Thailand Aims for 'ASEAN +6' to Push Oceania MICE Market

TCEB leads ‘Thai Team’ and employs ‘3C+’ approach to boost business events from AIME 2010

MELBOURNE, Australia (TCEB) – 2^nd March 2010: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) aims to tap into the dynamic Oceania MICE market using its “3C+” approach. TCEB led a Thai government-supported roadshow consisting of key Thai MICE entrepreneurs to AIME 2010 on 2^nd - 3^rd March 2010 to demonstrate Thailand’s capabilities as an ideal destination for MICE industry, and to further develop strategies to extend Thailand’s network in the ASEAN +6 (APS) countries.

“Oceania - particularly Australia - is one of the key future markets for Thailand’s MICE industry,” said Mr Akapol Sorasuchart, President of TCEB. “In 2008, almost 40,500 MICE visitors from Oceanic countries visited Thailand, generating foreign exchange earnings of over US$107 million (3,541 million baht). The MICE business from Oceania is expected to grow by 4.5 per cent this year. We expect the ASEAN Free Trade agreement to act as a major stimulus to the overall market. We’ve come to Melbourne because AIME 2010 is a premier platform for us to showcase Thailand and increase our share of this exciting regional market.”

At the World Economic Forum 2010 in Davos, Switzerland, Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva commented on Thailand’s economic performance. “Thailand’s economy surged strongly in the final quarter of 2009, with exports once again showing double digit growth in November and December. We’ve therefore revised our economic growth projections for 2010 up to 3.5 percent,” he informed the media.

Under TCEB’s strategy to prepare to open new markets under the ASEAN+6 Free Trade Agreement, TCEB fully recognize the importance of the Australian market. The organisation’s activities in the first half of 2010 will stress on market development and the building of awareness of the potential of Thailand’s MICE industry. This will include participation in trade shows and road shows that will be held in high-potential markets within the ASEAN +6 region, particularly in China, Japan, India, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

In order to attract MICE operators from the Oceania region, TCEB has launched its new ‘Triple Three Plus (3C+)’ approach, which highlights Thailand’s unique strengths and attractions: “Creative MICE”, “Cutting-edge Competitiveness” and “Clustered Destination and Packages”.

The “Creative MICE” initiative emphasizes one of Thailand’s unique strengths and supports the government’s prioritization of the “Creative Economy” as part of the national agenda. This aspect of the approach highlights Thailand’s record in organizing creative and memorable international business events. The remarkable success of recent events, such as the Heineken – Star Final 2009 and Unilever’s Journey for the Create Success, are evidence of Thailand’s professional flair.

Secondly, TCEB emphasizes its “Cutting-edge Competitiveness”. In addition to Bangkok’s greatly revamped infrastructure and mass transit system, the opening of dedicated MICE venues in many provincial centres demonstrates the whole country’s readiness to serve the MICE industry. This has only been possible with the government’s strong policy support for the MICE sector.

Finally, the “Clustered Destination and Package” aspect promotes the benefits of holding events in five distinct geographical areas of Thailand: Bangkok/Pattaya, Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai, Nakon Ratchasima/Khon Kaen, Cha-am/Hua Hin, and Phuket/Krabi/Phangnga. In line with this, Thailand has established Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya as ‘MICE Cities’, announcing their readiness to host all kinds of MICE events, as well as being preferred regional destinations for tourism, trade and investment.

In addition to the above, TCEB offers a comprehensive range of financial and non-financial support packages to meet every MICE requirement, from golfing and spas, to spouse packages; welcome dinners and team building programmes, to specialist packages, such as our corporate social responsibility activities package.
“These initiatives have been launched to build awareness and confidence in the real Thailand, and at the same time offer unbeatable value to MICE clients who are considering Thailand as the venue for their next business event,” concluded Mr Akapol.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Australia is Thailand’s sixth largest trading partner (after Japan, China, USA, Malaysia, and Singapore), with bilateral trade estimated at US$ 12.8 billion (420 billion baht) in 2008-2009. In 2005, the two countries signed a Thailand – Australia Free Trade Agreement: TAFTA), which was Thailand’s first FTA with any developed country.

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About Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau
Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) was created as a vibrant, 21^st-century, cutting-edge professional organization. TCEB's organizational design, with its flat and agile structure, enables the TCEB team to deliver prompt and superior service, whilst achieving the highest level of operational efficiency and effectiveness. These are essential to Thailand's MICE competitiveness on the regional and global stage. TCEB promotes ethical and responsible business behaviour based on its core values of customer enthusiasm, integrity, teamwork, innovation, continuous improvement, and responsibility. www.tceb.or.th.

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