“Everyone of you who loves good food, welcome to MIGF KULinary!” exclaimed Malaysia International Gastronomy Festival (MIGF) Organising Chairman Dato’ Steve Day, kicking off his speech at the MIGF KULinary launch.

“How many here come to this airport five times a year?” he then asked of the audience. “How many come here 10 times a year?”

A mix of responses arose from the audience before Dato’ Steve continued, “If you come here five times a year, that’s 10 passes through the airport to and fro, with an average of about three hours each time. That’s tens of hours a year. Imagine that in this wonderful place which is like a second home for all you regular travellers!”

Gesturing over to the vibrant collection of restaurant stations to his right, each manned by beaming staff and adorned with delicious tasting portions, he then brought up the tremendous choice of great food the airport has. “A festival like this is a wonderful innovation, and it shows the will and desire of MAHB to make this the best airport in the world. My thanks must go to them for hosting this wonderful event and making it one that is going to be remembered for many years to come. Thank you so much to for trusting in MIGF.”

“MAHB’s mission statement is to make the airport a joyful place for everybody, where you can relax, shop to your heart’s content, and dine. Good food is what connects everybody. There are wonderful restaurants around here and we couldn’t have chosen the best without our judging committee,” he said, before inviting the panel of esteemed judges onto the stage to rousing applause. “They had to go to 80 outlets in three days!”

Dato’ Steve also told the listening faces about MIGF and its history, which stretches back to 2001. MIGF’s illustrious existence has seen it become a household name in Malaysia for its endeavours that breathe plenty of exuberance into the F&B landscape in the country.

Its collective marketing approach has worked wonders, improving the standards of restaurants in the country. This has also resulted in a collection of accolades going to MIGF, including the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award in Marketing twice over in 2007 and 2019 – the only food festival to be awarded out of a pool of nearly 200 entries across Asia Pacific. 

Sporting a new exciting theme each year, it has seen Dato’ Steve throw memorable MIGF launch ceremonies – such as the time he ziplined down to the ground leaving a trail of sparks behind him, and the time he zoomed around with participating restaurants’ chefs in several Porsche supercars. These daring sequences and other thrilling aspects of MIGF only add to its robust position as a platform on which capable Malaysian restaurants and chefs are recognised and awarded.

Entities and restaurants that are involved with MIGF receive a boost in business thanks to the wide-reaching collective marketing. It’s the same for MIGF KULinary, which presents great revenue opportunities for the names associated with it!  

MIGF KULinary brings the indelible influence of MIGF to the airport, creating tangible awareness of its praiseworthy restaurants in three days. A stream of passers-by, travellers, and even airport staff have been stopping by to take a tour of the restaurant stations, tasting the various food and making mental notes of where to go when they are feeling peckish at KLIA and klia2.

“This is the first time we have lent our name anywhere, and it has been a wonderful experience,” noted Dato’ Steve on the collaboration between MIGF and MAHB. “It has been a real challenge at times to put together a free-spirited company like ours and MAHB, which has to think about crucial airport aspects like security, the public and other related matters. However, it must be said that our respective teams did very well – thank you so much for the harmonious and successful cooperation.”

So, if you’re at KLIA this weekend, a follower of MIGF, or even a foodie who gushes over a spread of sumptuous bites, make sure to check out MIGF KULinary! Follow our Instagram @migfmy for the latest updates.