Expo chiefs promote Pattaya as MICE city

The TCEB says the collaboration also aims to “leverage the quality and MICE-related services in the east, especially the TMVS for the special event venue category in regard to serving business growth according to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme”. 
Orachorn Wongpan-Ngam, director of the MICE capabilities department of TCEB, said the TMVS has been developed according to the standards that relate to national and regional MICE businesses.
“It is therefore a vital strategy that helps to promote and leverage the service and quality of MICE venues in Thailand. In the east, Pattaya is considered a city with the highest number of TMVS-certified entrepreneurs, which totalled 26 venues that include 25 convention rooms and one exhibition venue,” Orachorn said.
“This can be used as a key selling point to attract international MICE events. Teaming up with advanced technology and impressive services, this has become a supporting factor for achieving the efficient holding of MICE events and successful results. 
 “Pattaya City is considered a MICE City with rapid growth. There has been an increasing number of MICE-related premises, which include hotels, restaurants and convention centres. This has fallen into place with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Development Plan under the scheme of Thailand 4.0 for which the government has formulated to promote the nation’s sustainable growth in the long run.
“Hence, the TCEB has to hasten the implementation of TMVS along with the enhancement of venues in order for MICE premises to comply with MICE venue standards, basing on quality, ranging from the meeting room category, exhibition venue category to special event venue category.” 
Altogether, TCEB has continued to hold workshops in venue assessment for TMVS for MICE entrepreneurs in Pattaya.
“For MICE venues that are successfully certified with TMVS, TCEB will proceed to improve their members of personnel to achieve proficiency in MICE venue management with a venue management course (VMC) by which Class 1 has already completed with a total of 30 attendees from Pattaya City,” Orachorn said.
“The workshop will run until 2022 in regard to secure qualified MICE personnel who are genuinely proficient in MICE venue management for Pattaya City in a successive and sustainable way.” 
Pattaya mayor Sontaya Kunplome said that the city is a famous tourist destination. 
“It is a modern beach town with diversity and consistent growth of economy and society. As the economic and tourism centre of the east and Thailand, Pattaya City has natural attractions, places of business, hotels and shopping centres that offer potentiality to serve large-scale convention, trade show and exhibition,” Sontaya said. 
“For this reason, Pattaya has formulated the strategy for the development of Pattaya City as MICE City, which is in sync with the Second Pattaya City Development Plan that expects to encourage Pattaya to grow as a world-class economic city and tourist destination, as well as the metropolitan of innovation.”
 Orachorn said that in in 2019, TCEB will continue to pursue our endeavours to enhance the potential of Pattaya by collaborating with the Eastern Economic Corridor Development Plan for the reinforcement of MICE through six key projects.
Orachorn said: “These include: the development of the EEC with regard to serve Thailand’s new MICE districts; supporting projects with the objective to continually attract international conference, trade show and exhibition into the districts to respond to the Thailand 4.0 vision; the establishment of Asean MICE institution as the centre for assessment of MICE standards, learning of MICE and MICE skill tests; the establishment of the ecosystem that contributes to the growth of MICE which integrates collaboration with public and private sectors and educational institutions; project with the objective to encourage investment of MICE infrastructure; and lastly, project with the objective to encourage participation of communities by highlighting tourist destinations and local products to serve the growth of Thai MICE.”