Amazing Taste of Thailand 2009 launched in Bangkok

These deep fried fresh water prawns served at Kungpen Restaurant in Suphanburi were real YUMMY. Our table cleaned up the plate.

This deep fried snake-head fish tasted so good that no one from our table bothered to find out what is a snake-head fish?

One of the overseas participants of the Amazing Taste of Thailand trying his hand to whip up a Thai dish at Kungpen restaurant

This traditional designed wooden river boat ferried our group across the Chao Phraya River to the Supatra River House Restaurant

Our group learning how to cook Thai dishes at the renowned Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant in Bangkok


We also learnt how to prepare the popular red ruby dessert or Thabthim Krop (diced water-chestnuts in coconut cream and syrup)

Travel writer Laura Lee with the two Thai chefs Charles and Songsak of the Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant in Bangkok

Our KL-based Japanese writer (left) and other participants for the cooking class were given each a certificate of attendance, souvenir apron and goodie bag by Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant in Bangkok

Don't be mislead as this green curry dish which can be quite spicy

The deep fried chicken wrapped in screwpipe leaf is a popular Thai dish

The Thais are not only good in food preparation but are also good in their presentation. Don’t you think this tray of Khanom Lok Chub dessert looks inviting?

Amazing Taste of Thailand, the marketing power tool for Thai Tourism
By Anthony Tan

It is not uncommon for tourists to ask these questions, Where to eat? What to try? It is always the familiar tastes that will strike their minds first. In Thailand, you don’t need to ask, "What to eat?” It is simply one too many to eat, for the Thai cuisine.

When it comes to Thailand, almost everyone from all corners of world knows “Tom Yam”. This dish has become synonymous with Thailand.

Realising this, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) decided to capitalise on the global popularity of this Thai dish to further strengthen its tourism promotion and increase tourist arrivals into the kingdom.

In Bangkok, two major food events - Amazing Taste of Thailand and Thailand Brand – have been organised to be held concurrently in September.

They were jointly organised by TAT, Department of Export Promotion, Thai Hotels Association, Association of Domestic Travel and the Thai Restaurant Association.

The owners, managers, chefs of overseas Thai restaurants, famous chefs, food critics and travel agents from various parts of the world were flown into Bangkok for this occasion to take the authentic taste of Thai cuisine beyond the kingdom.

Based on the statistics from Thailand's Ministry of Commerce, plans are afoot to increase the 13,000 locations of Thai restaurants overseas in 2009 to15,000 in 2010.

The many Thai restaurants established beyond the shores of the kingdom range from simple fast-food take-aways to upmarket specialised Thai cuisine outlets.

Some are operated by the Thais themselves while others are by foreigners who simply believe that Thai cuisine is the way to go into food business.

Many of these restaurants have also been set up by Thai expatriates living abroad in their adopted country.

More than 500 media organisations from 22 countries were invited by TAT oversea offices to the launch of these two events.

From Malaysia, nine media and a hotelier were led by TAT officer Somboon in Bangkok to witness the launch of the Amazing Taste of Thailand at Central World in Bangkok.

Our group was taken to Suphanburi, which is about a two-hour drive by coach from Bangkok.

Since our trip is all about discovering the Amazing Taste of Thailand, we were taken to this Thai restaurant called Kungpen at Paknam Web in Suphanburi. We met the invited overseas media fam groups here.

Working with this restaurant, TAT had put up a showcase of Thai cuisine with food sampling and cooking demonstrations on how to prepare some of these traditional and popular Thai dishes and drinks.

After our sumptuous lunch, we were invited to participate in the cooking demo. Recipes of the Thai cusine showcased here were readily available for us to take back home.

Our group was also introduced to an upmarket restaurant, Supatra River House that served Thai and seafood cuisine in Bangkok as part of our itinerary.

We had to plough through Bangkok’s traffic jam before arriving at the Maharaj pier along the Chao Phraya River to board the boat to take us across the river to this two-storey traditional building by the river bank near the Temple of the Dawn.

A look at its a la carte menu showed the dishes priced between 120 and 750 Baht. The set lunch cost 900 Baht per person while the price of the set dinner ranged from 900 to 1,500 Baht.

Another highlight of our media fam trip organised in conjunction with the Amazing Taste of Thailand launch was where all the invited guests from 22 countries had their culinary skills put to test when we were made to cook their own dinner at the famed The Blue Elephant cooking school and restaurant at South Sathorn Road in Bangkok.

Our group had to prepare four dishes after watching the chefs' demonstrations. We started with satay kai (chicken satay with peanut sauce), which was nothing new to us Malaysians. We are learning to prepare it in a foreign land!

The other dishes we were taught were Koong Prik Paow (stir-fried prawn with chilli paste), Kaeng Phed Ped Yang (roast duck curry) and Laab Pla Tod (deep-fried fish salad with green apple).

With all these spicy stuff, learning to prepare the dessert, Tup Tim Grod (water chestnut in coconut milk) was most welcome.

All the participants were each presented with a certificate to take home. We were also allowed to take back as souvenir the apron we wore.

Most of members in our group agreed unanimously that we had one of our best Thai cuisine meals from this intensive cooking class.

The highlight of our media fam trip was to attend the official launch of "Amazing Taste of Thailand" at CentralWorld which featured unique foods and drinks from each region of the Kingdom and link them with the travel experiences for tourists.

Food from some of the best restaurants throughout the entire Thai kingdom together with ready-to-eat meals (heat and eat), export quality frozen foods were also featured. Cooking competitions from each region featuring famous menus of movie stars and celebrities at the festival were conducted as well.

TAT hosted the grand finale dinner for the international invited group at Centara Grand; Bangkok Convention Centre together with a cultural show to entertain the guests.

A sideshow was organised by TAT at the same convention hall to showcase “Thailand Brand”of products. It successfully attracted the attention of the guests. Many of them bought what was on display to take home as souvenirs.

TAT must be congratulated for a job well done!

Melaka International Tourism Show 2009

MITS Promotion at state level MATTA Fair held at Dataran Pahlawan Melaka

MITS promotion roadshow at the Travel Business Exchange B2B session

held at Riverside Majestic Hotel in Kuching

Managing Director William Chan of Stadthuys Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd

participating in the Travel Business Exchange B2B session in Kuching

Buyers and Sellers meeting face to face in the Travel Business Exchange

MITS organised a press conference during the national level MATTA Fair at PWTC in KL.

On hand at the Q&A session were (from left) MATTA Melaka chapter chairman Goh,

Nazary,

Roslin and Noorhayati Sahlan, MICE Manager of Tourism Promotion Division, Chief Minister's Department

By Anthony Tan

The 7th Melaka International Tourism Show (MITS) expects to attract 30,000 visitors this year. It will be held at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) in Ayer Keroh, Melaka from 4–6 December.

Nazary Ahmad, general manager from Melaka Chief Minister Department’s tourism promotion division, told a press conference recently that it is offering 250 booths to both local and intenational exhibitors.

This is more than double last year’s 120 booths. MITS is organised by the Tourism Promotion Division of the Melaka Chief Minister’s Department on behalf of the Melaka state government.

Over the years, MITS has grown to become one of the largest events held outside of Kuala Lumpur promoting both inbound and outbound tourism to the historic Melaka.

Nazary said, “Melaka is a must visit destination, especially since its conferment as a World Heritage City on 7 July 2008.”

MITS 2009 will showcase the wide range of tourism products and services that Malaysia has to offer, in particular from Melaka.

The organiser had started its promotions to attract both visitors and exhibitors to this year’s event since August when it participated in the MATTA Fair in Melaka, held a Travel Business Exchange in Kuching and promoted MITS at the National MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur.

Nazary is hopeful of getting more international participation to this year’s show from the national tourism organisations, which will be presenting cultural performances, handicrafts and food promotions to enhance the event.

Tourism Authority of Thailand has shown a keen interest by taking 10 booths while the Macau Government Tourist Office will take four booths.

Another confirmed exhibitor is Quantum Success, which will be launching its privilege card for hotel bookings during MITS 2009, said Roslin Mustajab, chief executive officer of Simor Creative (M) Sdn Bhd, which is managing the event.

Arab City Melaka has also confirmed participating and will be taking up two booths to showcase their tourism project, which is now under construction and targeted to open its doors before mid-2010.

More roadshows will be organised to Southern Thailand, Singapore, Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indoneasia, as well as Sabah and other states in Malaysia.

A number of activities are in the pipeline to promote MITS 2009. One of them is co-organising a “Family Drive Holiday” to Melaka from Singapore with a Singapore-based car and travel magazine and a local car club for those from the Klang Valley.

The MITS will be held in December to take advantage of the year-end school holidays for both Malaysia and Singapore. Being held over the weekend, it hopes to cash in on the large number of Singaporeans and locals visiting Melaka as MITS will be an added attraction for them.

MITS can help these visitors plan their holidays for 2010 as many exhibitors such as airlines, hotels and theme parks are now selling their products and services ahead.

Melaka recorded tourist arrivals of 7.2 million last year, above its 6.8 million target. Nazary is confident of achieving 7.4 million tourist arrivals for 2009, with 3.1 million already achieved as at June this year.

Hotels in Melaka achieved 88% room occupancy during weekdays and were overbooked during the weekends in December 2008.

This year, the MITS organiser will be organising a B2B session on 3 December between exhibitors and travel trade buyers before opening the show to the public. Arrangements and negotiations are on-going with sponsors and invited buyers to participate in the B2B session.

MITS offers exhibitors the opportunities to develop new contacts as well as to meet qualified local and international trade buyers, including frequent travellers during the event.

The organiser is looking at using round trip shuttle buses from Melaka shopping centres downtown and partner hotels to the MITC in order to reduce traffic congestion for visitors.

As for Melaka, its tourism sector’s objectives are to reinforce its 12 sub-sectors. They are history, culture, recreation, sports, shopping, conventions, health, education, agro, makan–makan (food), Melaka My 2nd Home and youth tourism.

For more information on MITS, please contact Noorhayati at 06-2328358, Roslin at 016-2039198 or Anthony Tan 019-4455233.

Matta Fair 2009 opening ceremony’s boo-boos by emcee

By Laura Lee

At Matta Fair’s opening yesterday morning (4 Sept), its emcee announced that Taiwan artiste Jolin Tsai is “rumoured” to be here today. If he thinks this will lend the 28th Matta Fair some buzz and excitement, this is a certainly a wrong pitch to use.

This piece of news was certainly no rumour. Also, it was targeted at the wrong crowd at the opening ceremony, which are made up of the key industry players in the travel trade and not visitors or the general public to the fair.

The media has been alerted three days ago about Jolin showing up together with director We Nien Jen as Taiwan’s tourism ambassadors to share tips on how to enjoy Super Value Taiwan from 2.30pm to 3.55pm at the Matta Fair.

The next boo-boo this same emcee made was to introduce Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) caretaker president Ngiam Foon as “a pillar of Matta” and a “founding member” when it was time for him to give a speech at the opening ceremony. Ngiam was, however, quick to correct that he was none of the above when he went up the stage to deliver his address.

Outside the hall after the opening ceremony, PT Banten West Java Tourism Development Corporation director Tjahjadi Rahardja remarked that when he heard those two references being made by the emcee, he had expected Matta former president Tunku Iskandar Tunku Abdullah (pic), who is popularly known as TI, to go up the stage as he fitted the bill or descriptions perfectly.

TI himself admitted that he is probably the last few founding members of Matta who was inside the hall of the opening ceremony. He served as Matta president from 1983-89 and from 1998-2005.

Ngiam took over as the association president from 2005-2009. Matta was founded by the late Loh Yut Lock who was president from 1975-76.

This is the first time in the association’s history that there will be a caretaker president “to represent Matta in all president related positions” according to an Interim Order issued by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on 21 August 2009.

This announcement, posted in Matta website, http://www.matta.org.my/, on 30 August by its honorary secretary general, Joseph Xavier, says the current executive council (exco) shall consist of the following:

· Elected chapter chairman for the term 2009-2011.
· Elected office bearers as per the 2009 annual general meeting (AGM) held on June 27, excluding the president elect, Dato’ Setia Dr Joshua Peter Tan.
· Caretaker president Ngiam and honorary secretary general Xavier.
· The president elect (Tan) and the past deputy president Dato' Mohd Khalid Harun as observers.

A leadership tussle arose when Matta immediate past president Ngiam led an interim committee, comprising 16 out of Matta 24 exco members, to cast a vote of no confidence at a 23 July meeting against Tan and his deputy president Rozzana Rahmat, who were elected together with the rest of the exco members at the recent Matta AGM.

“Unlawful voters” alleged to be found at the AGM, which resulted in “doubtful” election results that were “open to challenge” were brought up by Ngiam in his “Urgent message on the AGM/elections to Matta directors or official representative of Matta members”, which was posted in its website on 1 August under its notice board.

The 30 August posting on Matta website by Xavier also states: “We are currently working on cleaning up the membership register and are in the processing of finalising the independent scrutineer from a reputable accounting firm to assist in this exercise to ensure transparency.”

It adds that details of the exercise will be made available once they are finalised by end of the week.

Meanwhile, this remark, “I have had enough. It is a lot of fireworks.” from one Matta member on the on-going leadership tussle should be a wake up call for the association to get cracking on the more serious issues and challenges facing the industry.

To Tan, who might have a lot to lose in view of the allegations that are building up against him, he views what is happening to be “a very interesting drama”.

Tan is also managing director of Cacinjo Holidays Sdn Bhd, an inbound travel agency. In addition, he is president of the Car Rental Association of Malaysia and vice president of the National Tourism Council Malaysia.

Tips on how to plan and market your event effectively

By Laura Lee

The Centre for Continuing Professional Education under Taylor’s School of Hospitality and Tourism is having its second three-day Executive Certificate in Event Management programme come 17-19 August.

I had the privilege to attend the same programme that was conducted in March this year, which was also done in collaboration with the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Singapore. We had two male module leaders, Bob Goh and Nick Oxborrow (pic) but this time round, it will be conducted by Angeline Tok and Kathleen Beard Nelson.

The course contents and the methodology use remain the same for its August programme, which costs RM3,500 per attendee. Sorry, it’s early bird offer at RM3,150 is over.

Given the different backgrounds and experiences of its module leaders, I believe there is always something new that one can learn from its two female trainers. Using a methodology that combines classroom style lectures with group discussions and experiences sharing, it is difficult to find the programme boring unless one is really not interested in the subject matter.

Although I was unable to attend the full programme in March due to my work commitments, I picked up a lot of gems from the two speakers. On day one (March 23), I learnt a lot about the event concept, promotion, marketing, sponsorship and marketing from Oxborrow, director of his own event company, Fabulation Pte Ltd of Singapore.

I can still recall him telling us that an event is “a meeting of minds”. When you know what are the barriers when you develop an event concept, this will be your first step in overcoming them.

Oxborrow also believes that there should only be one person leading the project while the other team members must know their responsibilities. He cautioned against letting our ego come into play given this heavy responsibility of making the event happen.

While the location represents a very important factor in the success of an event, Oxborrow said the theme selected has to be “inspirational” and continued by saying, “In creating your event, you need to know what your values are? What is it that you believe in life?”

Interestingly, he noticed that a lot of event organisers are not professionals but opportunists and entrepreneurs. I certainly agree with him that we cannot afford that in today’s world and that is why event management courses like what is being conducted by Taylor’s are crucial for the event industry.

On budgeting for an event, Oxborrow remarked, “Until I know how much to spend for the event, I don’t know how to plan.”

Likewise, you cannot provide a quotation until you set and know your budget. Your budget is a clear understanding of both the cost of the event the event profitability.

Oxborrow believes it is imperative to list all the essential costs for the event such as administrative cost, marketing, communications and contingency expenses. Cost control comes very much into play especially when you organising large conventions and exhibitions.

Identify your income sources so that you know when you can spend. Draw up a cash flow chart and prepare a chart which outlines your project timelines and the people responsible for the tasks to help you keep track of your project’s progress.

To be successful in marketing your event, Oxborrow said one of the factors that come into play is publicity, the way others perceive your event and the status symbols that are attached with it.
To him, the event coordinator is everything, his ability to solve problems and make things happen. He should also always have a back-up plan.

Oxborrow later reminded the class to remember that the main objective of your promotion is to draw as many target audience participants to your event as possible but they must be of quality and not just quantity alone.

On sponsorship, he said it is not “free money”. It is a relationship and it is not just about logos. Oxborrow gave some tips for sponshorship hunters: “Get in early, aim big and service your sponsors.”

Canada's MTCC hosts world's largest nuclear medicine event

By Laura Lee

Canada's top convention and trade show facility, Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTTC) is hosting SNM's 56th annual meeting, which has been welcomed by its prime minister Stephen Harper and Toronto mayor David Miller.

Held from 13-17 June, SNM annual meeting brings together over 6,000 physicians, technologists and scientists to Toronto to share research, learn about the latest breakthroughs and trends as well as discuss important issues in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.

According to SNM president Robert Atcher, "Molecular imaging is changing the way that common diseases are diagnosed and treated. Molecular imaging and nuclear medicine scans allow physicians to see exactly what is happening and how a disease is responding to therapy.

“More than 20 million people have molecular imaging procedures each year. These procedures are commonly used to diagnose and monitor treatment in patients with cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and stroke, to name just a few."

Mayor Miller cited Toronto's high concentration of research institutes, business support services and world-renowned medical researchers as key factors making the city an excellent choice.

MTCC president and chief executive officer Barry Smith (pic) said, "We are pleased to host an event of such positive impact. Not only does the SNM annual meeting spark discussion and sharing to improve patient care, it has an immediate positive impact on the local economy of C$10 million in visitor spending.

"As for participants, Toronto is centrally located within a 90-minute flight time from nearly 60% of the US population: an excellent location for an event of this size and scope."

Since MTTC's opening in 1984, it has hosted about 12,000 events and entertained nearly 40 million guests. Visit www.mtccc.com/ for more details.

Besides research highlights, experts will be discussing how the current medical isotope crisis and shutdown at the Chalk River reactor continue to impact patient care at SNM annual meeting.

SNM held a press conference today which can be viewed via streaming video at www.ustream.tv/channel/snm-press-conference-toronto and I was not the only one to find it unbearably inaudible at the outset. A number of the listeners voiced their complaints over the social stream chat.

By the way, SNM is an international scientific and medical organisation dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible.

Its members specialise in molecular imaging, a vital element of medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.

SNM's over 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice.

Visit www.snm.org/ for more information.

DCIM Show 2009's unprepared state on opening day

Canon, the pinnacle sponsor, had a double-storey booth

Models like her are aplenty for photographers to start clicking away

Boxes still unpacked in these two booths on the opening day

Photographer's name and name of his work being pasted on his masterpiece

DCIM Show 2009’s unprepared state on opening day
Text and photos by Laura Lee

I missed the official opening of The Digital Camera, Imaging and Media Show 2009 (DCIM Show 2009) yesterday (March 27) at 10.30 am having arrived at slightly past 11 am.

Occupying only Hall 2 of the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur, I would deem it a small show although its press release claims it to be “Malaysia's most comprehensive photography and imaging event” and has its headline saying that it is “Malaysia's Premier Photography & Imaging Extravaganza!”

It is heartening to note that the organiser of DCIM Show ’09 managed to have the big boys such as Canon as its pinnacle sponsor and taking up a double-storey booth space. Meanwhile, Nikon and Epson came in as the main sponsors.

Other exhibitors participating in the show include Panasonic and Fotokem. I was made to understand that Panasonic took up a booth only to promote its Lumix cameras as its team was heavily deployed in its Panasonic Revolution '09 roadshow (which also featured digital imaging products) at Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya.

As I toured around the exhibition, I could not help but notice some value buys and bargains for tripod stands.

It was almost noon when I completed my tour of the exhibition. I noticed that several exhibitors were still unprepared although the show had opened its doors to the public at 10am. You could see at the booth occupied by Engtong Systems Sdn Bhd and the one next to it featuring an interesting array of photography bags had boxes still unpacked.

At the Wimax booth, the promo girls were eager to get me to sign up but I asked if my area would be covered by Wimax, they ran helter skelter to get hold of someone who could give me the information.

I moved on to the photo exhibition area and could see two guys pasting the names of the photographers onto their respective works which have been put up for public viewing.

Discounting these minor hiccups, the three-day DCIM Show ’09, which ends tomorrow, will be of interest to photo buffs who are interested to try their hands on some of the new lenses and camera equipment.

A series of seminars and workshops have been lined up. There is also The Velocity Angel Search 2009 modelling competition, which takes place concurrently with the DCIM Show 2009.

I enjoyed the pumpkin dessert sprinkled with dessicated coconut, egg and potato sandwich and passionfruit drink served at The Ecogreen cafe, which is housed inside the show’s exhibition hall.

Admission to the show is free. Visit www.DCIMShow.com for more details.