Strategic Visibility Beyond Operations Presented & Written by Adjunct Prof Jessie Jong Chung Jin (A.S.D.K)

In my role as SME Industry Advisor, I see the food and beverage sector not merely as a commercial industry, but as part of a wider ecosystem involving entrepreneurship, tourism, lifestyle culture, local identity and economic participation.

Today’s F&B landscape is increasingly competitive. Technical knowledge alone is no longer a differentiator. It is merely the entry point.

Across Sabah, the number of food and beverage outlets has expanded rapidly over the past decade, driven by tourism growth, café culture, lifestyle branding, social media influence and lower barriers to market entry. From kopitiams, cafés, dessert houses and boutique dining concepts to fusion restaurants, kiosks and speciality beverage brands, the market continues becoming more crowded each year.

In such an environment, learning how to operate a machine, attending a technical workshop, joining a supplier visit or participating in operational classes cannot realistically be viewed as sufficient competitive advantage anymore. These are baseline activities within the industry.

Operational skills are important, but they do not automatically create visibility.

Supplier access is useful, but it does not automatically build positioning.

Technical competency may help a business function, but it does not necessarily make the market remember it.

This is where many industry conversations miss the larger strategic reality.

The future growth of F&B establishments will increasingly depend on ecosystem positioning rather than purely transactional networking. Businesses that remain confined only within operational circles may improve execution, but they may still struggle to move beyond day-to-day commercial activity. In contrast, establishments that successfully integrate themselves into broader tourism narratives, media ecosystems, destination branding and public visibility channels naturally gain stronger market recall and long-term positioning advantages.

The Signature Food Fest 5th Edition at Riverson - The Walk. attend as the GOH presenting the certificate of appreciation to all the participant.

This is one reason I support responsible and strategic media platforms within the SME ecosystem.

Media is not merely about publicity. When used properly, it becomes part of industry infrastructure. It helps document effort, amplify local enterprises, recognise emerging brands, connect businesses to wider audiences and position SMEs within a larger development narrative.

More importantly, media exposure creates a form of semi-permanent visibility. A class may end when the session is over, and a site visit may only benefit those who attended. However, an online magazine feature, editorial article, digital campaign, video coverage or published media story can continue to circulate, be searched, shared and referenced long after the event itself. In that sense, media becomes a digital asset, a credibility marker and a long-term visibility archive for the establishment.

My contribution is therefore not limited to attending events or lending a title. It is to support platforms that help SMEs move from being merely operational businesses into visible, credible and better-positioned participants in the economy.

Atukuupi is a 100% local sabahan brand 

Today’s consumers are heavily influenced by repeated exposure, narrative familiarity and ecosystem credibility. What people continuously see, hear and associate with relevance eventually shapes market behaviour. Media platforms, tourism-linked showcases, curated food festivals, editorial storytelling and strategic collaborations help businesses move beyond being merely another outlet competing within an overcrowded field.

A technical class may improve operational execution for one day.

But strategic visibility can shape public positioning for years.

As Sabah strengthens its tourism ecosystem alongside the momentum surrounding Visit Malaysia 2026, food and beverage businesses are no longer operating solely as independent commercial outlets. They are increasingly becoming part of Sabah’s tourism identity, cultural branding and visitor experience economy.

This requires a much higher level of industry thinking.

Industry leadership today should not be reduced merely into product circulation, machinery promotion, ingredient pushing or commercially self-serving networking structures disguised as ecosystem development. While supplier ecosystems naturally have their place within the industry, the long-term elevation of Sabah’s F&B sector requires broader strategic vision.

with Fellow media 
Writer on-the-go and Hello Sabah

True ecosystem contribution should elevate the collective visibility, credibility and positioning of the industry itself.

Because in today’s market, operational competency may allow businesses to enter the game.

But strategic positioning determines who remains visible when the market becomes overcrowded.