BIG IN BANGKOK IT&CMA Text and Photography by Jonathan Ramael Journalist & Photographer - BBT Online

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "BIG IN BANGKOK IT&CMA Text and Photography by Jonathan Ramael Journalist & Photographer - BBT Online"

Job Reed
6 years ago
Views:

BIG IN BANGKOK IT&CMA 2015 Text and Photography by Jonathan Ramael Journalist & Photographer - BBT Online www.

1 BIG IN BANGKOK IT&CMA 2015 Text and Photography by Jonathan Ramael Journalist & Photographer - BBT Online In Ayatthuya, just 2 hours from Bangkok, you ll find the ruins of the old kingdom of Siam. Well worth a visit.

2 Our reporter Jonathan took off to Thailand last month, to attend the 2015 edition of IT&CMA at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre. IT&CMA is the oldest and largest of the three trade shows organised by TTG Asia. He was joined by a small group of Belgian buyers, speakers and exhibitors. Find out all about what s happening on the Asian Market and enjoy Jonathan s beautiful pictures of Bangkok and its surroundings. The Grand Palace is one of Bangkok s most impressive sights, although it s very touristy.

Old Town Bangkok is very atmospheric and in some places absolutely gorgeous. A giant reclining Buddha at Ayutthaya.

One moment you re in an authentic temple surrounded by Buddhist monks, a bit later you re on a ferry boat on the water looking out over the vast urban jungle on both shores.

You could visit the colourful night markets of Chinatown and the maze of little low-rise neighbourhoods in Banglamphu or you could lose yourself in one of the many air-conditioned shopping malls in

It is also the host city of IT&CMA, (Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia) and CTW (Corporate Travel World) Asia-Pacific, a double bill event in MICE and Corporate Travel.

IT&CMA is at the forefront of fostering mice growth opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region.

3 Old Town Bangkok is very atmospheric and in some places absolutely gorgeous. A giant reclining Buddha at Ayutthaya. Ah, is there an Asian city around that makes you feel more alive than bustling Bangkok? One moment you re in an authentic temple surrounded by Buddhist monks, a bit later you re on a ferry boat on the water looking out over the vast urban jungle on both shores. You could be eating fantastic pàt tai from a street stall for less than 2 only to finish the evening in a fancy sky bar sipping 20 euro cocktails. You could visit the colourful night markets of Chinatown and the maze of little low-rise neighbourhoods in Banglamphu or you could lose yourself in one of the many air-conditioned shopping malls in between the downtown skyscrapers. Bangkok is a city of friendly, happy people, exceptional food and huge contrasts. More than anything though, it s a city that doesn t allow you to get bored. It is also the host city of IT&CMA, (Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia) and CTW (Corporate Travel World) Asia-Pacific, a double bill event in MICE and Corporate Travel. IT&CMA is the largest of the three trade shows organised by TTG Events, and has been located in the Thai capital since IT&CMA is at the forefront of fostering mice growth opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region. CTW Asia-Pacific is dedicated to cultivating travel and entertainment best practices among Asia-Pacific s corporate travel professionals. The event showcases a varied list of keynote speakers and an educational agenda covering a myriad of topics, an association day, incorporated education forums, destination presentations, business appointments and networking sessions. Both events have been colocating since Venue of choice was of course the familiar Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld. Thailand and Bangkok obviously didn t have their best year ever. After the anti-government protests and the military coup last year, downtown Bangkok was hit by a major terrorist attack on 17 August of this year. 20 people were killed in an explosion among them 14 foreign tourists. This is never good news for the local tourism or the MICE industry. Would the attack have had an impact on the trade show just two months later? We would soon find out at the opening press conference led by Darren Ng (Managing Director TTG Asia Media), Nopparat Maythaveekulchai (President Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau and Charamporn Jotikasthira (President Thai Airways). Facts & Figures The terrorist attack was obviously one of the main sources of questions for the attending media, but the consequences of the attack (besides the tragic loss of lives of course) seemed to be less severe than expected. Thai Airways noticed a double digit impact in bookings in September, which had already evolved to single digits in October. The airline expected to completely recover its passenger numbers by November. The impact on MICE travel seemed to be minimal. Mr. Ng also added that hardly any delegates cancelled their attendance on IT&CMA. As a matter of fact, the fair was slightly bigger than last year: 891 exhibitors from 297 Exhibiting companies and organisations were present, with new pavilions like Berlin, Dubai Business Events, Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich, Japan NTO and the Jeju Convention & Visitors bureau joining the show. 399 buyers were hosted, 39% of them international, 61% from Asia Pacific. 114 corporate travel managers attended CTW Asia-Pacific, and 116 media delegates from 25 countries were reporting from the exhibition floor. The press conference ended on another interesting question. What did the three gentlemen think of the future and challenges of the Thai MICE industry? The main answer was that Thailand and the rest of the ASEAN market need to learn how to work and promote themselves together. The same applied to Thailand

4 Lots of fun was had on IT&CMA s social functions in Centralworld and Centara Grand. We ve been to worse parties.

Good idea or not? Hugo Slimbrouck (Ovation Global DMC) and now also IT&CMA s Stickiest Guru, had the following to say during his so called campfire session.

5 Charamporn Jotikasthira (THAI), Darren Ng (TTG Asia Media) and Nopparat Maythaveekulchai (TCEB) at the official press conference. domestically. There should be less competition and more cooperation between different organisations and agencies. Different countries presenting themselves as one destination, for example for incentive trips. Good idea or not? Hugo Slimbrouck (Ovation Global DMC) and now also IT&CMA s Stickiest Guru, had the following to say during his so called campfire session. Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos have teamed up to jointly market themselves as Five Countries, One Destination. They will market the region as a single destination by providing easy access for visas and improving transportation networks. Multi-destination itineraries are in principal not very popular in the incentive market, although they do occur. In recent years, incentive programmes have shortened down from 7 to 6 to 5 night programmes, and if you need to combine two destinations, you need at least 2 or 3 nights in each of them. If the air fare can be kept low, that is less of a problem, but often it s exactly that cost killing the project. Lots of networking opportunities What IT&CMA did very well was providing lots of opportunities for attendees to connect with each other in a less formal way. There were of course the friendly golf game and the pre-show city tours (we didn t join and went on a tour by ourselves, of which you can see the photographic results in this article). What was great was that the fair, the official press conferences, the gala diners and even our rooms were all in the same venue (that included a giant shopping centre and even a cinema as well). No time was lost in Bangkok s giant traffic jams, which is something the fair in Shanghai for example, tends to suffer from. The official opening ceremony was held in Live House@Central world. A huge hall that had several beautifully decorated food pavilions done in the style of Thailand s many local cultures. During the walking dinner (some more chairs would have been nice, but we re not complaining), a variety of traditional and modern performers made the evening into a great start for IT&CMA. Boven: Ürs verenigt bergwandelingen op ongeëvenaarde wijze met kettingroken. Onder: Het meertje naast Lenzerheide zorgt op zonnige dagen voor heel wat familiepret. Wat Pho is probably the nicest temple in central Bangkok. It has a giant golden Buddha, a massage parlor and you can attend a Buddhist ceremony here as well.

Three things to do in Bangkok The Durban beachfront is an impressive sight, especially from the air. 1.

tickets, you ll sit in the top ring by yourself). The fights are spectacular and the atmosphere is exhilarating. You won t regret going. 2.

They offer it s what all the locals say the best pàt thai in the city, and if you order it to go, you don t have to wait. A meal will cost you no more than 2.

Get spooked at the Bangkok Forensic Medicine Museum: just across the river from the Grand Palace, you ll find this little museum on the second floor of a hospital.

You ll see hundreds of actual murder weapons, deformed babies and body parts in jars of formalin (we told you it wasn t a place for the fainthearted) and the mummi fied bodies of several serial

Might be a good site-visit for a medical group.

6 Three things to do in Bangkok The Durban beachfront is an impressive sight, especially from the air. 1. Attend a Muay Thai fight: buy a ticket at Ratchadamnoen Stadium in the old town and enjoy Thailand s number one national sport sur rounded by enthusiastically betting locals (don t by the cheapest tickets, you ll sit in the top ring by yourself). The fights are spectacular and the atmosphere is exhilarating. You won t regret going. 2. Eat the best pàt thai in Bangkok: Thip Samai looks like a Thai food place like there are thousands in the city, but the long lines outside waiting for a table tell you otherwise. They offer it s what all the locals say the best pàt thai in the city, and if you order it to go, you don t have to wait. A meal will cost you no more than 2. Try their orange juice as well, it s the best I ever had. 3. Get spooked at the Bangkok Forensic Medicine Museum: just across the river from the Grand Palace, you ll find this little museum on the second floor of a hospital. It is not for the fainthearted, but if you like horror movies, this is where you should go. You ll see hundreds of actual murder weapons, deformed babies and body parts in jars of formalin (we told you it wasn t a place for the fainthearted) and the mummi fied bodies of several serial killers, one being the illusive Si Ouey, a mass murderer who ate several children in the 50s his name is still used today by parents wanting to scare their misbehaving children. Might be a good site-visit for a medical group. Outside the always busy Thip Samai The second night was even better, and was held by the Philippines to promote the upcoming ATF Trade Show in Manilla this January. It was a seated dinner in the hotel s ballroom and came with a musical performance of a stunning local beauty, supported by a fantastic Pilipino Beatles cover band. Joyous, lively and very welcoming. Half of the delegates were dancing the night away and begged for another encore when they finally stopped playing. We re very much looking forward to see how they do on their own fair. Want to join us next year? Want to join BBT Online to next year s instalment of IT&CMA? Interested in visiting one of the other fairs in Shanghai (6-8 April) or New Delhi (August 2016)? Contact us at info@bbtonline.eu. Published on in November Like our reports? Like our Facebook page as well! A muay thai fighter going for the knockout at Ratchadamnoen Stadium.

Celebrating 20 years of IT&CM Asia and 15 years of CTW

City Tourism Celebrating 20 years of IT&CM Asia and 15 years of CTW Motaz Othman Bangkok Hosted Buyers who attended for the first time, confirmed that now they know MICE in Asia much better TTG Asia, TCEB