Since taking the helm in April 2012 at Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB), new Managing Director Mr Mike Cannon has significant plans to enhance the Bureau's mission to bring Sarawak further up the ranks as a globally competitive business events destination.

Executive Director of the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) for the past 10 years, Mr Cannon was asked to share his future plans for SCB.

"Apart from continuing the good work that Jill Henry has initiated with the team, I intend to get SCB's name well and truly on the Business Events map by appointing ambassadors at a state, national and international level and using my existing network, as well as the Bureau's many contacts developed over the years."

He believes that Sarawak has the potential to increase its marketability through effective collaboration with its industry partners, in particular the Sarawak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) in the chase for Association business.

"Their clients are our clients. The collaboration between SCCI, MATRADE and MyCEB in chasing Association and Corporate business is heading in the right direction. This will help in strengthening our collaborative efforts to garner more business from a market that can provide direct and indirect benefits to Sarawak society," he adds.

With the recent launch of the Bureau's International Marketing Campaign - a 'Telegram of Borneo' targeting prospective clients across the globe, SCB has maintained their marketing core by using traditional elements to successfully produce a fresh corporate image to appeal to today's business savvy travellers.

Among the marketing tools launched included the latest edition of SCB's Meeting Planner's Guide (MPG) and SCB's new Brochure. All these marketing tools can be downloaded from the Bureau's website: http://sarawakcb.com/downloads/publications/

Mr Cannon has worked with Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) in Papua New Guinea, and later spent time with Qantas, then Dalgety Travel, as Manager of Victoria before starting his own destination management firm; AFIT-Specialist Tours.  He was a founding board member of the National Tourism Alliance (NTA) of Australia, has served on the board of ITOA (now ATEC - the Australian Tourism Export Council) with two years as Chairman, and was an integral part of The Australian Tourism Minister's Advisory Council (driving the needs of the Convention Bureaux and business events industry following the launch of Australian Federal Minister Joe Hockey's Tourism White Paper). A past councillor with the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), Mr Cannon has also served on various advisory boards and action groups, for example Southern Cross University's Tourism Advisory Council and the Catherine Hill Bay Progress Association & Dune Care Inc.

His past achievements include establishing for the Bureaux of Australia, maximum marketing dollars from the Australian Government's Export Market Development Scheme and positioned the Convention Bureaux of Australia as having a core role in the development of Australia's export services.

Upon arriving in Sarawak, Mr Cannon shared, "It was like 'coming home', as the smell, the humid weather and warm reception from the Bureau staff and people of Sarawak reminded me of when I grew up in Kenya and Uganda, and worked in Papua New Guinea."

He concludes, "I'm excited to meet the Bureau's industry partners and to let them know that we, the Bureau, are here to support and develop the industry in the best possible way; by getting out and winning bids."

Mr Cannon will be travelling to IMEX 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany from 21-23 May 2013. Do visit the Sarawak Convention Bureau booth at B200.

###END###

For more information:

Ms. Jemima Rinai Joseph 

Marketing & Events Liaison Officer - Sarawak Convention Bureau

T: +6 082 242 516

E: jemima@sarawakcb.com



Definition: *Business Events &/or Business Tourism refers to Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE).

Note to Editors:

Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) was established in 2006 by the State Government of Sarawak. We are a non-profit company whose aim is to bring Sarawak to the forefront as a competitive destination for international meetings. The Bureau is a member of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Our goal is to help connect NGOs, corporations and government bodies with whatever necessary to make international conventions a success in Sarawak. For more information, log on to www.sarawakcb.com.