The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (ASEAN MRA on TP) for MICE Professionals and Event Professionals was approved by all 10 South-east Asian tourism ministers during the 26th Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Implementation of the approved standards will begin later this year.
Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, president, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), said: “Since its establishment in 2012, the ASEAN MRA on TP has guided ASEAN countries in the development of their tourism workforce in two areas: 1) Hotel Services and 2) Travel Services. In 2021, the scope of the MRA was expanded to include two new categories: 1) MICE Professionals and 2) Event Professionals.
“The move was aimed at fostering cooperation and promoting mobility among ASEAN’s MICE professionals. Each category was assigned a host country whose task was to formulate a set of professional standards specific to that category.”
TCEB accepted the role as host for the Event Professionals category, where it worked with partner agencies such as Thailand’s Department of Tourism, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, MICE-related associations, and educational institutions to draft a professional standards proposal for 11 job roles. The job roles are: 1. Project Manager, 2. Production Manager, 3. Show Manager, 4. Event Coordinator, 5. Marketing Coordinator, 6. Event Registration Supervisor, 7. Event Administration Supervisor, 8. Event Registration Staff, 9. Event Transportation Staff, 10. Liaison Officer, and 11. General Support Staff.
Chiruit added that with the approval of ASEAN MRA on TP for MICE Professionals and Event Professionals, TCEB has begun promoting the idea of certification for event professionals. For that reason, a forum was organised on March 2, 2023, at The Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok. It attracted more than 500 participants and brought to life the newly developed professional standards as private- and public-sector industry players discussed the mechanics of organising an international event and the specialist roles involved.
To further promote the professional standards in the region, TCEB has also launched an ASEAN Grand Master Training programme to grow a pool of Master Assessors who can support the new standards’ implementation in all South-east Asian countries. The programme will kick off in Bangkok and run until September 2024. A “Thailand Assessor Training” programme will follow suit in 2025 to ensure there are enough qualified assessors for Thailand’s domestic demand. Thailand’s target is to produce 50 certified Event Professionals by 2026. This is part of a broader goal for South-east Asia as a whole to produce more than 1,000 certified MICE Professionals and Event Professionals.
“The MICE industry in ASEAN is not only a growing sector but also an economic driver for many member countries. By adopting a unified standard for MICE Professionals and Event Professionals, we will be able to improve mobility for our MICE workforce and further liberalise trade and services as we harmonise learning, instruction and capacity training,” added Chiruit.
