TWO industry veterans have combined forces to launch boutique DMC Stream Events Asia in Thailand, placing an emphasis on “personal touch” and “relationship management”.
Established in January, Stream Events Asia is led by CEO Nong Maneesub, who used to head Pacific World Thailand as regional managing director, and managing director Kristanee Srisatin, formerly general manager of Destination Asia Thailand.
In addition to its core focus on incentives and meeting planning, Stream Events Asia will also provide luxury FIT services and special interest programmes spanning culinary, culture and wellness.
Despite starting up amid Thailand’s recent political instability, a lean staff of five full-timers and fewer overhead costs offered an opportunity for the new outfit to train its sights on building brand awareness and getting its systems and products ready within its first year of operation, Kristanee shared.
Besides seeking business from regional corporates in Hong Kong and Singapore, the founding duo will also leverage their vast network of industry connections to expand in key markets like Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK and South Africa.
“We are also interested in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Latin America as these markets have growing spending power and corporate meeting demand. We will also join Tourism Authority of Thailand’s roadshows to enter these new markets,” Kristanee added.
Having made their mark in Thailand’s MICE business industry over the past two decades, the desire to provide more intimate services in an industry that is increasingly driven by revenue and numbers was what inspired the boutique DMC, shared Kristanee.
“We find that more and more incentive and meeting planners prefer to work with a small company who can provide personalised services with personal attention rather than a big company with the lack of management involvement or care for their business,” she said.
While some MICE planners have brought their searches online, there still exist clients who favour working with smaller firms for their human touch and flexibility, she opined. “Although incentive group sizes and budgets are generally smaller and the elements are less elaborate than before, we will still tailormake each programme to be like mini incentives.”
