While the Thai meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) sector is expected to recover this year, the government has been urged to improve some of the infrastructure and ease regulations, executives of Tokyo Big Sight and the Japan Exhibition Association said last week.
"Exhibition space in Southeast Asia will grow by 20 per cent this year, while space in Thailand will soon be four times bigger than in recent times," said Kenichi Shimada, president and chief executive officer of Tokyo Big Sight, Japan's largest convention hall.
He said MICE would be a key business driving economic growth throughout the region, and that the Japanese industry would be major part of that growth.
Christopher Eve, senior vice president of the Japan Exhibition Association, said exhibition activity was growing in Thailand.
The association has decided to move two major events originally scheduled for Singapore to Thailand due to business reasons.
Eve said Singapore and Thailand could both be prominent destinations for holding international events.
More small and medium-sized Japanese businesses will return to Thailand as the global economy recovers, he said.
"However, the Thai and Japanese languages are still barriers [to further growth] between the countries," said Eve, adding that Japanese exhibition operators also want to see better infrastructure and less stringent regulations in Thailand.
According to Kenichi, MICE business in Japan is changing from traditional business-to-business activity to business-to-customer, which could lead to both domestic and overseas growth.
Innovations in sectors such as energy and aviation are booming in Japan, which could help the economy recovery quickly after years in the doldrums.
Kenichi said Tokyo Big Sight had been a great success due to its good location, great accessibility, design and facilities that could serve all businessmen's needs. Its management is another plus factor, he said.
"In Japan, most exhibition halls are developed or invested in by the government and then left to the private sector to manage," he added.
Juerjan na Chiang Mai, operator of a Thai silver and handmade souvenirs business that is taking part in a gift show at Tokyo Big Sight, said her company had been a regular participant at the event for 10 years.
She said selling quality Thai products in Japan was relatively easy, as there was less competition than at home. The business could also gain from higher prices.
While the Japanese gift and souvenir market has slowed due to the economic downturn, she expects the situation will return to normal soon.
