In October of 2022, a business seminar in Jakarta, Indonesia, titled ‘Cambodia: An Overlooked Destination for Business and Investment,’ was co-organized by Aquarii BD Cambodia and the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (IndoCham), to foster business and investment connections and to clarify misperceptions and address outdated perspectives about Cambodia.
It attracted more than 120 Indonesian businesses and professionals from multiple key sectors and was likely one of the catalysts for the uptick in visits by business delegations and visitors from Indonesia throughout 2023, resulting in 22 new projects with a total investment value of around $69 million.
Underscoring the importance of bringing the message of Cambodia to destination markets and investment sources, Aquarii BD Cambodia intends to build on the success of the Indonesia event to conduct a similar seminar in Singapore.
Scheduled to be held on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, this private sector-led business seminar has elicited strong support from key partners Khmer Enterprise (KE), Swisscontact, Phillip Bank, and Singapore Airlines. Additionally, it is also supported and endorsed by the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MISTI) and the Ministry of Commerce (MoC).
CEO of Aquarii BD Cambodia Michael Tan said the seminar’s success in Jakarta underscored the importance of such initiatives. “The seminar in Jakarta demonstrated that overcoming misconceptions and addressing outdated perspectives can help open new doors and strengthen partnerships for collaboration in commercial opportunities.”
“The commonly held negative image of the Kingdom, fueled by selective portrayals and media bias, has hindered foreign investments and as such, overseas business seminars will continue to serve as a necessary outreach in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), by raising awareness of the factual socio-economic development of Cambodia and what it has to offer international businesses and investors,” he added.
Under the similar theme of ‘Cambodia – An Overlooked Destination for Business and Investment’, the main segment of the seminar in Singapore in March will feature the Minister of Industry, Science, Innovation and Technology and the Minister of Commerce as the main speakers. This will be followed by a second segment that provides pertinent information and useful insights on doing business in Cambodia, such as its investment-friendly policies, the country’s comparative advantages, as well as the priority sectors and selected investment-ready projects.
Each segment will end with a Q&A session to address the concerns and issues that international businesses and investors may have when considering doing business or investing in the Kingdom.
The half-day seminar will conclude with a networking reception for delegation members and international participants to establish connections.
As of February 26, businesses in Singapore and internationally that have registered their attendance for the seminar are from education, services, banking/finance, ICT/technology, real estate/construction hospitality/F&B, legal/tax, manufacturing/production and healthcare sectors. Aquarii expects sign-ups in the coming weeks to include businesses from other sectors interested in the Cambodian market, and is appreciative of the organizations that have helped to disseminate information about the seminar to their members/contacts: Asia Venture Philanthropist Network, Singapore Business Federation, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, NUS Business School Alumni Association, and various family offices, among others.
Aside from the seminar, delegation members of relevant commercial interests will be able to join the two ministers in arranged meetings with Singaporean businesses, including one with a Singaporean worldwide distribution group.
Those interested in participating in the March 22 seminar can register as a delegation member or involved as a sponsor or a key partner. Businesses can also take the opportunity to feature their company or service by taking up ad spaces in the Seminar Guidebook. khmertimeskh
