Chiang Mai emerges as new meetings destination

The government has set 2016 as the target year to make Thailand a major meetings hub in Asia and Chiang Mai currently has a MICE Committee to oversee the development of the industry.

International association events taking place in Chang Mai include the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry World Polymer Congress 2014, the 45th International Symposium on Macromolecules 2014 and the International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection, also in 2014.

The new centre is located 1km from the city and will be one of the largest in Thailand with a total indoor area of 53,732 sqm that can accommodate up to 10,000 delegates.

The main conference hall has a maximum of 3,000 seating, while the smaller hall can accommodate 700 participants. There are also 32 breakout rooms with 70 to 200 seats. The exhibition hall can accommodate 450 standard booths.

Chiang Mai is a one-hour flight from Bangkok and has direct air links to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Mumbai. The city boasts 41,000 rooms and seven major hotels offering conference venues for large-scale events, the maximum capacity of which is 2,000 seats.