Bangkok wins event for three-year period

SINGAPORE The Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) show will move to Bangkok for the first time next year as organisers step up plans to rotate the event around the region. While a venue and dates were to be finalised as CEI Asia Pacific went to press, organiser TTG Asia Media executive director Mr Darren Ng confirmed IT&CMA would be in the Thai capital from 2002 to 2004. "We received bids from four countries and we found Bangkok to be the best of the four," Mr Ng said. "It suited the needs of the show." IT&CMA had conducted the previous four shows - this year will be the fifth - in Kuala Lumpur and Mr Ng said the deal with Bangkok is for three years. TTG Media would prefer to rotate the show more regularly. "Over the years, I have been told by Tourism Malaysia that having the event in Kuala Lumpur had provided significant benefits to the industry there, so hopefully we can provide these same benefits to those destinations that will have the show in the future," Mr Ng added. "We have also had feedback from long-haul and Asia Pacific buyers that they would like to see more destinations." Mr Ng declined to name the three other bidding cities.