“MICE” (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) has become all the rage in recent years. Unlike its tourism antecedent, MICE welds together professionalism, business, and leisure, rendering itself a true international priority for the ever-changing 21st century.
For Thailand, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, or TCEB, is the national organisation responsible for the growth and development of Thai MICE industry. Mrs. Supawan Teerarat, TCEB Senior Vice President – Strategic Business Development & Innovation, said that bureau is carrying out the government’s policy to boost the economy, and diversify and distribute income to various regions across the country.
“Towards that end, we refer to cities and Thailand now has five MICE cities: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Khon Kaen, and Phuket.”
Thailand’s successful MICE cities
TCEB has been collaborating with both the public and private sectors in each MICE city to attract events to their destination. The results are paid off handsomely. According to a 2018 ranking by the International Congress and Convention Association, or ICCA, Bangkok is for the first time listed as the world’s top ten cities for international association meetings. Chiang Mai has experienced 250% growth of international association meetings during 2013 and 2018.
Behind such success is the hard work of TCEB’s Strategic Business Development and Innovation Section in strengthening the fundamentals and promoting standard for MICE cities.
“We need to develop each city in every aspect, including infrastructure, facilities, and transportation,” says Mrs. Supawan. “So we collaborate with the city’s administration to share knowledge, find solutions, determine guidelines and lay out strategies to achieve the common goals. Moreover, we focus on developing MICE as a discipline at the grade school and university level.”
“Another element is to establish an international standard. Presently, there are eight criteria for becoming a MICE city, which we are always updated. As of 2019, we have over 900 conference rooms certified with Thailand MICE Venue Standard (TMVS) across the country. Additionally, TCEB is taking initiatives to facilitate MICE industry growth. For example, we are trying to simplify visas for MICE delegates as well as regulations, for example, those applicable to imported products to be exhibited at trade shows”.
Crafting the message
One of the challenges is the competition among cities, which is why TCEB is working with each city with attention to detail.
“Travellers, especially those from associations and corporations seeking conference location, make a decision based mainly on destination appeal and convenience,” Mrs. Supawan continues. “Consequently, we focus heavily on transportation, international flights, and city development. To attract premium travellers, we need to continue developing more MICE cities and products to our catalogue because they seek not only safety and amenities but variety.”
“Moreover, we have developed several MICE themes to fit each city’s distinct character and identity. For example, Chiang Mai has a rich Lanna history and ecological assets and is thus presented as a cultural or nature-centric destination. With direct international flights, Chiang Mai can undeniably host international events and conferences. Khon Kaen, although less well-known, is an economic hub of the north-eastern region and a location of regional governmental agencies. The city is set to launch a light-rail transit system. With these modern amenities, the city is well prepared to host more domestic and international conventions and trade fairs.”
Next step
To further strengthen MICE cities, TCEB aims even higher: “We are supporting the city to host special or mega events. The most recent case is L’Étape Thailand by Tour de France in Phang-nga. This requires concerned parties to work in a concerted manner. We are also developing eight new MICE cities throughout Thailand, namely, Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok, Rayong, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Hua Hin, and Cha-am. Meanwhile Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Kanchanaburi are being considered”.
Since 2004, TCEB has worked toward establishing Thailand as Asia’s premier business events destination. All indications are that this public organisation is well on its way to achieving this goal.
