Executive summary

Introduction

The German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC) in Bangkok is a member of the German Chambers of Commerce Worldwide Network (AHK), with 140 locations in 92 countries. Since its establishment in Bangkok in 1962, the GTCC has maintained itself as a reliable intermediary between German and Thai businesses, thus contributing to the dynamism of the economic development in both countries.

In the course of 2020, GTCC put together about 139 events and activities that encouraged further development and interaction of the German-Thai business community within Thailand and abroad. Thanks to the high level of dedication of the GTCC team, recognition of the Chamber in the business community was heightened enabling GTCC to constantly enjoy opportunities to collaborate closely with various partners and counterparts, who added variety to the nature of GTCC services and activities.

Membership, Events and Communications

By the end of 2020, GTCC managed to sustain almost 600 members in the face of the covid-19 pandemic in Thailand and worldwide which largely affected business activities. There were 578 members including 509 members in Thailand, 57 members in Germany, 6 members in other countries, and 6 honourary members. Most of the members who discontinued their membership were SMEs and members in the industry of hotels and accommodation which were severely affected by the pandemic. GTCC had fully supported its members by promoting their activities and connecting them with one another in various ways such as organising virtual events and executing a new weekly newsletter “GTCC members promotions”.

GTCC members actively participated in GTCC’s virtual and physical events. Although GTCC Ball (formerly GTCC Gala Night) was cancelled and GTCC Oktoberfest could not be organised in the normal format due to the Covid-19 outbreak, GTCC held two-day GTCC Bavarian Beer Fest 2020 successfully with a limited number of 350 guests per day to comply with the Thai government’s Covid-19 safety measures.

GTCC continued utilising social media platforms such as facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter, to keep its members, business partners informed about events, activities and key changes in the business community. #PartnerInThailand social media campaign was launched in May 2020 to tell the partner stories of German companies in Thailand. #PartnerInThailand campaign showcased 2-minutes video clips as examples of GTCC member companies’ contribution to the economic development of Thailand and the close cooperation between German and Thai companies.

In 2020, GTCC launched a special e-newsletter “GTCC’s update on Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19)” to regularly provide members, partners and customers important updates on Covid-19 situations in Thailand, in addition to the weekly “GTCC members promotions” e-newsletter. Biweekly GTCC e-UPDATE newsletter is the main channel for updated economic and member news. Quarterly UPDATE e-magazine remains a major publication providing essential information about the business and industry sectors in Thailand. Our Membership Directory was under transformation to be fully digitalised on GTCC Website, to enable our database more relevant and up-to-date. With a user account and password, members can get access to information on members’ profiles and contact details in order to facilitate business interaction among them.

Corporate services

The Corporate Services Department supports the entry of clients to the Thai, German and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets through its various services that are flexible and tailor-made to suite the individual needs of companies. Those services include market studies, market information, business research, business matchmaking, technical workshops, conferences, and the organization of exclusive business delegations. In 2020, an increased digital adoption driven by Covid-19 resulted in offering various digital services (e.g., virtual business delegations) that will be part of the portfolio also after the pandemic.

In order to support the export activities of German SMEs, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) as well as German Federal States offer various programs. The GTCC is actively involved in these programs: for example, German Energy Solutions Initiative (BMWi) and the Foreign Market Entry Programme (BMWi).

The Corporate Services Department plays a vital role in supporting German companies from various industries and the service sector in gaining first-hand experience of the Thai market, thus paving the way for potential future business activities in Thailand as well as in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

Trade Fairs

GTCC is the official representative of leading German trade fair companies with excellent reputations world-wide, including Messe Berlin GmbH, Deutsche Messe AG, Messe München GmbH, NürnbergMesse GmbH and Spielwarenmesse eG. In order to ensure smooth and successful participation in German trade fairs, GTCC offers comprehensive services and provides a one-stop service for Thai companies. Moreover, GTCC acts as the link between Thailand and events in Asia that are organised by German trade fair companies. GTCC also organises comprehensive business delegation packages to trade fairs in Germany, including factory visits and B2B meetings. The trade fair landscape in 2020 has seen great disruption, with shows being canceled or postponed, some gone completely digital or featuring hybrid trade fair concepts. The new trade fair concepts pose new challenges for trade show organizers, but also present unique opportunities, with digital reach in general becoming a key success factor also after the Covid-19 crisis.

German-Thai Dual Excellence Education

GTDEE-Thai Dual Excellence Education (GTDEE) is the coordination and consultation office for higher vocational education based on German quality standard in the “Apprenticeship Programme” and is operated by GTCC. Participating in the GTDEE apprenticeship programme, apprentices spend less than 30 per cent of the time at partner vocational colleges and at least 70 per cent in partner companies. Besides the consultation on dual vocational education, GTDEE offers a service called Quality Assurance (QA) for Vocational Educational and Training for Thai vocational institutions. The QA aims to standardise college quality in light of the development and performances of teachers and students. In addition, the GTDEE provides the service for trainers from various companies called “AdA International - Train the Trainer” (copyrights from DIHK, Germany). The main objective is to allow the trainers to learn the important steps in preparing training for their respective companies and to acquire how to create an in-company training plan, define and implement the training goals. “AdA International - Train the Trainer” is required for the German vocational training programme.