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Messe Berlin (Singapore) today announced the launch of ITB Community, in Asia (ITB Community). ITB Community will offer a comprehensive user experience, virtual events (including the upcoming ITB Asia Virtual, which takes place from 21-23 October 2020) with business networking opportunities, and knowledge exchange with expansive interactive content for community members to leverage on. Being the unique platform of its kind for the travel trade industry in Asia, ITB Community will also see through a year-long engagement programme for all travel and tourism stakeholders, free of charge for its inception year. ITB Community will leverage on ITB Asia’s global database of travel suppliers and buyers to virtually continue their conversations and to contribute best practices and content for the travel trade to navigate the recovery of tourism.  Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) partners 54 hotels and eight DMCs to roll out a new campaign “Ease Up” featuring a generous financial grant, free airport transfers, free sightseeing and free hotel rooms.
The new campaign is launched at the virtual trade show, ITCM China 2020, on August 4 by Mrs Nichapa Yoswee, Senior Vice President – Business of TCEB. It is the first virtual trade show the bureau has taken part in along with 20 Thai suppliers and 1 association. 40 events in Thailand will move online or achieve enhanced online presence this year with the support of Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) as a result of TCEB’s Virtual Meeting Space (VMS) project.
The project supports two types of digital initiatives – webinar and offline to online (O2O) exhibitions. Three month after its launch in April, 2020, TCEB has confirmed support for 40 Virtual Meeting Space (VMS), with some events featuring both webinar and O2O components.  Photo courtesy of TCEB A long list of Thai MICE venue operators are exhibiting their new health measures ready to be executed for the debut of business events after the government allowed MICE industry to restart with no limit on size and attendance under the fourth-phase easing of lockdown measures.
To demonstrate concerted action of the public and private sector in propelling Thai MICE industry into new normal landscape, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Department of Health (DOH) under the Ministry of Public Health led the press in the inspection visit to Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) last week to view their new health measures for the upcoming business events, starting at the end of June, and make suggestions where appropriate. The inspection at BITEC followed the visit to IMPACT, another major venue of Bangkok. Visit to other MICE venues and hotel venues around Bangkok will follow.  Jamsil, Seoul (Photo Courtesy of Korea MICE Bureau) The construction of a new exhibition convention facility is set to begin in Jamsil, Seoul, on the grounds surrounding the existing Jamsil Sports Complex. Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on 5 June 2020 that the eligibility study for the ‘Jamsil Sports-MICE Private Investment Project’ commissioned by the Korea Development Institute (KDI) in January 2017 was completed. Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to select the preferred candidates for negotiation in 2021 and will begin construction the following year, with an expected completion date sometime in 2025.
 Forty-seven pioneering Thai trade shows will resume under new guidelines this year, proof-positive of progress in the fight against Covid-19, and evidence of the safe and viable working arrangements and restrictions implemented by the Thai government.
The third-phase easing of lockdown, active as of 1 June 2020, lifts restrictions on the operation of economic and social activities, provided they abide by new health and safety rules and regulations imposed by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health. These measures include the reopening of convention and exhibition centres for business, provided they close by 21.00 and limit event size to 20,000sqm, and the creation of meetings, seminars and conferences limited to 200 participants. Organisers and stakeholders in business events industry, the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions, and Mega events and Festivals can now take advantage of a real-time news service dedicated to business events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Created and managed by the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the website includes government insight and measures on the status of the COVID-19 infection in Thailand and worldwide, as well as online resources for organisers and visitors seeking to benefit from regular updates.  The Harmony World Puppet Channel Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand has boosted its mega-events industry, with the completion of online events derived from successful festivals.
“The Harmony World Puppet Channel” and “Bangkok Music City” demonstrated that resilience and innovation are well and truly present in the Thai events industry with an in-depth understanding of global audience behavior of Thailand’s festival organisers, when they both took place in April and May.  Source ICCA (Infographics from AACB) The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Statistics Report for city and country rankings in 2019 has been released on 12 May 2020. The country rankings show strong regional competition with China-PR move to 7th place (539 meetings), Japan 8th (527 meetings) and Republic of Korea 13th (248 meetings). Australia has moved up from 13th to 12th position with a total of 272 international association meetings held in 2019. For the city ranking, the total number of international association meetings held in Taipei City reached 101, raising Taipei from 6th to 5th place among Asian international meeting cities, after Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Seoul. The city’s international ranking improved from 20th to 19th. The report ICCA examines the global association meetings market. It recorded a total of 13,254 rotating international association meetings taking place in 2019 – an increase of 2.5 per cent compared against the same time in 2018. “This is a fantastic result for Australia against strong regional competition and is reflective of the progressive work that convention bureaux are undertaking across the country in partnership with their State and Territory Governments and the industry operators they represent. It also recognises the strong support offered nationally by the Australian Government through initiatives such as Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund Program.  Limit the number of attendees (1 person per 2-sqm space), Photo courtesy of TCEB TCEB has developed the MICE Venue Hygiene Guidelines in collaboration with its stakeholders, which include Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA), Thai Exhibition Association (TEA), Event Management Association (EMA) and Thai Hotels Association (THA). The Guidelines aims to help MICE entrepreneurs be well-prepared for the resumption of businesses under the new normal environment, where hygiene and health safety will be key concerns and when more relaxation of lockdown measures is on the way. This follows positive signs of COVID-19 pandemic situation and the gradual easing of lockdown by the government.
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