TCEB launches ‘3Cs’ Marketing Strategy
Barcelona / 19 November 2013 – Announcing its Marketing Strategy for 2014, the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau or TCEB has highlighted the industry’s robust performance in 2013. The sector exceeded its targets both in terms of visitor numbers and industry earnings, with Europe representing the second largest market share, after the Asian region.
TCEB also disclosed its ambitious 2014 Strategic Plan, targeting key high-quality markets under the ‘Thailand New Growth Model’. The plan aims to boost the ‘Thailand Brand’ as Asia’s premier MICE destination and highlights three main pillars of Thailand’s MICE industry consisting of (1) Destination; (2) Business; and (3) People. Together with TCEB’s unique ‘3C’s’ approach – Companion, Customisation and Creativity, the bureau aims to boost 2014 revenues by 10% to 96.9 billion baht (Euros 2.3 billion).
Ms. Parichat Svetasreni, Director of Marketing and Corporate Image department of TCEB, disclosed that “Our efforts to drive the MICE sector in collaboration with all other stakeholders from both the public and private sectors have borne fruit. Thailand’s MICE sector comprises three main industry categories: corporate meetings (25% market share), incentive travel (24%), international conventions (33%) and international exhibitions and trade fairs (18%).
“In all, this year we have welcomed a total of 1,013,502 overseas MICE visitors, up 13.21% compared with 2012. In revenue terms, earnings were also up by 10.93% to Euros 2.05 billion, surpassing our annual targets for both numbers and industry earnings. Last year, Europe was our second largest source of MICE visitors, representing 10.06% of the market, after Asia, which naturally dominates our market, with a 75.25% share.
“The European market remains robust, and this year has shown strong growth of 7.69% in terms of visitor numbers or 5.52% in terms of earnings, as compared with 2012. In all, MICE visitor numbers from Europe grew from 94,690 in 2012 to almost 102,000 this year, whilst earnings grew from Euro 210.8 million to Euro 222.5 million.
For the 2014 fiscal year, TCEB drive the country’s MICE sector under the 2012-2016 MICE Industry Master Plan.
The Model of Marketing 3.0 to ‘3Cs’ MICE Marketing Strategy 2014
At the era of the Globalization Paradox, we will no more focus on pricing competition to raise the highest benefits. Business is a must to redefine and raise to create customer’s unique aspiration and long term equity together with build up the sustain growth of business. The model is match with TCEB core strategies that are focusing on strategically develop our destination, business and people to the new level of excellence. We develop our marketing model through the model of Marketing 3.0 by strongly commit to generate the following area: Good Commitment / Good Context and Good Connection.
With these goals in mind, TCEB’s 2014 Vision is to ‘Elevate Thailand’s MICE sector and moves towards high quality markets’. Emphasizing the three key pillars of Thailand’s MICE industry: (1) Diversity of destinations; (2) Unrivalled business opportunities; and (3) high-calibre personnel and legendary hospitality, TCEB has also incorporated the ‘3C’s’ approach – Companion, Customization and Creativity to differentiate Thailand’s MICE industry and drive competitiveness.
The plan identifies three main groups of destination markets, categorised by Thailand’s competitive strengths:
1. TCEB aims to win more bids for Thailand, and attract more MICE events under its ‘WIN’ strategy, especially from the ASEAN+6 and Oceania markets.
2. TCEB will focus on maintaining and developing MICE markets in Europe, North America and the Middle East. Key countries are the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, USA and the United Arab Emirates.
3. TCEB aims to enter these new markets and build Thailand’s market share. Key markets include Africa, Eastern Europe and the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China).
“Thailand Connect” marketing campaign
TCEB’s latest global marketing campaign- the ‘Thailand CONNECT: Your Global Business Events Connection’ aims to raise awareness of the diversity of choice and opportunities that Thailand has to offer. The campaign targets buyers from around the world, and incorporates a number of exciting market promotion packages. The initiative is based on three pillars of growth: Thailand’s diversity of destinations, its growing role as a regional business hub; and the country’s unrivalled reputation for world-class personnel and service standards.
Together with the Thailand CONNECT campaign, the bureau also launches exciting market promotion packages to support business success for international meetings and exhibitions, as follows:
1) CONNECT Destinations: For Europe meetings and incentive travel groups, TCEB offers financial support of 3,300 U.S. dollars for events with more than 100 participants. Participants must stay at least 5 nights in Thailand, including an overnight stay in at least one other province apart from the main meeting location.
2) CONNECT People: For international conferences TCEB offers unique promotional support for events in the ASEAN+6 countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, India, Taiwan and China (including Hong Kong and Macau).
3) CONNECT Business: For international exhibitions, Bringing at least 10 trade visitors or above to visit, participate and/or convene at an international trade show in Thailand and achieve at least 30 business matching meetings in lump sum amount to receive USD 100 per one visitor. Each of the additional trade visitors need to achieve at least 3 business matching meetings. The total number of business matching meetings is calculated in lump sum amount to entitle for USD 100 per visitor. A group of visitor must commit to attend an international trade show in Thailand and must stay in Thailand for at least 3 days and 2 nights.
Commenting on TCEB’s 2014 Strategic MICE Promotion Plan, Ms. Parichat added that “I am confident that by implementing this plan, TCEB can contribute to boosting the number of MICE travellers by 5% compared with last year, to a total of 987,000 visitors in 2014, whilst MICE industry earnings are forecast to grow by 10% to Euros 2.3 billion.”
Highlights MICE events in 2014
Highlighted events in the 2014 MICE calendar include incentive travel events such as the Unicity Global Convention (20,000 delegates), HerbalLife Asia Pacific World Team University 2013 (12,000 delegates) and Jeunesse Expo Annual World Conference 2013 (5,000 delegates), international conferences such as the World Marketing Forum 2014 (4,000 delegates), the International Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences – FIP 2014 (2,500 delegates) and the 3rd Global Congress for Consensus (2,000 delegates). In terms of international exhibitions and trade fairs, in 2014 Thailand will host events such as Metalex 2014 (50,000 visitors) Intermach 2014 (40,000 visitors), Propak 2014 (30,000 visitors) and TFBO&TRAFS 2014 (25,000 visitors).
