TCEB MICE course offered to tertiary students ahead of trade-free era. Image: P.T.

Developed by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and partner agencies, the ‘Introduction to MICE Industry’ curriculum will prepare Thailand for the upcoming free-trade era.

The joint international effort is aimed at building quality, awareness and standards within Thailand’s meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) industry, TR Weekly reported.

The curriculum, launched in June 2012, has been adopted by 28 higher education institutions across the nation, helping the country to compete when the ASEAN Economic Community comes into effect in late 2015.

“The initiative aims to generate more than 24,000 ‘Quality MICE’ graduates by 2015, in preparation for the forthcoming trade liberalisation under AEC,” TCEB acting president Thongchai Sridama said.

“It should help to stimulate the region’s MICE industry and attract events within the Greater Mekong Subregion, CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) and BIMSTEC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal) blocs,” Mr Sridama said.

ASEAN delayed the introduction of the Economic Community to December 2015 in order to provide countries adequate time to prepare for a free-trade environment.