Tapping into ASEAN exhibition market through multi-level cooperation

China and Thailand both as prominent exhibition markets in Asia Pacific region， have tightened up bilateral cooperation particularly in recent years. During the 83rd UFI Congress in Shanghai in November， the reporter interviewed Ms Jaruwan Suwannasat， Director of Exhibitions and Events Department， Thailand Convention Exhibition Bureau.

Reporter： Please briefly introduce what TCEB wants to highlight at the 83rd Congress as a sponsor. i.e the resources of Thai exhibition industry.

Suwannasat： In recent years， Thailand as part of the ASEAN market displays great vigor. In 2015 alone， there were 80 large scale trade shows in Thailand. As a public organization， Thailand Convention Exhibition Bureau（TCEB） carry out extensive cooperation with industrial associations worldwide to improve the profile of the Thai exhibition industry and promote our unique MICE resources. We are not only a member and a major sponsor of UFI， but also an active member of Asian Federation of Exhibition Convention Association （AFECA）.

Thailand is not only a gateway into the ASEAN regional market， but is also acclaimed for the quality of its MICE resource quality. In terms of facility， we have famous purposely-built venues like BITEC and Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. In terms of service， the Thai hospitality has long been known to the rest of the world. In February this year， we successfully held the 2016 UFI Open Seminar and won extensive acclaim of delegates from worldwide.

Reporter： What is the position of the Chinese market for the MICE industry in Thailand， and what are the current and future schemes to attract more Chinese business to Thailand？

Suwannasat： In the past year， Chinese exhibitors and trade visitors to Thailand increased strongly and accounted for 35% in Thai exhibition in total. In order to increase the size， internationalisation， and business match-making opportunity of exhibitions in Thailand， TCEB now operate two major schemes：“Connected Businesses” and “Exhibiz in Market”， which apply to several countries in the region， including China.

“Connected Businesses” means that for an organization that recruits at least 10 trade visitors to TCEB officially endorsed and supported by TCEB is entitled to USD 100 per visitor after carrying out 3 B2B matches. Federations， Business Trade Associations， Chambers of Commerce， Non-Profit Organisations in all ASEAN countries and several other countries are eligible to participate in this scheme.

“Exhibiz in Market” will take effect from January 2017. It applies to overseas legal entities from worldwide and means that who are able to assemble a group of exhibitors from the same country to exhibit at an international trade exhibition in Thailand. The group must occupy at least 36 square metres， or at least four booths at an international trade exhibition in Thailand to receive USD1，500.

Reporter： How do you view Chinese and Thai exhibition industry and mutual cooperation？

Suwannasat： In terms of scale， the Thai exhibition market is much smaller than the Chinese market. However， Thai exhibitions can stand out by creating features and serving niche market in perspective industries. TCEB is committed to long-term cooperation with Chinese organizations. On governmental level， in the 4th China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services （CIFTIS） in Beijing in May this year， TCEB signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Chamber of International Commerce （CCIOC） with the objective of enhancing MICE cooperation between the two markets. I believe in the future there will be even further cooperation to promote collaboration of the two markets.