KUALA LUMPUR, 1 June – Malaysia’s premier purpose-built venue, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) marks this year’s Global Exhibitions Day (GED) 2022 with the success of its first International Café and Beverage Show (ICBS) 2022, held from 19 – 21 May.

Celebrating the role of exhibitions in accelerating the pace of economic recovery, GED 2022 focuses on the irreplaceable value of physical exhibitions and face-to-face business events in creating platforms for economic growth and recovery, as well as being the perfect occasion to network and meet new people.

Christopher McCuin, Managing Director, Montgomery Asia shares his excitement to be back in-person on the show floor, “Like all shows around the world, we went through a few rounds of postponements, reviewed the dates but it didn’t change the fact that the market was here. And, coming out of the pandemic, the market is actually growing faster. It’s coffee, teas and food and they don’t want to try that online. They want to taste it, look at it, feel it, unpack it and see how their customers will interact with it. That’s why physical exhibitions work and that’s why we didn’t take it online. People want to do business face-to-face.”

Since the resumption of less-restricted business events and the re-opening of Malaysia’s international borders, the world-class venue has successfully hosted about 20 physical exhibitions, welcoming over 50,000 attendees and visitors.

According to Alan Pryor, General Manager of the Centre, “It has been a positive growth trajectory for our exhibitions segment since the relaxation of health and safety measures and the re-opening of Malaysia’s international borders. We have a very resilient and determined network of organisers and suppliers with experienced professionals here that make up a strong supply chain. Over 30 exhibitions are slated to take place at the Centre until the end of 2022 and we are looking forward to seeing the delivery all of them successfully.”

Organised by Montgomery Asia and Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association with support from Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), ICBS 2022 brings together decision-makers and buyers from café, food service, hospitality, retail and distribution providing the most targeted business platform for brands to tell their story, generate new leads and expand their business.

“Bringing the whole café, beverage and food industry together for the first time, it’s invigorating and motivating. We have exhibitors from Singapore, South Korea, some from England, and Malaysia. Malaysia’s got a fantastic burgeoning café scene and has got such a great vibe so, it’s perfect timing to bring the industry together in Kuala Lumpur. We are bringing ICBS 2023 back to the Centre next year and you can be certain it will be bigger,” concludes McCuin.

Watch Christopher McCuin share his excitement for physical exhibitions here.

For the latest news and highlights at the Centre, visit the Centre’s Newsroom at www.klccconventioncentre.com or follow on social media (Facebook - @klccconventioncentre, LinkedIn - Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Twitter - @klccconvention and Instagram - @klccconventioncentre).