Convention body outlines activities to 2009
The 2007-09 operating plan for the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) focuses on enhancing the capability of entrepreneurs and its staff.
It is also aimed at improving its technology and management, in order to position Thailand as an Asean meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition (MICE) hub by 2010.The bureau expects the numbers of MICE visitors next year to increase to 870,000, generating more than Bt59 billion. TCEB director-general Kajit Habanananda said the operating plan's main activities included seminars and workshops designed for staff and entrepreneurs at different levels through collaboration with domestic and international educational institutions to develop curricula that matched the requirements of the MICE industry. It will also offer scholarships to staff and entrepreneurs to further their study in related subjects, so they can achieve the fullest potential in their career paths. Moreover, the TCEB will use information technology and communications to improve its operations and management. This will include data collection, financial management and accounting, budget management, human resources and communications management. It also plans to establish a MICE Information Research Centre, in order to provide entrepreneurs with useful information for better decision-making. Effective information and knowledge distribution will be run through a newly established call centre and the bureau's existing website (www.tceb.or.th). Kajit said the bureau was restructuring its organisation in an effort to be more efficient and flexible. The move will provide the MICE industry with a better environment for further development, in order to push Thailand as the regional hub. In addition, the TCEB encourages collaboration between local and foreign entrepreneurs and provides them with financial support and other essential resources. As a way of expanding into new markets and increasing business opportunities, the TCEB has been participating in several major events, including international conferences and industry seminars. Many projects are currently being initiated, including the MICE Information Research Centre, the MICE Capability Project, Asean MICE, the TCEB Rebranding Project, the 6th Asia-Pacific Symposium on Music Education Research, Wine and Gourmet Bangkok 2007, Muslim Worldex 2007, the Royal Initiative Discovery Project and the International Meeting on Sustainability Development. This year has been remarkably successful for the TCEB. Its operating results show Thailand has hosted 1,579 conferences (meeting and incentives), which attracted 223,752 visitors and generated Bt1.3 billion in revenues, while 143,719 visitors attended conventions held in Thailand, which generating another Bt1.1 billion. The TCEB has joined in project bidding for 25 conferences, winning eight contracts, with another 13 under consideration. Moreover, the bureau also supported 90 meetings and 75 future projects. It also organised 363 exhibitions - 241 domestic and 122 international - attended by 187,823 visitors, generating Bt1.3 billion in revenues. Suchat Sritama The Nation.
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