Destination strategy
Thailand expands new creative frontier as it positions to grow exhibitions by design
Paul Colston meets TCEB leaders in London and hears all about a new bureau strategy to develop the design and creative sectors as a motor for events
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Exhibition Bureau( TCEB) president Dr Supawan Teererat and Exhibitions Department director Duangdej Yuaikwarmdee( both pictured on EW ' s front cover together with Simon Ford, VP of dmg Events- Gastech), in London recently, strategic expansion plans for boosting the country’ s role in the global exhibition economy. At a press briefing at the The Royal Lancaster Hotel in January, they set out a new year strategy with a fresh accent on the creative industries. The move signals a shift in ambition to move beyond traditional trade, towards a new chapter of high-value, idea-driven international exhibitions.
Thailand hosted 509 domestic and international exhibitions in 2025, welcoming 23.6m participants, and generating US $ 2.9bn in exhibitionrelated revenue, the TCEB officials reported, noting the country also now boasts the largest exhibition venue capacity in ASEAN.
TCEB intends, they said, to expand opportunities across both mature and emerging industries. By leveraging these advantages and with soft capabilities e. g. talent, sustainability and hospitality, they expect the country to attract higher-value events and cultivate potential high-growth sectors.
Part of the plan is to position Bangkok as a global design exhibition hub.
Speaking in London, Dr Supawan said:“ Exhibitions have long been powerful economic drivers. What we are doing now is evolving their purpose. Creativity gives products higher value added, allowing us to move beyond transactions toward value creation with exchange of ideas, talent, intellectual property, and new possibilities.”
And Dr Duangdej told EW that of all the MICE sub-sectors Exhibitions were clearly No. 1 for Thailand, representing 50 % of the total value.
The country’ s creative economy is currently valued at over US $ 44.5bn, Dr Supawan added, and contributing more than 8 % of national GDP.
Photos and front cover TCEB London Press Event: Jamie Pitt, Long Story Short Production
Bangkok, Dr Supawan noted, had been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Design and was a city’ s whose strength lies in its diversity.
Central to this new creative vision is THE WORLD ENDS: Bangkok International Design Expo 2026, a pilot event initiative designed to reframe the role of exhibitions – from transactional trade platforms to engines of creativity, intellectual exchange, and long-term economic value creation. Planned for November 2026, the event will act as a strategic testbed for a new type of international design exhibition, according to TCEB.
TCEB anticipates the event can become comparable in global influence to platforms such as Milan Design Week or Maison & Objet, but rooted in Asia’ s cultural and economic context.
Some organisers were aleady moving in this new, creative direction, Dr Supawan noted,“ creating opportunities for engagement such as culinary workshops with local artisans, design collaborations blending international innovation with Thai craftsmanship, and immersive experiences that transfer skills rather than merely display traditions.”
The creative economy may be a new economic engine, although Thailand continues to attract major trade fairs and conventions from the traditional sectors, as evidenced at the London meeting by Simon Ford, vicepresident of dmg Events – Gastech. He described the preparations for Gastech in September at the BITEC venue in Bangkok, painting a picture of a close collaboration with TCEB, the venue and, in particular, Thai government departments which, he said, had played an active role in backing the event and inviting high level participation.“ They have gone above and beyond, and we’ ve never had that sort of interest from a government ministry before,” said Ford. EW www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 1 2026 17