Bangkok: the city that never rests

Bangkok may be Thailand’s cultural, political, economic, trade and academic centre but it’s far from resting on its laurels. Instead, it’s constantly changing and evolving to offer visitors something fresh, from the expansion of the futuristic BTS Skytrain to the creation of dozens of new hotels each year as well as a stunning new city-centre green space.

As Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, president of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau explains, it’s a base for established business bodies like the World Bank, Pacific Asia Travel Association and Federation of Thai Industries alongside start-ups and tech innovation. But it’s also embracing a newer, greener ethos, achieving the ‘Most Improved’ status at last year’s Global Destination Sustainability Awards.

“We believe that this success heightens confidence in making sustainability a landmark achievement and legacy for conventions that will take place here in the city,” he says.

Its solid foundations in medicine, robotics, food and agriculture have helped it gain widespread popularity in recent years. Between October 2022 and September 2023, Thailand won 23 bids for international conferences for events taking place up to 2028: two are the first to be staged in Southeast Asia, and 14 of the 23 wins are for medical conferences.

Bangkok welcomed the international kidney health community for the International Society of Nephrology World Congress of Nephrology 2023 in late March/ early April.

"All 3,300 delegates felt and appreciated the warm hospitality and personal attention offered in Thailand," says Michael Podt, the society's Events Director who worked on the congress. "From the excellent facilities at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center to social event venues, hotels and other service providers, Bangkok is a perfect location for international events and meetings.”

In fact, it topped the list of cities with the highest “harnessing ratio” in Asia-Pacific in a study by global consulting firm GainingEdge last year on the intellectual capital of conference destinations.  According to the report, Bangkok has 194 local leaders active on the boards of global organisations, which has helped them draw up to 123 meetings to the capital since 2018, putting it ahead of Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur.

The bureau has been quick to leverage this, appointing ambassadors in its key sectors to help support and promote the country’s convention industry by collaborating with domestic and international associations, organisations, and partners.

“In addition to its strengths as a convention destination, Bangkok has been known and loved by visitors at large,” adds Na Ayuthaya. “The city is implementing “Bangkok Vision”, a development strategy in which the city is envisaged as a centre of knowledge and creativity, while also becoming more convenient, inclusive, and sustainable. These visions and concepts are also in sync with TCEB’s and the business events industry’s goal.”

Blending sustainability, hospitality and accessibility

The city will host the 62nd ICCA World Congress this month [November] in the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (and the newly repurposed railway museum), bringing together meeting professionals from around the world. “The venue’s ambience, sustainability initiatives, convenient location and accessibility, green space, world-class facilities, professional staff and Thai hospitality are key ingredients for the enhanced value we are to deliver with our heart and soul,” says Surapol Utintu, CEO of the company behind the convention centre – which now has Benjakitti Forest Park, Bangkok’s first forest park dubbed ‘a new lung for the city’ which opened last year, as its stunning backdrop.

The convention bureau can offer everything from marketing help to financial support for conventions that tie in with Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green economic model, which aims to promote sustainability, strengthen communities and build resilience to global changes. And beyond the subvention campaign and in-kind support, there are other ways in which host associations can gain support: for the 2023 ICCA Congress, they set up a local organising committee that included an extensive public and private sector network.

What’s new

• Halfway between Silom and Bangrak, the 330-room Grande Centre Point Surawong boasts spectacular views of one of Bangkok's liveliest neighborhood. Newly opened in September, its ballroom can hold 210 delegates theatre-style with a number of other sizeable rooms alongside.

• Housed in a vibrant new mixed-use complex, the Eastin Grand Hotel Phayathai has 494 rooms and 15 fully equipped meeting rooms; its high-tech Phayathai Grand Ballroom can seat 800 for a gala dinner.

• The 179-room dusitD2 Samyan, Bangkok opened in March and its largest meeting room can accommodate 40 classroom-style.

• The SAMALA Hotel Bangkok has 222 rooms plus a meeting room which "blends sophisticated Thai design with modern functionality".

• The riverside 244-room Quarter Chaophraya by UHG has a stunning ballroom as well as smaller meeting rooms.

• Dusit Central Park, a mixed-use skyscraper development in the Bang Rak district, is slated to house a new hotel when it opens in 2024, while the massive One Bangkok US$3.9bn mixed-use development project will include the city’s first Ritz-Carlton Hotel when it opens in 2025. 

 Who to contact:

Nooch Homrossukhon
Conventions Director
[email protected]
businesseventsthailand.com/en