CM Organiser Group, the leading local provider of marketing events services, has delayed for a second time the opening of Urban Space, its venue for organising marketing events. Urban Space, which is located near Gaysorn shopping complex on the Rajprasong intersection, will now open in June this year following the prolonged demonstration by the red shirts.
The opening of 'Ratchaprasong Urban Space' had earlier been scheduled for the end of April but was postponed to May. However, the opening has now been rescheduled to June this year due to the prolonged red shirt demonstration in the Ratchaprasong area.
CEO Sermkhun Kunawong said that all marketing events previously scheduled to be hosted this month had been cancelled by clients due to the current political unrest.
About 50 per cent of the planned events had been temporarily postponed while the rest had been shifted to other locations.
Sermkhun said that he was still optimistic about the huge potential of marketing events along with a huge demand for such events in the last seven months of this year, especially those that were required to be held in downtown locations.
"Although facing a negative impact from the political uncertainty, which resulted in declining income in the second quarter of this year, I have not revised my company's target for this year," said Sermkhun.
URBAN SPACE
He said Urban Space was expected to generate Bt60 million revenue in the first year, which was only 8 per cent of the company's total revenues earned from providing marketing events services.
CM Organiser expects Bt880 million revenue by the end of this year. The better-than-expected turnaround in the economy since the fourth quarter of last year and the positive momentum that has continued to the beginning of this year was expected to enable the company achieve 15-per-cent growth in the first quarter of this year compared to the same quarter last year.
"With our past experience regarding anti-government demonstrations and political conflicts, we believe that business in Rajprasong will turnaround within two to four months after the rally ends," Sermkhun said. "However, the government should immediately arrange mega-events on a weekly or monthly basis within the Rajprasong area to draw back visitors and tourists. Importantly, the events should be as huge as carnivals as such events can be accessed by people around the world through international news agencies like CNN," he added.
He said the government should have a concrete plan to promote the country's overall tourism industry at the national level. The campaigns should not just draw people to shop in the Rajprasong area but also revive the country's image and revive the confidence of Thais and foreign tourists about the long-term peaceful situation in the country.
"I anticipate the demand for marketing events will improve in the third quarter of this year, driven by the 2010 Fifa World Cup, to be held in South Africa in June. The world's biggest football tournament will skyrocket demand for football-related events during the tournament period," said Sermkhun.
"As business people, what we would like to see most is the country to be peaceful and going on. All political conflicts should be settled through the parliamentary system," he said.