TCEB wins bids for major MICE events through 2018

The wins not only reflect Thailand’s leadership position as a premier MICE events hub in Asia but also help drive the MICE industry’s contribution to the economy, while fostering international confidence in Thailand among business communities around the world, TCEB president Nopparat Maythaveekulchai said. 

Of the eight newly won bids, one is scheduled for this year, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Inter-national Confer-ence on Antenna Measurements and Applications (IEEE CAMA 2015).

The international events set for next year are the 14th APacCHRIE (Asia-Pacific Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education) Conference, the third Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Congress, the 11th Asia Pacific Poultry Congress and Exhibition (APPC 2017), and the 10th International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS). 

Also among the wins were the 10th Biennial Scientific Meeting of the Asia Pacific Paediatric Endocrine Society (APPES 2018), the 23rd UIHJ International Congress Bangkok 2018, and the eighth International Congress of Asian Society of Toxicology (Asiatox 2018). 

The new wins will complement other upcoming major international festivals and mega-events in Thailand announced by the TCEB, which include the Photo Bangkok Festival, TBEX Asia 2015, and UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2016. 

During the first half of the 2015 fiscal year (October 2014 to March 2015), Thailand welcomed 476,079 international MICE travellers, generating revenue of Bt41.73 billion for the Thai economy. 

The international-conference segment attracted 140,059 delegates, with revenue of Bt13.007 billion; the corporate-meetings segment welcomed 133,063 delegates, generating revenue of Bt14.393 billion.

The incentive travel segment brought together 141,720 delegates to experience destinations in Thailand, injecting Bt8.998 billion into the Thai economy.

The exhibitions segment helped engage 61,237 trade visitors in internationally recognised exhibitions and trade fairs, contributing revenue of Bt5.332 billion. 

In the second half of the 2015 fiscal year, Thailand will play host to four major international conferences with a total of 15,500 delegates. 

These are the 46th World Congress of International Surgery Society (about 2,000 attendees), International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics Asia/Oceania Regional Congress (1,500 attendees), One Young World Summit 2015 Bangkok (2,000 attendees), and FDI 2015 Annual World Dental Congress, a mega-event that will bring together 10,000 dental-health professionals from around the globe to |convene and exchange knowledge in Thailand from September 22-25. 

Other noteworthy MICE activities in Thailand in the second half of the 2015 fiscal year include, in the meetings and incentive travels segment, World Ventures Boot Camp; in the international exhibitions segment, Metalex, Propak, SIMA Asean, AAITF, and Bangkok and Renewable Energy Asia; in the international festival and mega-events segment, Asia Pacific Dance Festival, Bangkok International Festival of Dance & Music, the Ratchaprasong Lighting Festival, and Wonder Fruit. 

“Thanks to increased confidence in the MICE sector along with the country’s strengthened positive image, Thailand can reaffirm its leadership position as a premier destination for major MICE events from around the world,” Nopparat said. 

“In addition, it is expected that the number of international MICE travellers in the 2015 fiscal year will reach 1,036,300, a 17-per-cent increase over our 2014 target, with total revenue of Bt106.78 billion, a 22-per-cent increase over our 2014 target.”