Fifty participants from various organisations underwent a short but intensive Sabah Business Events (BE) Bootcamp on February 3, focused on in-demand skills in sales and bidding.
The programme was organised ahead of the Third International Business Forum, BE in Sabah 2026, held at the Sabah International Convention Centre from February 4–5.
Sabah Convention Bureau (SCB) chief executive officer Noredah Othman said the first-ever bootcamp was designed to incubate and empower collaborators — including government agencies, academia, Sabah chapter members of international and regional associations, and business events suppliers — to work in partnership with the bureau to position Sabah as a business events destination.
The inaugural edition, themed “From Leads to Bids”, was conducted by instructors from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and global consultancy firm Gaining Edge.
Noredah said SCB plans to offer future editions of the bootcamp with variations to meet the diverse needs of the business events community.
“Each bootcamp will follow a signature formula — practical, hands-on training with an emphasis on knowledge sharing and exchange,” she said.
“For this reason, participant numbers will be capped to ensure an intimate and interactive learning experience,” she added
One of the key sessions was the “Buaya Pit” exercise.
Gaining Edge programme manager Jane Vong Holmes explained: “In this pit, we have only friendly buayas with one aim — to share knowledge in the interest of improvement.”
A participant described the session as the most impactful component of the bootcamp, saying it encouraged teamwork, allowed participants to present ideas, and provided constructive feedback on areas for improvement.
Senior Partner and Lead Instructor at Gaining Edge, Mike Williams, said he was impressed by the strong turnout and enthusiastic support from across Sabah, spanning the business events industry, professional associations and government agencies.
“It underscores how seriously Sabah views the potential of business events,” he said.
