Forty-two venues in Thailand have now received the Thailand MICE Venue Standard award from the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). The announcement was made at the Thailand MICE Venue Standard Certification Ceremony held last month.

This standard is a key element of a robust plan to accelerate the growth of Thailand’s MICE industry. Emphasizing Thailand’s prominent role in the region, TCEB underscored the need to utilize the expertise of MICE operators. The bureau believes that this standardization can provide direction for investments, operations, management, and marketing efforts.

Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, TCEB’s Vice President of Administration and Strategic Support, stated that delivering high-quality products and services is crucial for market development to compete globally, particularly with the approaching ASEAN Economic Community integration. He anticipates significant expansion in the MICE industry, both in visitor numbers and revenue, positioning it as a strong economic driver for Thailand and the ASEAN region.

Initially introduced in 2013 as a pioneering standard in Thailand and ASEAN, the MICE Venue Standard has been adopted by other ASEAN nations as a model for establishing the ASEAN MICE Venue Standard (AMVS).

Since its inception, TCEB has promoted the Standard’s guidelines among Thai operators, encouraging them to enhance their services to meet the requirements. Over the past two years, TCEB has supported this initiative and conducted evaluations of MICE venues in six major cities: Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, and Had Yai. More than 80 operators have applied to participate in the program.

The 42 certified MICE operators include three convention centers, 34 hotels and resorts, and five public and private organizations. Among them are notable venues like the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok Convention Centre at Central World, Miracle Grand Convention Hotel, the 60th Anniversary of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the Throne International Convention Center, and the SCB Training Center Pattaya.

The IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center (ECC) in Muang Thong Thani separately shared its achievement of receiving the Thailand MICE Venue Standard for eight of its meeting rooms: the Royal Jubilee ballroom, Grand Diamond ballroom, and Phoenix rooms 1 through 6.

The Thailand MICE Venue Standard designation serves as a quality guarantee for meeting facilities in Thailand. All 42 operators will be featured on the MICE Venue Approved List as internationally recognized venues. TCEB aims to have 120 MICE businesses certified under the TMVS in 2015, focusing on Thailand’s five key MICE cities and high-potential cities such as Hua Hin, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, and Nakhon Ratchasima.

The certification process encompasses three primary areas: physical facilities, technology, and service quality. Different scoring criteria apply to convention centers, hotels and resorts, and public and private sector organizations. The evaluation aligns with the criteria outlined in the Thailand MICE Venue Standard – Category: Meeting Room Certification Handbook. This handbook was collaboratively developed by the Thai Hotels Association, Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA), Thai Exhibition Association (TEA), The Association of Thai Travel Agents, Association of Domestic Travel, and Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mahidol University.

Moving forward, TCEB will collaborate with Mahidol University to develop a five-year strategic roadmap (2015-2019) for the Thailand MICE Venue Standard. This will involve enhancing the capabilities of certified operators through various initiatives, such as venue management courses in partnership with TEA and TICA, as well as educating other operators on the certification process.

To broaden the impact of the Thailand MICE Venue Standard, TCEB will continue promoting the ASEAN MICE Venue Standard for wider regional adoption. Chiruit expressed his hope that the 2015 Thailand MICE Venue Standard Certification Ceremony would inspire operators to enhance their capabilities and instill confidence in both Thai and international MICE organizers to choose Thailand as their event destination. He believes that the widespread implementation of the ASEAN Standard will equip Thai entrepreneurs with a competitive advantage in the global market.