Co-located Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA), the only global event with the largest exhibition showcase of Asia-Pacific MICE suppliers, and Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia-Pacific 2014, dedicated to cultivating travel and entertainment best practices, opened Sept. 30 at Bangkok Convention Centre.
Organized by TTG Events, the “World’s Only Doublebill Event in MICE and Corporate Travel” hosted over 800 exhibiting delegates, including returning exhibitors and new destinations, such as Cambodia and Switzerland.
“While IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific continues to add value by consistently delivering valuable industry segments of MICE, association, luxury travel and corporate travel year after year, the immense interest and robust support in this year’s event is undoubtedly a reflection of trust and confidence the international MICE and corporate travel industry has pledged to Bangkok and to Thailand as a top business events destination,” commented Darren Ng, managing director, TTG Asia Media.
The Thai pavilion remains the biggest at the show, with over 30 new local co-exhibitors on board. Returning exhibitors increased by 18 percent in booth space. This year also saw one of the show’s largest and much-anticipated line-up of sponsors who hosted delegates to networking luncheons, dinners and coffee breaks.
More than 10,000 business appointments took place over the two-day exhibition with over 80 business, education and networking sessions scheduled over three days.
“We value the strategic potential of IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific as a springboard for the whole industry. The outstanding success of the event proves this to be the case,” concurred Supawan Teerarat, vice-president, strategic and business development, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). “2013 saw the value of leads generated for Thai MICE suppliers at 1,000 million THB, with an expected 5 percent increase in visitor numbers expected in 2014.”
Comprehensive educational agenda for CTW Asia-Pacific delegates covered topics ranging from data management, best practices and benchmarking to managing travelers across generations to industry updates and outlooks, offered by an advisory panel of experienced regional travel managers, together with Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).
Held Oct. 1-2, the expanded two-day Association Days @ IT&CMA included curated education forums, destination presentations, business appointments and networking sessions. New partnerships with MPI International and World PCO Alliance further strengthened the event. Site has also joined IT&CM Events’ supporting association line-up, and developed and delivered customized content for the Corporate Performance educational forums.
“Associations’ professional development and community or customer engagement have transformed over the years. This tailored platform enables me to learn and integrate my new knowledge into our core operations which will definitely benefit my Association’s sustainable growth and innovation,” said Enrique I. Florencio, Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner, Knowledge Management/ Events Management of Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP).
Destinations leveraging on this platform to reach the Association sector include Macau, Taiwan, Thailand and Switzerland. Being able to share in-person the facilities, appeal factors and support available to Associations is a valuable aspect of the destination presentations at Association Days @ IT&CMA.
“The Associations segment is a key one for the MICE industry with CVBs and corporates eager to tap on the potential and demand. IT&CMA has seen considerable success with our comprehensive Association Days @ IT&CMA to deliver these much sought-after Association executives and professionals,” remarked Darren Ng, managing director, TTG Asia Media.Forum topics providing in-depth understanding of association management included “From Asia to Europe: The Role of a PCO in Association Meetings”, “Looking Further, Going Farther”, “Learning from Success: Association Meetings in Thailand”, “Adding Value with Sustainable Events,” and featured were knowledgeable speakers from various associations and corporates like Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE), World PCO Alliance, MCI Group and Ovation Global DMC.
“As associations are seeing the increased need to go global in the search of new customers, one of this year’s topics discussed in-depth about professionalising themselves, and then how they can start serving members outside of their traditional countries,” shared Robin Lokerman, president, MCI Group, Asia-Pacific.
Rounding up the first day was the evening’s Opening Ceremony and Welcome Reception hosted by TCEB. Held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, TCEB will host all event delegates at the evening’s function themed ‘Absolute Happiness’.
For more information, visit www.itcma.com and www.corporatetravelworld.com.
To see digital show dailies, visit www.ttgasia.com/showdaily/ITCMA/30092014/index.html.
