KUALA LUMPUR, 6 JULY 2026 – The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (“the Centre”) has become the first convention centre in the world to simultaneously win the Overall Winner Award and the Delegates’ Choice Award at the prestigious International Association of Convention Centres’ (AIPC) Innovation Awards 2026, held during the AIPC Annual Conference in Bilbao, Spain.
Organised by AIPC, the Innovation Awards recognise convention and exhibition centres that demonstrate exceptional innovation, operational excellence and measurable outcomes for the global meetings and events industry. The Centre’s dual win marks the first time in the awards’ history that a single venue has been recognised by both an independent international judging panel and its industry peers in the same year.
The winning submission centered on the Centre’s transformation of underutilised space into revenue-generating event venues – most notably the conversion of its former Press Centre into contemporary meeting facilities. Rather than expanding its physical footprint, the Centre chose to reimagine existing assets, improving flexibility and operational efficiency while unlocking new value for clients.
Robert Hatton-Jones, Deputy General Manager of the Centre, said the recognition reflects well on Malaysia’s broader business events industry.
“To receive both awards is an extraordinary honour, particularly as they represent recognition from two important groups – the AIPC Board, who served as the judging panel, and delegates from convention centres around the world who attended the AIPC Annual Conference and voted for the People’s Choice Award. The fact that this is the first time a single venue has received both accolades makes the achievement even more meaningful,” said Robert.
Competing against entries from convention centres across the globe – many of them centered on long-term sustainability initiatives – the Centre’s submission stood out for being practical, measurable and easy for other venues to replicate.
The AIPC recognition comes amid a strong first half of 2026 for the Centre. Between January and June 2026, the Centre hosted over 552 business events, welcoming approximately 810, 685 delegates and generating an estimated RM 548 million in economic impact for Malaysia.
Notable events held at the Centre during the period included the Offshore Technology Conference, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates; Asiawater 2026, with over 10,000 delegates and visitors; the MIA International Accountants Conference 2026, which welcomed close to 1,300 delegates; Automechanika Kuala Lumpur 2026, attracting more than 5,000 participants; the World Federation of Hemophilia Congress 2026, with approximately 2,000 delegates; the International Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) 2026, which drew around 2,500 delegates; the World Scholar’s Cup, with more than 2,000 participants; and Franchise Expo Malaysia 2026, which welcomed around 5,000 attendees.
The Centre’s calendar remains busy heading into the second half of the year. Upcoming events include the Malaysian International Food & Beverage Expo (15–17 July), expected to attract more than 10,000 participants; the APHM International Healthcare Conference & Exhibition (28–30 July); Cosmobeauté Malaysia & beautyexpo (29 September–1 October), which is set to host around 400 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions; and the 22nd Asian Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Engineering Exhibition (OGA 2026), one of the region’s largest energy exhibitions, which is expected to attract more than 22,000 delegates and trade visitors.
The award reinforces Malaysia’s growing reputation as a world-class business events destination. As competition intensifies among convention cities globally, the Centre’s win offers independent international endorsement of the country’s ability to deliver innovation and operational excellence – a reputation reinforced by the scale and diversity of events the venue continues to attract.
“This is not the finish line for us,” Robert said.
“If anything, it’s a reminder that there’s always another corner of the building worth a second look.”
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