Thai advice for Pinoy businesses: Tap new markets using trade shows

Making your presence matter in international trade shows in Thailand can help expose and sell Philippine products to the world market, a Thai official said Friday.

 

"With the rise of Asean Economic community, exhibition platform in Thailand will help businesses capture the full business potential of the region," Supawan Teerarat, director of the exhibition department of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TECB), said at a press

briefing in Makati City.

 

Many international trade shows have anchored in Thailand because of its strategic location, especially with regards to the emerging market of Greater Mekong sub-region including Yunnan (Southern China), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, said Teerarat.

 

Filipinos account for 7.5 percent of overseas visitors in trade expositions in Thailand, according to TCEB, citing 2011 data. 

 

Malaysians accounted for 10.7 percent, India 9.7 percent, Vietnam 8.4 percent, and Singapore 8.2 percent.

 

The "Trade Fair Industry of Asia 7th Edition, 2011," noted revenues from trade fairs in Thailand in 2010 hit $132 million, the highest in ASEAN and 7th in Asia. The report covered China, India, Japan, Australia, Pakistan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.

 

The Thailand exhibition industry in 2010 was ranked first in ASEAN in terms of total size (432,500 square meters), average size per fair (6,092 sqm), and annual revenues ($133 million).

 

With a yearly growth rate of 70 percent in terms of event space sold, Teerarat said Thailand is in a position to help Philippine businesses tap into emerging markets.

 

Philippine products that could attract buyers through exhibits are car parts and accessories and machinery, food and agriculture, tourism, medical industry, jewelry, garment and textile, energy, and infrastructure, said Teerarat.

 

These key industries in Thailand were identified in response to demand from ASEAN markets, Teerarat noted.

 

Thai exhibitions serve as the place to reach out to international buyers, according to the Thai official. 

 

Year-round trade exhibitions in Thailand are Metalex, Rubber Technology Expo, Food and Hotel Thailand, ProPak Asia, Horti Asia, VIV Asia, Agro-Industry Tech, Thailand Travel & Dive Expo, Thailand Lab, Pet-Vet Asia Expo, and In-Cosmetic.

 

TECB noted the Philippines is a priority for Thailand because of the long-standing trade relations and growing trade volume between the two countries, which amounted to $7.34 billion in 2011. — VS, GMA News