THE newly formed Korea Society of Association Executives (KSAE) seeks to advance the skills of industry practitioners through education and training, networking, and even advocacies, its secretary general Glynn Cho told TTGmice e-Weeky.

While South Korea has over 50,000 associations and organisations, there is no system in place yet for what KSAE wants to pioneer in, said Cho, who is also CEO of the Korea Association Management and Consulting, at the sidelines of the Philippine Council for the Advancement of Association Executives (PCAAE) Summit II.

KSAE has benchmarked the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) which Cho – the first Asian it certified as an association executive – represents in South Korea and the PCAAE which was formed last year.

With 90 individual members, KSAE wants to collaborate with ASAE and PCAAE to achieve common goals.

In his presentation at the PCAAE Summit II, Cho said associations and organisations in South Korea will in the future be open, transparent, collaborative, self-sufficient and sustainable.

Currently traditional in character, they are generally conservative with single super power and are dependent on the government.

THE Thai Exhibition Association (TEA) today entered into a MoU with Singapore’s SACEOS to enhance business opportunities for exhibition organisers and visitors in both countries.

Supawan Teerarat, TCEB’s vice president, strategic and business development, said: “The world’s gaze is now fixed on the opportunities presented by the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). As you know, the AEC will stimulate networks and cross-border trade.

“TCEB believes that the MICE industry can operate as a catalyst to boost all sectors, and that Thailand is uniquely positioned to unlock the potential of the AEC,” Supawan added.

SACEOS president Janet Tan-Collis said: “The AEC will offer a new battleground for foreign organisers. Currently, local organisers are competing among themselves and facing competition from foreign organisers. These foreign organisers are now on an aggressive acquisition trail in ASEAN countries.”

“This partnership between SACEOS and TEA brings about collaboration not only in developing business opportunities but also in knowledge sharing (between Thailand and Singapore),” she added.

Under the MoU, areas of future collaboration include the exchange of information to promote products, services and joint offering for member rates for each other’s events for a maximum period of three calendar years, plus a reciprocal hyperlink on their respective websites.

Supawan added: “This will open the door to new market opportunities to uplift the region’s MICE industry, especially within the exhibition sector. We are confident this partnership will lead to new investment among Thai organisers and SACEOS members, contractors, freight and service providers.”

Thailand welcomed 77 trade fairs in 2013 and generated an estimated revenue of about US$174 million, of which some 3,016 visitors from Singapore accounted for eight per cent of the total international trade visitors.

According to Patrapee Chinachoti, president of TEA, the number of trade fairs in Thailand has grown by at least 10 per cent this year, and this new MoU will “definitely help” to increase this number further.

AS competition heats up in Asia’s exhibition sector, the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) is urging local exhibition organisers to find their niches to level the playing field against foreign players.

AFECA president Edward Liu predicted that by end-2020, most South-east Asia’s exhibitions and shows would be owned by American and European organisers, who have been very active on the acquisition trail over the past few years with the accelerated growth of the Asian economy.

Advised Liu: “If (smaller players) want to survive, they should focus on their strength and perhaps go for niche shows where they have strength and make fairly good money in it.

“It doesn’t have to be a big show. But so long as the show meets the requirements of exhibitors and buyers and sellers are happy with the event, it should generate decent profits and returns for the organisers”, he said.

AFECA secretary general Marisa D Nallana said local organisers should not feel threatened by the entry of foreign organisers and instead should seek out ways to work and complement their competitors.

Nallana said that the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS), which she chairs, is encouraging members to go out and touch base with other countries “because the name of the game now is working with partners in the region”.

“We lose out if we stick to (that) parochial mind,” she added.