The course is aimed at producing specialists in meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE).

It covers logistics, strategy development, marketing, management, risk management, intercultural human-resource management and cost control.

European-based UFI has brought the course to Thailand to meet growing demand. Director of operations Briac Le Mouel said the 150-hour course was available to trainees from all over the world. It will help operators improve their event-planning abilities and prepare for the growth of the MICE industry.

The class is being taught in Bangkok with a group of 32 trainees from 10 areas: 15 from Thailand and the rest from Oman, Russia, Poland, Romania, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Indonesia.

The course is divided into different phrases. The first on-site seminar began on Monday and ends this Saturday. Trainees will study via the Internet from May to July and conclude the course with another onsite session and final examination in Bangkok in August.

"The programme's cost is Bt170,000 per person, including textbooks and documents but excluding transportation and accommodation," said Mouel.

Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau chairwoman Pojai Pookakupt said Thailand was one of the major regional players in the MICE industry, with its exhibition industry growing 30 per cent a year.

She said Thailand needed more MICE specialists, in order to become the regional hub for the industry.

"Thailand is claimed to be poor in language and management skills. The expansion of the UFI network to this country will help develop the whole industry," said Pojai.

UFI also plans to introduce its EMD course to the Middle East and China.

Joerg Beier, managing director of the Transfer Centre for Exhibition, Convention and Event Management in Ravensburg, Germany, said Thailand was a natural choice for hosting the course, because its MICE industry was growing.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation