The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) will run a series of roadshows in India this year in a bid to grow Thailand’s popularity among Indian business event planners, with the first for 2018 concluded recently in New Delhi.
The Thailand MICE Corporate Networking event in New Delhi was attended by 35 corporate clients, mainly from insurance, pharmaceutical, direct selling, automotive, electronics and FMCG segments. At the event TCEB introduced its new campaign, Meet By Design, which offers a tailored menu of perks and support for groups bound for Thailand.
Nooch Homrossukhon, director of Meetings and Incentives, TCEB, told TTGmice: “The corporate incentive segment is the most dominant (contributor) of overall Indian MICE arrivals to Thailand. Now we want to (get more) meetings from India. To do this, we plan to focus on the new industry segments as per the Thailand government’s new economic model, Thailand 4.0.”
Thailand 4.0 aims to develop the nation as a knowledge-based economy, and in line with this, TCEB will target new high-growth industry verticals like medical technology, bio technology, robotics and embedded technology in India to driving up meeting numbers.
Last year Thailand recorded a 36 per cent increase in Indian business events. These events brought with them 32,428 Indian delegates.
“Apart from reaching out to corporate clients, we plan to engage with media planners especially in tier-two cities where we think there is a need to showcase what Thailand offers for meetings. We also want Indian corporates to meet in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor,” Nooch added.
Following the New Delhi showcase, TCEB will return to India in July with a roadshow covering Mumbai and Bengaluru. It will also host seminars across India and fam trips for Indian planners.
Rohit Khanna, CEO of Travel Clinic, told TTGmice that Thailand has risen in demand for his corporate clients. “Meetings from India to Thailand are growing annually at a rate of 30 per cent. At present the demand is being driven by insurance, automobile and FMCG verticals,” he explained.
