WORLD-CLASS ENDEAVOURS
WITH OVER A DECADE’S WORTH OF EXPERIENCE IN THE INTENSELY COMPETITIVE AND DEMANDING EVENT MANAGEMENT, ADVERTISING, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND CREATIVE PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES, MUHAMAD IQBAL BIN MOHAMAD HAS OVERCOME MANY CHALLENGES AND TRANSFORMED THEM INTO OPPORTUNITIES. RECENTLY, TOP 10 OF MALAYSIA GETS TO SPEAK WITH THE MULTI-TALENTED MANAGING DIRECTOR OF QEW COMMUNICATIONS SDN BHD (QEWCOMM) WHO SINGLE-HANDEDLY BUILT AND GREW THE COMPANY FROM A HUMBLE PARTNERSHIP TO A FORMIDABLE FIRM WITH AN IMPRESSIVE ARRAY OF WORLD-CLASS EVENTS UNDER ITS BELT.
Putrajaya is the hub of globally-renowned and award-winning annual events such as Light and Motion Putrajaya (LAMPU), Putrajaya Islamic International Arts and Culture
(PIIACUF) and Royal FLORIA Putrajaya 2015. The event management company responsible for bringing these three international standard events to the limelight is none other than Qew Communications Sdn Bhd (QewComm), a fully Bumiputera-owned company.
Armed with a can-do spirit, QewComm’s founder and Managing Director Muhamad Iqbal bin Mohamad has never shied away from challenges, no matter how daunting they may seem. After a two-year service as a government servant in Kota Bharu, the University Putra Malaysia graduate began his career as an Accounts Executive in an advertising agency located in Kuala Lumpur. “I had zero experience and no contacts within the industry but was expected to bring in a revenue of RM50,000 per month. And I achieved it within my first month of work,” Iqbal recalls. The company’s General Manager was impressed by his performance and potential that he invited Iqbal to form a new advertising agency with several other partners in 2006.
In 2009, Iqbal incorporated Qew Adz Networks but it wasn’t until 2011 that he ventured fully into the business as a sole proprietor. “I started the business with a few thousand ringgits in 2011 and grew that capital to a nearly seven figures within two years by taking on as many small-scale projects as I could handle. QewComm was established on 6 February 2013, and it was only then that I invited three of my trusted friends and band members to join the business as my partners,” says the multitalented Iqbal, a former bassist in a band called ‘Missing Chapter’.
QewComm won the Perbadanan Putrajaya’s Putrajaya Islamic International Arts and Culture (PIIACUF) and Lighting Festival (now known as LAMPU) contracts through tender in October and December 2013 respectively. While this is an impressive feat for the fledgling company, what’s more remarkable is that it was able to deliver top-notch quality events within a really tight deadline. “Quite a number of industry players thought we took at least six months to complete each event, which is the global industry practice as we discovered. In actual fact, our deadlines range from one to two and a half months,” says Iqbal. His secret of success lies in establishing a good rapport with the sub-contractors. “My team of 15 employees manage about 150 sub-contractors for these various events. We are also accommodating to our clients, who in turn are supportive of us.”
“IF YOU GIVE YOUR BEST TO YOUR CLIENTS AND PARTNERS, AND HONOUR YOUR WORD, THE PROFITS WILL NATURALLY FOLLOW.”
To Iqbal, delivering value and being honourable in his business dealings are far more important than profits. “If you give your best to your clients and partners, and honour your word, the profits will naturally follow.” This motto has certainly served him well. QewComm’s events are so well-run that QewComm was awarded the tenders for PIIACUF and LAMPU for the subsequent years by Perbadanan Putrajaya, as well as FLORIA 2015. The 3-day 2014 edition of LAMPU garnered a Malaysia Book of Records award for being the “Largest Light and Motion Festival” and recorded over 500,000 visitors. QewComm’s list of other illustrious clients include Ministry of Federal Territories, Ministry of Youth & Sport, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives & Consumerism, Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission, Perbadanan Putrajaya, MITI, MATRADE, TNB, UPM, KPT, PUNB and Skypark Subang Airport. Iqbal, who believes in coaching and empowering his staff, attributes QewComm’s growth to his team’s efforts. “I’m confident that my team can handle any large-scale events that come our way. This gives me the ability to focus on growing the other companies under Qew Group, namely, Qew Adz Networks and Qew Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd. Recently, we have produced and marketed Qandee by Qew Beauty and Jus Segar Habry’s as part of our strategy to diversify into beauty products and retail healthcare market. We are planning to tap into broadcasting industry as well.”