Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre partners with Marketing Challenges International

September 15, 2018

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre will partner with Marketing Challenges International (MCIntl), an established thought leader in global destination marketing for meetings and conventions for more than 30 years, to help drive the venue’s presence and business opportunities in the North American market.

The Centre’s General Manager, Alan Pryor explained, “We are excited to be working closely with MCIntl’s Managing Partners Michel Couturier and Jacqueline Hewitt, as well as their team, to expand our in-market reach and optimise our client engagement with North America. We have been consistently investing in the North American market to secure meetings, conventions, and incentives and are confident MCIntl’s market expertise, industry insights, and reputation for success will greatly benefit these efforts.”

Pryor continued, “This tie up with MCIntl is another important step to gain first-hand business intelligence to help us better identify relevant North American industry platforms and forums to take our business development strategy to the next level.”

MCIntl is a full-service global destination marketing firm based in New York City. They are a key marketing and sales partner connecting leading convention bureaus and convention centres to the North American meetings market. For more than 30 years, destinations have looked to MCIntl for its market expertise, industry insights, and reputation for success.

MCIntl’s Managing Partner, Michel Couturier, is an active member of ASAE, ICCA, MPI, PCMA, and SITE. Most recently, Michel chaired the Marketing Task Force of PCMA, and was a member of the Global Advisory Board of PCMA.

He helped develop and launch SMU International and created the Global Events Visionary award to recognize planners of international events. He deeply understands the business events industry and will be deploying his knowledge, combined with that of the MCIntl team, to assist the Centre to tap into the market’s many opportunities.

Speaking on the collaboration, Michel Couturier, shared “We are thrilled to be marketing The Centre in North America. The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre is uniquely located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur within walking distance of leading hotels. Kuala Lumpur is the growing capital of Malaysia, a strong economy in South East Asia.”

She added, “These are distinctive assets that make The Centre an amazing venue to market to both the association and corporate planners. Our close cooperation with The Centre’s management team will facilitate the RFP process. As Kuala Lumpur offers great value, we know that we will be successful in putting The Centre on the map of planners of international events.”

Reiterating the importance of the North American market to the Centre, Pryor highlighted a recent educational visit they hosted for prominent American company Maritz Global Events, which is one of the best-known and most respected brands in the business events world.

The visit was part of the Centre’s global industry engagement programme to grow its business acquisition of international corporate and association meetings and events, as well as build greater awareness of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia’s business events proposition through a first-hand experiential immersion.

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Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact