Blogger: Mrs. Jaruwan Suwannasat, Director, Exhibition and Events Department of TCEB
Where there’s business, there is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); something we at TCEB are exploring in ways that underscore Thailand’s identity as a sustainable and soulful destination for global exhibition organisers.
Take agriculture in Thailand for example. This is a sector that has grown faster than the population over the past 50 years, at rates of more than four per cent a year. The sector – crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries – is Thailand’s biggest employer. Our country is the ideal platform for agribusiness exhibitors, keen to capitalise on what evolved to become a thriving export industry.
In fact, DLG International and VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific have just announced the launch of an Asian edition of the world’s leading agricultural exhibition, AGRITECHNICA, in Thailand in 2017. Global industry sees the value of doing such business in Thailand and beyond; given our easy connection for businesses looking to connect with the 600 million inhabitants of the AEC.
But business is about more than money; it is about lives. Agricultural growth has contributed towards falling rural poverty and better food security and nutrition for the country’s citizens.
And thanks to our Wildlife for Sustainability initiative, just one of the four pillars of its CSR Soulful and Sustainable CSR initiative, attendees at our many global exhibitions and congresses can actively see for themselves the impact that the industry has on our economy and environment. TCEB’s ‘Wildlife for Sustainability and CSR initiative includes a ‘Farm to Function’ component that allows participants to link directly with local farmers, and to experience the process of making organic products, to construct salt licks and inspect dams.
Because an exhibition in Thailand is more than a chance to meet and exchange products, it is a chance to meet the people driving our industries. Being socially responsible is an integral part of business events, and a destination should not fly the CSR flag if the industries it supports do not demonstrate the same principles.
“TCEB is committed to building on Thailand’s reputation as a dream destination for sustainable business events that offer economic, social and environmental benefits to the country, organisers and MICE travellers alike,” to reiterate the words of TCEB president Nopparat Maythaveekulchai.
It is our hope that by engaging exhibition organisers and participants in the promotion of social, cultural and natural diversity, we can ensure the long-term success of Thailand’s business events industry – and maintain the soul and natural value for which our country is renowned.
This article was originally published on the UFI Live Blog: www.ufilive.org
