Meeting Demand

Bangkok’s events offerings are multiplying as the city looks to grow in this lucrative sector, writes craig bright.

- Craig Bright

This year is set to be a good one for Bangkok’s MICE sector. The Thai capital currently has a slew of venue and accommodation offerings, with eight exhibition centres, more than 60 convention facilities, over 20 unique venues and in excess of 400 hotels, according to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

But in December last year, TCEB launched its 2017 MICE Development Plan, aiming to attract a total of 27.1 million MICE travellers over the year. Luckily, event planners will find a lot on offer in the country, particularly in Bangkok.

LARGE-SCALE VENUES

Among the largest venues in the city is the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Bangna district, which has undergone a massive expansion since 2013, culminating in the recent opening of 32,000 sqm of new event facilities. The expanded space was unveiled in November last year, when the Grand Metalex 2016 – organised by Reed Tradex – became the first event to utilise all of BITEC’s ten event halls. The venue has effectively doubled in size, from 38,000sqm to 70,000sqm, making it one of the largest venues in Southeast Asia.

“Our expansion will provide more opportunities for customers with the increase in available space and dates,” says Panittha Buri, director of BITEC. “When BITEC first opened its doors in 1997, Reed Tradex was our first customer with ‘The World of Technology’, an exhibition that covered our four exhibition halls at that time.”