MICE/TCEB

TCEB’s new president vision to drive Thai MICE industry to global league

Editorial staff

TCEB’s new president unveils strategies to drive Thai MICE industry forward to global league and boost revenue to reach 200 billion baht next year.

Dr Supawan Teerarat, newly president of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization), or TCEB announces her vision and a new direction to drive Thailand's MICE industry forward under the concept of "Change That Matters". The aim is to make Thailand become a global MICE leader and establish Thailand as a trusted destination worldwide.

Dr. Supawan said that her return to TCEB is not just a return to a former workplace, but a step towards great passion and mission.

Her experience over the past year at the National Food Institute (NFI), under the Ministry of Industry, gave her a deeper understanding of the "real sector" and the needs of entrepreneurs. This experience made her realise that MICE is not just an event industry; it's an industry that creates high value and brings about meaningful change. This is the essence of "Change That Matters" or MICE industry must generate significant and meaningful impacts on the real sector.

Dr Supawan Teerarat, newly president of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization), or TCEB

Dr Supawan has set a vision for TCEB to drive Thailand towards becoming "Global-Asia’s Trusted Gateway," or a gateway to Asia that the world can rely on. The primary goal is to make the MICE industry generate high impact and deliver transformative, high-value, and sustainable experiences.

MICE will also be a key economic tool to create national sustainability, as it helps build opportunities for business and professional development within various industries and business sectors.

In this sense, MICE is going beyond tourism-related income. This vision will be driven by four key strategies - GLOC:
Global Reach: focus on building the destination's brand, smart bidding for international MICE events, expanding foreign markets, and creating strategic partnerships to attract high-impact events to Thailand.

Local Strength: develop MICE City Clusters in 10 cities, including other alternative cities, to add value and create flagship events that can elevate Thailand's positioning on the global stage.

Organisation Transformation: transform the organisation to support growth. This includes people transformation by fostering a culture of trust and psychological safety, moving towards data-driven digitalisation, and, more importantly, providing incentives/motivation for employees.

Capabilities Excellence: elevate TCEB’s roles into a policy shaper, create new industry standards, develop personnel to become ASEAN MICE experts, and drive innovation and sustainability within the industry.
 
Dr Supawan also emphasised TCEB's commitment to developing Thailand’s competitive capabilities to keep pace with changing situations and international challenges. One key focus is to strengthen the Thai MICE industry ecosystem and increase MICE stakeholders so that Thai MICE industry is driven by the power of teamwork and integrated collaboration. This will enable the industry to achieve our shared goals and create a new chapter of the Thai MICE industry.

Thailand's MICE potential

Major international events held in Thailand in 2026 include intensive travellers from Amway China with 13,000 visitors, Gastech Bangkok 2026 with 50,000 visitors, the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and The World Bank Group, and Udon Thani International Horticultural Expo 2026.

“We will put more focus on bringing international mega-events and festivals to the kingdom as a promising new market,” she said.

In fiscal year 2025, during October 2024-June 2025, the number of MICE travelers in the exhibition sector internationally to Thailand ranks the highest with 282,234 visitors with revenue of 16.93 billion baht, followed by incentive travelers with 251,007 visitors with revenue of 14.48 billion baht. Travellers for business meetings were 216,129, with revenue of 12 billion baht, and 121,304 visitors with revenue of 6.22 billion baht from international conventions.

“The MICE industry has received high priority from the government as a key driver to help drive the national economy. We will more closely work with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and others to lure back corporate meeting travelers to the country next year after a big decline in their number this year due to the economic situation and confidence,” she said.

“The landscape of organizing the events in the region has faced a change; Thailand requires the creation of new products to serve the MICE industry. If not, MICE travellers will shift to destinations that give them new experiences. Moreover, it also needs to increase the capability of MICE operators in Thailand,’’ she said.

The number of Thailand’s MICE travelers is expected to be 19 million pax this year and reach 20 million pax in 2026, generating up to 200 billion baht of income next year.