Leading the way in MICE: Thailand’s vision at TIME 2024

At the Thailand Innovative Meetings Exchange (TIME) 2024, which took place in Bangkok and Chiang Mai from 17-21 June, M&C Asia checked in with Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, president of TCEB, to find out more about his goals, retaining Thailand’s appeal as a MICE destination, and opening Thailand’s MICE industry to new sectors.

This conversation was edited for clarity and brevity.

How does TIME reflect Thailand as a MICE destination?

As TCEB’s flagship event, TIME showcases Thailand as a dynamic destination offering new value and creating return on experiences for MICE travellers. It demonstrates our strong partnership and collaboration between TCEB as a government agency and private sector stakeholders, positioning Thailand as a leading regional MICE destination.

TIME 2024 features a larger number of Thai exhibitors (totalling 60) from more diverse city destinations (totalling 7), showcasing Thailand’s dynamics as a MICE destination. The fam trip also highlights unique experiences, like chocolate making in Chiang Mai, a product Thailand has never been noted for globally, offering an opportunity to experience Thailand beyond common perceptions.

What are some exciting opportunities for Thailand in the MICE sector?

We offer “one trip, multiple cities” to overseas M&I markets, combining metropolitan experiences with authentic local culture, such as pairing Bangkok with Ayutthaya, the former capital city, for historical immersion. If your event is in Pattaya, visit Rayong to learn the culture of tropical fruit plantation or to Chantaburi to learn the science of gemmology. In sum, opportunities are plentiful in Thailand to generate value for richer experiences.

Additionally, the Thai government’s policy of attracting global festivals and mega events to Thailand creates new opportunities for planners to incorporate these into their MICE programmes.

We’re also developing new incentives and privileges with the private sector in the seas of special dining, shopping, wellness, entertainment. By combining new product development with support from both TCEB and the private sector, we aim to keep Thailand a preferred destination.

How has the industry shifted, and how has TCEB’s role changed over the years?

We’re seeing new generations in the MICE workforce and as clients. They have different worldviews, requirements, expectations and preferences. We need to embrace these shifts constructively to maintain or enhance the value of MICE industry.

TCEB’s role has expanded beyond bidding and facilitating events to being a driver of change and thought leadership, producing new outputs to keep the MICE industry vibrant amidst changing environments. We also promote future industries in Thailand – for instance, food security, digital, wellness, etc – to use MICE as a platform to advance their growth and development, which can attract overseas business travellers to Thailand.

The Thai MICE industry has grown from around 80 billion baht (US$2.2 billion) in 2014 to around 140 billion baht (US$3.8 billion) this year.

What are Thailand’s achievements in sustainability as a MICE destination?

A major achievement is our quantifiable decarbonisation of events. During the first six months of our 2024 financial year, TCEB has supported 94 events in carbon emission avoidance, totalling 243,440.68 kg of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) avoided. This figure is equivalent to planting 14,763 trees. The target for the whole year is 400,000 so we still have 156,560 more to go.

We’ve developed the Bangkok Protocol on Sustainable Gastronomy with ICCA during the ICCA Congress 2023 as a result of the practice of food waste management and local sourcing during the event. The protocol was debuted by ICCA at IMEX Frankfurt 2024 in May and will be practised in future ICCA events.

We have been working with Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization or TGO in developing Zero Carbon Platform Application on mobile phone for organisers to calculate and offset their carbon emissions.

What’s your forecast for Thailand’s MICE landscape for 2024- 2025?

Thailand’s MICE landscape will be vibrant, with major world-scale events in the pipeline, including the 2026 World Bank and IMF annual meeting in Bangkok and the International Horticultural Exposition in Udon Thani. Our focus will be on translating the government's policy of attracting major sporting events and global festivals into action.