KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre's (KLCC) team are ready to welcome and serve clients and organisers, delegates, guests and visitors in the wake of the re-opening of Malaysia's business events industry from 5 March 2021 onwards.
Over the course of 6 months throughout 2020, KLCC conducted a training exercise to cross- and up-skill its entire workforce of 200, in various aspects of front- and back-end servicing of events and building operations as part of its business recovery and resumption plan.
The training, by in-house subject matter experts, involved classroom sessions and hands-on and role play exercises to build awareness and familiarise the team on how to support some of the key areas of the centre's event operations namely kitchen, stewarding, security and safety, health and environment (SHE).
The entire staff was also given typhoid jabs and halal awareness training in compliance with the international industry and Malaysia's food safety standards.
KLCC director of human resources Muhammad Vickneswaran said the centre is currently at the forefront of major industry transformation, mostly escalated due to Covid-19 but kick-started by the changing world of work and Industrial Revolution 4.0.
"As the market leader of Malaysia's business events industry, a strong pillar in our organisational management is talent and professional development, not only within our organisation but also for the industry.
"Having the right expertise and talent is as important as acquiring all the advanced technological prowess, to leverage and reap the maximum potential that physical and virtual infrastructure offer.
"With completion of our thorough training programme, our team are now market-ready to assist and guide our clients towards the right solutions for the successful execution of events and creating a memorable experience for delegates, in the new norm," he said in a statement.
KLCC's team are now ready to welcome their first major and a recurrent event, Malaysia International Renovation + Home Interior Design Exhibition 2021, from 19 – 21 March 2021.
KLCC head of exhibition sales Kelvin Chai said during the several months of re-opening last year, he assisted in few areas including stewarding, security and our food court.
"Overall it was a fantastic experience for me as it not only exposed me to the other side of our organisational operations, from the heavy-lifting to the nitty-gritty details but also taught me to appreciate my fellow team members who have been tirelessly doing their part despite the highly physically challenging and demanding work environment.
"I believe this new exposure truly enriches my current role and I will be able to serve our clients better with the understanding of the different levels of operations and services that involved in providing an excellent customer journey," he said.
The centre also adopted internal transfers of team members to meet departmental gaps in order to ensure a smooth and continuous end-to-end management and execution of processes and tasks whilst providing new and enriching work experience for its staff.
One of KLCC's initial cost-cutting measures was to halt all part-time employment, renewal of contracts, and manpower support from external suppliers due to major reduction in events which spurred the skills development of all permanent management and administrative staff.