NO decision has been made on the structure of the new Asian Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (AACVB) headquarters, a far more crucial aspect in growing the region’s congress market than the decision to move the base from Macau to Bangkok.
Thailand won the bid to host AACVB’s HQ late last year, over South Korea, and Macau relinquished that responsibility to Bangkok officially on January 1 this year after hosting the HQ for 30 years. In Macau, it is believed the HQ comprised two or three Macau Government Tourist Office staff helping out with AACVB matters but, with Asia as a rising star in the conventions market, more support is needed.
Asked if the HQ would be a full-time secretariat or have dedicated full-time staff, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) director of marketing and corporate image department, Parichat Svetasreni, said: “We are discussing this. My idea, and TCEB’s vision, is to grow the AACVB and conventions in the region sustainably. We now have a good foundation with eight countries (in the membership).”
“Asia is the rising star in business events, while associations in Europe and the US like to rotate their conventions. We will try our best to be the one-stop centre in promoting the region to them. If an association wants to rotate its event from Europe to Asia – be it Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia or anywhere else – we can provide the information and assistance. As you know, there are different subvention schemes and (MICE attractions) in each Asian country.”
However, the structure of the AACVB HQ is more critical than where it is based, said Kevin Leong, former AACVB secretary-general (1992-1995), when contacted by the Daily for his views.
“If the HQ is required to be proactive in initiating or implementing programmes decided by the Board and secretary-general/president, it will be crucial that the HQ be well-organised and resourced.
“If that is the case, the location of the HQ will need to be stable and not subject to social instability as that detracts from the focus of the staff. If the HQ merely supports the secretary-general passively, it does not matter where it’s located. In that case, the staff of the secretary-general would be more important – as it was for me,” said Leong.
Asked what sort of set-up would the AACVB need today to function effectively, Leong said: “A permanent secretariat with staff dedicated to the association to oversee the implementation of plans developed by the board and the secretary-general.”
AACVB did discuss this as part of its full-day meeting/AGM on Monday but president Zulkefli Sharif declined to comment, saying it was premature.
AACVB members currently comprise the MICE bureaus of China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Svetasreni said there was opportunity to court countries within the Greater Mekong sub-region (GMS) into the membership with Thailand’s “strategic location” as the hub to GMS.
“Thailand is a good location and we can help coordinate and facilitate the expansion of the membership to other countries like Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (where MICE is rising) to make the association a truly Asian association,” she said.
Additional report by Paige Lee Pei Qi.
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