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The Development and Promotion of MICE in Thailand

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The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is leveraging the development of Thai MICE business in long haul markets in collaboration with foreign chambers of commerce representing Australia, UK, USA and Germany.
​Mr. Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB, disclosed, “The signing of this MOU – The Development and Promotion of MICE –  between TCEB and Foreign Chamber Alliance (FCA), comprising 4 chambers of commerce representing our main target countries, which are Australia, UK, USA and Germany.
It’s considered another remarkable step of TCEB in altering our role to leverage MICE by serving as a business partner who joins hands with foreign organisations to promote the development of Thai MICE in international markets, as well as to penetrate into long haul MICE markets in Oceania, Europe and the USA, side by side with our main short haul target markets in Asia.
“Indeed, the collaboration is a new dimension of promoting Thai MICE business in long haul markets with concentration on Oceania, Europe and the USA. This is the very first time that the Foreign Chamber Alliance – FCA, which represents Australia, UK, USA and Germany, signed an MOU with a Thai government agency. Interestingly, FCA has more than 20,000 members that include businessmen, investors, entrepreneurs from business, industrial and service sectors, such as Minor Hotels Group, AccorHotels Group, Marriott Hotels Group, convention centres business, as well as oil, mining, pharmaceutical, automobile and other industries,” he added.
“These are considered high potential business groups for propelling the national economy and are included among the targeted industries that the Thai government is keen to encourage in line with the 4.0 Policy. For this reason, this is a lucrative opportunity for us to collaborate to develop and raise the competitiveness of Thai MICE. The 4 chambers of commerce have recognised the importance of using MICE as the gateway to the development of commerce and investment in Thailand and ASEAN,” he said.
With this MOU, the framework for the development of MICE business will embrace 5 dimensions of operation:
• The sharing of MICE statistics and events
• MICE business development
• MICE market promotion
• MICE business research
• MICE personnel development.
Mr. Chiruit further said, “The initial collaboration to mutually promote MICE business will mainly focus on hospitality service, because members of the FCA have long records of investment in Thailand, which have been running alongside their nationwide service businesses. Hence, they have eyed to extend collaboration with Thai government agencies, as they believe the endeavour will open a new door to operate MICE business in Thailand and ASEAN.
“This, in turn, will allow them to study about the dynamics and direction of the Thai MICE market. By joining with TCEB in formulating a marketing development scheme, the synergy will open a new door to connecting with other alliances who relate with the promotion of Thai MICE business in targeted countries. Moreover, there will be co-operation in drawing international events into Thailand, marketing promotion and provision of support for events previously held in Thailand,” he said.
“Target groups and alliances will be invited to participate to strengthen the potential of MICE events held here in Thailand. The FCA will join with us in the exchange of marketing information related to targeted industries held by allied chambers of commerce and TCEB will exchange information on Thai MICE business, including statistics and events, to fully bolster mutual MICE business development,” said the TCEB President.

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​He went on to say, “Nevertheless, the FCA expects the Thai government to leverage the competitiveness of Thai MICE business in order to serve global competition. For example, facilitation of customs and immigration procedures; development of infrastructure and transportation; construction of convention centres; development of MICE personnel that meets international standards, and establishment of One-Stop-Service MICE centres. All of which will open a new door to the holding of MICE events in Thailand by efficiently offering enhanced convenience for MICE entrepreneurs and organisers,“ he declared.

Proposals to establish MICE service centres has been included in TCEB’s earlier strategic plan, and the Ease of Doing Business project as well  as the draft of a national strategy of NESDB (National Economic and Social Development Council).
​Mr. Chiruit went on to explain, “After the completion of MOU signing, TCEB is set to discuss with the FCA on the preparation of Phase I work plan, which lasts two years. Both parties will encourage practical co-operation in a rapid and consistent manner. Initially, we have planned to attract events and provide support to the holding of events that relate to targeted industries according to the government’s 4.0 Policy, particularly in the provinces governed by the administration of EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor),” he said.

​“TCEB expects that the collaboration will not only leverage the competitiveness of Thai MICE in long haul markets in Oceania, Europe and the USA, but will also help to attract international events into several regions in Thailand, especially those considered main markets in MICE City project, which are Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen. Definitely, we believe the rapport will encourage transfers of technology and knowledge of each industry among one another, and thus will promote advancement in all regions and stimulate income distribution to communities nationwide,” concluded Mr. Chiruit.

Mr. Benjamin Krieg, Vice President, Austcham, explained, “The role of the Foreign Chamber Alliance (FCA) in Thailand and the purpose of signing the MOU combines key Foreign Chambers and their members through this important collaboration, we provide a common voice on advocacy to develop and grow opportunities that can benefit our members and the country of Thailand,” he said.

“The MICE industry is growing, and will also continue to grow in importance and contribution to the overall tourism sector within Thailand, and of course the greater Thai economy. Our primary aim is to continue to increase and grow the competitiveness of Thailand as a leading destination for MICE not only within Asia, but the world, further complimenting the amazing tourism industry that we already are so fortunate to be a part of,” concluded Mr. Krieg.

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SBC Travel Group announces new Chief Digital Officer

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SBC Travel Group, a technology company, has officially appointed Chief Digital Officer Anthoney Jayasekera. He steps into this role with more than 18 years of experience within the hospitality sector, having worked in digital marketing and online distribution for several leading global brands including Minor Hotels, Crown Melbourne and Aitken Spence Hotels where he was in charge of driving digital strategies.

“SBC Travel excites me as they have a passion for embracing new technology and building solutions for travel,” Mr. Jayasekera says. “Being with hospitality and travel for the last 18 years, I’ve been able to see the paradigm shift from traditional to digital platforms.  It’s exciting to see the transformation from then to now. However, there’s still more opportunity to improve and disrupt current processes so they can be secure, faster, novel, and cost-effective with the use of new advancements in technology.”

In his new role with SBC Travel Group, Mr. Jayasekera will direct the overall digital strategy for all business units within SBC Travel, manage the website and social presence and manage all digital marketing initiatives.

For more information on SBC Travel, please visit sbctravel.io.

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South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit returns to Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok

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The South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit returns for its third edition in May and will again feature top executives from both hotel owning groups and management companies and a range of cutting-edge topics.

SEAHIS focuses heavily on the issues facing hotel property investors. What topics are top-of-mind at the moment? Simon Allison, Chairman of hotel owners’ alliance HOFTEL which organizes the Summit notes:

The market in South-East Asia is generally booming, but investors in hospitality properties still face numerous challenges. These include:

• The need to pay numerous fees and taxes, to the online travel agents, to the brands and to the governments which between them can take almost half of what a guest pays the hotel

• The challenge of the sharing economy and of new forms of accommodation

• Oversupply as new properties get built

• The one-sided contracts which some hotel brands impose on them

• The dangers of relying too heavily on a single inbound market, like China – as the fall-off in demand in Phuket after the boat disaster showed last year

• Acquisitions of boutique brands by the majors – can these make money for their buyers and for the owners of the properties they manage

The last point is very much a relevant topic at the moment given the vast sums recently paid by Intercontinental for a stake in Six Senses, by Hyatt for Two Roads and by GIC for a stake in CitizenM.

These issues will be addressed at SEAHIS by many of the region’s most senior hotel and travel executives including Suchad Chiaranussati, CEO of SC Capital; Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor International; Thomas Willms, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality; Brian Williams, Deputy Chairman of Swire Hotels; Aron Harilela, CEO of Harilela Hotels; Stephan Vanden Auweele, Chief Hospitality Officer of Asset World Corporation (TCC); Piyaporn Phanachet, CEO of U City; Andrew Langdon, SVP Development Asia, Accor; Mike Orgill, Director, Public Policy, Airbnb and Jake Stein, Senior Director, Owner Relations at Expedia.

“Last year almost 50% of all attendees were from groups which own or develop hospitality real estate, said Simon Allison, CEO of HOFTEL. “They want exciting and sometimes controversial content and we aim to deliver that. Our speakers are senior and so are most of the audience, so it’s a highly informed debate.”

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New GM appointed at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu

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Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu announced the appointment of Mr. Kanit Sangmookda as the new General Manager responsible for all areas in the Malaysian hotel including product development, financial performance, brand compliance, and guest satisfaction.

Born in Thailand, Mr. Kanit holds a master’s degree in International Business Management majoring in Management and Economics from Wollongong University in Australia. He brings with him more than 19 years of experience, working in leading international chain hotels including Marriott International, Minor Hotel Group and former Starwood Hotels and Resorts. His first taste of the hospitality industry was as a Reservation Agent in JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. Through continuous learning and self-development, he has proven himself to be proficient and competent with his appointment as the Director of Revenue Management at Bangkok Marriott Resorts & Spa and The Westin Kuala Lumpur, as well as the Regional Director of Revenue Management for Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Southeast Asia.

Mr. Kanit is no stranger to the hospitality industry in Sabah where he served as the General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan for almost three years. Prior to his appointment at Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu, Mr. Kanit was the General Manager for Le Méridien Jakarta where he spearheaded the renovation of the hotel rooms and their lobby lounge as well as the migration to Marriott International after the acquisition of Starwood.

Passionate, articulate and personable, Mr. Kanit is a creative leader who believes the success of an organization comes from a competent and innovative team. He drives his team to efficiently achieve their business goal by mentoring them to fulfill their full potential both professionally and personally.

Besides the dedicated contribution to the internal companies, his team and hotel owner, Mr. Kanit is also passionate in serving the tourism and hospitality industry in almost every market he presented as he believes in giving back to community and pay it forward to the next generation. Back in Thailand, he spent his weekend being part time lecturer at Hotel Management Faculty of Assumption University. During his time in Sandakan, he was part of the pioneer Executive Committee team of Sandakan Tourism Association (STAN) which established in 2015. While at the same time, he also represented Sandakan hotels as Executive Committee in Malaysia Hotels Association (MAH) – Sabah/Labuan chapter as well. When he moved to Jakarta, Indonesia; he also joined Jakarta Hotel Association as Executive Committee which he spearheaded Education and CSR sector and driven multiple activities for the organization.

As the new General Manager, Mr. Kanit looks forward to bringing new ideas and initiatives to revive the existing Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu to a new level. “With a different pair of eyes and my experiences, some things are better when seen from a new perspective,” he said.

When not on hotel grounds, Mr. Kanit is a family man who enjoys music, sports and fitness activities as well as photography.

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Developing safety and security for children during travel

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Safety and security are always a concern of the travel industry, no matter who the traveler might be. A major issue when dealing with children is their safety and security. In the case of young travelers, the situation becomes even more difficult and emotional. There are many reasons for this heightened need for safety and security.  Among these are:

1)   Children are perceived to be more vulnerable

2)    Most people tend to be highly protective of children

3)    The legal ramifications of injury to a child may be even more severe

4)    Children evoke emotional reactions, and these emotions may crowd out rational thinking

Child safety and security tends to become the responsibility of three groupings:

1)   The child or young adult

2)   The parent of guardian of the child

3)   The host institution

The following is a partial list of precautions that all of us need to take when dealing with the child segment of the travel market. To help provide a safer ambiance for family vacations, consider some of the following.

Just as in the case of marketing efforts, tourism security efforts need to segment the market into at least four age brackets. Some suggested brackets might be: (1) new borns-2 years, (2) 3-7 years, (3) 7-12 years, and (4) teenagers until the legal age of 18. The essential issue is to realize that while both a 17 year old and a 2 year old are legally both minors, from a safety, security, and sociological standard, they operate in a very different ways and require very different guidelines. To help maintain these various groups safe and sound Tourism Tidbits offers the following suggestions. It should be noted that these are only a few suggestions of the many that are needed, and final decisions should be made by an onsite professional.

– Keep video cameras going. In case a child is lost (or Heaven forbid kidnapped), a video camera may be an excellent tool in locating the child.

– In places where adults and children mix, consider the use of ID bracelets being offered at the time of ticket purchase. You can use the ID bracelet either as a check-in/check-out device or give them away as a souvenir. In either case, should the child be lost, the security agent will have a name and phone number to call.  It is a good idea to place both the local and home number on the bracelet.

– In areas that have special young people’s sections, make sure that it is only children who enter. Adults should not be allowed into a children’s section. If an adult is needed there in case of an emergency, he/she should only be allowed to enter accompanied by a trained security agent.

– Develop policies on older children or unaccompanied minors. Younger children may be less of a problem than older children (12-17 years of age). These are guests who are legally still minors but can often do a great deal of damage or may demand that they be treated as adults even though such treatment is against the law. Make sure that all personnel are familiar with your business regarding minors’ safety and behavior of and with minors. Employees need to know:

–      policies and laws that specifically deal with people under the legal age of maturity

–      how to handle an angry or non-compliant minor

–      how to handle someone who may be making a scene

–      -when to actively intervene or call for additional help

–      how to check IDs without offense – a person’s ID is checked and questioned as to the whereabouts of his/her parents

In the hour before closing, it is very important to make sure that unsupervised young people are accounted for. In cases where the young person falsely believes that he/she is grown-up, ask for both a driver’s license and a social security number.

– Be aware of child abandonment/abuse. A form of child abuse is abandonment of a child. Train personnel to be on the lookout for all forms of child abuse. For example, if an adult is hanging around other people’s children asking for that person’s ID, turn security cameras on the person and attempt to get the license number of the vehicle being driven. The more information you have, the easier it will be for the police to act should there be a problem. Do not assume that a child abuser will return the next day. It may be weeks or months, or never, until that person returns.

– Develop cooperative information centers. Work with local police departments, hotel associations, and other attractions so that information can be passed between security departments rapidly and easily.  Remember people judge a locale on just one negative incident. When something goes wrong in one place, it can affect the entire local tourism community.

– Be careful of safety concerns.  Do a safety analysis; look for and correct such things as: glass doors against which inadvertently a child may run into, issues of food safety, or balconies over which a child may climb and jump.

Dr. Peter Tarlow is part of the Safer Travel Program by eTN. More information
www.safertravel.com 

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