MPI and Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau to Partner on Education
Las Vegas (PRWEB) July 22, 2013 -- Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) announced plans to collaborate on education for meeting professionals in Thailand. The agreement was announced at MPI’s 2013 World Education Congress in Las Vegas during a media event which included a ceremonial signing of the organizations’ memorandum of understanding (MOU) by MPI president and chief executive officer (CEO) Paul Van Deventer and Nichapa Yoswee, TCEB’s director of MICE Capabilities Department.
MPI and TCEB’s goal with this collaboration is to enhance the Meeting, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry in Thailand through education.
"Meeting Professionals International is pleased to partner with the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau on this effort. This strategic collaboration expands MPI’s global reach in Asia and furthers our commitment to delivering value to the meeting and event community at large," said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. "We look forward to leveraging our educational expertise and strong brand to help grow the local meeting industry in Thailand."
The Thailand meeting industry has high potential for growth. Last year, the country hosted 7,382 MICE events. International meetings represent the most important MICE subsector, with a share of 33 percent of the total MICE industry in Thailand, followed by corporate meetings and incentive travel, which contributed 25 and 24 percent, respectively. International exhibitions and trade shows accounted for 18 percent of total MICE revenues for 2012. In addition, Thailand welcomed more than 895,000 MICE visitors in 2012, exceeding the target for the year by 19 percent. In 2013, Thailand is expected to welcome approximately 940,000 MICE visitors to the country, generating expected revenues of $2.93 billion.
Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, TCEB President, said, “The MPI-TCEB partnership highlights the importance of professional development within the MICE sector, and brings MPI’s global expertise and TCEB’s own industry knowledge to establish a formal, accredited training and education system for MICE professionals in Thailand. The focus of our international training curricula will be to extend Thailand’s leadership as a MICE education hub within ASEAN.”
MPI currently has two chapters in Asia. The association’s South Korea and Japan chapters were established in 2008 and 2010, respectively. In addition, MPI has members based throughout the Asia region including some in Australia, China and Singapore.
About TCEB
Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) was created as a vibrant, 21st-century, cutting-edge professional organization. TCEB's organizational design, with its flat and agile structure, enables the TCEB team to deliver prompt and superior service, whilst achieving the highest level of operational efficiency and effectiveness. These are essential to Thailand's MICE competitiveness on the regional and global stage. TCEB promotes ethical and responsible business behavior based on its core values of customer enthusiasm, integrity, teamwork, innovation, continuous improvement, and responsibility. http://www.tceb.or.th.
About MPI
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest and most vibrant global meeting and event industry association. The organization helps its members thrive by building human connections through knowledge and ideas, relationships, and marketplaces. MPI membership is comprised of approximately 20,000 members belonging to 71 chapters and clubs worldwide. For additional information or to join, visit http://www.mpiweb.org.
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MPI Media Contact:
Sonya Thorpe
sthorpe(at)mpiweb(dot)org
+1.972.702.3098 office
+1.972.375.6322 mobile
TCEB Media Contact:
Arisara Thanuplang
Arisara_t(at)tceb(dot)or(dot)th
+662-694-6095
Sonya Thorpe, Meeting Professionals International, http://www.mpiweb.org, 972.375.6322, [email protected]
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