WATCHIRANONT THONGTEP
THE NATION
Myanmar’s former capital of Yangon will this year get its first international standard countdown party, thanks to Index Creative Village, Thailand’s leading event organiser, which is splurging Bt35 million to stage the show.
“We hope this festival can |help build our brand awareness as a leading event organiser there and bring us more business later this year,” co-CEO Kriangkrai Kanjanapoki said yesterday.
The venue is a 6.4-hectare site in Myoma Ground owned by Myanmar’s Defence Ministry. It is located about two kilometres away from Shwedagon Pagoda, the country’s famous landmark.
Some 50,000 people are expected to join this celebration with security provided by the army.
To create a greater impact, Index Creative Village teamed up with Myanmar Index Creative Village (MICV) to invite many popular local actors, actress and singers as well as celebrities to be the event’s magnet.
MICV is a 50:50 joint venture formed this year with media broadcasting giant Forever Group. Based in Yangon, the group operates two free TV channels, Channel 7 and MRTV4. MRTV4 will broadcast the countdown activities live.
Myanmar has its own agenda to promote the country’s image via key international and regional events to be held through 2015.
Next year, Nay Pyi Taw will host the 27th Southeast Asian Games, while the country will sponsor the 22nd World Economic Forum on East Asia in May.
In 2014, Myanmar will take the Asean rotating chair and be responsible for hosting at least 700 related meetings and functions.
Myanmar has also declared 2015 as its Tourism Year, when the Asean Economic Community is fully in place.
Asean director Narindej Thaveesangpanich said the |company would next hold “Independence Day” from January 4-6 to mark the 65th anniversary of the declaration of independence from Great Britain.
The “Thing Yan” or Water Festival in April is also on the company’s work schedule.
The company also arranges for promotion events, product roadshows and public events for international conglomerates, Thailand-based companies and local state agencies in Myanmar.
The events industry in Myanmar is estimated to be worth Bt300 million and growing at 15-20 per cent per year.
This year, the company has so far generated Bt50 million in revenue from its JVs in Myanmar and Vietnam, below the target of Bt100 million. Next year it plans to achieve Bt150 million in those two countries. Index Creative Village hopes to orchestrate a 38-per-cent surge in total revenue to Bt2.8 billion this year, above its target of Bt2.25 billion.
credit EMG
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