The following report is from Rob Cotter, a One+ freelance writer, who is attending the Incentive Travel & Conventions Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) used the forum of this year’s IT&CMA to announce the allocation of $30 million to two campaigns behind an ambitious three-year (2013-2015) plan to boost its corporate meetings market.

The first campaign, "Once in Thailand," is for Thailand to position itself as a destination for mega-meetings, offering financial support of $33,000 for events of 1,000 or more participants and of three-or-more days duration. The second campaign, "Thailand Again and Again," is a stepped support program for ongoing commitment to Thailand from five main business areas (direct selling, automotives, pharmaceuticals, finance and insurance), with the level of support increasing on a yearly basis so long as the event delivers a 10 percent delegate uplift over the same period.

“Our approach to stimulating the market in 2013 will focus on driving Thailand’s meetings industry in line with the government’s ‘Modern Thailand’ policy,” said Ms. Vichaya Soonthornsaratoon. “The policy seeks to create new trade and investment opportunities by positioning Thailand as the natural gateway to the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] market and a hub for creation of new region-wide business opportunities.”

There will also be several roadshows over the campaign period in nine main target markets: India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Britain, France and Russia, as well as presence at all the major MICE trade shows.

“TCEB’s allocated budget of $29 million for 2013 includes approximately $9 million for meetings industry promotion,” Soonthornsaratoon said. “By year end, TCEB expects to achieve its target of 750,000 MICE travelers to Thailand,with revenues forecast at $2 billion.”

Chasing the mega meetings could being mega results for TCEB and Thailand’s MICE industry.

The following report is from Rob Cotter, a One+ freelance writer, who is attending the Incentive Travel & Conventions Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) in Bangkok, Thailand.

.. and the world’s your meeting oyster"—so the lyrics might have gone had they been scripted during IT&CMA, this year celebrating its 20th anniversary at the Bangkok Convention Center, CentralWorld, with a range of new initiatives. 

First up is the new Crowdcomms smartphone app, offering delegates program highlights, information on event participants and a range of guidelines and tips to make business and social event planning and attendance at the event a smooth process. There is also a new Global Networking Zone, bringing together the various and usually detached delegate groups—buyer, seller and media—for enhanced levels of interaction. To spread the good news of each individual event, IT&CMA and CTW have migrated from their shared website to now having their own revamped online homes and, to round everything off for its anniversary, organizers TTG Events have launched a “20... To Be Continued,” coffee-table book reflecting on the show’s journey so far.

With the range of new initiatives at this year’s show allied with its strong business offer, comprehensive learning program and enriched networking possibilities, "One Night in Bangkok" at IT&CMA 2012 looks like it will be delivering even better business opportunities than ever before. The 2,600 delegates from 57 countries/territories are certainly taking advantage of the 850 exhibitors over the three days of the event to find this out, and MPI will be reporting on the success of the show’s initiatives and new MICE developments from within the region.

The following is a dispatch from Rob Cotter, a frequent One+ contributor, who is attending the IT&CMA conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

Having endured political unrest in 2007 and 2009, Thailand made significant efforts at all levels in an attempt to sustain its MICE industry and make sure a framework was in place for the speediest return to normal operations. One such measure was the waiver of visa fees for visitors from India between 2009 and March of this year, increasing their competitive edge with the direct consequence of India topping the list of meeting and incentive visitors to Thailand in 2010. Their particular focus being medical science and technology events as well as the broader science industry and education, with record numbers of Indian visitors registered, they even surpassed China to become Thailandʼs biggest inbound source country. 

Delegates at this yearʼs IT&CMA were therefore surprised to learn that the reinstated visa fee for India had been hiked by almost 50 percent from October 1, taking it from an original $28 to $40, closer to $45 when all processing fees have been included.

“I am 100 percent sure that the MICE market from India will be hit,” said Anshuman Mitra, director of Starlite DMC in New Delhi. “The visa fee is crucial in terms of overall costs, since MICE groups tend to be quite large compared to leisure, and over the last few years, it was the biggest advantage Thailand had to attract markets like India.”

Highlighting what may be an outcome of this decision, Mitra also added that “other governments like Singapore, Malaysia and Macau are not raising visa fees. In fact, some of them are actually paying us subsidies to bring Indian MICE into their destinations.” 

It will be interesting to see if the visa fee increase is a wise move.

—Rob Cotter

The following is a dispatch from Rob Cotter, a frequent One+ contributor, who is attending the IT&CMA conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

At this yearʼs IT&CMA event, Thai Airways International announced a new route connecting Bangkok to Europeʼs leading MICE destination and capital of Belgium, Brussels. Starting on November 17, it will be the only carrier operating non-stop flights to the heart of the European Union.

“We anticipate the international communities in Thailand and the European Union will appreciate the advantage of the direct route,” said Ruangyos Pamon-Montri, vice president of the sales and distribution department for Thai Airways International. “We have made it that much easier for the leisure travelers to expand their travel beyond Bangkok and Brussels.”

In addition to this new route, the airline also announced that they will be adding three super jumbo Airbus A380s to their fleet by the end of 2012 and have recently begun to operate a new sub-brand airline—THAI Smile Air—offering more choice and increase levels of passenger luxury.

The national carrier is following their forward track for growth and expansion: should you need a tropical break after a heavy meeting at the heart of the EU, Thai Airways can whisk you off and have you there in time for breakfast.

—Rob Cotter

The following is a dispatch from Rob Cotter, a frequent One+ contributor, who is attending the IT&CMA conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

Having already submitted their bid for the historic city of Ayutthaya to host EXPO 2020—after the Olympic Games and the FIFA Soccer World Cup—Thailandʼs CEB have flexed their muscle further in announcing that they are seeking a slot on the Formula 1 circuit in the coming years.

“In 1939, Thailand was ready to be the first South-East Asian country to be included in the Formula 1 circuit, but it was cancelled because of the Second World War,” said Akapol Sorasuchart, president of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). “The Bangkok Grand Prix Circuit is there but was never used.”

The 6.46 km city circuit has received support from F1 executives, and there is general consensus that it will soon become part of the circuit as other destinations drop out. The track takes it through Bangkokʼs "Street of the King," a tree-lined avenue, and past many of Bangkokʼs main sights. Sorasuchart believes it will be “the most beautiful circuit in the world.”

Should they be successful in their EXPO 2020 bid and soon hear the roar of F1 engines through Bangkokʼs streets, Thailand will have to demonstrate some serious horse-power in the event hosting arena.

—Rob Cotter

The following is a dispatch from Rob Cotter, a frequent One+ contributor, who is attending the IT&CMA conference in Bangkok, Thailand. 

This yearʼs 19th IT&CMA and 14th CTW, the double-bill event celebrating its 10th anniversary in Bangkok, unveiled a new logo to be used to promote their 2012 show. Explaining the new branding, Darren Ng, managing director of TTG Asia, explained that the retention of the red/blue IT&CMA lettering would maintain the representation of the "strength and global reach" of the MICE industry, and the CTW "coming out of the box" of its old design, highlighting the importance of this component of the double-bill.

The unveiling of the new logo was just the hors dʼoeuvres for some more significant announcements. Ng let the assembled press know that India would be part of the IT&CMA calendar starting in 2012, with the event scheduled for New Delhi in August. Reflecting a MICE market second only to China in its expansion, he sees this as “an opportunity to promote India to the world and the world to India.”

In addition, it was announced that in the future IT&CMA will include a luxury travel component, beginning in 2012. Now able to bill itself as not simply as Asiaʼs, but "the worldʼs only double-bill event," IT&CMA continues to explore how it can develop its content and geographic outreach, offering more locations and more opportunities to visitors.

—Rob Cotter