BE Sarawak, SAIC to explore collaboration
by Ronnie Teo · Borneo Post OnlineKUCHING (September 24): Business Events Sarawak (BE Sarawak) signed a memorandum of collaboration (MOC) with the Sarawak AI Centre (SAIC) to develop the Sarawak Business Events Analytics and Collaboration Network (Sarawak BEACON), an industry intelligence initiative designed to strengthen how Sarawak uses data and insights to plan, develop and grow its business events industry.
The agreement exchange was made between BE Sarawak represented by its chief executive officer Jason Tan and SAIC represented by its chief executive officer Professor Patrick Then during BE Sarawak’s 20th Anniversary Gala on Wednesday night.
Also present were Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian representing the Sarawak Premier, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, and Deputy State Secretary (Operation) and BESarawak Chairman Datu Hii Chang Kee, among other distinguished guests.
Sarawak BEACON is envisioned as a central industry intelligence system that will bring together data across areas including accommodation, events, venues, transportation, the industry supply chain and healthcare.
Once developed, it is expected to provide government and industry stakeholders with a clearer understanding of Sarawak’s business events capacity, capabilities and development needs.
The initiative comes as Sarawak’s business events industry enters a new phase after two decades of building its position as a competitive destination.
“While data on the industry already exists, it is fragmented across different areas. The opportunity now is to bring that information together so we can better understand our strengths, identify gaps and opportunities, and plan more effectively for the future,” Tan commented on the endeavour.
As Sarawak looks to the next generation of data intelligence, SAIC’s Then said the ambition for BEACON goes beyond bringing information together.
“Together with BESarawak, SAIC aims to develop Sarawak BEACON into a sovereign agentic AI platform, one that keeps Sarawak in control of its data while using AI to generate deeper intelligence and support smarter, more proactive decision-making for the industry,” he stated.
As BESarawak enters its third decade, Sarawak BEACON marks the beginning of a more data-informed approach to shaping the next phase of Sarawak’s business events industry, moving from understanding what has been built to using intelligence to determine what needs to be built next.
Over time, the initiative aims to build a stronger body of industry intelligence that can support government and industry decision-makers, identify emerging opportunities, and provide a clearer evidence base for future investment and development.