SEVERAL new features will augment the quality of the annual IT&CMA and CTW shows this year, as they celebrate their 20th and 15th anniversaries respectively.
Highlights include the creation of a Global Networking Zone within the exhibition hall; a new networking session for travel managers and exhibitors at the foyer of World Ballroom, Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld on October 2; a first-ever smartphone application dedicated to IT&CMA and CTW; and a complimentary King Power Corporate Card for all international delegates, which grants cardholders discounts at selected merchants.
While IT&CMA and CTW used to share a common website, each has been given its own website this year, promising a distinct identity for the two shows.
Darren Ng, managing director of TTG Asia Media, which organises the double bill, recalls the launch of IT&CMA in 1993 and CTW in 1998, at a time when “both MICE and corporate travel were still relatively new concepts”.
Since its launch, IT&CMA has been held in Hong Kong (1993-1996), Kuala Lumpur (1997-2001) and eventually Bangkok since 2002, with the exception of 2005 and 2006 in Pattaya. Meanwhile, CTW was moved from Singapore to Thailand in 2004 to be co-located with IT&CMA.
Both shows have grown in strength and scale, with editions of IT&CM now held in Shanghai every April and New Delhi every August.
The rise of IT&CMA over the past 20 years is captured in a limited edition book that is distributed to event partners. An electronic version can also be viewed at www.itcma.com.
Moving forward, Ng hopes to see continued partnership with the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, which has supported the events since 2002. He said: “Thailand’s rising strength as an important MICE destination in Asia promotes not just Thailand as a destination, but contributes to the collective strength of Asia’s ability to offer limitless MICE opportunities.
“That is why the event takes the lead in having the strongest representation of Asia-Pacific MICE and corporate travel suppliers in comparison to any other show in the world. This is testament to our region’s readiness to cater to these segments in terms of both diversity and infrastructure.”
