Issue 58

As the ASEAN MICE sector continues to grow, Thailand is well positioned to tap into this positive market, especially through the ASEAN Economic Community.

The global and regional MICE market outlook remains positive and is growing. Greater levels of confidence have been noted with evidence of increasing budgets and attendance, so claims Loy Joon How, general manager of IMPACT Exhibition Management.

According to a Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) report in 2014, the Thai MICE industry generated revenues of 80 billion baht ($2.3 billion) drawing 900,000 international MICE visitors to the country.

“The AEC is a positive [factor] enabling the growth of the MICE sector in ASEAN,” says How. “As the regional MICE sector continues to grow, Thailand is well positioned to tap into this positive market environment. However, there will also be increased competition amongst Asian countries, including Thailand within the AEC.”

According to How, the majority of international MICE visitors are from Asia. “The top 10 countries are China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, the US, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong,” he says. “Asian countries are successful in these international events.”

The IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Centre is currently the largest venue in Southeast Asia with a total indoor space of over 140,000 sqm comprising of 12 exhibition halls, 56 function rooms, two large ballrooms, one indoor arena and a 380-room hotel. A second 580-room hotel is due for completion by March 2017.

Each year, the venue hosts more than 800 events and welcomes around 15 million visitors. The IMPACT team organises events and exhibitions as well as providing both inside and outside catering.

“The demand for global corporate meetings continues to grow especially in the pharmaceutical, automotive and construction industries,” How says. “The incentive travel sector is also growing with corporate companies increasing their incentive travel budgets.”

How sees IMPACT as becoming much more than just an event and meeting arena.

“Future developments will transform our venue from being just an exhibition and convention centre to become Thailand's key MICE and leisure destination with entertainment attractions such as a water theme park, an entertainment park, a yacht marina, shopping malls and more hotels,” he says.

How believes that listening to its customers and delivering what they want have been key factors behind IMPACT’s continued success.

“Our company culture designs our entire business around customer needs and developing an ideal environment based on good partnerships that cultivate great team work, good communication and motivation for all related sectors to achieve our objectives in the most productive way,” he says.

For more information, please visit www.impact.co.th

Words by Natthinee Ratanaprasidhi