THE THAILAND Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has turned its attentions to the country’s foreign affairs and commerce ministries in its bid to host the World Expo 2020 in Ayutthaya, as its request for a 300-million baht fund boost from the government had been turn down.

TCEB president Akapol Sorasuchart said the MICE bureau was hoping to cooperate with the two ministries on top of its own efforts, which involves a promotional campaign through direct marketing and social networking elements, using a portion of its annual budget allocation (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 24).

“We will use all means necessary to win this event for Thailand,” he said.

However, Akapol stopped short of going into details of the planned initiatives to win votes from the 158 member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the Paris-based body that sanctions and recognises international exhibitions.

TCEB’s bid team made its second presentation at the BIE General Assembly late last month, after submitting its application to organise the World Expo in June (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 20).

The team’s next milestone will be the launch of the 2,000m² World Expo 2020 pavillion at next year’s Board of Investment Fair, which will be held at IMPACT Convention Center from January 5-20. BIE’s secretary general, Vicente Gonzales Loscertales, will be invited to attend.

Meanwhile, Akapol said the recent flood crisis in Ayutthaya would not be a concern by the time World Expo 2020 comes around, as the Thai government was preparing to put flood control measures in place over the next two years.

Ayutthaya is competing against Turkey’s Izmir, Russia’s Ekaterinburg, Brazil’s Sao Paulo and the UAE’s Dubai for the right to host World Expo 2020.