Chiang Mai: A City Of M I C E

[webfact]

AROUND THAILAND

Chiang Mai: a city of MICE

The Nation

Chiang Mai's brand new Conference and Exhibition Centre is all set to open in March, paving the way for the Lanna capital to become a MICE centre.

CHIANG MAI: -- The world class International Convention and Exhibition Centre, which commemorates His Majesty the King's seventh cycle birthday anniversary, stands on 130 acres of land, and has the capacity to handle 10,000 participants per day. The centre is fully equipped with exhibition halls, concert halls, conference rooms, accommodation and restaurants. The Night Safari and Queen Sirikit are a short drive away. Chiang Mai is set to become a MICE city centre in 2016.

Meetings with a view

The newly opened M23 event space at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld is designed as an intimate setting for business meetings and receptions, seminars and golf. Covering more than 1,000 square metres, the space is divided into four natural day-lit boardrooms offering dramatic views of the city skyline, and with a class/board room capacity from 18 to 50. Along with its meetings facilities, M23, on the 23rd floor of the hotel, has its own reception area, open show kitchen and bar that caters for coffee breaks, luncheons and social events, and a 50-metre long open-air patio with a putting green.

New craft for Bangkok Airways

Two A320 aircraft- the Maha Mongkol and the Sawadee Umporn - recently joined Bangkok's Airways fleet at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Airbus's best selling model, the A320 offers 162 economy class seats and will serve both domestic and international routes including Chiang Mai, Phuket, Yangon, Siem Reap, Mumbai, and Dhaka (Bangladesh). Bangkok Airways' fleet currently consists of 21 aircraft: 8 ATR72s, 5 A320s, and 8 A319s. Visit www.BangkokAir.com.

IHG to launch flagship resort on Phuket

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to launch its first InterContinental-branded hotel in Phuket. Designed by renowned architect Bill Bensley, the man behind IHG's InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Vietnam, the InterContinental Phuket Rawai Beach Resort will be a redevelopment of the former Evason Phuket and Bon Island. When completed, the resort will have approximately 240 keys comprising both rooms and villas. The hotel is scheduled to open in 2014 and will become the flagship property for the InterContinental brand in Thailand.

-- The Nation 2013-01-02

[theblether]

Looks stunning, and I hope they are successful in drawing in the right type and volume of exhibitions and conferences.....it will be a real boon to the city and should help drive up standards in the hotel and restaurant trades.

[junglechef]

FYI: MICE, Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions or Events

[LazyYogi]

FYI: MICE, Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions or Events

Thank you. The article was so poorly written, they didn't even explain the term to the uninitiated.

[junglechef]

No problem as I found the same so while I was already looking it up figured I'd save others who also didn't know the effort

[khwaibah]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meetings,_incentives,_conferencing,_exhibitions

[theajarn]

FYI: MICE, Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions or Events

Thank you. The article was so poorly written, they didn't even explain the term to the uninitiated.

ditto.

I thought it was the thing beginning with "international" but the M was missing and there was another C at the end... just thought it was because Thais can't spell to save themselves.

[uptheos]

Chiang Mai.....'Of Mice and Men?'

Edited January 2, 2013 by uptheos

[northernboy]

With accommodation and restaurants all on site not sure if it will be no more than a government funded project with little more to offer the city than any large resort as far as encourage the attending to visit more than the official government paid for venues listed already in the article that are less than successful at attracting visitors as there is no public transport as yet in place.

Then again we hear and see lots of grand plans that fall short of being truly fully utilized when finished.

At least its construction has filled a few local pockets.

[deesquared]

FYI: MICE, Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions or Events

Thanks! I actually was wondering! They never explained it in the article. Ha. Now I know!

[deesquared]

FYI: MICE, Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions or Events

Thank you. The article was so poorly written, they didn't even explain the term to the uninitiated.

ditto. I thought it was the thing beginning with "international" but the M was missing and there was another C at the end... just thought it was because Thais can't spell to save themselves.

I suppose your spelling in Thai is impeccable?

[MESmith]

Chiang Mai.....'Of Mice and Men?'

The rice fields out my way starting to resemble the Dust Bowl

[chooka]

FYI: MICE, Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions or Events

Thank you. The article was so poorly written, they didn't even explain the term to the uninitiated.

I was expecting a story about a mice plague.

[Foggy Bottom]

Ah so ... plans laid down by Dear Leader Little Brother in 2002 now bear fruit under Dear Leader Little Sister.

Seriously - it's 13 years since He who is in exile declared that he wanted Chiang Mai to become a MICE Hub. Don't think a couple of giant Sala's on one side of town, and a few meeting rooms on the other, will lead to that status. If they're serious, they need something like Muong Thung Thani or the UK's National Exhibition Centre.

[stoli]

FYI: MICE, Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions or Events

Thank you for explaining it, but that is still one bad acronym. MICE?

Was RATS already taken?

[khaowong1]

FYI: MICE, Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions or Events

Thank you. The article was so poorly written, they didn't even explain the term to the uninitiated.

ditto. I thought it was the thing beginning with "international" but the M was missing and there was another C at the end... just thought it was because Thais can't spell to save themselves.

I suppose your spelling in Thai is impeccable?

FYO: even the Thai's seldom spell anything the same in Thai script. so lay off the sarcasm, OK?

[bigbamboo]

Better the MICE hub than the PUSSY hub.

[Nigel1500]

MICE = ADA ... er ... Another Dumb Acronym

[SLESQ]

Looking at the recent bill boards appearing from Mae Rim to Hang Dong, I wonder if the readers all understand that Chiang Mai being called "a Mice City" is intended as a complement. When first observed, we in the van (Thais, Vietnamese, and Americans) felt it was a miss-spelling of the word "Nice" that would seem more appropriate. We discussed this photo we took with others in town who thought it was an intentional slur, as in a city of mice. Still others just replied "this is Thailand." Given the comments above, perhaps more would be achieved if the City painters would change the word to "Nice."

[neilrob]

I suppose your spelling in Thai is impeccable?

FYO: even the Thai's seldom spell anything the same in Thai script. so lay off the sarcasm, OK?

First you don't know an acronym that has been around for decades. An acronym that did not come from Thailand but is an English language acronym. Then you think it is Thais not being able to spell !! Then you suggest Thais cannot spell Thai. I don't know which Thais you know, but I can assure you that many Thais can spell Thai perfectly well. Sarcasm seems entirely called for in response to your comments.