KUANTAN: The main entrance of the Kuantan City Mall turned into a fun-filled carnival area as large group of youths flocked the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2020 Squad event here today.
The F1 Simulator Challenge was certainly a crowd-puller as visitors patiently waited to test their racing skills and challenged each other to finish on the podium.
There was never a dull moment during the event as the crowd were kept occupied trying the fun-filled games including the electronic version of "Wheel of Fortune" where lucky winners took home prizes.
Some visitors were making wild guesses when answering the trivia quizzes about APEC 2020 which Malaysia will be hosting for the second time following 1998's Apec Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Hosts Muhammad Ashraf Jamaludin or known as Acap and Mohamad Zaharudin Zainal injected extra excitement and created a lively atmosphere as they joked, and interacted with the crowd while occasionally asking questions related to APEC 2020.
Participants who got their answers correct immediately won themselves a red bag which contained limited edition APEC 2020 merchandise.
Form Four student Kamil Hakimi Samsul Akmar, 16, described the event as an eye-opener as he and his friends only had information about APEC from what they had learnt in school.
"We knew that Malaysia will be hosting the summit in November this year but the event today has given us some extra information about the countries involved and what are the topics that will be discussed during the meeting.
"The concept adopted at the road show allows us to have fun while gaining the necessary knowledge on APEC. I believe this is a good event for students like me to learn about APEC and I am lucky because Malaysia will be hosting the event so road-shows are held to ensure the people are well-informed," he said.
Diploma student Mohd Azrul Mohd Sabri, 22, praised the move to promote APEC nationwide which allows the public especially young people to learn more about the summit.
"Not many are aware about the Apec Summit especially after the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. I guess the summit this year will be special as it will be held under the new normal and there will certainly be a lot of issues to be discussed especially concerning the global economy," he said.
Meanwhile Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) undergraduate Nur Camelia Samsul Akmar, 18, said the event here should be held a little longer along with exhibitions.
"Besides participating in various games and winning prizes, it allows us to know more about APEC 2020. I hope more APEC related events will be held for students and maybe it could be held a little longer so that more people can benefit....maybe in the future, a photo exhibitions from the previous APEC Summit can be organised," she said.
The event, organised by APEC 2020 National Secretariat, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti), is aimed at boosting the awareness on Malaysia's role as the host and Chairman of APEC this year.
The public can participate in various activities including the F1 Simulator, 'Wheel of Fortune' game, APEC quiz and selfie competition.
After Kuantan, the APEC Squad team will travel to Kuala Terengganu on Thursday and Kota Bahru on Friday.
The event in Kuala Terengganu will be held at the Kuala Terengganu Convention Centre Mail between 4pm and 7pm.