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This Just In

Thailand Welcomes its Largest Chinese Event

HIL ANDERSON, SENIOR EDITOR

BANGKOK – More than 7,500 attendees streamed into Bangkok for the opening of the 20th International Dragon Award Annual Congress (IDA), the largest Chinese convention ever held in Thailand.

The Aug. 10-13 event took place alongside the Worldwide Chinese Life Insurance Congress which attracts a high-quality crowd of insurance and financial-services professionals connected to the Chinese insurance market. The IDA is considered a pinnacle of achievement in the industry and is held biennially at venues inside China and internationally.

“This highlights the importance of the Chinese market to Thailand and helps raise the profile of Thailand as a conference destination,” said Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). “Thailand has a record profile of hosting mega-size conventions every year and the 2019 IDA Annual Congress is a trademark of such scale event for the Kingdom.”

Thailand has been an increasingly popular regional destination for Chinese exhibitions organizers and meeting planners. The TCEB said that between 2015 and 2018, the number of convention delegates visiting Thailand from China increased from 16,216 to 53,789 delegates.

This is the second time that Thailand has hosted the IDA; the first was in Chiang Mai, the nation’s second-largest city, in 2005. The TCEB began lobbying for the 2019 meeting a few years ago, offering to arrange meetings between the organizers and local service providers, and also establishing an expedited-immigration process for VIP attendees.
“We won this event in 2017, following an inspection trip to Thailand by the IDA Committee,” Chiruit said. “We then attended the 2018 event in Yunnan last year to extend an invitation to their delegates to attend the 2019 edition in Thailand.”

The Chairman of the IDA meeting, Kai Tu, said Bangkok prevailed in an intensive venue-selection process. “Nearly 8,000 delegates and 300 senior executives from 17 countries, in addition to over 200 leading financial services and insurance institutions, will attend our annual meeting,” he said. “We hope the four days of intensive meetings, against the backdrop of Thailand’s rich cultural heritage, local attractions and gracious hospitality, will make this a memorable experience for all delegates.”

TSE Industry partner, UFI, will host their 86th UFI Global Congress from November 6-9 in Bangkok later this year.

Reach Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya at +66 2 694 6000 or info@tceb.or.th; Kai Tu at 886-2-27928557 or idaonline@vip.163.com; Event management at Guangzhou Chuanghan Conference & Exhibition Service Co., Ltd, at +886-2-27928557, x2322, or carrier.wang@imm.com.tw.

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