16 minute read
Event Hub Hua Hin Airport: A multi-functional event & lifestyle hub…p
ISSUE 239 • JUNE 2022
Happening EVENT HUB HUA HIN AIRPORT PLANS TO TAKE OFF WITH A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL EVENT LIFESTYLE HUB
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The upgrade to Hua Hin Airport will dramatically improve general aviation services and have a broader benefit to people living and visiting Hua Hin, which is crucial for the local economy.
The improvements will see the previously underutilized Airport be transformed into a truly international travel hub, offering a more comprehensive range of travel options to the area’s residents and increasing the region’s tourism potential. The company behind the Event Hub is the Bangkok based multi-award-winning events and entertainment agency, media, ticketing and venue management company, B-Concept Media Entertainment Group. Via its Event Hub brand, the company will create from Hua Hin Airport a vibrant lifestyle, travel and events destination in its own right.
Flights will be available to and from destinations within a five to a six-hour radius, such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, India, and the Middle East.
An increase in flights means that one million passengers will arrive at Hua Hin Airport within three years.
Recent months have seen improvements being carried out on the runway, which has been expanded to accommodate larger aircraft.
But in addition to the infrastructure improvements, other exciting developments are also taking place at the Airport.
Among those exciting plans includes the launch of the first Event Hub at Hua Hin Airport which will create a multi-functional event space for business fairs, exhibitions, and consumer and ticketed concerts and events.
The plans go beyond traditional function rooms hosting business meetings, although the available space can accommodate such events as incentives, conferences, team building and weddings. Hotels can use the airport space to extend internal events operations when needed. hangars, and squares, some of which are unlikely to have ever been hosted at an airport, not only in Thailand but elsewhere.
In its 17th year of operating, B-Concept manages roughly 450 events in Thailand and Asia yearly and recently announced partnerships with the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya and Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park in Bangkok to provide meeting and event solutions. A new curated music distribution service for venues with more than 58 million songs in its catalogue, ideal for hotels, retail, hospitals and golf clubs that like to enrich the experience is under launch.
“In the first year, we plan to build up awareness and host vibrant events at the weekends in the terminal building with brand partners, vendors, food and beverage and merchandise on sale”, according to Marc Van den Sanden, Director of Events at B-Concept Media Entertainment Group, told Hua Hin Today.
“As Thailand recovers, we will increase the number of events to Hua Hin. Who will come and perform on stage will be announced later, but it is worth waiting for”, Marc said.
“We invite partners and sell rooms and products across digital channels and our ticketing channel TixTaQ. After integrating TixTaQ with Hua Hin Today, you can buy tickets directly from here. travellers from Bangkok. A vibrant place where everyone will find activities, whether children, teenagers, or adults.
Marc says that different artists and events are eagerly waiting to happen at the Airport, considering the many interests we receive from partners holding events at Event Hub Hua Hin Airport.
The outdoor space at the Airport, earmarked for holding festivals and significant events, counts two squares; the first square behind the terminal is the Concert Square. Another square is the Activation Square. Each is 10,000 sqm in size and can hold up to 20,000 people. The event hub team can help organize the event from beginning to end, or you can rent the event space from Event Hub Hua Hin Airport and make the event yourself. Event Hub will be responsible for third-party event space rental, besides operating the event spaces for MICE, ticketed events and weddings.
Seating plans and floor layouts have already been drafted, including COVID-19 screening measures and risk and safety plans.
Marc says that using Hua Hin Airport as the Event Hub will positively impact what will be felt throughout Hua Hin. Brand partners, restaurant owners and vendors are welcome to apply for a booth in one, a series of events or at the Weekend Hub.
Marc also revealed plans for the Airport to host a chill-out food and a non-food market where vendors can show and display products or sell vouchers. Weekend Hub plans to open its doors in October between noon and 8/9 pm and feature a wide selection of premium food, merchandise and entertainment.
“We can fly in attendees a few days before the event starts. When travellers stay in the hotels these days, they can attend other events in town. We help promote these events through the media and global distribution channels so that the whole community in Hua Hin can profit from people arriving in Hua Hin. We help in this way to build awareness for Hua Hin and the Thailand Riviera”, Marc said.
“But there are more plans on the table, and we work hard with our partners, teams and investors to prepare for this launch”, Marc said.
“An exciting calendar of business and smaller events have been prepared for the Event Hangar I, while other events will start to take off at Event Hangar II. Each hangar is 1,200 sqm”.
Marc says the apparent challenge with planning events at the Airport has been COVID-19 with continuous rescheduling tours and bookings. However, with the current situation improving, the Event Hub at Hua Hin Airport can hopefully soon take flight.
ENERGY OBSERVER DOCKS NEAR HUA HIN TO SHOWCASE ZERO EMISSIONS AND CLEAN TECHNOLOGY
The first boat to be powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen stopped near Hua Hin as part of a world tour to raise awareness about clean energy.
The Energy Observer, a 30.5 metre catamaran, docked at the Race Marina in Pak Nam Pran on April 30 as part of an almost month-long stay in the kingdom, which also included a trip to Pattaya where it was visited by Thierry Mathou, the French Ambassador to Thailand. Prior to arriving in Thailand it had been in Singapore, the 70th stop on its voyage. The vessel was open to the public on May 1-2 before it is set to play host to a number of official engagements prior to it departing the region for Koh Samui on May 19. The Energy Observer is a vessel like no other. It’s half floating laboratory, half clean energy advocate. Since setting sail from the French port city of Saint-Malo in Brittany in 2017, it has navigated more than 40,000 nautical miles using only renewable energy. The Energy Observatory is completely selfsustaining. It doesn’t use diesel, generates all the energy it needs on board and produces zero emissions. In order to try and prevent rising emissions from the maritime industry, Energy Observer is helping to demonstrate what green technologies can be used now and in the near future for sea travel. The emphasis of the voyage is that shipping and the maritime industry needs to be decarbonised as soon as possible, in order to limit its devastating impact on climate change. The vessel is covered with solar panels, has two tall wings for propulsion and is powered by sun, wind and hydro-kinetic energy. It creates its own hydrogen fuel from seawater as it sails along at speeds of up to 7 knots. Salt and minerals are removed from the seawater before it is passed through an electroliser which splits the water into its elements: oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen is released but the hydrogen is compressed and stored in fuel cells or batteries that are located on either side of the Energy Observer. Hydrogen power is used when wind or solar power can not be relied upon. “The hydrogen power created by the Energy Observer is the equivalent of two megawatts of energy, which would be enough to power a couple of houses for a year,” captain Jean-Baptiste Sanchez told Hua Hin Today. Data gathered from voyage is being used in the research and development of hydrogen fuel cell technology for the maritime industry. In its former life - before it was renovated with clean technology - the Energy Observer was originally named Formule Tag and was a champion racing sailboat. It was the first vessel of its kind to break the coveted 500 miles limit in 24 hours in 1984. “Its past is that of a champion, and now it is a champion of sustainability and clean technology,” crew member and digital manager Anaïs Toro-Engel told Hua Hin Today. Inside the Energy Observer it is surprisingly spacious. Each cabin is of a good size and there is also a roomy seating and dining area, as well as a fully stocked kitchen complete with all mod-cons, including a dishwasher. After departing Thailand, the Energy Observer will sail to Vietnam and Singapore before heading onto India. The vessel is then scheduled to visit Africa and South America before ending its epic voyage back in its native France in the summer of 2024.
You can follow the Energy Observer at https:// www.energy-observer.org/
Image : © Patrick Jacobs
ISSUE 239 • JUNE 2022
The dual track train line, which will herald a new era of rail travel between Bangkok, Hua Hin and the south of Thailand is on track for completion.
The Department of Rail Transport (DRT) has said the construction of the Southern Line, which will connect Nakhon Pathom with Chumphon over a distance of 421 kilometers, is now 92 percent complete.
In Hua Hin, arguably the most visible part of the project concerns the construction of the new train station which will accommodate the dual track train line.
The new train station is located next to Hua Hin’s existing and iconic train station and will maintain much of the design elements of the original station, which is set to be transformed into a museum once the new station is open.
The new station retains the Victorian inspired architecture and colour scheme of the original station.
The new Hua Hin train station will form part of the 4km elevated, which starts close to Soi 68 and continues towards Soi 102, heading south out of Hua Hin.
The elevated train line will coexist alongside the original track, which will remain in place for freight trains or charter convoys used on special occasions.
According to the Department of Rail Transport the new Hua Hin train station will be the first elevated train station in Thailand to also include a walkway and pedestrian area underneath.
Currently, construction of the new train station is 80 percent complete and is expected to be finished by the end of 2022.
The new station is set to continue Hua Hin’s rich history of being at the forefront of train travel in Thailand.
Hua Hin’s original train station is one of the oldest and most iconic train stations in the country.
Built in 1910 and then rebuilt in 1926, it’s unique architecture makes it instantly recognisable.
The station and the adjacent Phra Mongkut Klao Pavilion are tourist attractions in their own right.
SECTION OF HUA HIN DUAL TRACK RAIL LINE NOW 99% COMPLETE, SET TO OPEN IN 2023
The construction of a major section of the new dual track rail in Hua Hin is now more than 99 percent complete, the Department of Rail Transport (DRT) has announced.
According to Dr.Pichet Kunadhamraks, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Railway Transport, the 84 kilometre stretch of the rail line that connects Hua Hin with Prachuap Khiri Khan is now 99.870 percent complete.
The section of the track in Hua Hin forms part of the line that will eventually connect Nakhon Pathom with Chumpon, a distance of 421 kilometers.
In and around Hua Hin, the construction of the rail line is part of the Southern Railway Construction Project and is separated into three different stages.
The first stage is from Nakhon Pathom - Hua Hin, the construction of which is divided across two projects: Nakhon Pathom - Nong Pla Lai, which is a distance of 93 kilometres and which the DRT says is now 97.087% complete.
The second project of the first stage is from Nong Pla Lai - Hua Hin, a distance of 76km, which is 94.828% complete.
The second stage of constriction is the Hua Hin - Prachuap Khiri Khan line, a distance 84 kilometers, which is now 99.870% complete.
The third stage is the Prachuap Khiri Khan - Chumphon section, which is also divided across two projects: Prachuap Khiri Khan - Bang Saphan Noi, a distance of 88 kilometers, 85.073% complete, while the second project covers Bang Saphan Noi - Chumphon, a distance of 79 kilometers, the construction of which is now 87.128% complete.
Overall, the construction of the Southern Railway Construction Project is now 92.813% complete.
The DRT said that the Southern Line - up to and including the Hua Hin to Prachuap Khiri Khan - section will be partially opened in the next two or three months for testing.
The new dual track rail line will be fully open in 2023, the DRT said, once the signaling system has been installed.
Meanwhile, Dr Pichet explained that the new Hua Hin Railway Station, which will be the first elevated train station in Thailand when it is completed, is being built as part of the Nong Pla Lai - Hua Hin train line. The station is expected to be completed later this year.
Once completed, the dual track railway will transform travel from Bangkok to Phetchaburi, Hua Hin and eventually all the way to Thailand’s deep south and the border with Malaysia.
While not to be confused with the high speed train which had been mooted for Hua Hin (those plans remain firmly on the drawing board at present) are set to be significantly faster than the current rolling stock.
The new dual track trains are expected to travel at approximately 160km/h meaning people can easily reach Bangkok between two and three hours, a big improvement on the journey by train currently – which can often take between 6 and 9 hours!
The dual track trains will arrive and depart Bangkok at the new (and pretty spectacular) Bang Sue Grand Station.
ISSUE 239 • JUNE 2022
Happening EXPAT POETS IN AO MANAO TO BE FEATURED AT INTERNATIONAL VIDEO POETRY FILM FESTIVAL
Prior to living in Thailand, Andrew had spent 20 years in Korea where he worked as an English teacher and also wrote a song about the Korean university games which gained national recognition among students throughout the country.
After teaching English he then began making music videos and was able to tap into his expertise to create a video to help showcase their poetry.
With the restrictions in place due to COVID having brought the group together, Andrew saw the pandemic as inspiration for the video.
“I mentioned that I would like to create a video about something to do with the COVID experience, so that’s what I did”, Andrew said, who also wrote all the music for the video.
Fellow group member Barbara then began
The work of a group of local poets will be featured at a major international poetry festival which is due to take place later this year.
The 10th annual International Video Poetry Film Festival will be held in Greece at the end of September and is one of the largest international platforms for video poetry.
According to its website, the International Video Poetry Festival in Athens attempts to create an open public space for the creative expression of all tendencies and streams of contemporary visual poetry.
Every year, it offers poets, film directors, video artists and festival makers from all over the world a platform for creative exchange, brainstorming and meeting with a broad audience.
What was meant to be a two week break in Ao Manao resulted in a near two year stay for Sandra, who had even sent boxes of belongings back to the United States in preparation for her leaving.
“I had a ticket to return to America but it got canceled so I stayed in Ao Manao and I couldn’t be happier”.
It was a similar situation for fellow writers Richard and Barbara who had been due to travel to Portugal when the pandemic hit. sharing videos from other poets whose work had been featured at the International Video Poetry Film Festival.
The poetry group in Ao Manao, which features writers Sandra Wright, Barbara Faulconer, Andrew Meserth and Richard Ypenberg, formed at the beginning of the pandemic.
All the members of the group share a passion for poetry and writing.
Richard, a former Bangkok Post journalist, has been writing poetry throughout his life, while Sandra self-published her art and poems in a book titled She Be Queen. Barbara, also an artist and photographer, has taught writing and writes poetry and prose.
While there are so many stories of the pandemic keeping people apart, it was the pandemic which actually brought this particular group together.
Members Sandra, Richard and Barbara had all been due to travel overseas but suddenly found themselves in Ao Manao, unable to leave Thailand.
Having all found themselves in Ao Manao, the group bonded over their love of poetry and began holding weekly sessions at the nearby Choo’s Guesthouse, which plays a starring role in their video.
The sessions would see each of the members share their poetry and writings with one another.
They then started to collaborate and the idea to make a short film was born.
Writer Andrew Meserth, who has some previous experience with video making, suggested producing a video to accompany the group’s work.
Andrew said he believed the group’s work was good enough to feature in the festival and formally submitted the video for inclusion.
Not only was the submission accepted, Andrew received correspondence from the organisers to say the video had been selected as one of the finalists at the festival.
The group are now eagerly awaiting to find out how their video will fare at this year’s event.
The video, titled CHOO’s GUESTHOUSE: Monday Night Poetry, was shot at various locations around Ao Manao and took over one year to produce and edit. Other members of the group as well as friends and people living locally also feature in the video.
The 10th annual International Video Poetry Festival will be held in Athens from September 30 to October 1, 2022.
