Sumate Sudasna is re-elected to a new term as the president of Thailand Incentive and Convention Association.

This article was originally found on M&C/Asia.

Sumate Sudasna has been re-elected as the president of Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA). M&C Asia caught up with Sumate and find out his goals for his new term and what changes he hopes to introduce to the association in his new term. Highlights from that interview, lightly edited for clarity.

New airports around Thailand’s lesser-known locations have been in the pipeline for years but faced delays due to the pandemic. Now, the department is making good progress.

Congratulations on being appointed TICA president once again! What are you most excited about in your new term?
I am thrilled to be riding the post-Covid wave with industry players after three years of mitigating the impacts of the pandemic and keeping each other motivated. It is great to see that business events are now seen as important stimulators of national economy recovery.

Tell us about your vision and goals for TICA moving forward.
TICA's goals are always to put Thailand at the top of mind for event owners and planners. And as our business is not attracted by price offers and intense competitiveness, we continue to keep customers updated on developments and ensure that members are well qualified to serve business events with success.

What do you see are the biggest trends in Thailand's MICE space right now?
A few things, including the ESG framework which is important for corporate and association customers. We need to have plans and procedures to assure our competency doing business in the new normal. Health, wellness and safety are always top considerations in event planning, while destination experience is factored in. Non-hosted events need to produce high return on attendance, networking and business opportunities.

What do you love about being in this sector?
I feel privileged to help customers achieve their objectives in organising events, and the satisfaction of receiving words of appreciation for a job completed after months, and sometimes years of preparation, not to mention the reward in bringing income to the country and the company, is immense.