The Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC) recently took Chinese banquets to a whole new level by serving dinner to 6,600 delegates at one go.
Arriving in Malaysia for a high-powered fintech conference, international delegates truly feasted their senses to a ten-course dinner put together by the amazing MITEC culinary team.
“It was a major feat to pull off as the culinary team had to brainstorm creatively for the menu, balance between catering the amount of food needed and at the same time, careful planning and execution of the event,” said Chef Chiew Chee Mun, Executive Chef of MITEC, who led the F&B team to solid success.
Some of the commendable dishes whipped from the kitchen include MITEC’s signature braised abalone Von au Vent, smoked eel with wakame, stuffed smoked salmon bite, lemongrass cod skewer and more. The unconventional menu also demonstrated the Venue’s ability to create new beginnings and yet at the same time, relate to the essence of a Chinese banquet.
Gathering the best manpower MITEC could harness, Chef Chiew explained, “As this is the largest banquet setting in Kuala Lumpur, we required a team of 930 from the kitchen, service and stewarding combined. The team did a splendid job in turning around the venue in a mere two hours from theatre-style to banquet setting. In an even more meaningful manner, we worked with college students to support the banqueting team, giving them a real-life experience of culinary events and highlighting MITEC’s value of community support which have a strong focus on ‘on-the-job’ training and emphasis on work-integrated learning.
The Conference also gave the opportunity to MITEC to demonstrate the versatility of the venue. As Malaysia’s largest trade and exhibition centre, space is integrated with the team’s creativity and innovativeness to deliver an impressive experience.
“The loading bay and Halls 6-8 on Level 2 was converted into a fruit orchard, where we served fresh Malaysian fruits to our delegates. As a matter of fact, we broke what people would label as taboo by having a durian party in a closed area! It is truly a milestone not only for MITEC but also for the business events industry. 6.5 tonnes of durians (king of fruits) were served to delegates,” the Chef explained further.
MITEC also converted its Halls 9-11 on Level 3 to a satellite kitchen for efficient meal preparation and food presentation.
Gaining immediate positive feedback from impressed delegates, Kee Ming and Hui Sin said, “We came with the intention of gaining knowledge from this Conference but in addition, we left in awe with capabilities of MITEC and how the Venue delivered especially the banquet. MITEC certainly sets a benchmark and we hope others follow suit as it will boost the business events industry for Malaysia”.
“My first time in Malaysia and MITEC has left a profound impression on me. We love durians and to pull off the durian party, I am truly convinced that business events players of Malaysia can cater to visitors. I congratulate the MITEC team for a great job done,” said Kee Ming.
The Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) sits on a sprawling 75.5 acres of the KL Metropolis, an integrated development within the Kuala Lumpur’s International Trade and Exhibition District.
Positioned as an economic catalyst and Gateway to Southeast Asia, MITEC is the third largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) venue in the Southeast Asia region and the largest trade and exhibition centre in Malaysia.
