DENPASAR, 3 September 2026 — Bali Convention & Exhibition Bureau (BaliCEB) and Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) are exploring opportunities for closer collaboration to strengthen their respective destinations in the international business events market, particularly through international congress bidding, destination marketing, industry networking, and membership management.
The collaboration was discussed during a meeting in Denpasar between Dr. Ketut Jaman, Chairman of BaliCEB, and Siti Sarah, Head of Sales & Marketing of PCEB, on 1 September 2026.
The meeting focused on the practical exchange of experience and best practices in attracting international conferences and association meetings. Both parties discussed how convention bureau can work more effectively with governments, venues, hotels, professional conference organisers (PCOs), destination management companies (DMCs), and other industry partners to identify, develop, and secure international business events.
“Bali and Penang are both established destinations with strong tourism assets, experienced industry partners and growing business events capabilities. By sharing knowledge and exploring areas of collaboration, we can create greater value for international associations and meeting planners while opening new opportunities for both destinations.”
Strengthening International Congress Bidding
A key area of discussion was international congress bidding. BaliCEB and PCEB exchanged perspectives on identifying potential congress opportunities, developing relationships with international associations, understanding the priorities of association meeting planners, and building competitive destination bids.
For international meeting planners and association executives, the effectiveness of a convention bureau increasingly depends not only on the destination itself, but also on the bureau’s ability to coordinate local stakeholders and provide professional, responsive support throughout the bidding and event-delivery process.
Dr. Ketut Jaman said that collaboration and knowledge exchange between convention bureau can create additional opportunities for destinations while strengthening the overall competitiveness of Southeast Asia as a business events region.
“Bali and Penang are both established destinations with strong tourism assets, experienced industry partners and growing business events capabilities. By sharing knowledge and exploring areas of collaboration, we can create greater value for international associations and meeting planners while opening new opportunities for both destinations,” said Dr. Ketut Jaman.
Sharing Destination Marketing Practices
The discussion also covered destination marketing and business events lead generation, including destination positioning, international market development, relationship building, and converting qualified leads into confirmed events.
For BaliCEB, effective destination marketing goes beyond promoting venues and accommodation. It involves presenting Bali as a complete business events destination supported by experienced local suppliers, accessible infrastructure, diverse pre- and post-event experiences, and coordinated destination support.
The exchange with PCEB provides an opportunity to compare approaches to market development and identify practices that can be adapted to the evolving expectations of international meeting planners.
Membership as an Industry Network
Membership management was another important topic. Both convention bureau exchanged experience on attracting and retaining members, increasing member engagement, and creating tangible business value for industry partners.
A strong membership network enables a convention bureau to bring together hotels, venues, PCOs, DMCs, transportation providers, attractions, event suppliers, and other stakeholders as a coordinated destination ecosystem.
For meeting planners, this ecosystem can provide a more efficient pathway to local expertise, destination information, supplier connections, and event support.
Toward Practical Collaboration
The meeting identified several potential areas for continued cooperation, including knowledge exchange, professional networking, cross-promotion, sharing of best practices, and potential collaboration on international congress opportunities.
BaliCEB and PCEB believe that greater connectivity between convention bureau can benefit not only the two destinations but also international associations and meeting planners seeking reliable partners and distinctive destinations in Southeast Asia.
For BaliCEB, the engagement forms part of its broader strategy to strengthen Bali’s international business events network and position the island as a competitive destination for international congresses, association meetings, incentive programmes, corporate events, and other business events.
Through continued dialogue and practical collaboration, BaliCEB and PCEB aim to create stronger connections between their industry communities and deliver greater value to international meeting planners, associations, and business events stakeholders.