KHAO Yai Convention Center (KYCC) wants to attract more Europeans to meet in Khao Yai, and is working together with the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau to make that a reality by organising fam trips to the region.

Porn-Anun Khakhanmalee, front office manager of the Botanica Khao Yai who also manages KYCC, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “We’re trying to get more European guests, and currently have overseas sales offices in place. Right now, our MICE groups are 90 per cent Asians and 10 per cent Europeans. We’re aiming for a 60/40 split instead.”

Built in 2014, KYCC offers 3,800m² of flexible meeting space spread across two buildings. The largest facility is its Grand Ballroom which can take up to 1,300 people theatre-style, and be further broken down into three separate spaces.

Other meeting areas include the Exhibition Hall which can hold up to 600 people theatre-style, and seven meeting rooms of varying sizes. There is also a 1,900m² outdoor plaza.

Asia will remain an important source market for the venue, and according to Porn-Anun, KYCC’s largest corporate booking to-date was for a 1,500 pax group from China. The most recent Asian corporate booking was by Samsung in Thailand.

“From January until now, there have been about 100 (Asian) groups that have used KYCC and stayed in the hotels here,” he said.

The area that KYCC occupies is also home to two hotels – the 256-room Greenery Resort and 115-key Botanica Khao Yai – as well as a shopping area, an adventure park and a water park.

Olga Kovshanova, director of sales and marketing at Bangkok-based Asia World Enterprise, who was a participant in a post-IT&CMA fam trip to Khao Yai, opined that the destination could “be a very interesting alternative for MICE events in Thailand”.

She explained: “It is a little bit farther than Pattaya (from Bangkok), but it offers something different as many people have been to Pattaya already. Khao Yai offers different activities such as wine tasting and nature-based programmes.”

FOLLOWING a detailed research among its clients, Pacific World has developed seven incentive programmes that focus on experiences which are aligned to people’s emotions and motivation.

The series includes: Exclusive high end adventures; Inspirational special events; Authentic local experiences; Innovative technology concepts that challenge creativity; CSR activities that inspire; Holistic retreats that promote well-being and wholeness.

“Clients are increasingly searching for meaningful experiences that move their customers”, said Selina Chavry, global managing director for Pacific World.

“We are listening to our clients’ needs and observing trends which have shown us that experiences and engagement are deeply aligned with emotions and motivation. We then had to find out how emotions dictate programmes that delegates choose or what activities they might prefer. Understanding what drives each client is the key to designing a compelling programme, to help them engage and motivate their attendees.” added Chavry.

In Hong Kong, the new experiences can be had through a programme called “Discover the secrets of Hong Kong Real Estate tycoons”. Participants are taken into the world of the construction industry of Hong Kong through a hard-hat tour conducted by one of the engineers or the architect involved in the Zhu Hai-Macau Bridge project. Participants will get to share views and discuss the real estate and insurance scene in Hong Kong.

In India, the “Breathe” programme takes participants to the 40ha Maharaja’s Palace Estate which overlooks the spiritual Rishikesh and the Ganges river valley. Traditional Yoga and healthy organic cuisine is combined in an overall experience to restore well-being, balance and harmony.

To support these new experiences, Chavry said Pacific World has “strengthened our internal network of consultants to be able to deliver the best approach for our clients”.