Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), led by Domestic MICE Department (D-MICE), has been spearheading MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) as a strategy to develop local economies, distribute income and promote local industries and businesses. Its initiatives are aligned with the government’s policy to stimulate growth of local economies throughout Thailand. Towards this end, D-MICE has made significant progress on three fronts: Supporting local cooperatives to upgrade their products and services to attract domestic corporate and incentive groups; supporting key regional cities to become destinations for conferences that promote cross-border collaborations; and supporting local trade shows in their transformation to become international B2B events with strong business appeal.
Mr. Salanroj Sutaschuto, Director of D-MICE, revealed that in 2018 his department supported and attracted business events of all types, such as meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, to local and regional areas under the bureau’s new branding campaign called “Thailand: Redefine Your Business Events”. The campaign also saw TCEB expanded its role to become a co-creator, partner, collaborator and thought-leader to more effectively drive growth for the lo cal MICE industry.
In the meetings and incentives sector, D-MICE has been a co-creator of business opportunities and thought-leader in sparking new business ideas through its collaboration with the Royal Initiative Discovery Foundation. One result is the “MICE for Community” campaign that helps local cooperatives in various provinces reposition themselves as learning centres and new locations for MICE-related activities. Many cooperatives in Thailand have the potential to be developed into unique venues and attractive sites for CSR activities, which corporate groups are increasingly interested in.
In the first phase, 30 cooperatives with strong local identities and ready facilities and manpower were identified and promoted. To generate awareness and demand, D-MICE organised familiarisation trips for 15 leading corporations, such as Siam Commercial Bank, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, and The Advertising Association of Thailand. This is further supported by the department’s publication of 3,000 manuals to showcase a selection of the most promising cooperatives to a wider corporate audience.
In the area of conventions, D-MICE became a co-creator by assisting the organisation of sub-regional conferences in cities whose strategic location can contribute to successful collaborations between Thailand and neighbouring countries. One event was the Luang Prabang-Indochina-Mawlanyine Economic Corridor (LIMEC) Conference that took place in Phitsanulok province in June 2018. The conference was a platform for delegates from Lao PDR, Thailand and Myanmar to build ties in trade, investment, education, health, tourism and logistics.
Another regional event where D-MICE played a role was the Cambodia-Vietnam-Thailand Economic Corridor (CVTEC) Conference in Trat province in November 2018. The conference explored the region’s potential for tourism, trade, investment, logistics and MICE along the oceanic route linking the three countries. This “Three Countries, One Destination” route is expected to deliver enhanced economic benefits when it eventually links up with Thailand’s Southern Economic Corridor and China’s One Belt One Road initiative.
For exhibitions or trade shows, D-MICE applies a two-prong strategy. The first is to support shows with the potential to be located in MICE cities beyond Bangkok. For example, Thai AUTOMACH, a trade show focusing on industrial machinery, was upgraded to become Automation Expo when it was held Pattaya to better reach potential participants based in the Eastern Economic Corridor. The other is to upgrade regional shows to become more B2B, with business exchange and business matching as core activities. The goal is to nurture these shows into flagship events in the region. An example of this is the E-San Industrial Fair in Khon Kaen which featured predominantly agricultural machinery. TCEB’s support for regional shows is an expression of its newly expanded role as a co-creator, partner, collaborator and thought-leader in MICE.
These new roles are perhaps best reflected in the bureau’s project called “EMTEX: Empowering Thai Exhibition”, under which TCEB has signed a memorandum of understanding with 12 government and private agencies to support, create and locate trade shows in regional areas outside Bangkok. These agencies include the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, The Board of Investment of Thailand, Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion, The Thai Chamber of Commerce, The Federation of Thai Industries, and Thai Exhibition Association.
In 2019, TCEB has also moved forward with a new initiative - “Sammana Rob Krung” (Seminar around Bangkok). This initiative is aimed at promoting venues and locations in the vicinity of Bangkok among corporate groups and government agencies. Table-top sessions and business matchings between suppliers and clients and familiarisation trips will be held from March through July this year to highlight a diverse range of up-and-coming products and services for meetings and seminar organisers.
TCEB’s D-MICE Department is ready to support your business events in Thailand. Contact us at info@tceb.or.th
