TCEB TO SPOTLIGHT 4Ms IN GLOBAL MICE MARKET, OPENING CURTAIN OF ‘ITCMA&CTW 2019’

TCEB is moving fast to rock global MICE market, spotlighting the 4Ms at the IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2019 with the aim to attract more business meeting groups into Thailand across all segments. It is expected that the movement will generate 57,000 million baht in 2020. Meanwhile, TCEB has joined hands with MICE Cities and entrepreneur in 5 cities to activate MICE measures for the environments, eyeing to cut down waste volume by 50% to soar as sustainable MICE cities. 

Mr. Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB, disclosed about the direction for the expedition of MICE in 2020 that TCEB has prioritised the enhancement national competitiveness and eyed to raise MICE as a national agenda by focusing on establishing collaboration that leads to sustainable MICE development. 

 “Today, the world is changing at the ultra-fast pace owing to digital technology, trade wars, economic depression, inflation and natural disasters. These have inevitably and thoroughly affected economy, politics and society. To expedite MICE to achieve the goals, it is therefore necessary to seek collaboration on both national and international levels. We can expect our operations to yield maximum efficiency with lowest costs, while also remaining competitive and surviving with sustainability.”

On the occasion that Thailand will be hosting the IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2019, which is Asia Pacific’s premiere annual MICE trade show that serves as a business arena for regional meetings and incentives opportunities, TCEB will use this opportunity to highlight the marketing strategy designed for meetings and incentives in 2020 to the eyes of domestic and international MICE entrepreneurs who join the tradeshow.  

TCEB’s prime strategy concentrates in market and sales promotional campaigns, alongside the initiation of collaboration with marketing partners. Thai MICE entrepreneurs will be brought to participate in global MICE tradeshows to initiate business negotiation. 

In this year, the connection with new associates will focus on the participation of local entrepreneurs who are particularly from potential cities. Exchanges of opinion will be encouraged more, including the holding of “An Afternoon with MI…” event with associates who are MICE executives, including hotels and MICE venues, to discuss opportunities in product development, joint marketing or sales promotional activities, as well as co-operation to attract new events into Thailand.  

Main target of Meetings & Incentives (MI) market will remain TCEB’s primary markets, which include MICE travellers from the ASEAN+6 countries (China, India, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand) and the USA, having Europe as the secondary market. New market will be expanded to countries in the Eastern Europe. 

The so-called 4Ms market and sales promotional activities designed by TCEB will include the provision of extension in support and co-hosting of campaigns with associates to reach different targets, including meetings groups travelling to potential cities (Meet Now); the large-sized meetings group (Meet Mega); the meetings group with conformity to Thailand 4.0 policy (Meet Smart), and the meetings group with sustainable activities (Meet sustainable 2020). These groups will be offered privileges, including the special MICE Lane at the airport, cultural performance, souvenirs and conditional supporting budget of up to 1 million baht.    

In 2020, TCEB expects that the number of foreign MICE travellers entering into Thailand will reach 1,386,000, which can generate 105,600 million baht of revenue. The number of MICE travellers from meetings and incentives market is estimated at 762,000, which can generate the revenue of 57,000 million baht. 

TCEB President further said that besides the goal to enhance the nation’s image and Thailand’s readiness to host international events, as well as to improve local MICE ecosystems with the spirit of volunteering for five key provinces to become sustainable MICE cities; Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen, TCEB announced the collaboration in 4 dimensions. First, the development of potentiality, knowledge, alongside training and information dissemination. Second, the promotion of venues and MICE organisers. Third, the provision of support for sustainable events and for MICE venues to earn sustainable standards. Fourth, the monitoring and evaluation of tangible sustainability of MICE businesses.  

This year, TCEB’s first campaign for these 5 MICE Cities is the “Zero Plastic Events”, which determines the number of plastic bottles used in meeting facilities across all MICE Cities to reduce by 50% or from as high as 17,345,674 to 8,672,837 within one year.       

For this reason, TCEB has joined forces with 5 MICE Cities to hasten the cutback of plastic bottle uses in meetings, seminars and exhibitions to be held in MICE Cities. The initiation will be campaigned in 3 ways, including 1) The use of glass bottle which suits short meetings that last 1-2 days basing on current water consumption of 1 bottle per 2 delegates; 2) The use of reusable bottle which suits meetings that extend beyond one day and fits well as a souvenir that can be brought along with while attending the meetings; 3) The use of water cooler which suits meetings of all types as delegates can bring their own bottle or use the prepared drinking glass. Plastic or paper glass is banned.  

 “If the operations goes well as planned, the number of plastic bottles will be reduced as estimated, which is 638 Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or equal to planting 70,226 trees. Costs can be lowered by 30,000,000 baht. TCEB is confident that this collaboration is another milestone of unification towards bringing Thai MICE towards sustainability and enabling Thai MICE to meet the standards and recognition as Asia’s leading MICE destination.” concluded Mr. Chiruit. 

  For 18 consecutive years, IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2019 has been hosted in Thailand, and will continue to be hosted in Thailand until 2020. This year, the event will be running from 24-26 September 2019 at Bangkok Convention Centre of the Centara Grand at CentralWorld Hotel. It is expected that 3,000 delegates from 61 countries worldwide will be participating. TCEB has designed and set up the Thailand Pavilion for 69 Thai MICE entrepreneurs to conduct business matching with international buyers. Also, prominent Thai and international hospitality companies will be joining business matching, as well as meetings and incentives service businesses. Spanning across 600 square metres.

This year, the event will highlight new MICE innovations, which are the MICE Intelligence Centre as the heart of knowledge and updates of MICE in the form of digital files and e-Books which are systematically stored in the e-Library as the source that serves studying and disseminating of MICE data for all MICE associates and entrepreneurs; the BIzCONNECT application that notifies users of all types of MICE events in Thailand for all lifestyles and all target groups with information and activities featured in each event, plus registration and ticketing functions in one application. Additionally, the Thai MICE Connect was designed as a platform that stores precise and complete information in MICE products and services nationwide which will be launched in October as Thailand’s first and most comprehensive E-Marketplace for MICE businesses.