Ministry of Commerce to host trade fairs online

Business never sleeps, even during a pandemic, and so Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce said last week it would host its first online trade show at the end of May, with more to follow throughout the year.

The ministry’s first virtual fair will be Multimedia Online Virtual Exhibition (MOVE), which showcases Thailand’s booming digital content industry, worth an annual $3.3 billion. Scheduled for May 25-27, a ministry official said he expects one million visitors online and sales of over $30 million.

More than 50 Thai operators from the film, animation, character, and other multimedia industries will take part in the first online trade show, said Arada Fuangtong of the International Trade Promotion Department.

THAIFEX, the international trade fair for food, beverages, and food technology, will be the second fair to go virtual In June, and a lifestyle exhibition will follow in July.

Organizers of MOVE said they would use Zoom technology for the event. MOVE has been designed to replicate as closely as possible how an in-person trade show works. International companies can make advance appointments and conduct meetings from wherever they are located at the time.

Somdet Susomboon, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department, said there would be no actual in-person trade fairs in Thailand or Thai exhibitors attending trade fairs overseas until September at the earliest.

Arada added that the department has already organized several teleconferences and online matching between Thai exporters and foreign importers to keep as much business and trade going as possible during the pandemic.

Photo courtesy of https://move.ditp.go.th/