Thailand
TIME for Thailand
PAUL COLSTON CHECKS OUT CHIANG MAI AND BANGKOK , COURTESY OF TCEB , AND TAKES PART IN THE TIME 2024 PROGRAMME
B angkok is just as bustling and exciting as I remember from my previous visit ten years ago , but what is very different is the vast increase in hotel stock at the top end and the increasing number of DMCs now able to serve the international MICE market .
I met face-to-face with a dozen of those DMCs , attendees also at the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau ’ s ( TCEB ) TIME ( Thailand Innovative Meetings Exchange ) 2024 trade show . Hosted in the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center , 18 June , the annual MICE event , supported by TICA – the Thai Incentive and Convention Association – drew over 60 international buyers and media representatives , mostly from Asia , for one-to-one meetings with local Thai industry suppliers .
TCEB ’ s director of meetings and incentives , Supanich Thiansing presented the bureau ’ s strategy for development at TIME 2024 . She identified geopolitical tensions , safety and security as considerations that now outweigh even budgets for many planners , and presented Thailand as a safe and secure destination offering great value for MICE events .
“ TCEB is committed to cost optimisation , offering flexible pricing models , and enhancing the overall value proposition of hosting events in Thailand ,” she said .
TCEB , she added , was working hard to develop airline partnerships – particularly considering airlift had been scaled back considerably during Covid and is still not back to 2019 levels . There is also a focus on unlocking more opportunities in the Middle East – a burgeoning market for Thailand – and the bureau is working to offer familiarisation trips to second-tier business events cities across the country for key source markets like Singapore , Vietnam , Korea and China .
In terms of how the Thai suppliers are feeling , one DMC , Pheonix , told me that many hotels were now set up for cluster sales , to make better use of lower staff numbers given the difficulties the industry has in recruiting post-Covid to meet rising demand .
“ 2023 was a good year
Left : Queen Sirikit National Convention Ceter nevertheless , with 2024 shaping up to be even better for our MICE business ,” a Pheonix spokesman told me , adding that a recent visa-waiver programme for Chinese visitors had helped give the market a fresh bounce . “ Only the auto sector is struggling , although pharma , healthcare and finance are picking up nicely ,” he said .
Examples of how to incorporate some of the local heritage and culture into teambuilding and incentives were explained by DMC Redfox Events who told me how they had set up a Thai drumming incentive activity for 1,000 participants . The key , said Redfox , was ‘ customisation ’, and nature activities were particularly popular , such as catamaran trips on the river .
As , well as QSNCC , the host venue , BITEC convention centre was exhibiting and , in addition to its big offer near to Bangkok airport , which includes seven halls and 40,000sqm of exhibition space , the venue is making a big push for the sports and entertainment market , with a new arena complex opening this summer .
After 16 15-minute one-to-one meetings , the international buyers ’ group got a chance to visit some of the hotels and venues in Bangkok , including staying at the Kimpton Maa-Lai and seeing the top-end Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok and the neighbouring Capella Bangkok , as well as the boutique Salil Hotel Riverside , all three with stunning riverside views and locations .
And while the luxury market seems particularly well served in the capital , the silky theme can be continued with a visit to Jim Thompson House . Our group ’ s evening reception in the old style wooden buildings gave an authentic feel to our dinner as well as good education on the Thai traditional silk making process and the history of Thompson ’ s pioneering efforts to support and cherish this craft and to set the foundation for what is today , a thriving top brand of silk ware .
42 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 131