SEP 2016
Nicklas Moberg: the Swede in Chinatown ScandAsia.dk
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SEP 2016
Coming Events
DTCC Nordic Networking event Where: Admiral’s Pub & Restaurant, Sukhumvit Soi 24 When: 18:30 - 21:00 : Moberg NicklasChinatown
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The Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce invites everyone in for a night of networking. The event will take place at The Admiral’s Pub and Restaurant in Sukhumvit. It will be free for members to attend the event, and the fee for non-members will be 400 BHT.
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Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Thailand ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Thailand.
Scandinavian Society Siam: Crayfish Party 2016
We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.
Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www. scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166- , Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Managing Editor: Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com
Where: Rembrandt Hotel, Sukhumvit road soi 18 When: 24 September, 18:00 - 22:00 It is with great pleasure the Organizing Committee of the Scandinavian Society Siam invites you to our traditional SSS Crayfish Party 2016 at the Grand Ballroom of the Rembrandt Hotel. The evening offers everything that you have come to expect from a Scandinavian Society Siam Crayfish Party! Welcome drink, plenty of beer, wine and even a bottle of snaps per table is included with lots of crayfish, salmon, desserts and midnight snacks. Plus dancing the night away with Unicorn band! Member tickets are 2.900 THB until 12 September., Member at Door 3,200 THB.
Journalist: Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Printing : Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.
Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com
Svenska Kyrkan i Thailand: Samtalsgrupp med frukost! Where: Prästbostaden på Kata Top View, Phuket When: 30 September, 11:30 - 15:00 Vi samtalar kring olika ämnen över en kopp kaffe och smörgås. En gång i månaden mellan september och april samlas vi i prästbostaden på Kata Top View. Vi äter frukost tillsammans och avslutar med en samtalsgrupp. Församlingen föreslår olika ämnen som är aktuella. Vi har bland annat diskuterat kring kyrkoåret, döden, vad är en människa mm. För att vi skall kunna beräkna maten vill vi att du anmäler att du vill komma. Mejla tillphuket@ svenskakyrkan.se eller ring till Anna +66 (0) 87 381 4830 senast klockan 15 dagen innan.
September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 3
News Brief
Thailand festivals in Scandinavia 2016 Kungsträdgården, Stockholm
D
uring 29-30 July 2016, the Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm, in cooperation with Ministr y of Culture of Thailand, the Thai offices, as well as Thai communities in Sweden, held the Thai Festival “Thailand @ Kungsträdgården 2016” in Stockholm. The festival has been consecutively organized for the third year since 2014. The festival attracted over 100,000 visitors during two days. On this occasion, H.E. Mr. Apichart Chinwanno, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, delivered welcoming remarks followed by the remarks by H.E. Mr. Kiattikhun Char tpraser t, Thai Ambassador to Sweden. This highlighted the objective of the festival which is to promote the image of Thailand in different areas such as culture, trade, economy, tourism and people-to-people ties between Thailand and Sweden. The activities were organized by the Royal Thai Embassy and consisted of mobile exhibitions on Sufficiency Economy and the relations between Thailand and Sweden,Thai food cooking demonstration, Thai Salong fabric in a modern style, and selling of Thai products. As par t of the event, the Thai Airways International Office in Stockholm organized a reception on 29 July’s evening to celebrate 30th year Anniversary of Thai Airways in Stockholm. Special price tickets to Thailand were also on sale during the event. In addition, the visitors could also join lucky draw for a chance to win roundtrip
air tickets to Thailand with accommodation by scanning QR code created by a group of Thai students in Sweden. The Tourism Authority of Thailand had organized a workshop of handicraft from the Nor thern par t of Thailand such as umbrella painting as well as showing Phi Ta Khon, a typical Thai mask used in celebration of Buddhist merit making in Thailand. There were over 10 Thai food stalls from Thai restaurants in Sweden, Thai massage, real estate representatives from Thailand, and several stalls selling different kinds of Thai products such as fruit, vegetables, and Thai seasoning. Apart from the exhibition and Thai food stalls, there were stage performance shows such as Thai Traditional performances sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Thailand, live music from Thailand, the demonstration of Muay Thai, Thai traditional performance, as well as Thai country music performed by Thai communities in Sweden, and many more. This year the Embassy had invited a Thai innovator who brought with him his own innovation, a robot designed for taking care of elderly people named ‘Dinsow’ to the festival. This was attracted by many visitors especially the children. The Swedish children learned how to greet in a Thai way or ‘Wai’ from this robot’s movement. Source: The Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm
Thai Festival in Copenhagen
O
n 13 August 2016, the Royal Thai Embassy in Copenhagen and the Thai Community in Denmark organized a Thai Festival at Havneparken, Islands Br ygge in Copenhagen. Twenty-six Thai shops and restaurants in Denmark participated selling variety of Thai products, including food, desser ts and snacks, fresh and dried tropical fruits, beverages, clothes and textile among others. Approximately 10,000 participants enjoyed various delicious Thai food and Thai cultural performances from member s of the Thai Community in Denmark as well as performances from professional dancers and musicians from Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, Ministry of Culture of Thailand. In addition, there was an exhibition of arts and crafts from the Foundation of the Promotion of Supplementar y Occupations and Related Techniques of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Lucky draw winners won round-trip tickets from Copenhagen to Bangkok sponsored by Thai Airways International and gift vouchers from Tourism Authority of Thailand. Source: The Royal Thai Embassy in Denmark
4 ScandAsia.Thailand • September 2016
News Brief
Jørgen Schmidt passed away
J
ørgen Schmidt, the founder of the dz group of companies, passed away in the early hours of Thursday 11 August 2016. Jørgen Schmidt founded the dz group of companies in Denmark in 1971. He was already a successful businessman within security printing and plastic card production in Denmark when in 1983 he opened a factory in Thailand. A few years later, he decided to move to Thailand and focus entirely on this product line and consequently sold his company back in Denmark. Jørgen Schmidt was exceptionelly good at following with the developments in the market. When credit cards started having electronic circuits embedded, he was quick to offer that too and he was at the forefront of companies offering SIM cards for mobile phones when that market exploded. His success earned him on several occasions the attention of the Danish Royal family. In 1997, Crown Prince Frederik cut the ribbon for the second expansion of dz’s factory in Bang Plee east of Bangkok. In 2008, Crown Prince Frederik visited the dz group again, this time to cut the ribbon to the fourth expansion and at the same time participate in the 25 year anniversary celebration of the company. As the Crown Prince had already seen the factory Jørgen Schmidt in 2008 instead showed him his collection of paintings and other art pieces before hosting a lunch for the entire delegation. Jørgen Schmidt died from a progressing cancer which eventually developed an incurable tumor in his brain. He leaves behind his wife and two daughters from his current marriage and his children from his previous marriages who are all in different ways active in the family business.
New Finnish Ambassador to Bangkok
T
he Finnish government has appointed Satu Suikkari-Kleven as the new ambassador in Bangkok, Thailand. With this new title, Ms. Suikkari-Kleven will be the new Ambassador to both Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. Currently Satu Suikkari-Kleven works at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs which she entered in 1998. She has previously worked at the Finnish Embassy in Oslo and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in New York. Fur thermore, the upcoming ambassador has worked at the Office of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in Strasbourg and at the headquar ters of UN Refugee Agency UNHCR in Geneve and its office in Afghanistan. Satu Suikkari-Kleven take up her new post in September 2016 and will thereby be replacing Kirsti Westphalen.
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September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5
Swede Mats Öberg caught in a Thai hospital for three weeks By Maria Jønsson
I
n late July 2016, 55-year-old Mats Öberg from the little town Swedish town Eslöv travelled to Bangkok. His past travels have always been with his family or friends, but this time he decided to go by himself. Before leaving Sweden, Mr Öbert went to the doctor because he had been coughing and feeling a little feverish. The doctor gave him some antibiotics for a light pneumonia but did not warn him from travelling. Yet, the moment Mr Öberg arrived in Bangkok he star ted coughing blood and collapsed. At first, he was taken care of at the airport before he was taken to a local hospital in Bangkok. Back in Sweden his three children were waiting for their father to tell them that he was in Bangkok, safe and sound. But they heard nothing. It was not until the next day that the hospital staff got in touch with the children through their father’s phone. The children were met with broken English on the other line, but luckily, the daughter along with her mother and Mr Öberg’s ex-wife are nurses in Sweden, so they understood most of the medical terms they were presented. The family immediately contacted his insurance company,Trygg-Hansa, in the hope that they would help them out. But to the family’s disappointment, Trygg-Hansa was not willing to pay for the health or travel expenses.Their reason was that Mr Öberg already was ill when he left Sweden. The family also tried contacting the Foreign Ministry, the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok, SOS International.
6 ScandAsia.Thailand • September 2016
“For two days we were in constant contact with all four instances, and they all just referred to each other and none of them wanted to take any responsibility whatsoever,” says the oldest son, Rasmus Öberg. Håkan Franzen, insurance expert from TryggHansa explains that the insurance company has a thorough and comprehensive picture of Mr Öberg’s medical conditions on depar ture on which they based their decision. “Basically, the insurance does not apply if you are ill and have a need for care even before the journey begins,” says Håkan Franzen.
Travelled to Bangkok The family, consisting of the three children, Rasmus, Ida and Jonathan and their mother, Birgitta, decided to get the first flight to Bangkok to help and be with their critically ill father. When they got to the Thai capital, they immediately got him transferred to Bumrungrad International Hospital, the most expensive private hospital in all of Thailand, knowing that they would not be able to pay the bill. “It was terrible, but we just did what we had to do,” says Rasmus. He explains that they kept hoping that the insurance company would realise that they had made a mistake and change their decision. But as the days went by, so did their hope, and they started looking for loans to apply for. Apart from the hospital bill, the family also had to pay for the medical transportation Mats Öberg needed to get home safely along with their own transportation.
Help from the Swedish Church During their time in the Thai capital, the family got help from the Swedish Church in Bangkok. The Swedish Church cannot help families like the Öbergs economically, but they can contribute to being a socially and psychologically important support for the family during their time of crisis. The church helped the Öbergs by sending a volunteer to help the family figuring out what to do and how to do it. This volunteer has been living with her family in Thailand for five years and therefore, she could also work as an interpreter. She is used to dealing with this and has experience in law and has been involved in the groups that before have visited Swedes who have ended up in a Thai hospital due to illnesses and accidents in Thailand.
More and more complications In all his time in Bangkok, Mr Öberg was in need of a respirator to breathe. Since he got to Thailand, he has had a stroke and a number of blood clots in his legs. Furthermore, his heart started to beat out of rhythm which resulted in him receiving heart medicine. That is only some of the battles the father of three fought in the Thai hospital. “It has been excruciating. We did not know anything. We did not know what was happening, and we did not know how long he would survive,” says Rasmus.
Fundraising through Facebook Without help from the insurance company Mr Öberg could not afford to get home or pay
Photo text: The Öbergs on a trip to Paris in the spring. Mats Öberg is sitting to the right in the photo with his children Ida (left), Rasmus and Jonathan Oberg. Photo: Private.
the hospital bills. In the Swede’s condition, he needed to be transported back to Sweden with air ambulance, while the hospital bill was rising by the day due to his condition deteriorating. Some of the family’s friends had star ted talking about raising money to help them, but the Öbergs wanted to do it themselves. After a couple of days, the family started a fundraising through Facebook updates reaching out to all their friends. This turned out to be more helpful than the family had ever dared to hope. Friends and family started sending them money, and all of a sudden, the family also received money from people they did not know. Also local Swedish businesses started helping the family raising money. Among others the table tennis club, where Mr Öberg is a member, was trying to raise money to help him. Therefore, Sunday 7 August 2016, the club made an event to raise more money. They made a table tennis show and made around 60,000 SEK. All the profit from the fundraising was donated directly to the family.
Back home For three weeks the family was stuck in Bangkok not knowing what to do, or what was going to happen. They had no idea if their fundraisings would be enough to get their father home. Then one day, their luck changed. In mid August the family had managed to raise the significant amout of 800,000 SEK which was almost enough to pay the hospital bill and the ambulance flight for their father. The family now only had to pay around
100,000 SEK themselves. In mid August, the entire family was on their way home to Sweden. For three weeks they had been living in constant fear and uncertainty. As the family sat on their flight home, they still did not know whether or not Mr Öberg would make it, since transporting him home was very risky due to his condition.
Getting better Mr Öberg landed in Copenhagen on 17 August 2016 and from there he was transpor ted by ambulance directly to a hospital in Lund in Sweden. Already after a couple of days he could breathe without the help from his respirator which he had been breathing through ever since he was embedded in Bangkok. On 30 August 2016, Mats Öberg wrote on Facebook that he had been released from the hospital and that it seems he is going to be alright. He writes that medically speaking, everything looks to be going in the right direction, but that there are some tests to be done during his rehab period. He is very grateful for all the help he has received and wants to thank both his family for helping him through this and all the people who have donated money to the family. The next step for the family is to make an appeal for the insurance company to reopen the case and pay the hospital bill as well as the medical transportation he needed to get home to Sweden.
September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 7
Peter Sand: new Trade Counsellor Danish Embassy Thailand
By Anders Bo Andersen
F
rom Beijing to New Dehli, then home to Denmark for six years and now back again; the region of Asia is not an unfamiliar place to Peter Sand, the new Trade Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission to the Danish Embassy in Thailand. Starting in the private sector, he moved to the Danish Foreign Ministry in 2002, where he have served on a number of prominent positions, among other things as the personal assistant to Uffe Elleman. Now, he is ready to carry out a new position abroad, this time in Thailand. “I have now come to an easier part of Asia, if you can say so. But I really like it out here, so I was very happy when I was offered this position and the opportunity to return to Asia,” Peter says, when ScandAsia talked with him in his office at the Danish Embassy in Bangkok. “You can say that I am an ‘Asia-freak’,” he adds with a smile. Peter’s career in the Danish Foreign Ministry started in Beijing, where he set out as sector expert within energy and environment. Unlike his colleagues in the Foreign Ministry, Peter was not the poster boy for a job in the there because he came in from the private sector. “I was an untraditional candidate for a position in the Foreign Ministry because of my background in mainly private companies. However, at that point I had been to China on several occasions and found China a super interesting place, so I applied for a job at the Embassy in Beijing and got it,” he explains. 8 ScandAsia.Thailand • September 2016
Peter was in Beijing for five years and a part of the Danish Foreign Ministry, which allowed him to transfer to a position at the Danish Embassy in New Dehli. After three years in India, he returned to Denmark for six years, where he mostly worked for the Danish Trade Council in Copenhagen. In 2011, he became the personal assistant to the former Danish Foreign Minister, Uffe Elleman, who at that point served as Export Ambassador to India. However, Peter’s job did not last long, because the Export Ambassador initiative was abolished four months after it commenced. “The Export Ambassadors existed from June to November 2011. I remember, because Uffe Elleman was fired on his 70 years birthday,” Peter says. “But I had some intense few, but super interesting and exciting months with Uffe,” he adds. In his new position in Thailand, Peter functions both as Trade Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Danish Embassy in Bangkok. The two former separate posts have merged and is now under his jurisdiction. However, as Peter underlines, trade and commerce come first. “I have an economic and commercial profile, so commercial matters have first priority to me,” he says. An increasing number of businesses are setting up in Cambodia instead of Thailand, because of the extensive requirements and bureaucracy in Thailand, which is a problem Peter intends to solve in his new position.
“We are teaming up with the authorities here in Thailand, such as the Board of Investment (BoI) and the Ministry of Commerce, to make it easier for Danish companies to set up businesses out here,” Peter says. “At the moment we are, together with the Thai authorities, offering service packages that include tax reliefs, help with work permits and additional paper work, especially for applications for BoI support,” he explains. Peter is also aware that the high price the Trade Council charge for its services is a problem. With a cost of DKK 935 per hour, some business might tail off, but Peter argues that the Council is flexible and ready to come up with an offer. “We are aware that we are a little expensive, but we offer package deals and the price depends on the hours used. In case of fewer hours, we pay back our customers.” Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is also a priority for Peter, who, among other things, have been responsible for the SME activities of the Danish Trade Council in Copenhagen. “We have come to a point, where an increasing number of the bigger Danish companies are getting active in Thailand. As the number of big and medium-sized businesses gradually dries up, we need to start doing more for the small businesses also, when they are ready to engage with Thailand” Peter says. As a part of this new focus on SMEs, Peter hopes a Danish company in Thailand will get enrolled in the Vitus programme, a project established by the Danish The Trade Council that provides suppor t for small and medium-sized Danish companies with an international growth potential. “We will do a lot for a Danish company out here to get accepted for the Vitus programme, and as I know, in all modesty, a lot about SMEs and the program, I think it could be very interesting,” Peter says. “That is one of my main ambitions,” he adds. Peter’s family has not moved with him to Thailand. His wife works for the International Office at Aalbor g Univer sity’s br anch in Copenhagen, but will come live with him in Thailand next summer. His two sons, who are 18 and 21 years old, will not move to Thailand, but plan to do an internship or travel to the country. Peter will serve as Trade Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission for the next four years.
News Brief
Mr. Fredrik Härén
Sweden gears up for its first SEA business summit in Singapore By Joakim Persson As the first ever, and very timely ‘Sweden– Southeast Asia Business Summit’ is around the corner (21–22 of September 2016), Team Sweden presents the details for the two days in Singapore include an exciting and relevant programme, and key political and high-level business representatives from Sweden, such as Mr Mikael Damberg, Minister for Enterprise and Innovation; Mrs.Ylva Berg, CEO, Business Sweden; and Mr Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of the Board, SEB, SAAB Group & Foundation Asset Management. Forecasted as a strong growth market onwards, Southeast Asia requires business leaders and entrepreneurs to have a clear understanding of the developments in the region. The Sweden–Southeast Asia Business Summit provides an excellent opportunity to get insights from industry peers and policy experts and to meet with potential partners. On Day 1 Mr Marcus Wallenberg and Mr. Piyush Gupta, Chief Executive Officer and Director of DBS Group will hold keynote speeches, followed by the first session, kicking off the summit with a heavy-weight topic to paint the picture of the region’s forecast and potential for the near future: ‘Economic and Political Outlook on Southeast Asia - Brief introductory remarks’ followed by a panel discussion based on the themes: • Southeast Asia – Asia’s new growth engine • The regional free trade agenda and greater regional economic integration including the ASEAN Economic Community – what’s in it for business? • Southeast Asia - stepping out of China’s shadow? • The US, China and Southeast Asia – new geopolitical realities In session 2 the summit looks ahead to ‘Southeast Asia in 2020 – key factors for
businesses to consider’. Mr Christian Ihre, for instance, presents insights to ‘Who is the Southeast Asian consumer?’ in a panel discussion. Christian Ihre is Co-founder & CEO of LynxEye Management Consultants, an awardwinning Brand Agency in the Nordic Region. He set up a Singapore office in 2012 and has since led the Asia operations. In a second panel discussion Mr Andreas Ehn and Ms Lisa Enckell will bring forward the topic ‘The future of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia’, while Mr Dušan Stojanovic, Founder and Director of True Global Ventures will present: ‘Enabling financial inclusion through Fintech – opportunities in Southeast Asia’. Andreas Ehn and Lisa Enckell are angel investors and consultants based in Singapore who decided to explore ten different countries during the course of five years. In every market they work with local start/ups and investors and look for potential start/ups to invest in.They both have a background in founding and working for technology companies in Stockholm and San Francisco. Andreas was Spotify’s first employee and chief technology officer (CTO). Dušan is described as a ‘citizen of the world’ with a Swedish passpor t. He was awarded the prize Business Angel of the Year in Europe in 2013 by EBAN (European Business Angel Network) after having three positive exits within a week. He was announced as among ‘Fintech Asia 100 Leaders’ In Asian Fintech in 2016 after moving to Asia in 2014. As promised the summit will also present ‘Success stories – per spectives from the ground’, where Swedish companies share their experience of doing business in Southeast Asia. Representatives from Axis Communications, Ericsson, Scania, Stora Enso and Volvo Trucks will present their insights.
The first day closes with a Gala Dinner, hosted by Mikael Damberg, Minister for Enterprise and Innovation and Mrs. Ylva Berg, CEO of Business Sweden. Mr Fredrik Härén, the author of nine books, including ‘The Idea Book’ will be its ‘inspirational speaker’. Fredrik informed ScandAsia that he will be speaking on “the need for innovation and about why Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia are so good at it, and also about why the idea of Sweden as an innovative country should not exist ;)” “I will also talk about the opposite, what Sweden can learn about innovation from Southeast Asia.” Day 2 continues with a topic of most impor tance to the Swedish Government: ‘Sustainable business in Southeast Asia. Challenging perceptions and contribute to change – what Swedish companies can bring to the table’. Mikael Damberg, Minister for Enterprise and Innovation will give his introductory remarks on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a competitive advantage’, followed by a moderated panel discussion and Q&A ,where representatives of among others H&M and IKEA will attend. Why it is impor tant? Sustainable business represents values which the Swedish Government and Swedish society seek to safeguard and promote. Companies with long-term, sustainable business models are more likely to survive in the long run, and so on. Sustainable business strengthens both longterm value creation and our competitiveness, and contributes to the achievement of societal goals. Swedish enterprises that enjoy good relations with their stakeholders and the world at large strengthen their risk management processes and are more attractive to business partners at international level. September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9
Nicklas Moberg:
the Swede in Chinatown Text and photos: Joakim Persson
A
s a Swede in Bangkok’s Chinatown Hotelier Nicklas Mober g has jumped on an under taking that places him in a truly unique setting, and not just that; but in charge of its main street’s most prominent and only modern four-star hotel! This is the kind of undertaking where Nicklas thrives, when there is truly a challenge. “I appreciated that it was new and fresh but in an old setting, so I could foresee guests who would appreciate this: something comfortable and modern while at the same time offering the culture shock one encounters out on the street. It was clearly a case,” he had evaluated the hotel when deciding to accept the offer of managing it. Previously called White Orchid, the renamed and entirely refurbished Hotel Royal Bangkok @ Chinatown is now as good as new, and something of a fresh addition in this otherwise conservative district. And how on earth did Nicklas end up as General Manager there? Coincidences and connections typically played out. Nicklas had already decided to make Bangkok his new home since a few years back, having left behind a long 10 ScandAsia.Thailand • September 2016
stint mainly as restaurateur in the family business back in his home town Örebro in Sweden. He had in fact come to Thailand for a classic thai-m out. And here he still is…
Encountering hotel environs at young age Going back first to where his career started, the local hotel caught his eye at early age. This “famous old hotel” is a neighbour with his weekend job had back then in 1988 at an auction house (Nicklas has an interest in antique things). In that hotel Nicklas encountered an environment that he felt he wanted to work with. “The hotel’s manager thought I was too young but if I was so ambitious he would find me something. So I started with cleaning toilets – doing the less funny part. Then I climbed to working in the bar.” And that was how Nicklas’ food & beverage career started. Soon enough he quit at the auction firm to focus on the hotel job. “The hotel manager also owned a nightclub so after a few years I started combining with working also there, so one could gain different insights while still handling guests; still striving to
offer a level of service above expectations.” And already here it becomes clear that Nicklas is very focused on guest satisfaction in order build returning guests – which we will come back to. After a few years working in the nightclub Nicklas bought and ran it together with the chef. He gradually got more offers to work within hotels and to buy other restaurants, based on his successful performance. Nicklas ended up buying another restaurant that was very unique: a converted pornographic cinema from the 1950s. There, he successfully continued a previous collaboration with a jazz club and turned it into an incredible venue for live jazz. “Nothing of its kind had been open on the scene previously and with this partnership we managed to have a large number of jazz musicians from the whole world that came to perform there.” The years as restaurateur within the Örebro scene peaked when Nicklas’ family business bought what was then the largest restaurant in town, where he found himself with something pretty “alien” in the form of Swedish dance band entertainment instead of pumping music and jazz.
The hotel manager also owned a nightclub so after a few years I started combining with working also there, so one could gain different insights while still handling guests; still striving to offer a level of service above expectations.
Valuable retail insights As the family sold off in 2007 Nicklas went back into the hotel business. “I had then worked in the family business for 15 years, combining work in hotels with running restaurants and pubs during most of those years. It had been very demanding to both run own restaurants while at the same time being able to do perform well.” And, as a typical example of coincidences, his international career started when a hotel guest at Grand Hotel in Stockholm (where Nicklas also worked) offered him a job in the French Alps, when the guest learned that he was not keen on skiing. General Managers in the Alps tend to break their legs, Nicklas was told, and took on the offer for a job, indeed replacing a Dane that had just broken his leg. Aside Grand Hotel Nicklas also helped a friend with a tax-free business at Arlanda airport, where he got to learn valuable things about retail. He also studied this as part of his education. “I brought that with me into the hotel industry in order to see if it would do the trick for us as well; to use the environment of retail within a hotel setting. And this is something fundamental
that one must work on; that there are so much more to sell to the hotel customer.” Once Nicklas started discovering these new opportunities in how to work, he himself also got so much more knowledgeable and skilful, he says. “I thought I was performing well but then got even stronger in my skills with what I could implement within the hotel industry.” At the end of the day this is about gaining more revenue to the hotel, but also to meet the guest’s level of needs; to be a bit on top there, says the hotelier. “During my years in the hotel industry I have seen that the guests get much happier if I am prepared for their visit, without them knowing that, than if being asked about needs upon arrival.” I travel frequently myself and look at how I want to plan for my stay to be very good, and then apply that on how the guest sees him or herself. And just because we get a booking to the hotel it does not mean that we know everything about the guest. One must put an effort into obtaining information about this guest that enables getting as much as possible out of the guest’s stay and that equally the guest gets as much as possible out of it.”
“When you gather this information your starting point will be much better how to address and serve a guest.” As Nicklas elaborates on this topic, which all of a sudden seems so fundamental, it soon becomes clear how he right he was: “Nowadays many hotel operational programmes have these elements included, but back then in the early 2000s we did not have this thinking within hotels concerning upselling, cross-selling and re-selling.” “The hotels have been in their comfort zone; being happy just when the guest has paid and checked in. The hotels have entered something late that others have been using much longer. And many have woken up only in the last 2-3 years by creating their Facebook page, somebody has been put in charge to manage this and publish content,” he continues.
Guest expectation insights A consequence for the Swede is that he is today much more of a sales person than in the beginning. “We have a lot of guest interaction all the time, which is where we establish contact and build a hopefully long-term relationship between September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11
the guest and the hotel – the product we are selling.” And that is where Nicklas, as a foreign manager, can best contribute: in showing his experience from Europe in the guest service management. “I can see that we can be good complement for the Thai hotel and tourism industry precisely because we are sitting on information and experience on non-Asians’ expectations on their vacations; what they want to get out of their stay and everything that comes with it – both as a business traveller and as tourist.” “We invite guests who have a higher standard of living about everything about them. And in Asia one must work much harder to educate the associates about this, which is training that requires a long-term effort.”
Different than Bangkok Also in focus is looking at how Hotel Royal Bangkok @ Chinatown can better be seen and heard. “That is especially important for a hotel of this kind that is smack in the middle of a really unique place in Bangkok to where many guests to Bangkok would like to visit and stay without really knowing how to get here. One does not know what is on offer here and when things are open, so one wants some info.” Giving information to guests prior to and during a stay is therefore key. “I want to meet people, such as groups, companies wanting to make business here in
12 ScandAsia.Thailand • September 2016
Chinatown or to just come here for one reason or the other and tell them what’s available here; what Chinatown as a product has on offer, and which does not equal the same product as Bangkok. And I am trying to market this area completely differently from if I would be in hotel somewhere else in Bangkok in a city hotel were I might not have an own product to tell about.” The benchmarking against the competition also looks good: “Our hotel is better, nicer and comes with higher level of service.” The fact that there is a Swede in the hotel is also paying off.
“During the short period I have been here so far we have seen a strong overall increase in the number of Scandinavian guests. That comes from word-of-mouth. And it’s about talking to guests and knowing that social media is powerful. I work a lot on this, talking to the guests and trying to make them convert that into direct bookings, which we make more revenue from.” A Swedish guest, recalls Nicklas, booked to stay at Hotel Royal Bangkok, based on noting a name in reply to guest feedback on Tripadvisor; a Swedish-sounding name, belonging to Nicklas Moberg – the Swede in Chinatown.
Danish artist awarded Rotary Peace Fellowship By Maria Jønsson
A
mong her in the classroom an FBI agent, a few teachers and an Indian police officer are sitting. But no ar tists have ever entered this room. And nor have any Danish people. Stine Marie Jacobsen is the first person of her kind to attend the Rotary Peace Fellowship education in Bangkok. Stine Marie Jacobsen is a Danish ar tist that now lives in Berlin in Germany. She started painting when she was 16 years old and stopped again at 26 because she felt she had learned what there was to learn. Since then she has tried out a lot of different kinds of art, but has now ended in the political field. Two months ago, in June 2016, Stine decided to move all the way across the globe. During the past two months she has been studying peacebuilding and conflict resolution at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at Chulalongkorn University in the centre of Bangkok. It was just a normal day for Stine when she received the email from the Rotary. She was in her home in Berlin when she checked her inbox that day. But it was not just the regular emails she found there. Among them was also an invitation to start an education in peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Bangkok. She had just gotten another invitation to move to New York, which she eventually had to turn down. Her
friend told her; ‘do what no one else does.’ And on that note Stine packed her bags and went to study at the centre in the capital of Thailand. “I was like: Where am I going? What am I doing?” Stine says with a big smile on her face and explains how she felt exultant and told all her friends about her upcoming adventure. “You can always come back to Denmark or Berlin, but how often do you get the chance to study peacebuilding and conflict resolution on the other side of the planet?” she says. The Rotary Peace Fellowship is a form of professionalization. The students have been admitted to the course because the Rotary foundation already thought that they were doing something for peace and conflict resolution in the world. Stine Marie Jacobsen thinks that art can be used as a healing and conflict resolving tool and as a response to negative stories because it is more complex. Therefore, she has decided to make political ar t that at the same time is educational. Since 2012 she has been making an educational programme called ‘Direct Approach’. It is a project based on conver sations about violence in film and reality. These conversations are then exhibited in inter views, film posters and video. With the use of film as a conversational tool, Stine, along with a Danish language psychologist,
created ‘Direct Approach’ to engage people from different public spaces and institutions in dialogues about violence, taboos and ethics. The par ticipants are told to reflect upon violence they have seen in films and how the violence reflects society today. By systematically and carefully investigating these themes, the par ticipants then position themselves within the landscapes of ethics, morality, injustice, occupation and desire. Stine’s goal is to get the ‘Direct
Approach’-model out to schools, lawyers, social workers and refugees for it to become a genuine form of education about our society. When she is home in Berlin she also works with young refugees. That started as an art project called ‘German for newcomers’ where the newcomers teach each other German and out of that Stine makes a dictionary for other people to use. But it turned out to be more than an ar t project. While Stine makes her ar t, the newcomers become better German speakers while they get integrated in the German society by meeting and engaging with other people. Stine is certain that the Rotary Peace Fellowship will help her in her political work. She already has a foot inside the ar t world, and now she wants one in the political world as well. Her hope is that this fellowship will help her become more professional in her work. She experiences that she can be a little abstract in her language, and this fellowship has helped her translating herself so she can reach out to more people. By that she hopes to become better at negotiating more collaborations between the ar t scene and organisations in the hope of spreading her political education around the world.
September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13
Scandinavian entrepreneurs
at Techsauce in Bangkok Text and photos: Joakim Persson
T
h a i l a n d ’s ‘ s t a r t - u p s c e n e ’ fo r entrepreneurs, investors, and tech enthusiasts, has in 2016 gone from what at least in media seemed as close to nothing into high gear; where especially Bangkok for has become very vibrant all of a sudden, with an inaugural start-up trade show and big buzz in media. So it felt very timely when the first ‘Techsauce Summit’ took place during the weekend of 2324 July, gathering thousands of enthusiasts and stakeholders to a meetings of the minds, where CEOs and corporate leaders mingled with young Thais keen on building their first start-ups. In the programme were also two entrepreneurs from Scandinavia sharing insights into different fields; Internet of Things and games respectively. Techsauce, which was previously called Star t It Up Techsauce Summit, was branded as “Asia’s hottest tech conference”, and the vibe undoubtedly there are as some 3,000 attendants gathered to be shared with thoughtprovoking sessions and partake in conversations. The summit dived into the Thai start-up ecosystem, ideas were presented at the Star t-up 14 ScandAsia.Thailand • September 2016
Pitching Stage, accelerators by big corporations in Thailand presented their opportunities (such as the Telenor-related DTAC Accelerator), and tech-moguls share their experiences. From Sweden founder and CEO of Narrative, Mr Martin Källström, held a keynote presentation on ‘How to Launch and Market Successful IOT Projects on Crowdfunding Platform’, based on that this start-up obtained its first funding via Kickstarter, a global crowdfunding intending to bring creative ideas to life. Narrative is an IoT device in the form of a wearable HD camera and an intelligent image analysis solution which has up to now received $12M in investment, including venture capital from Khosla Ventures and True Ventures. “Sweden is Hot!” Martin highlighted as he portrayed the start-up and innovation climate in his home country. “In terms of the number of unicorns Sweden ranks second in the world per capita, Ericsson is a big player in IOT worldwide, and we have worldclass engineering,” were some of the examples he brought up. A unicorn is a start-up company valued at over $1 billion.
Mr Martin Källström
“And we have global mind-set; you know from day on that Sweden is not your main market,” he continued. “Sweden’s Government is working on making IT the nation’s identity. Narrative started out in 2012 with the U.S. as home market. A main reason he said was that when you do marketing and PR there it trickles to the whole world. And now Asia is increasingly in focus: “We realised that Asia is a very promising market for Narrative. We believe in Asean and Japan and are working on setting up new Asian headquarters.” Imaging IOT can “solve big problems” and Narrative is in particular suitable for surveillance and security purposes, while how it came to be is something much more personal: “Both my parents died in cancer, and then photos from the time spent with them become so much more important. And you capture the beautiful moments. So I started thinking about how you can catch any moment. You don’t take photos of ordinary moments,” Mar tin explained and continued: “In many moments when you take out the camera, you sort of take yourself out of the moment, and then people will behave differently.
Jakob Lykkegard Pedersen
With Narrative you will see for instance your kids behaving natural on the photos.” From Denmar k, Bangkok-based Jakob Lykkegard Pedersen, Co-Founder and CEO, Pocket PlayLab held a keynote titled ‘Playlab story: how to build Thailand gaming company and raise series B’. Jakob is a serial entrepreneur, speaker, angel investor and mentor in mobile and social media. He is now building up Pocket PlayLab to be the biggest and best mobile game studio in the region. Founded in 2012 Playlab is a leading game developer and publisher with production studios in Bangkok as well as Manila that has grown from a handful of passionate gamers to a group of 100 and more enthusiasts striving to create the best games for iOS and Android devices along with Facebook. Their games were mainly built for the U.S market as they have the best online payment penetration, informed Jakob, and while they are still competing on the western market they have decided to go after Southeast Asia. “There is not really any player in SEA and that’s the market we want to grab, that has been
neglected so long that you cannot even pinpoint any specific market here now.” Playlab raised $5M to go into the markets in this region and also acquired one games company in the Philippines. “We need to have more locally grown successes coming out of Thailand as well. The successful games on the market here now, are built in China. There is no need to have success overseas in order to have success in SEA, but you can take a global success and optimise it for Thailand.” Commenting on the quality of Thai game makers compared to in Europe the Dane said: “I definitely think Thailand has great design talent. What it is lacking is more data science design, to be able to handle millions of users.The knowledge is not there yet and you cannot really find on the local market because they did not really exist up to now.” “Thailand has a great opportunity to become successful within gaming but we need more studios to breed game design talent.”
September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15
Agneta’s World Photographer: Daniel Herron
I
have returned to Bangkok after almost two months in Scandinavia. This year, fine weather followed me from beginning to end. The sun shone, the sky was azure blue with crisp white clouds and the sea sparkled. The cool, fresh air in Scandinavia is a shock to the lungs after living in the heat and humidity of Bangkok.
South to North… Amazing Scandinavia! Copenhagen, Denmar k’s capital has a continental flair and the Danes are cer tainly among the happiest people in the world. Surely this is, in large part, due to their high consumption of beer witnessed by the fact that Carlsberg is delivered to pubs in large tanker trucks vs barrels and kegs.
When you reach Skåne, the southern part of Sweden, a visit to the small villages Skanör/ Falsterbo is a must. These quaint little seaside villages with their period houses and beach cottages are pleasing to the eye. The houses and cottages are painted in a pastel palette of blue, yellow, and pink colours and planted with the beautiful “Stock” roses, a tall flowering rose, typical to Southern Sweden. Here in Skanor you will find the little Inn “Gästgivaregården”, a treasure designed for a romantic summer stays. I return to Skanör every summer to visit with friends and to watch the flocks of geese being tended to by the local “Gåsapog and Gåsatös”. They were sadly missing
Walking thru Copenhagen visiting the old stock exchange, the Royal castle and myriad churches, is inspiring. I visited the small Naval chapel which is a repository for fine ship’s models which hang in the naves.
I began my journey in Copenhagen during the first week of July, driving from Gothenburg, across the beautiful Öresundsbron (the bridge between Malmö and Copenhagen) listening to summer songs on the radio. What a feeling…. I arrived at a small boutique hotel not far from the famous Tivoli and within walking distance of Ströget, the best known shopping street and Nyhavn with its cozy restaurants and canals filled with houseboats and visiting yachts from near and far. Nyhavn is a popular destination for both locals and visitors. The charming restaurants that line the canals offer genuine Danish food and, if you are as lucky as I was, a wandering minstrel to entertain you through the cool early evening. Nyhavn is the best location in Copenhagen for people watching.
this year as they had been dining on the village garden beds and were in “detention” until next year. While visiting Skanör, have a wander through the local St. Olof church with its manicured gardens and views out over the Öresund sea. This church is popular for summer weddings.
The architecture in Copenhagen reminded me of the “Old Town” areas of Stockholm. The Danish are well known for their furniture, fabric and household product design. It’s worth paying a visit to Illum (the department store) and Magasin du Nord. Both houses offer everything imaginable from well-known Danish designers. Before you leave Copenhagen, have a glass of Champagne in the bar at Hotel d’Angleterre. This classic property is elegant, comfortable and will leave you feeling content and prosperous as your visit nears its end. From Copenhagen I drove back across the bridge towards Skåne and was, once again, intrigued by this structure and with the operating wind vanes anchored miles from the shoreline. 16 ScandAsia.Thailand • September 2016
Every summer the famous Falsterbo Horse show takes place with riders from all over the world. During these 8 days, it’s impossible to secure an accommodation in and around Falsterbo/ Skanör..so book well in advance. Falsterbohus was, once upon a time, a summer retreat for the nobility and high society from Scandinavia. I believe, Falsterbohus has been converted to private apartments. There’s never a dull moment in Skanör/Falsterbo during the summer with garden parties, art exhibitions, concerts etc. (see www.visitskane.com).
From Skåne I travelled to Gothenburg. Here I went to school and graduated from university. Gothenburg hasn’t changed much since my days there but the city has a new face and a young student population which lends the city vitality. My favorite hotel in Gothenburg is The Dorsia. This unique boutique hotel is decorated with furniture, art and antiquities from all over Europe which lend the public areas and rooms a cozy ambience. The terraced dining area is a spacious roof piazza which reminded me of Sienna. The menu is a mixture of Mediterranean and Scandinavian. The staff is efficient and friendly. Well worth a visit.
Next stop… our amazing capital city. Stockholm delivers on its promises. The city of Stockholm is an archipelago of several small islands that reminds one of Venice. The waterways that wind through the city are connected by beautiful bridges and ferries. Old steamboats and wooden sailing yachts line the quais and leave for the outer islands daily. Numerous yachts are available for charter. Stroll through the Old Town with its narrow alleys, enjoy a luncheon in one of the waterfront restaurants, and walk through The Palace, the churches and museums. Two points of interest are the “Vasa”, the largest warship of its time.The Vasa was built in 1627 and capsized upon its launching in 1628. This magnificent vessel was raised, intact, 333 years later and is on display in its own museum. The other interesting stop is the amusement park Gröna Lund also on Djurgården island which hosts a ride called “ Insanity”… It was! I spent much of my time in Stockholm on Djurgården. This island is a quiet oasis away from the city but just a ten minute walk from central Stockholm. I stayed at Villa Källhagen, a small property on the harbor with a private marina and open air dining on cool sunny days. On several occasions I biked from the Villa to the city ..a great way to experience Stockholm at street level. Villa Källhagen is a perfect stay with exemplary service and friendly staff… The best breakfasts in Stockholm. I could write columns on this beautiful city and it was with a heavy heart I left it for another year. In thinking back on this visit the song “Stockholm in my heart” comes to mind.
order to fully enjoy the Finmark experience..It’s a bit sleepy up north.That said I enjoyed surprisingly mild weather, no need for gloves or a hat. All in all, quite an adventure.
I returned to Stockholm via Tromsö and had the good fortune to spend another four sunny days with friends there before flying back to Bangkok on Finnair. Flying Finnair was absolutely fantastic… A new Airbus, efficient and friendly staff, excellent food and wines and a glimpse over Helsinki as I flew out.
I spent a lovely day on the island of Marstrand. This small isle is a short drive from the city and reachable only by a three minute ferry. Marstrand offers visitors an old fortress, small boutiques, galleries and fine seafood.The small harbor bustles with ships and yachts. I saw the 12 meter “VIM” Quai side. This lovely sloop sailed in the 1939 America’s Cup. It’s a pleasant adventure to walk round the island and sit for a light lunch or dessert.
From Stockholm I took a long flight to the nor thernmost district in Norway, Finmark. I wanted to capture the sights and “White Nights” of Norway during summer when the ice has melted and the hills turn green. I flew into the small airstrip at Lakselv and was greeted upon arrival by friends who drove me to their homestead in the small fishing village of Viendnes.. This was Norway at its primal best with fishing as the only occupation. This village of 35 families was set amongst rocky crags with the only provisioning being from a small store in the town center that was open from 10am to 12pm. This is a hiker and fisherman’s paradise. The natives I was staying with fished for Atlantic salmon and Halibut and met with some success. Northern Norway offers the traveler a unique experience with its rugged landscape and hardy Finfolk. Here Norway is all mountains, rivers and the sea with “White Nights” throughout the summer months. It would help if you were conversant with the local sheep or had a working knowledge of long lining for Cod in
I’m happy being back in the City of Angels, ready for new challenges. I hope you all had a good vacation wherever you decided to spend it and remember, be proud of Scandinavia, I am. Your Vivacious Viking, Agneta
September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17
มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Corner
ยิ้มแรง
ชิวชิว
อุต๊ะ
smile broadly
to chill
OMG!
Speak like a Teen By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)
I
n recent months, at this place, we have strolled on the fringes of the Thai language, sampling the rapidly growing pool of English loanwords in Thai in the July issue and, in last month’s issue, peaking into the intricate world of Thai royal language.This month, I thought we would have a look at another phenomenon outside the sphere of standard Thai and yet encountered by anyone tr ying to make her or his way just beyond the default phrases of a beginner’s textbook. I am talking about the language of Thai youth, sometimes referred to as ภาษาวัยรุ่น / pha:să: wai rûn /, which you may hear wherever young people assemble in schools, ice cream parlors, shopping malls, etc., or read, if you read Thai, on social media like Facebook, Line or whatever is the latest cyber venue for interaction between Thai teens. In its own terms, the language is known as ภาษาแอ๊บแบ๊ว / pha:să: áe:p báe:o / ~ teen speak, where แอ๊บแบ๊ว / áe:p báe:o / is slang for making a cute face, making yourself look cute. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time reaching my current level of Thai, it is, on the one hand, somewhat unsettling to see Facebook posts and comments by my Thai nieces and nephews with their blatant disregard for official Thai spelling conventions, which I have struggled so hard to learn, not to mention their use of a vocabulary, still missing from any standard Thai dictionary. On the other hand, this development is common to any living language, and social media just seem to have accelerated it. Some of the new words are disappearing again, while others may enter mainstream Thai. Regardless of the views of the older generation and language purists, the words and expression 18 ScandAsia.Thailand • September 2016
can actually be quite amusing, even charming, and we shall go through some of them in the following, and, whenever possible, also state their standard Thai equivalents. Using the words may serve to show how cool you are, or, as is more likely at least in case of this middle-aged columnist, make you look ridiculous. Indeed, the mere fact that the words are listed here, may well suggest that they are no longer part of cutting edge teen speak and probably hopelessly outdated in some circles. We just have to live with that and, anyway, the words are good fun and may bring you a little closer to understanding your Thai teens, if not vice versa. Do ask them to give you examples using the words that follow. Most of the new words are distor tions of existing words. Consonants or vowels are replaced or omitted. Have a look at the following examples: อาราย / a:ra:i / ~ อะไร / àrai / ~ what?
ทามาย / tha:ma:i / ~ ทำ�ไม / tham mai / ~
why?
ชิมิ / chímí / ~ ใช่ไหม / châi mái / ~ right? เตง / te:ng / ~ ตัวเอง / tua e:ng / ~ you,
yourself, where even the standard version is only used among close friends, น่าร็อค / nâ: rórk / ~ น่ารัก / nâ: rák / ~ cute, lovely,
จุงเบย / jung boe:i / ~ จังเลย / jang loe:i / ~ really, so, ฝุด ๆ / fùt fùt / ~ สุดๆ / sùt / ~ extremely, บ่องตง / bòrng tong / ~ บอกตรง ๆ / bòr:k trong trong / ~ frankly speaking, อุต๊ะ / ùtá› / ~ อุ๊ยตาย / úi ta:i / ~ OMG! (Oh, my God!), as in English primarily used by feminine speakers. Combining a few of these, we might say
บ่องตง เตงน่าร็อคจุงเบย / bòrng tong, te:ng nâ: rórk jung boe:i / ~ frankly speaking, you are
really cute! Though some may find such remark
น่ามคานฝุดๆ / nâ:m kha:n fùt fùt / ~ น่ารำ� คาญสุดๆ / nâ: ramkha:n sùt sùt / ~ extremely
annoying. Some of the new words appear to be invented: เกิร์ป / kòe:p / ~ โง่ / ngô: / ~ stupid and แกสบี้ / káe:t bî: / ~ very old (person). Other words get a slightly twisted meaning, though still true to their root, like the word แรง / rae:ng / ~ strongly in the following examples: ยิ้มแรง / yím rae:ng / ~ smile broadly, and มองแรง / mor:ng rae:ng / ~ to stare at. Other words yet, are wholly redefined. For instance, we find an actual code based on fruit names where ส้ม / sôm / ~ orange refers to uncalled-for interference, แตงโม / dae:ng mo: / ~ water melon means to be fat, กล้วย / klûai / ~ banana means easy, and เงาะ / ngór› / ~ rambutan means confused. Finally, as we saw in July’s column, some new words are borrowed from English: อิน / in / ~ to be really into something, อิม / im / ~ first syllable of ‘impossible’, ชิวชิว / chio chio / ~ to chill (out). Feeling a bit old by now, I will go and do just that! บุย บุย / bui bui / ~ บ๊าย บาย / bá:i ba:i / and see you same place next time or, in between, at the Thai Language Corner on Facebook.
September 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19
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