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Thailand - biggest
investor in Myanmar
The continuing violence in Myanmar caused by the military government’s
crackdown on street protests will have an impact on businesses owned by many
groups of Thai investors in the country, according to the Kasikorn Research
Centre.
The nation’s leading business think tank reported that should the unrest
drag on, or indeed escalate, it would have a severe impact on Thai
businesses investing in tourism in Myanmar and, at the same time, Thai
businesses exporting goods into Myanmar might also be affected by additional
international sanctions.
At present Thai businesses are involved in various sectors of Myanmar’s
business portfolio including hotels and tourism, fisheries, mining,
transportation, oil and natural gas drilling, construction, property, and
agriculture.
The KRC said investment made by Thai businesses in Myanmar’s hotel and
tourism sector totaled US$228.6 million last year; the investment in the
production industry is worth $614.6 million; the fisheries industry $171
million, and agriculture the smallest at $2.7 million.
Power generating projects involving Thai companies in Myanmar are currently
worth $6.03 billion baht and involve the construction of hydro-power dams
along the Salween River, a project expected to take six years to complete.
These projects, combined with other investments, brought up the total value
Thailand has invested in Myanmar to $7.38 billion baht: the largest amount
of any of the ASEAN nations, ahead of Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
(TNA)
Goldsmiths losing jobs
despite gold price hike
Many of Thailand’s goldsmiths are facing unemployment despite
the continued rise of gold prices on the world markets, according to a leading
industry executive.
Chitti Tangsitthipakdi, president of the Thai Gold Traders Association, revealed
that gold prices as of last week stood at US$744 per ounce, the highest in 27
years, and they are expected to climb further to $750 per ounce due to continued
hedge fund speculation.
The local price for gold jewelry meanwhile has currently edged up to Bt12,350
per Baht and for gold bullion to Bt11,950 per one Baht.
He said the local gold prices had been rather volatile in the past month and
that buyers should exercise caution before investing in the precious metal.
“Gold prices are likely to rise further if there are political changes in
foreign countries,” he said. “We must monitor whether the price will pass beyond
$750 per ounce. It will continue to reach $800 if it passes the $750 level,” he
added.
Tangsitthipakdi conceded that many members of the public are taking much of
their gold to sell at local gold shops due to its current high price. He said
this was having a detrimental effect on the gold shop business, which was
already suffering from a 10 per cent fall in sales over the past year.
“What is worrying us most now is that goldsmiths are jobless because most people
prefer selling gold to purchasing it. Should the situation continue, more
goldsmiths will be unemployed,” he said. (TNA)
Thailand hopes to be
Asia’s biotechnology hub
Thailand will hold BioAsia 2007 November 5-9 in support of
research and the development of biotechnology.
Science and Technology Minister Prof. Dr. Yongyuth Yuthavong said the ministry,
as well as other government and private agencies, will co-host BioAsia 2007,
which includes the 6th Asian Crop Science Association Conference and the 2nd
International Conference on Rice for the Future.
The venue is the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
Thailand is ready to become the Asian hub of biotechnological development and to
conduct more research on agricultural, said Dr. Yuthavong. About 6,000 to 7,000
Thai and international visitors are expected to attend the event.
The royal projects of His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadej, such as bio-diesel
production, will also be on display at the event to honour the monarch.
Meanwhile, deputy secretary-general of the Board of Investment of Thailand (BoI)
Hiranya Sujinai said the BoI is ready to support investors in Thailand who are
looking to conduct research into four specific areas: plant seeds and animal
husbandry (breeding); medical supplies; analysis development; and plant and
animal cells.
Sujinai said the BoI would exempt import taxes and levies on machinery and
equipment for biotechnological research as well as corporate income taxes for
eight years. (TNA)
Big business in sports sponsorship
Property developers Raimon Land are one of the
biggest sponsors of sporting events in the kingdom. Pictured here is the
yacht “Magic Roundabout” flying the company’s Northpoint colours at last
year’s Top of The Gulf Regatta. Alan
Parkhouse
Sponsors are sometimes considered a necessary evil by some of the people
staging sporting events, and in the past little consideration was given to
the people who were putting up the money needed to hold a sporting
competition.
A few signs around the venue bearing the sponsor’s name or a logo on a
T-shirt used to be considered enough of a payback to a sponsor who stumped
up the money needed to run the event.
 Landrover
saw an increase in sales following their sponsorship of the 2006 Koh Samui
Regatta.
But things are changing. Almost US$40 billion will be spent worldwide this
year by the sponsors of sporting events, making it one of the world’s
biggest businesses.
For the organisers of both large and small tournaments, finding the right
sponsors can sometimes be a nightmare. That’s where the marketing
consultants become invaluable.
In Thailand, which stages more big international sporting events than any
other South East Asian country, there is now a growing need for marketing
consultants to help find sponsors for the many tournaments on the
ever-growing annual sporting calendar.
Event organisers in Thailand have always found it difficult to convince
potential sponsors of the benefits of backing their events, and quite often
in the past sponsors received little value for their money.
But as the events have slowly become more professionally run over the years,
so too has their marketing.
One of this new breed of professional marketing consultants who have set up
shop in Bangkok in the past few years is Paul Poole, managing director of
Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co, Ltd, who has worked for some of the biggest
and highest profile brand name companies in the world before moving to
Thailand and setting up his own business.
Englishman Poole held senior marketing positions at such high profile
companies as Wrangler, Levi Strauss & Co, Polo Ralph Lauren and Diesel over
a 15-year period before moving to Thailand.
A good example of the success of a well thought out marketing and
sponsorship campaign by Poole was seen at the annual Koh Samui Regatta over
the past two years with motoring giant Land Rover.
Land Rover not only became a regatta sponsor, but also sent a fleet of their
four-wheel drive vehicles and a team of expert drivers to regatta
headquarters on Samui. On the regatta’s lay-day, when there was no racing,
Land Rover offered a driving experience with their vehicles over the rugged
mountainous terrain in the middle of the island, and many skippers, crew and
media took part.
The end result was a number of sales, which more than covered the cost of
the company’s sponsorship investment.
“That was a good example of putting the right brand with the right event and
maximizing their opportunities and benefits,” said Poole. “At the end of the
day the regatta organisers had more funds to stage their event and put on a
better show and the sponsor increased its brand profile across the region
and made quite a number of sales that wouldn’t have been made otherwise.
Everyone was happy.”
Another good example of marketing the right sponsors with the right events
is Thailand-based property developers Raimon Land, who sponsor almost all of
the country’s five annual sailing regattas.
“We are major sponsors of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, the biggest sailing
event in Asia, and we also sponsor the Koh Samui Regatta, Evason Phuket
RaceWeek and the Top of the Gulf Regatta,” says Henry Young, Raimon Land’s
Marketing Manager.
“We also have big property developments in all the places the regattas are
held – Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui – and at each regatta we sell more than
enough property to cover the costs of the sponsorship,” added Young.
“We love sailing and being involved in all the regattas in Thailand, but
it’s also good business for us.”
Poole and his team are also involved in other big events in Thailand such as
PIMEX, the country’s annual boat show in Phuket, and the Phuket Invitational
Superyacht Rendezvous, which attracts some of the biggest and best
superyachts from around the world.
The key to finding sponsors for an event and matching the right corporate
backing to events that suit a company’s profile is no easy task.
With the print media, particularly newspapers, seeing a big drop in
advertising globally and television stations around the world struggling to
attract viewers and sponsors as the internet becomes more popular and widely
used, niche or specialty advertising is becoming more and more attractive.
That’s where specialists like Poole come into their own. One of the
organisations Poole has been closely working with since setting up his
business in Bangkok in the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
“There are big international music festivals, sailing and powerboat events,
marathons, triathlons and many other international sporting events being
held in Thailand each year, and these events only add to the Kingdom’s
popularity and reputation overseas, so it makes sense to be associated with
the TAT, as it is their job to promote tourism and the country in general,”
said Poole.
The TAT reports that the country’s tourism industry will generate almost 100
billion baht in revenue next year, or almost US$3.5 billion, and a good
percentage of that revenue is expected to come from the many “sports
tourists” coming to the country.
The future looks good for Poole and the many organisers of sporting events
in Thailand, and with more and more events being added to the calendar each
year the future looks good for Thailand as well.
And the media are happy too. After all, where else can a struggling
journalist get to drive a new top of the line Range Rover flat out over a
mountain on a tropical island? Reference:
* Alan Parkhouse is the former Sports Editor of The Nation newspaper in
Bangkok and has written about sport in Thailand and the region for more than
20 years.
* Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd is an independent marketing
consultancy based in Bangkok specialising in commercial sponsorship,
partnership marketing and working with many of the world’s leading brands.
www.paulpoole.co.th
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