As preparation takes place to implement the ASEAN Economic Community, TCEB stats to position Thailand as the centre of the exhibition industry in the future entity.
BANGKOK – Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB today announced a 3-year strategic roadmap (for 2013-2015) to make Thailand the centre of exhibition industry for ASEAN Economic Community and a plan to promote strong network of exhibition business operators across the region. To achieve this goal, TCEB will target industries with high production and export potential. The new plan is hoped to boost Thai exhibition industry by 30 per cent to generate Bht30 billion by 2015.
Mr. Thongchai Sridama, Acting President of TCEB, said, “Exhibition is a key mechanism in driving a healthy development in ASEAN. Close cooperation between public and private sectors is crucial to the success of AEC implementation. Through exhibition, we believe close cooperation will be established.
“Thailand is in the right position to nurture such cooperation and has the capability to be the exhibition center for the region for many reasons. The country has a strategic location in the heart of ASEAN. We have continuous growth in infrastructure and international-standard convention centers as well as facilities nationwide, including international-standard convention centers in Pattaya which is the largest center outside Bangkok, and Chiang Mai which will be opened in April 2013. There is a great network of exhibition business operators that enables the country can handle large and complicated exhibitions. In addition, being the production and export hub for many industries, Thailand offers greater business opportunities for exhibition operators and business owners. With these supporting actors, there is a high potential to upgrade Thailand as the major exhibition platform for the region.
“With the 3-year strategic development plan, TCEB will be in the right direction to help Thai exhibition business operators improving their capability to handle large-scale exhibitions through state-of-the-art technology and innovation implementation. We believe that this will help increase the traffic of exhibition attendants and exhibitors from other countries. We expect the overall international exhibition market in the country will grow by 30 per cent. We also expected to attract 300,000 visitors, generating income of 30 billion Baht in 2015,” said Mr. Sridama.
Mr. Sridama said, “TCEB has earlier been very successful in driving a brand strategy entitled “Bangkok, the exhibition platform of ASEAN”. Under that program, we have seen exhibition traffic in Bangkok increased by 10-15 per cent per year. In the next three years, we have drawn a new roadmap to further expand this success to cover the entire nation, not only Bangkok, and to build our own brand of Thailand. This reflects the impressive progress in nationwide exhibition industry development. As the country, along with other ASEAN nations are entering into an economic integration, we believe that by setting a new goal to make “Thailand as the exhibition platform for AEC”. Thailand will be a significant mechanism in driving success of AEC.”
In driving close cooperation among all concerned parties, TCEB will lend its expertise in business opportunity creation though exhibitions. In achieving this, TCEB will take different roles in the next three years, starting from being a Connector/Facilitator role who connects and support the private sector in growing their business network. Then in the following year, its role will be evolved to Marketer/Partner who helps operators promote their business overseas, develops marketing campaign, and provides comprehensive support and services. Finally, its role will be evolved to Creator/Initiator, focusing on attracting mega-international event organizers to hold their exhibitions in Thailand. This will help emphasize Thailand’s potential as the platform for international exhibition organizing in ASEAN.
Under the strategic road map, TCEB’s Exhibition unit, under its role as the Connector/Facilitator will focus its activities in branding, marketing communications, marketing promotion and mega event promotion and development.
Activity highlights under this framework includes marketing communication activities to raise awareness. Digital media will be mainly used as these new media directly reach target audience. Some of the tools used are mobile applications on iPhone, mobile site www.tceb.or.th/exhibitions/mobile and Exhibition Now online magazine. In addition, there are other marketing campaigns and activities, such as Be My Guest, 100 A-Head, The Next Best Show and the latest one to be launched late this year is ASEAN We Stand.
To achieve its ultimate goal, TCEB will promote 9 major industries which have Thailand as their exhibition centers. They include automotive and machinery; construction, design and home furnishing; agriculture and food; communications technology; travel and tourism; medicine and pharmaceuticals; accessories and fashion; and energy. These are the key industries in Thailand worth around 8 trillion Baht in terms of production and exports and at the same time they are in high demand in ASEAN where development in communications and transport infrastructure, energy, education, culture, travel and tourism and society is moving at a very fast pace.
“The development of TCEB’s roles and our three-year road map will concretely upgrade and make Thailand’s exhibition industry ready to become the platform for AEC. Exhibition business will not only promote goods, service and exhibition standard upgrade, but also strengthen collaboration between business operators and related government agencies. It is with such a concerted effort between public and private sectors that the region will be developing fast and becoming the new future of the world,” said Mr. Sridama. In Fiscal Year 2013, TCEB will receive a budget of THB 870 million from the government.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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