SHANGRI-LA Rasa Ria Kota Kinabalu General Manager Fiona Hagan said hotels play a critical role in shaping future business events professionals, particularly through hands-on exposure across multiple operational areas.
She said there is no true competency gap among young talent, but rather a lack of structured experience.
“Sabah has a strong talent pool and good education institutions. What we need is to rethink how we develop people within organisations,” she was speaking during the “Future Builders” plenary session at the 3rd International Business Events Forum (BE in Sabah 2026) at Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here recently.
Fiona said that traditional organisational structures often silo staff into specific functions, limiting their understanding of how events operate as an integrated process.
“In reality, events cut across finance, culinary, logistics, compliance and guest experience. We need to train talent accordingly,” she said.
She emphasised the importance of strong systems and standard operating procedures as a foundation before empowerment can occur.
“Throwing someone onto an event floor without training is intimidating and unfair. Investment in preparation is critical,” she added.
At Shangri-La Rasa Ria, staff are encouraged to see events not just as operational tasks but as opportunities to showcase Sabah’s identity.
“Delegates come here not just for meetings, but to experience Sabah. Our people are the storytellers,” she said.
Fiona noted that empowering staff with cultural pride helps communicate confidently with international delegates.
She also acknowledged that leaders must learn to step back and allow teams to make decisions, even during challenging situations.
“Sometimes their solution is different from mine, but that’s how growth happens,” she said.
She reiterated that rethinking training structures and empowering talent through trust are key to building future-ready professionals.
