Matrade chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz — ART CHEN/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) aims to generate RM4.5bil in total sales from the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas) 2024 in Kuala Lumpur and its inaugural event in Dubai.
Speaking to StarBiz, Matrade chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz said a total of RM3.5bil will be collected from Mihas KL – higher from the sales of RM3.2bil in Mihas 2023.
Optimistic about this year’s exhibition, he said, “We hope that this year will be better than last year and we look forward to the active participation of Malaysian companies as well as seizing the opportunity from the presence of foreign buyers that attend the event.”
The confidence is further supported by the higher participation in Mihas 2024 as the number of exhibitors was noted to have increased by 10% compared to last year.
“This year, we are talking about 2,000 exhibition booths. And we are also seeing an increase in the number of premium buyers as well,” he said.
Bringing in 20 premium buyers from 13 participating countries, this initiative will be organised under Mihas’ International Sourcing Programme (INSP) and is expected to generate potential sales of RM1.7bil.
“Given the impressive number of buyers together with the international exhibitors from 66 countries, I believe the value of sales that we will be able to conclude this year will be higher than last year,” he said.
Themed “Globalising Halal Innovation”, Mihas 2024 will feature halal food and beverages, eCommerce, education, Muslim fashion and lifestyle, as well as Muslim-friendly hospitality and tourism.
Marking Mihas’ debut in the international market, Matrade aims to collect RM1bil in sales for Mihas@Dubai.
Sharing the backstory behind the planning of Mihas@Dubai, Mohd Mustafa said the idea was proposed as a move to strengthen Malaysia’s position as a leader in the global halal industry.
“This is important so that the local and international business community will associate Mihas with the biggest halal show originating from Malaysia and spread the word that we are the champion of the halal industry,” he said.
He further explained that Mihas@Dubai will not be organised as a solo exhibition, but will instead ride on another exhibition named the “Middle East Organic and Natural Product Expo 2024”.
“We are riding on that exhibition with an entire pavilion for Mihas in the exhibition.
“It will be a huge participation – 2,000 sq m with almost 230 exhibitors from both private sectors as well as ministry agencies,” he added.
Similar to Mihas 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Mihas@Dubai will also bring in about 120 buyers from the neighbouring regions.
Besides the Middle East, Matrade also plans to organise Mihas in other regions such as Europe and also in China in the future.
Mihas 2024 will be held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre Kuala Lumpur (Mitec) from Sept 17 to 20, 2024 and Mihas@Dubai will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from Nov 18 to 20, 2024.
Aiming to build a legacy at Matrade, Mohd Mustafa said he aims to make Mihas an attraction globally and not solely for regional players.
“Born, bred and raised in this organisation for the last 30 years, I always believe that there are a lot of things we can improve on – and this is not only in terms of positioning and branding, but also these iconic events that we organise.
“We do not want to be seen as a jaguh kampung (home-ground champion),” he said.
Mohd Mustafa started his role as the CEO of Matrade back in Dec 25, 2020 determined to transform the organisation with three main core values – gemilang (glorious), terbilang (renowned) and cemerlang (excellent).
He shared that one of his first moves towards the transformation was to fill up the Matrade Tower in Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, Kuala Lumpur with “top-notch” facilities as well as promoting the building to other government agencies, private sectors and other associations.
In order to solve issues regarding performance, he suggested that employers invest in creating a comfortable workspace for employees.
“For instance, we gave local staff a world-class work space complete with everything they need and now it’s payback time with them improving their performance.
“That is basically the strategy and we have seen a boom in productivity,” he added.
