Thailand
Future-proof?
At the Thailand MICE Forum in Bangkok, trade wars
and Olympic futurism provided plenty of food for thought. Stuart Wood reports
The US may be shooting
itself in the foot with
its trade war against
China,” said UFI CEO Kai
Hattendorf, speaking at the Thailand
MICE Forum. “I expect this will open
up more business opportunities to the
East.”
For the Thai eventprofs who were
in attendance at Bangkok’s The
Athenee Hotel, the forecast looked
good. Hattendorf ran through some
figures from UFI’s latest Global
Barometer research, and informed us
that Thailand sold more exhibition
space in 2018 than the entire surface
of Australia. However, the good news
came with a warning. He pointed out
that, in Thailand, the research found
organisers’ key business issue was
“too much regulation” – something
the Government may want to take
note of.
Thailand’s Minister of Tourism
and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakar,
will certainly have been listening.
He delivered the opening remarks
at the event, before giving way to
ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath and SITE
“Digital is everywhere,
but not everything.”
Right:
UFI
CEO Kai
Hattendorf
on stage
Below:
A grand
entrance
President Philip Eidsvold, who joined
Hattendorf in providing an update
from their respective associations.
The MICE Forum provided a
platform for Hattendorf to discuss
UFI’s latest research – which you can
read more about in his regular EW
column, found on page 12. But it also
provided a platform to discuss the
enduring power of face to face events,
and how they have proven resilient
in the face of the challenges posed
by digital. “Digital is everywhere,
but not everything,” he said. “Many
in our industry used to think events
would die a thousand slow deaths
to digitisation, but this has already
proven not to be the case. In a digital
world, we need physical connections
more than ever.”
A society without language barriers
Hattendorf’s assertion that ‘digital
is everywhere’ seemed fitting as the
final speaker of the Forum took to the
stage. Yumiko Iwata, who is in charge
of smart hospitality for the Tokyo
2020 Olympics, provided a fascinating
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
update on some of the high-tech
initiatives Japan is putting in place for
next summer.
These included smart translation
technology aimed at creating “a
society without language barriers”, as
well as big data analytics and sensors
within event venues. Iwata outlined
how cameras will map the showfloor
within these spaces, and can
automatically allocate event staff as
needed. She also demonstrated plans
to install augmented reality viewing
tables in bars and cafes, which will
add an extra dimension to broadcasts
of the games.
Many of these future-facing
technologies have found a home
in Thailand, which is aiming its
exhibition market towards smart
industries such as automotive,
robotics and biotechnology. The
country can continue
to look towards the
future – the UFI
Congress also arrives
in Bangkok from 6-9
November.
Issue 5 2019
87