Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has launched ‘MICE Innovation, Winning with the Innovation’ to offer enhanced support for Thai MICE entrepreneurs to source and implement innovation in all aspects of event management. The goal is to ensure business continuity and long-term competitiveness of Thailand’s MICE industry.
It is an expanded version of the bureau’s MICE innovation incubation programme ‘Thailand’s MICE Startup’ starting in 2018, which has so far involved 37 successful startups and tech firms and the resources and experiences of which have been consolidated for the newly launched project.
At the launch of ‘MICE Winnovation’, 29 tech firms showcased their products and services to 126 trade visitors representing convention venues, hotels, event organisers, travel agents, trade associations, and education institutions. Their products and services included software for monitoring visitor traffic, face recognition cameras, robots, on-demand workforce, and livestreaming services.
Technomart, the business-matching segment of the day’s programme, gave MICE entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet a select pool of potential technology partners who are familiar with the particular requirements of MICE. A total of 101 business-matching meetings were held onsite while 51 more were conducted online. Some of the online meetings took place as a result of searches made by attendees on TCEB’s online MICE Innovation Catalog.
To spur adoption of MICE technologies, TCEB is extending funding support in the form of Inno-Vouchers. These vouchers can be used by organisers of domestic and international exhibitions, international conventions, and festivals to offset their investment in new digital solutions.
TCEB President, Mr Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, said the ‘MICE Winnovation’ project will enable Thai entrepreneurs to take concrete steps to embrace digital innovation in the face of a fast-shifting business landscape. “Implementing innovation is one of the four pillars of TCEB’s Operational Plan for 2021 to maintain Thailand’s competitiveness. ‘MICE Winnovation’ will unlock the resources built up under our ‘Thailand’s MICE Startup’ programme since 2018. We have witnessed the co-creation of numerous technology solutions from the programme and will continue to support our MICE entrepreneurs to future-proof their businesses through innovation, while creating trade opportunities for startups and tech firms” he said.
‘MICE Winnovation’ is made up of four components:
- MICE Innovation Catalog – an online innovation and technology databank listing products and services for pre-event, onsite, and post-event management
- Technomart – a business-matching platform for MICE entrepreneurs and startups throughout Thailand
- Inno-Voucher – a funding scheme to promote innovation implementation
- Digital Literacy for MICE – an initiative to encourage MICE entrepreneurs to attend online or offline workshops where they can exchange ideas with experts to advance their digitalisation strategy. TCEB is set to launch a quarterly podcast in 2021 to help MICE professionals stay abreast of relevant technology and trends.
‘MICE Innovation, Winning with the Innovation’ is a collaboration between TCEB and the following partners: Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), National Innovation Agency (NIA), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thai Exhibition Association (TEA), Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA), and Thai International Events and Festivals Trade Association (TIEFA).
