NCC takes its first steps abroad
Rirksmai Sukhum, left, and his executive team, including Mike Kelly, second right.
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NCC Management & Development Co Ltd, the operator of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, is celebrating its 15th birthday with a plan to extend management and consulting services to local and international convention centres, amid growing competition in Bangkok.
The opening of the huge Siam Paragon shopping centre adds to the fierce competition in the industry, which has been dominated by three major competitors: NCC, Impact, and the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Bitec). "In 2006 we are set to expand local business and aim to provide consulting and management services as well organising conventions and exhibitions overseas," said Rirksmai Sukhum, NCC president. Over the weekend Ho Chi Minh City hosted the International Livestock and Dairy Expo (Ildex), a three-day event and NCC's first overseas exhibition, organised by its subsidiary NCC Exhibition Organiser Co Ltd. In Thailand it has provided consulting services to several private and public organisations and clinched management deals with a convention centre in Khon Kaen and another at the Science Park of the state National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre. While the Science Park centre will accommodate mainly academic and scientific subjects at first, the Khon Kaen centre targets regional events in the Northeast. This will be on top of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, which now operates at 75 per cent of capacity and whose revenue grew 20 per cent last year. According to Rirksmai, it has had no cancellations of scheduled events despite the political conflicts. In January and February the number of visitors remained the same, though spending at fairs dropped slightly as consumers became worried about the future, he said. "We foresee a bright future in the MICE [meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions] market, due to the marketing aggressiveness of the TCEP [Thailand Convention and Exhibition Promotion office] as well as a large number of associations. With 15 years in the field, we're certain that our personnel have the expertise," he said. NCC's management team has welcomed Mike Kelly as a senior vice president, specifically to help it expand overseas. Kelly was executive director of NCC New Zealand Co Ltd, the operator of the Christchurch Convention Centre and the Christchurch Town Hall and Westpac Centre. At NCC he will primarily chart international marketing and business development. "We see huge competition locally. To get the best yield, NCC must give the right balance of attention," he said. With 17,000 international associations in the world - 60 per cent of them in Europe - ready to host meetings, conventions or exhibitions, he said, NCC should be ready to satisfy the international market, not only for the really busy Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre but for centres overseas too. The target area is the Asia-Pacific region, and NCC hopes to clinch the first consulting deal with a centre in Southeast Asia by the end of the year.
Achara Deboonme The Nation HO CHI MINH CITY
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