TCEB promotes Thailand for regional exhibitions

Asia-Pacific

The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), an official organisation dedicated to the promotion of association and corporate meetings, incentive events, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), announced its…

The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), an official organisation dedicated to the promotion of association and corporate meetings, incentive events, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), announced its Asia-Pacific drive to promote Thailand as the premier exhibition hub in ASEAN. The TCEB announcement was made at the organisation’s inaugural “Singapore Industry Media Luncheon” held at the Hilton Singapore Hotel.

According to Mr. Vithaya Sintharapantorn, Director of Exhibitions Division, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the Bureau`s establishment reflects Thailand`s growing stature as a destination of choice for international meetings, conventions and exhibitions.

Thailand`s exhibition industry came of age with the opening of its first purpose-built exhibition centre in 1997. In spite of a challenging economic environment in the 1990s, Thailand has experienced rapid growth in its trade exhibition sector. Factors contributing to its rapid growth include the availability of world-class purpose-built exhibition venues and facilities, the considerable experience of resident Professional Exhibition Organisers (PEOs) and the country`s exceptional economic performance, with strong growth in high-profile trade sectors such as food, automobiles and jewellery.

“Complementing Thailand’s impressive economic recovery, there has also been an enormous increase in exhibition space of international standard. Today, with a mature MICE industry and sophisticated service infrastructure in place, Thailand vies for regional leadership,” announced Mr. Vithaya.

With its well-deserved reputation as a world-class leisure destination offering outstanding value for money, Thailand is attracting an ever-increasing number of regional trade shows. This development comes at a time when economic growth in Asia is expected to greatly outpace the West with its more mature markets. Exhibitors actively seek out new markets, and in so doing help stimulate their development.

“Thailand’s role as the gateway to Indochina is also increasingly being recognised by exhibitors and visitors to trade fairs,” said Mr. Vithaya.

Ms. Benjawan Wisootsat, President, Trade Exhibition Association (Thai), stated that exhibitors and trade visitors are attracted to Thailand for many reasons.

“The Kingdom is already performing very strongly in categories such as automotives and auto parts, automation and computers, construction and infrastructure, food and livestock, furniture, gifts and household goods, jewellery, health and spas, light manufacturing, packaging, traffic and routing systems, water technology, sports equipment — and much more,” stated Ms. Benjawan.

“At the same time, the cost of doing business in Thailand is lower than Singapore, much lower than Hong Kong and comparative to China,” she added.

Apart from price, Thailand`s wealth of resources and attributes are highly attractive to potential exhibitors and investors: supportive government; abundant raw materials; high value and well-trained labour; and burgeoning manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

“Already a regional hub for many important economic sectors, Thailand has strong domestic demand for imported technologies and know-how. International exhibitors are assured of domestic buyers keen to buy equipment and technology and find out more through exhibitions. With this significant domestic market, Thailand is an increasingly attractive exhibition market in its own right,” Ms. Benjawan continued

“Also, as a key founding member of the ten-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a gateway to five other less developed but growing economies in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) – Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam and China`s Yunnan Province, there is no other country better placed in simple geographic terms to exploit regional exhibition potential in the overlapping ASEAN and GMS markets than Thailand,” she added.

Thailand’s robust economic climate is robust with annualized GDP growth running around six percent over the past four years, and seasonally-adjusted GDP growth of nine percent in the third quarter of 2005. Bureaucratic bottlenecks and institutional dampeners on business development are being swept away in an ongoing process that strongly favours many sectors, not least the exhibition industry.

“Indeed, the present government is actively promoting the industry for the important multiplier effect in can exert in other areas. As a result, these factors have contributed to an industry annual growth rate running at close to 12 per cent,” Mr. Vithaya stated.

Mr. Vithaya went on by saying “In order to promote Thailand as a regional business hub, efforts are being made to establish it as an international exhibition centre for specific high potential industries within the next five years. Shows are growing both in terms of content quality, presentational sophistication and marketing. Strategic partnerships are also being created between various ministries, state enterprises and agencies, and private local and international trade show organisers.”

TCEB also provides a variety of incentives, both financial and non-financial, for exhibition organisers which are believed to be unique in the region in their range and scale.

“Overall, Thailand offers many advantages to Singaporean enterprises interested in entering or expanding in the Kingdom and through participation at Thailand trade exhibitions, Singaporean multinational corporations as well as small-medium sized companies in a variety of industry sectors will tap into tremendous opportunities.”

“At the same time, TCEB is strongly encouraging exhibition organizer from Singapore and around the world, to plan and launch new events across a broad industry spectrum in Thailand in the future” Mr. Vithaya concluded.

Mr. Vithaya noted that TCEB is strongly supporting new exhibition initiatives by giving financial and non-financial assistance to new exhibitions as well as existing ones in the country.

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