By Eric Quay – The Sun Online
MALAYSIA will take centre stage again next month with the 16th edition of the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas).
The trade show was launched last week at the Glasshouse in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) chief executive officer Datuk Wan Latiff Wan Musa.
The soft launch was attended by representatives from the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti), Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) as well as Mihas 2019 sponsors, associations, industry players and the media.
Also present at the launch were Jakim Halal Hub Division director Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee and HDC vice-president Hanisofian Alias.
Touted as the world’s largest halal trade show, Mihas 2019 will be held from April 3 to 6 at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) in Kuala Lumpur, showcasing high-quality halal products and services from around the world.
According to Wan Latiff, Mihas 2019 would reflect the maturity of the event as a world-class platform for the world’s halal industry.
“With the strong support from both the public and private sectors, Mihas has earned the status as the centre point for industry players to converge under one roof in showcasing the latest halal trends and innovations apart from exchanging insights and knowledge of the halal industry,” he said.
He added that the industry continued to present its potential despite the various challenges in today’s global economic scenario.
“Malaysia remains the world’s focal point for the halal industry as it has an ecosystem supported by strong economic fundamentals and various market-driven initiatives, creating a business-friendly environment for the growth of industry players.“
Mihas 2019, which will host over 1,000 exhibitors, is expecting to draw about 30,000 trade visitors.
It aims to top last year’s success, which drew 778 exhibitors from 32 countries and 21,000 visitors.
The trade show will also play host to a series of value-added programmes that include six conferences and more than 30 seminars.
These include a trade talk by Matrade on international market insights, an Islamic tourism conference by Islamic Tourism Center and Halal Trip to provide the latest on halal tourism industry developments.
In addition, there will be the IMHalal Conference that brings together international and local practitioners, as well as academicians to develop ideas and initiatives for the halal industry, a halal innovation forum on Islamic digital initiatives, as well as MyPitch, which focuses on new innovation and technologies.
Another important component to Mihas is its business matching programmes – namely the International Sourcing Programme (INSP), which will match more than 450 Malaysian companies with foreign buyers seeking to source from Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the Mihas Hosted Buyer Programme provides an opportunity for non-INSP participants to be matched with Mihas 2019 exhibitors via an online meeting scheduler called Mihas Connect.
The trade show will focus on the food and beverage industry, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, finance, digital, logistics, Islamic tourism and modest fashion, which is a new addition.
Mihas 2019 is part of the Global Halal Summit 2019 (GHS) that will take place from April 1 to 6 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Mitec.
In addition to the trade show, GHS has six other components and includes the 10th Halal Certification Bodies Convention, the first Global Halal Industries Congress organised by Jakim, the 11th World Halal Conference by the Halal Industry Development Corporation at Mitec on April 3 and 4.
Mihas 2019 is hosted by Miti and organised by Matrade in association with HDC and Jakim and managed by HW Lima Exhibitions.
