IT&CMA 2017 outdoes itself

The 25th IT&CMA and the 20th CTW Asia Pacific shows held in Bangkok in September was intensely focused on education, whether it was about MICE products or through knowledge sessions by global experts

The two MICE events crossed a significant milestone this year. Not only did they celebrate double-digit anniversaries – 25 and 20 years respectively for Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings (IT&CMA) and Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia Pacific – but 2017 also marked 14 years of both events co-locating. This partnership will continue for the next three years till 2020 along with strategic partner Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

Held in Bangkok from September 26, 2017, the three-day event brought together buyers from around the world that are interested in the potential of Asia Pacific as a MICE market. IT&CMA showcased the largest congregation of Convention Visitor Bureaus and NTOs from the Asia Pacific region such as Chiang Mai, Dubai, Korea, Macao, Osaka, Penang, Perth, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. This year also saw strong support from hotel and cruise clusters like Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, Dream Cruises and Star Cruises, Frasers Hospitality, Silversea Cruises, and Resorts World Sentosa.

Darren Ng, Managing Director, TTG Asia Media, says, “The show featured more than 800 participating exhibitors and 590 buyers that included meetings and incentives, associations, as well as corporate travel buyers. They had the opportunity to meet close to 2,900 delegates this year and attend more than 100 business, networking and education sessions over the three days.” The show saw over 10,000 appointments made on the floor over three days.

The show saw a 43 per cent growth in booth space taken up by both destination and corporate suppliers. There were 26 captive networking functions that took place over the course of the

The show saw a 43 per cent growth in booth space by both destination and corporate suppliers

event, including hosted luncheons, networking cocktails, destination presentations, technology showcases, pre- and post-show tours.

Strategic partner TCEB was present in a big way with a huge Thailand pavilion that housed 63 exhibitors. It also had a 360-degree virtual reality video on Thailand that attendees could experience. Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President, TCEB, says, “TCEB is honoured to have hosted this event in Thailand for 16 consecutive years. Last year we attracted over 1,200,000 business travellers to attend MICE events in Thailand. During their visit, they spent more than US$ 2,900 million on MICE facilities, services, accommodation and entertainment.” This year, TCEB provided support to 550 potential buyers from more than 50 countries to attend the event.

KEYNOTE SESSIONS

Some 50 renowned speakers from government bodies, academia, industry specialists, and associations imparted their wisdom over the various education segments encompassing a future-ready theme centred on industry development.

From discussions on how NTOs and CVBs can collaborate with each other, to the next wave of growth for Asia Pacific's MICE industry and even technology, the sessions touched on every part of the MICE business.

Other components like the ASEAN MICE Forum, dedicated Association Days forum, campfire knowledge sessions, the CTW Asia-Pacific corporate travel conference forums, and partner event Future Leaders Forum, followed the same emphasis to deliver expert opinion. Speaker Mike Williams, Senior Consultant of GainingEdge, who helmed a number of educational sessions shared his view on the marketplace.

“It is important to combine tradeshows with education especially when you've got a good audience of exhibitors and buyers who are looking to gain knowledge. This then becomes advantageous for the show to incorporate such components and create a win-win for organisers and speakers,” he says.

TCEB LAUNCHES 2018 CAMPAIGN

Using the show as the perfect platform, TCEB unveiled its marketing communication campaign for the year 2018 entitled ‘Thailand Connect Your Vibrant Journey to Business Success,

TCEB unveiled its marketing campaign for the year 2018 entitled ‘Thailand Connect’

decoded with chapters of possibilities'. The campaign's focus is aimed at further enhancing Thailand's image as a Bleisure destination. The bureau expects that by the end of next year, the country will welcome 1,192,000 international MICE visitors which generate revenue of 112 billion baht.

Supawan Teerarat, Vice President, TCEB's Strategic and Business Development, said, “Moving to the next level of success, the concept of our 2018 marketing campaign is developed to be in line with Thailand 4.0 policy. Under this, the three pillars of the country's MICE industry remain the key focus. These are: ‘Fascinating Destination that will highlight stops for bleisure trips, Business Empowerment that offers essential collaborations for international opportunities, and Professional Passion that focuses on the collaborative efforts between public and private sectors for MICE."

WANT TO ATTEND?

The 26th IT&CMA will be held from September 18-20, 2018 at the same venue – Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok.