A record turnout at the Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) held on 23 to 25 October 2002 in Thailand made the…
A record turnout at the Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) held on 23 to 25 October 2002 in Thailand made the event`s 10th anniversary truly memorable. Based on the written feedback of meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) buyers and exhibitors, it was obvious that they had high regard for the destination, programme and organisation of the event.
IT&CMA 2002 attracted 260 exhibiting companies from 30 countries – many of them organised in national pavilions and others at corporate booths – spread over a gross floor area of 5,000 square metres. A total of 320 hosted and trade buyers from 37 countries attended the show, as well as 70 members of the media, half of them from overseas.
Some 88 per cent of buyers surveyed said they had achieved their objective of sourcing for new products and services, while more than a third were immediately able to negotiate and buy MICE products at the show. They rated 95 per cent of exhibiting companies of good to excellent quality. They would, however, like to see more exhibitors from East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as more incentive travel suppliers and destination management companies, a point organisers TTG Asia Media will be following up on at IT&CMA 2003.
A veteran participant of international travel trade shows said that IT&CMA was highly productive and a must for all incentive meeting planners/organisers. Another relished the number of networking opportunities and others simply rated the overall event as excellent.
Exhibitor feedback showed 40 per cent had received orders on the spot, while 84 per cent expected to win some business from contacts made at the show in six to 12 months. This generally corroborated buyers` reports of 44 per cent placing business at the show, and just over half of the buyers estimating that they might each put through bookings in the region of US$50,000.
A Malaysian hotelier succinctly pointed out that IT&CMA is a focused mart with buyers connected to MICE, hence the show was interesting and leads generated made our trip worthwhile. This view echoed a UK buyer`s evaluation of IT&CMA as a constructive and informative event that made the time well spent in travelling from UK.
TTG Asia`s Managing Director, Mr Darren Ng, said: IT&CMA 2002 was a learning experience for us, this being the first time that the show was held in Bangkok. Our positive experience will help us to work more closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and other partners in Thailand to put on an even better show in the future.
Commenting on forward plans, Project Manager Ms Melinda Mak said: We are pleased with the numbers and response this year. From the constructive feedback of buyers and exhibitors, we will make every effort to enhance both quality and quantity at IT&CMA 2003. We are likely to make the event bigger next year and improve participation by both buyers and sellers.
TTG Asia Media is already laying the groundwork for IT&CMA 2003, planning the programme with TAT and other key partners in the Thai MICE industry. Thailand is the designated host country for at least three years. IT&CMA 2003 will again be held at IMPACT Convention Center, from 4 to 6 November 2003.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
