The prestigious Borneo Inspires Legacy Awards (BILA) 2025 is now calling on business events industry players from across the globe to participate and be recognised for their contributions in creating meaningful and lasting legacies. Hosted by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), the awards aim to celebrate individuals and organisations whose work has significantly shaped and impacted their fields through legacy, sustainability, and innovation.
BILA 2025 honours outstanding achievements within the business events ecosystem, encompassing corporate meetings, conventions, incentives, and exhibitions. Eligible participants include a wide array of professionals such as event organisers, government agencies, corporate bodies, industry partners, suppliers, and journalists from both Malaysia and the international community. With 18 award titles across five main categories, BILA offers a broad platform to acknowledge the changemakers driving progress in Sarawak and beyond.
The four primary award categories—Conventions Legacy Excellence, Exhibitions Legacy Excellence, Corporate Meetings & Incentives Corporate Social Responsibility, and Sarawak Industry—each feature subcategories that focus on Economic, Environmental, and Social achievements. An additional Honorary subcategory is available for entries that demonstrate excellence across all three areas. The fifth category, Journalism, will award excellence in both Broadcast and Print/Online reporting.
The awards are open to all achievements made between 2023 and June 2025. Nominees can submit entries themselves or be nominated by peers and stakeholders within the business events industry. All submissions must be made through the official BILA 2025 online platform, which includes comprehensive guidelines to assist participants in preparing their applications. The deadline for submission is 15 June 2025.
Highlighting the importance of this initiative, The Honourable Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, emphasised Sarawak’s evolving role in global business events. “Sarawak is redefining the future of business events—where collaboration, legacy, and sustainability drive transformative change. This is our chance to recognise those who contribute to the development of Sarawak in alignment with the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).”
As the Legacy Impact Master Action Plan 2023-2025 approaches its final year, Dato Sri Abang Haji Abdul Karim bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Chairman of BESarawak, stated that BILA represents a key milestone under the new LEGACY360 initiative. “Every successful business event is powered by visionary leaders and industry trailblazers. It’s essential to honour those who turn events into movements and ideas into legacies. This positions Sarawak as the legacy capital of business events in Malaysia and Borneo.”
Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak, echoed the call for widespread participation, encouraging nominations from both local and international stakeholders. “We encourage all industry stakeholders to submit and nominate. BILA 2025 is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. We want to continue fostering collaboration and inclusivity in building the legacy impact of business events. The more voices we have, the stronger we become in advocating for this shared mission.”
For submission guidelines and to nominate for BILA 2025, visit the official platform at https://legacy360.businesseventssarawak.com. Additional information about the awards is available at https://legacy360.businesseventssarawak.com/bila-2025/#overview.
