Just a quick guide to the Malaysia International Pen Show (MIPS) since today (Sunday) is the last day:
Cash is king
If you plan to buy from the international exhibitors such as Galen Leather, Kyoku Haku, and others, bring cash whenever possible. It’s the easiest to make payment with. Some sellers like Bungubox and Nagasawa aka Kobe Ink had options that let me pay by credit card. However, others like Fine Writing International and Endless Stationery accepted payment methods like cash and PayPal.
As my PayPal was inactive (for the most part) and payday was a few days ago, I opted to pay by cash. If you need to withdraw cash, the nearest ATMs are Maybank, CIMB, and Allianz near Senheng – this is in 1 Utama itself.
How to get to the nearest ATM
- From MIPS, take the escalator up one floor to the One World Hotel reception area.
- Go left towards Kura and head to 1Utama the mall.
- When you reach the mall (the walls will be lighted brightly while the hotel’s are darker wooden walls), you should see Bask Bear Coffee on your right.
- Keep going straight.
- You will soon pass Uniqlo and then Royal Selangor at the corner.
- TURN LEFT at Royal Selangor.
- Walk a bit till you see escalators – this should be somewhere on your right. Uniqlo’s other entrance will be on your left.
- Take the escalator down and walk straight ahead – you should see the CIMB ATM quickly. The rest of the ATMs are nearby.
Where’s Senheng, one might ask? It’s behind the escalator you took. The Senheng reference is for other mall rats like me. xD
Note: there’s also a RHB over at the KPMG side I think – check with the hotel staff on how to get to that one because I don’t remember.
Cool yourself
It can get crowded during certain times, so bring either a small fan and/or something to cool yourself with. There are plenty of spots to stand away from the crowd when the walkways get congested, but overall people were very cognizant of not blocking the pathways. There’s just… too many people at times. *weak laugh*
Rehydration is free!
There’s a water station in the hall with coffee and tea outside. I found myself grabbing a cup of chilled water during my Stamp Rally run (THERE IS A STAMP RALLY HAVE FUN). It’s chilled and kept topped up (are you taking notes, Pyramid?).
As a bonus, I do recommend masking, simply due to the sheer amount of people there. Beyond that, I hope you have fun!
Event details
MIPS is held at the Jasmine Ballroom in One World Hotel from 27-28 September. Hours are 10am to 5pm. Walk-in tickets are available at RM30.