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Malinee Kitaphanich, the TCEB's director of meetings and incentives, said yesterday the bureau wanted to mitigate the harsh effects on the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) business in Thailand from the domestic political unrest and the global financial crisis emanating from the US.

The TCEB has allocated Bt140 million to launch a marketing campaign next year called "Thailand, Meetings More Memorable", with incentives to induce MICE planners to choose the Kingdom as their destination for meetings and incentives events.

Targets include organisers of any MICE event with more than 1,000 delegates, which will get in return Bt1 million for their meeting arrangement here in Thailand, and female MICE attendees travelling in groups of at least 30. They will be offered rewards such as shopping vouchers, spa service or golf packages.

In addition, the TCEB will focus on Connections Plus excursion trips for MICE travellers to allow them a chance to get to know Thailand better and up close.

Exhibitors, however, are not worried about what is going on politically.

Hanafi Sastrawinata of Vayatour Bali said political action takes place everywhere in the world and they are not the main factors for him in deciding whether to participate in any event. Hilary Hendricks, sales and marketing assistant for Paris-based Bedouk, joined the event for the first time and felt the organisation was all right.

Surakrai Kerdtawee, director of sales and marketing for the Ambassador Hotel in Bangkok, one of the exhibitors in the Thai Pavilion, said his company had succeeded in packing two business days full of appointments.

Kimmy Yu, MICE operations manager for Farrington American Express Travel Services, dismissed the notion that politics could interfere in her business planning.