Thailand Brings Global Festivity Cheers to the Hearts at Home

By the Department of Mega Events and World Festival, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau

The Thai community is renowned for being social. To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, residents of Thailand are staying home until the end of May while shifting to online platforms to connect with one another.

The celebratory and hospitality spirit is not dampened. Some chose ‘gratitude in silence’ whilst others created online family and friends dine-together ‘zoom’ sessions to commemorate Songkran 2020.

With an in-depth understanding of audience behavior, Thailand’s festival organizers tapped onto their creativity to encourage fans to stay home to be entertained.

STAY ENGAGED With Puppets From Across the Globe

Sema Thai Marionette, a renowned artist group, has successfully transformed its shows to the online called ’Harmony World Puppet Channel.’ According to Mr. Nimit Pipithkul Festival Director of Harmony World Puppet Puppet Festival, the channel launched with an impressive music video curated collaboratively by artists based in 15 countries across Asia and Europe. The company engages the audience by addressing social issues through the art of storytelling.

STAY ACTIVE With Virtual Running Courses

CEO of Move Asia, Mr. Boonperm Intanapasat, said that his company also transformed their Mass Participation Event into a virtual experience called the ‘Home Marathon 10km’. The whole intention is to encourage active living wherever one lives. The participants can access home-based professional training programs during the 3 months.

STAY ENTERTAINED With Live Music and Performing Arts

Bangkok Music City and Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting are the two international showcase and conference platforms for their artistic and business communities in Bangkok. The COVID-19 challenges inspired featured artists to think and act outside the box.

Fungjai - a co-organizer of BMC launched ‘At Home Festival’ earlier in April to curate a 7-hour long live music session to give fans some ‘cabin fever’ relief. This initiative evoked thousands in attendance during the event’s Facebook and YouTube live streaming – enabling the organizers to successfully raise funds to support those in financial need.

Other initiatives, including new online experiences like ‘In Own Space’, which features 16-daily live performances by artists from different genres and disciplines.

STAY TOGETHER With Support From the Government

The Mega Events and World Festival department of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has been working closely with the festival organizers in the country since the early sign of the outbreak. TCEB provides continuous support and encouraged organizers to publish their content online to keep their fans engaged.

Organizers can now access TCEB MICE Intelligence Centre’s ‘Virtual Meeting Space,’ a well-equipped platform that accommodates up to 10,000 online participants in a single session. The platform promotes communication between organizers from sharing best practices to sourcing collaboration opportunities.

About the Author:

Department of Mega Events and World Festival, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is a public organization under the supervision of the Office of Prime Minister, the Royal Thai Government. The bureau is tasked with the development and promotion of the Business Events industry, including the Mega Events and World Festivals. A part of TCEB’s key roles is the national Bidder of the global-scale events to take place in Thailand and is also a leading supporter of home-grown festivals and scale-up to the international level.

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