TCEB continues Extra Exhibition campaign in new vibrant cities with Indian roadshow

3 August 2016 / Gujarat, India – Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau or TCEB is taking to the road again, showcasing its global significance in the Indian state of Gujarat.

The bureau is staging its latest roadshow in India, one of the world’s fastest growing economies, in an effort to boost international exhibition relations between the two countries and reinforce its latest campaign ‘Extra Exhibition: Expand Business Opportunities in ASEAN’. This global initiative showcases three attributes of Thailand: Thailand as a destination; as a source of great business opportunities; and as a place to connect with people. This initiative is supported by the bureau's world-class support and services, aiming at positioning the country’s exhibition platform as a high potential marketplace to connect companies from around the world with firms in the ASEAN region, and as a gateway to the Greater Mekong Sub-Region marketplace.

The roadshow is the latest in a series of business forums staged by TCEB to introduce the role of the bureau to potential international trading partners. It aims to promote Thailand’s exhibition industry while positioning the country as a premium platform for launching into the ASEAN marketplace in industry sectors supporting Indian businesses that include beauty & cosmetics, healthcare & wellness, as well as electronics and machinery.

To date, the bureau’s roadshows have proven to be an effective means of building business relations and introducing Thailand’s exhibition industry to key stakeholders, trade bodies, regional chambers of commerce, trade associations and media.

A partner of great opportunity

One of India's most industrialized states, Gujarat is home to a variety of industries. Local business is primarily built around general and electrical engineering, as well as the manufacture of textiles, vegetable oils, chemicals, soda ash and cement.

The mineral-rich state’s emerging industries include the production of fertilizers and petrochemicals, while its major resources include cotton, peanuts, dates, sugarcane, and petrol. Other natural deposits include calcite, gypsum, manganese, lignite, bauxite, limestone, agate, feldspar and quartz sand, collectively the subject of numerous international mining projects.

In the area of trade, two-way trade in 2015 totaled 7.92 billion USD, with about 5.29 billion USD in Thai exports to India and 2.63 billion USD in Indian exports to Thailand. India was Thailand 15th largest trading partner and Thailand’s ranks as India’s 4th largest trading partner in ASEAN.

In terms of population, Gujarat is one of India's most prosperous states, with a per-capita GDP that significantly exceeds India's average, and following TCEB’s visit to Gujarat, it is hoped there will be a greater attendance at trade shows organized in Thailand, from this exciting and growing Indian state.

Speaking ahead of the event, Mrs Jaruwan Suwannasat, Director of TCEB’s Exhibitions and Events Department, said Thailand offers great opportunity to potential trading partners in India.

“In 2015, exhibitions in Thailand reached new heights, and this year the country expects to welcome 191,000 international exhibition delegates, generating a total of US 447 million,” she said. “With the Thailand Extra Exhibition and the Exhibition Extra Advantage Programme, we will further assist and facilitate the demands of international exhibition organisers, exhibitors and trade visitors looking to build their business in ASEAN.

“International exhibition professional looking to expand business opportunity in Thailand will find the support of TCEB – a bureau specifically dedicated to growing their business – fundamentally helpful in helping them to achieve their goals. We expect to welcome an increasing number of Indian participants to Thai trade shows, and to draw the interest of business parties based here in Thailand” concluded Suwannasat.

Exhibition Extra Advantage Programme includes Premiere Exhibition Access Programme which is a customised site-inspection tailor made to support trade show organizer interest to organize the show in Thailand, Be My Guest – buyer appreciation program to attract buyer from around the globe, and Connect Businesses – an exclusive promotion for match-making at exhibitions in Thailand to earn US$100 for each trade visitor.

India is already an active participant in Thailand's trade shows, contributing 2.92 per cent of total overseas exhibitors (72,169 pax) in 2015, with the majority exhibiting in the Food & Agriculture sector (29.98%), Automotive (20.49%) and Health & Wellness (17.55%).

Visitors from India accounted for 8.48 per cent of total overseas visitors (193,078 pax), visitors who according to a recent TCEB audit, paid greatest interest to the Food & Agriculture sector (39.93%), then Automotive (27.27%) and Health & Wellness (10.84%).

The top Thai exhibitions for the Indian market, in terms of attendance, are currently VIV Asia, PackPrint International and Asia Cold Chain Show, which account for 43 per cent of India's total visitors in 2015.

Thailand’s trade connections with other countries in the region have expanded as a result of the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC); a common market with an economy valued at US 2.4 trillion. Exhibitions of course play a key role in facilitating trade and export between countries, and TCEB hopes to build on these numbers with its August forum in Gujarat.

Contact TCEB or find out more about trade shows being held in Thailand at www.businesseventsthailand.com

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For more information, please contact

Marketing & Support – Exhibitions & Events Department of TCEB

Ms. Siriwan Kamonwichian | Tel: +662 694 6038 | Email: Siriwan_k@tceb.or.th

Mr. Techadhorn Vilaiwan | Tel: +662 694 6039 | Email: Techadhorn_v@tceb.or.th