Large groups considering a meeting or incentive in Thailand have a new and sizeable incentive to book before September 2013. The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau has launched “Mega Events…Sustainable Challenge,” a program that it hopes will both increase its share of the meetings market in the Americas and also promote sustainability initiatives in the country’s hospitality industry.
Through the program, groups from the Americas staying three consecutive nights in Thailand with 1,000 or more participants can receive a check for 1 million baht—that’s equal to about $32,500, depending on the exchange rate—if they fulfill at least one of three criteria:
- include a corporate social responsibility activity in the program
- stay at a green-certified venue
- contract with a local event management company.
The bureau has been working with hotels and venues to encourage their adoption of the Event Sustainability Management System, or ISO 20121. The system, published earlier this year by the International Organization for Standardizationhelps organizations in the event industry improve the sustainability of their products and services.
In 2011, Thailand hosted just over 27,000 MICE visitors from the U.S., which was up from 25,500 in 2010, but not back to pre-recession levels. In 2007, 34,675 MICE participants traveled to Thailand. For more information, contact mi@tceb.or.th.
