The executive bets the company’s future as a Smart Event Organiser on organising all kinds of exhibitions to promote business growth through the COVID-19 crisis, while also supporting Thailand as the ASEAN centre for MICE.
Informa Markets, the world's leading exhibitions organiser, recently moved highly experienced executive Ian Roberts, Vice President – Asia Region Informa Markets, to Thailand to oversee ASEAN strategies. His brief is to tackle challenges by accelerating organising events on hybrid platforms in accordance with the new normal lifestyle. To reinforce confidence, the company is preparing to host a world-class event next year, showcasing innovations in digital technology combined with on-site exhibitions under global standards. Moreover, Informa Markets has adjusted its strategy for the ASEAN region to become a Smart Event Organiser. In this capacity, it will respond to trends towards sustainable business and fulfil the needs of business partners to grow toward the future. Meanwhile, it also expects that the MICE sector in Thailand will grow strongly in the near future following the post-pandemic and people's adjustment to living a new normal life.
Mr. Ian Roberts, Vice President – Asia Region of Informa Markets, said that after being appointed to oversee Informa Markets in ASEAN countries he chose to be based in Thailand because he sees the potential of creating a hub for regional MICE business here.
Currently, Informa Markets, Thailand is the largest contributor in ASEAN in terms of revenue. In 2020, the Thailand market generated more than 35 percent of regional revenue.
Despite being affected by COVID-19, it can also adapt quickly. Now that the pandemic around the world has begun to unravel, the exhibition business is expected to recover to normal quite soon. Many countries, including Thailand, have reopened and unlocked international travel around the world.
“I think the next year will be one of transition,” said Mr. Ian. “The exhibition sector and MICE industry industry have been hit very hard. It’s been a very difficult time for everybody. Next year, it will take a little while for recovery. Hopefully, in 2023, we can be close to where we were in 2019. Due to various factors, Thailand remains a strong country with potential as a regional trade fair hub. The country is one of the best in Asia to run exhibitions because it has excellent venues. Next year, Thailand will have three international standard venues for hosting events. It also has high potential human resources and businesses that meet the needs of organising events. There is also good accommodation and dining, reasonable living expenses, and attractions everyone wants to visit. There is systematic management of MICE business. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau or TCEB is a very strong organisation, doing an excellent job, supporting the industry, and attracting new events to Thailand. Thus, I believe that after the COVID-19 situation, Thailand will be the regional centre, and not just for ASEAN, but the Asian region.”
- Aiming to become a Smart Event Organiser
“In terms of business goals, the newly appointed head of Informa Markets for the ASEAN region, aims to integrate events to meet the new global trends by continuing to utilise hybrid platform formats,” added Mr. Ian. “The company will still focus on on-site events, which must be perfectly organised to facilitate face-to-face business meetings that maximise benefits to customers. At the same time, attention is paid to organising events through online channels since it facilitates and streamlines the way of life we are familiar with. Therefore, both onsite and online events must go hand in hand, so exhibitors and visitors get the highest benefits. Also, it's a challenge for the team to cope with new ways of working as a Smart Event Organiser using digital technology to maximise efficiency and also be a coordinator enabling creation of business outcomes. We will adopt digital technology learned during the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to learn new technologies to make online activities complementary to actual exhibitions. We must be more than organisers; we must also be business links.”
“Informa is the biggest in the world but I don’t think being the biggest matters,” he continued. “I hope people think about us as being the best in what we do. We have a plan to develop our human resources because our business does not have products on hand; it requires people’s expertise to connect and create business opportunities. Therefore, the capability of the team must be increased. Our staff must work happily and with maximum efficiency.”
“Another goal that is no less important is to move towards sustainable business under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) concept. We have already started this and made a great effort to reduce our impact on society, economy, and environment. This must be covered in every process of our business operations.”
Ready to support Thailand to be an international-level MICE centre
As leader of Informa Markets in ASEAN, located in Thailand, Mr. Roberts talked about Informa’s plans to bolster confidence in Thailand's potential to be the leader and major hub for trade fairs in the region. He said this can be accomplished by bringing world-class events to Thailand for the first time while also continuing to organise 10 major annual events of Informa Markets, Thailand. These include Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN, the gateway to Southeast Asia's expanding beauty industry, which has been held successfully in Italy, Hong Kong, China and India, Jewellery and Gem ASEAN Bangkok, ASEAN’s gem and jewellery industry trade show by partnering with Informa Markets Asia, the world's largest gem and jewellery organiser.
“We are confident that Thailand has the potential to become a hub for the premier gem and jewellery industry in the region,” said Mr. Ian.
The vice president of Informa Markets also expected that the MICE business in Thailand will return to growing as normal in 2023, and, hopefully, in 2023, Informa Markets’ Thailand revenue can get close to where it was in 2019.
- Informa Markets Thailand announces its achievement amid the crisis while moving forward with a strategy to become a Smart Event Organiser
Mr. Sanchai Noombunnam, Deputy Managing Director of Informa Markets (Thailand) Co., Ltd, said, “Since the early days of the pandemic in 2020, we were able to hold only three out of at least eight planned events, all of which were adapted to a hybrid platform with both on-site and online elements. Those were INTERMACH & SUBCON Thailand 2020, ASEAN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY WEEK 2020, and ProPak Asia 2020. With the third wave of the pandemic this year, we faced a big challenge because we were unable to organise our regular events. Yet, amid the crisis, we have taken advantage of business opportunities and cultivated synergies with our business partners, in both public and private sectors, so we could cope together. We continue to move forward by applying digital technology to learn and open up experiences in organising events in a new format on a fully integrated online platform in the form of Virtual Events. These include Propak Connect, Fi Asia Online Event 2021, Subcon Thailand & Intermach, ASEAN Sustainable Energy Week and Pumps & Valves Asia - Virtual Edition and Food & Hotel Thailand x Thailand Sourcing Festival, and others. This year, we are organising online seminars on 80 topics, six online business matching activities, and 12 other digital activities covering almost every major industry.”
“In 2022, we will continue to organise exhibitions in a physical format combined with the advancement of digital technology or virtual events in the form of a Smart Event. Besides organising international exhibitions next year to help promote various industrial sectors to continue to grow, we have plans to expand our exhibitions into various regions. These plans include organising MIRA (Maintenance Industrial Robotic and Automation Event), a showcase of technology, and innovation in the maintenance industry, industrial robots and automation systems, and solutions to penetrate industrial entrepreneur opportunities in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) development area, a large industrial area covering three major economic provinces, and one of the fastest-growing regions in Thailand.”
“The arrival of Ian and his choice of Thailand as the regional base, reinforces the importance and potential of Thailand as an international event hub. At the same time, it enables close discussions, analysis, and decision-making to keep up with changes and competition. I am confident that the business will continue to move forward and be able to develop by leaps and bounds,” Mr. Sanchai concluded.
