Sabah Bootcamp Empowers 50 with Winning Business Skills

7 February 2026

KOTA KINABALU: A focused and intensive Sabah Business Events (BE) Bootcamp was held recently, attended by 50 participants from a wide range of organisations across Sabah and beyond.

The programme was carefully designed to equip attendees with essential skills in sales and bidding, crucial areas for securing and organising successful business events. This hands-on training provided participants with practical tools and insights to enhance their capabilities, fostering greater confidence and expertise in competing for international and regional events. The bootcamp aimed to build a skilled local workforce capable of elevating Sabah’s profile as a leading destination for business events.

The programme was organised ahead of the Third International Business Forum, BE in Sabah 2026, held at the Sabah International Convention Centre on 4–5 February.

Noredah Othman, Chief Executive Officer of the Sabah Convention Bureau (SCB), said the inaugural bootcamp was designed to nurture 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 premier business events destination.

The first edition, themed “From Leads to Bids”, was delivered by instructors from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and global consultancy firm Gaining Edge.

Noredah added that SCB plans to organise future editions of the bootcamp with variations to cater to the diverse needs of the business events sector.

“Each bootcamp will follow a signature approach—practical, hands-on training emphasising knowledge sharing and exchange,” she said.

“To ensure an intimate and interactive learning environment, participant numbers will be limited,” she added.

Jane Vong Holmes, Programme Manager at Gaining Edge, explained: “In this space, we have only friendly buayas with one aim—the sharing of knowledge for collective improvement.”

A participant described the session as the most impactful component of the bootcamp, noting it fostered teamwork, enabled participants to present ideas, and provided constructive feedback for improvement.

Mike Williams, Senior Partner and Lead Instructor at Gaining Edge, expressed his admiration for the strong turnout and enthusiastic support from across Sabah’s business events industry, professional associations, and government agencies.

“It highlights how seriously Sabah values the potential of business events,” he remarked.