ADNEC wins prestigious award at AEO Excellence Awards 2011 in London

The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre has won the “Best International Venue” award at the AEO Excellence Awards 2011 for the second year running. The flagship ceremony for the exhibitions and live events industry, which was held in London on July 1st, was attended by more than 1,000 industry professionals from around the world.

The award was received by ADNEC Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, who said: “I am pleased that we have been recognised once again as the leading venue for hosting international exhibitions and events. This is one of many awards received by ADNEC since the venue’s establishment in 2007, this recognition is a tribute to the strategy of ADNEC’s Board of Directors,”

Al Dhaheri emphasised that winning the award for the second consecutive year, reflects the commitment and hard work of everyone at ADNEC, and also their keenness to provide the highest levels of service to event organisers. He also said that this award reaffirms the crucial role that ADNEC plays in the extremely competitive MICE industry, and stressed that ADNEC is committed to remain a regional hub for events and exhibitions.

The Association of Event Organisers awards is held annually and are an important occasion for the global MICE industry, as key industry figures meet to discuss various issues of this growing sector.

In addition to ADNEC’s success, ExCEL London, ADNEC’s UK exhibition and convention centre, was named best UK Venue at the awards.

Source: ADNEC

TAT RECOVERY CAMPAIGN TV COMMERCIAL WINS PATA GOLD AWARD

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) won the prestigious PATA Gold Award 2010 for its advertising clip, “Thailand Talks to the World” in the Marketing Media – Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media category. The Award was presented in a ceremony on 17 September 2010, during the PATA Travel Mart 2010 in Macau SAR. TAT Governor Mr Suraphon Svetasreni stated that the TV ad was undertaken as part of the country’s image restoration programme designed to regain the confidence of foreign tourists in the aftermath of the April-May 2010 domestic political crisis. “This 60-second ad presents the country’s identity with a focus on art and culture as well as traditional festivals. The most attractive aspect of this ad is the smile of the Thai people that always impresses all visitors. The ad will be broadcast on international channels particularly in Europe; such as, EuroNews, CNN (Asia), BBC Worldnews, Eurosport, and local channels in Germany, France, and the Scandinavian countries,” the TAT Governor added. In addition, Thailand won another 3 PATA awards this year as follows: 1. Gold Award for Marketing Hospitality: Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas Opening Campaign 2. Gold Award for Culture: Ban Mae Kampong in Chiang Mai 3. Grand Award for Education and Training: Banyan Tree Spa Academy The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) presented its Grand and Gold Awards 2010 to recognise the achievements of 24 organisations and individuals during the PATA Travel Mart 2010. The 33rd PATA Travel Mart this year was attended by 303 buyers from 269 organisations of 53 countries, 530 sellers from 295 organisations of 38 countries, and 152 media from 13 countries. Additionally, 60 members of the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents (HATA) and the Travel Industry of Hong Kong (TIC) also attended as trade visitors on 17 September 2010. The TAT’s booth at the event was decorated to highlight the country’s beautiful natural scenery, with a special focus on the special occasion of TAT’s 50th Anniversary.

EIGHTH THAILAND TOURISM AWARDS TO BE HELD ON WORLD TOURISM DAY

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will host the 8th Thailand Tourism Awards 2010 on September 27, 2010, to coincide with World Tourism Day. Designed to promote and sustain international standards in the Thai tourism industry, this year’s Awards will take on special importance as they are being held in the year marking the 50th Anniversary of the founding of TAT. This year, the judges evaluated more than 300 nominees from all five regions of Thailand in the five award categories: tourist attractions (117), tourist accommodation (75), tour programmes (29), tourism development and promotion organization (40), and health tourism (54). Initiated by TAT since 1996 and held bi-annually, these Awards are aimed at motivating both private and public tourism-related organisations to conserve the country’s natural and cultural resources, as well as promote sustainable tourism development. The Awards aim to: Encourage competition amongst suppliers of products and services to pursue higher standards of management and service quality, including marketing efforts as well as conservation of heritage, natural resources, and environment Demonstrate TAT’s intention to promote quality development of the tourism industry as well as to gain global recognition for the Awards as a symbol of quality Recognize and honour industry entrepreneurs for their direct and indirect contributions towards raising industry standards and professionalism Help the Award recipients capitalise on the Awards to boost their competitive advantage and marketing efforts.