu ( Taiwan) and Olivia Jia (China) emerge as Asia Pacific’s brightest millennials in Business Events.

“I have never met a group of young people who are this passionate about their work; it’s almost like a religious calling. I look forward to seeing great things from them in the future,” said SCB’s head of industry development Dylan Redas Noel who was also a panel judge for the sponsorship selection process.

Jovina of Hyderabad Convention Visitor Bureau expressed her desire for Hyderabad to be seen as the convention capital of the Asia Pacific and ASEAN Oceania, while Adan of the Korea Tourism Organisation foresaw ICCA Congress creating a mindset shift from tourism orientation towards Business events.

As a member of the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency, Donalson voiced high hopes of New Zealand working inclusively with neighbouring nations and their key agencies.

Liu, who represents GIS Group of Taipei, wished to build collaborations at ICCA with industry partners in China, whereas Jia of IME Consulting Co. Ltd, Beijing yearned to learn about networking with international clients and explore other cultures through ICCA.

The sponsorships will cover conference registration, accommodation, transfer, and a cash grant towards air fare costs to Kuching.

For more information on the benefits of ICCA membership or the 55th ICCA Congress 2016, please visit www.iccaworld. org.