MICEThe BorneoConvention CentreKuchingMICE in SarawakBorneo Convention Centre Kuching plansmajor upgrade in 2020The spectacular Borneo Convention Centre Kuching plans oncarrying out major upgrades this year, introducing state of theart audio-visual technology to its repertoire.News of the upgrade comes as a newreport by Talk2 Media & Events hasunderlined the importance of face-tofacemeetings, revealing that 93% ofbusiness event delegates find humaninteraction and connections importantacross business events, with 48%declaring them to be critical. In viewof this information, BCCK is workingon continuing to expand its globalpresence by hosting more and moreinternational and prestigious events, aswell as expanding physically as a venueto facilitate more and larger events in thefuture.BCCK was the first purpose-built venuein Sarawak, designed to host a myriadof events from large conferences andexhibitions to smaller meetings withinone venue. It first opened its doors in2009 and has since hosted over 1,800events and over 2.4 million delegates andvisitors.Located 8 km from Kuching’s citycentre, the BCCK is located ona 6-hectare riverfront site. Thecentre’s environmentally consciousdesign was inspired by the surroundingrainforest. A major element - when viewedfrom the outside - is the roof structure.Creative architectural solutions forfunction and form of this element werefound in nature. The Centre’s roof isshaped in the form of a “Ririk” leaf.“Ririk” grows in abundance in Sarawak,and due to its large leaves, it is used bymany indigenous tribes for wrapping riceand food.The building has a gross floor areaof 36,500 square metres and theinternal design offers completeflexibility with functional spaces able tobe subdivided into a variety of sizes andconfigurations for plenary sessions,exhibitions and banquets.In the field of MICE, as organisationsaround the world seek to be moreinnovative and compete more and moreon creativity, BCCK approached thequestion of innovation from a totallyunique perspective: a space created amidthe tranquillity of the tropical rainforestwhere any distractions that could takefocus away from simply being innovativeare kept at a distance.Being secluded however does not meandisconnection. The centre is equippedwith the latest in communicationtechnologies with wireless internetenveloping the whole area, cutting ledgeLAN infrastructure and, from this year,even more modern AV technologyA FEW KEY EVENTSFOR 2020:July:Men’s Health World Congress(MHWC) 2020July:6 th World Engineering, Science andTechnology Congress (ESTCON) 2020August:18 th International Conference on CleanEnergy (ICCE 2020)November:AFSM Tripartite Conference 202020 SMART GUIDE www.sarawaktourism.com
TRANSPORT & INFRASTRUCTURETaxi boatapproaching thenew Golden Bridgewith State Assemblyin backgroundDespite the completion ofthe spectacular GoldenBridge, the new highlightof Kuching’s riverfront in2017, Sarawak’s “perahutambang” or river taxis,remain very much the iconof the Sarawak River; a relicof the past; still very muchpart of the city’s daily life.Over two centuries, since the firstWhite Rajah, Sir James Brooke, setup an early settlement combiningtwo populated Malay Kampungs —Boyan and Surabaya — on the leftbank of the river as his administrativecentre, this part of the river figuredprominently in the life of the city,contributing to the birth of downtownKuching.Today, the new 335m S-shapedbridge is a key tourist attraction,connecting the south bank’s highlypopular waterfront walkway (mainbazaar and golden triangle) tothe north bank, where the StateLegislative Assembly building, thehistoric Fort Margherita, and Astanaresidence are to be found.The Sarawak River -life blood of Kuching“Perahu tambang” still the iconsof the picturesque waterwaySungai Bedil Besar, it is still muchquicker to take a boat - only two tothree minutes, while pedestrianswishing to use the bridge will haveto walk for 15-20 minutes. Someboatmen eat and sleep on theirboats during the week… so don’t besurprised to see a blanket or tworucked under the stern. Accordingto Jeman, most boat men work oneweek on and three weeks off – inrotation with others – while theywork in on farms the remainder ofthe month.To fully tap the river’s tourist potential,the Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB)recently endorsed a masterplan tofurther develop river transport alonga 24km zone between Batu Kawaand the Borneo Convention CentreKuching (BCCK).A river cruise onthe MV EquatorialCRUISINGTHE RIVERFor those wishing to visit Kuching at aleisurely pace – viewed from the river,cruising aboard the “Sarawak RiverCruise” on the MV Equatorial gives adifferent perspective of the historic city.The cruise takes visitors past historicallandmarks such as the KuchingWaterfront, Square Tower (formerly aprison), a multi-purpose market, the oldState Mosque with five onion-shapeddomes, a Malay house on stilts andthe Satok Suspension Bridge beforeheading the other side of the river tosee the Astana (former palace of theWhite Rajahs), Fort Margherita (now apolice museum) and a fishing village“My job still keeps me busy”, said Pakcik Jeman (Jeman the boatman),who prefers to row his passengersacross the river than to use themotor. Generally running a boat fromthe jetty at Jalan Gambir to Kampungwww.sarawaktourism.comSMART GUIDE 21
