Creativity a major asset for Thailand as AEC looms
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From a cultural point of view, the upcoming implementation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 will open a new window of opportunity for Thai people, who are well recognised for their creative skills.
The assumption that Asean is homogeneous is not true, said film director and artistic director Ekachai Uekrongtham.
Ekachai, who founded the Action Theatre in Singapore, believes the diversity of Asean will benefit the work of a new generation. “They can blend and explore one another’s culture and come up with fusion works as a result of collaboration in art and culture,” he noted.
Having said that, the director said that first and foremost, the Asean community must understand one another truly, and the AEC is the key to allowing that to happen.
Yutthana Boon-orm, managing director of GMM Grammy’s subsidiary Gayray Co, has observed that something the young Asean populations have in common is a love for international music. “They have their own local idols and at the same time they have their favourite international artists. And if you look into each country, their tastes are very much alike.”
Gayray, which is a concert organiser, sees room for producing music events for the regional market, and it has started preparing to welcome the birth of the AEC. “What we plan is to create a community of like-minded people in the region and produce an international concert in the region.”
Realising the firm no longer communicates with Thais only, it will use a bilingual (English and Thai) Gayray website. English is undoubtedly becoming a compulsory language in the region. That is why many language schools use the AEC to draw more students.
On the Wall Street language school’s website, the AEC is the main promotional concept. The school uses the Asean logo and warns all students that if they can’t communicate in English, they will be in trouble, as they have to compete with others in the region.
But the strength of Thailand, as pointed out by the co-chief executive of Index Creative Village, lies in creative skills. The company has already expanded into Myanmar and Vietnam, proving that production design and creative thinking and strategy are the keys.
“Singapore and Malaysia have their strengths in management but we also have ours,” he said.
Jitsing Somboon, head designer for the Playhound fashion brand, also believes in the Thai workforce’s creativity. “We are not worried about the creative designs of Thai fashion brands and the quality of production, but we will have to be aware of the possible price war.”
His company Greyhound is also prepared to embrace the AEC, and one good prospect is that the fashion brand can enjoy low-cost imported material for its goods. At the same time, there is huge export potential within Asean.
“Thailand’s fashion industry will survive, and if we ever fail to take advantage of the AEC, the government must be the partly to blame. Our government should look at how the Vietnamese and Singaporean governments play a great role in supporting local designers and artists,” Jitsing said.
