Global exhibition organisers express confidence in Thailand as MICE destination

Several of the world’s leading exhibition organisations expressed their confidence in Thailand as a global MICE destination at The Exhibition Industry Summit 2024.

The inaugural summit was organised by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), and was a major success. 

Executives of leading exhibition organisations from Europe and Asia expressed strong confidence in Thailand’s potential and readiness to become the preferred exhibition destination. 

The executives attributed their confidence to the Thai government’s clear policy to promote the exhibition industry, the country’s excellent infrastructure, open business culture, and renowned hospitality. 

While looking for growing business networks with local Thai partners, the participants also recommended that the local industry needs to adopt advanced digital technologies to serve the changing needs of the exhibition industry.

See tomorrow now

The recent Summit centred on the theme See Tomorrow Now and was intended for delegates and participants to clearly envision future business opportunities in Thailand. 

The insights attendees gained at the Summit will be a catalyst for their business plan formulation to capture those opportunities by using exhibitions as the springboard.

TCEB president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya said: “The Exhibition Industry Summit 2024 was a great success and will bring huge benefits to Thailand. This was the first time that the leaders and key decision-makers of leading exhibition organisers from Europe and Asia met in Thailand to obtain insights about Thailand’s vision and exhibition industry development direction directly from Thailand’s top decision-makers. This is really important to their future decision on venue selection for big events. We also received valuable recommendations on areas of development to propel the exhibition industry forwards while effectively addressing the changing needs in the global market.”

Government cooperation is key

During the event, TCEB  brought the world’s exhibition leaders to pay a courtesy call on Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, at the Government House. 

Shinawatra confirmed the government’s full support to drive the growth and success of the business sector, paving the way for Thailand to become the top exhibition destination. 

She added that the government is building the One Stop Service System to enhance convenience for exhibition activities, which will encourage innovation development and, thus, boost national economic growth sustainably.

The leaders also took part in a roundtable discussion with key figures of the Thai government. During the discussion, the representatives from the Thai government reiterated the importance of the exhibition industry as a key economic driver and a magnet to draw more foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country. The exhibition industry also supports the development of related businesses. 

Both of these are aligned with the government’s policy to promote the tourism industry which already contributes 12 percent to the Thai GDP, with a focus on high-value tourism, including the exhibition industry.