KUALA LUMPUR: Business Events Council Malaysia (BECM) has appealed to the government to set a restart date for business events, while making a clear distinction between business events and mass gatherings.
Conferences and exhibitions are currently not allowed to take place under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
BECM chairman Alan Pryor said it was important for the government to understand that the business events industry can operate safely under comprehensive standard operating procedures (SOPs).
"Malaysia's business events venues and facilities can offer controlled environments combined with high quality operational standards to ensure the health and safety of people, which has always been and will continue to be, a primary concern of the business events industry," Pryor said in a statement on Saturday.
As such, he said business events should not be subject to the mass gathering restrictions that apply to other large-scale events such as weddings, religious gatherings, sports events and concerts.
Pryor said event venues are economic engines for their cities and communities, creating significant tax and travel revenues as well as jobs.
"That is why, in consultation with the industry, we have developed highly comprehensive SOPs, which demonstrate our focus on ensuring the safety of our employees, clients, suppliers and attendees.
"Collectively industry stakeholders have submitted these SOPs to the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, which have in turn submitted them to the government," he said..
BECM said the comprehensive SOPs, which have been developed by relevant industry sectors with the support of industry associations, incorporated the use of personal protective equipment, food safety measures, air quality control, surface cleaning, and physical and social distancing.
Based on the SOPs, Malaysian business event venues will also be required to implement a variety of other measures including temperature checks, thermal cameras, hand sanitisers, reduced touchpoints, contactless transactions and daily monitoring systems.
"The specifics will be further customised for each venue and event, but the primary objective is first and foremost the health and safety of all involved in the planning and execution of events on site," BECM said.