Local marketer starts event-organising firm
Pacific Prime’s top management hold up the company’s sign to capture more of the conference and seminar market during its official opening ceremony yesterday.
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After 10 years working for multinational companies in the fast-paced world of consumer products, health and personal care, Chris Chamsobhon yesterday announced she is striding out on her own and has set up an agency organising conferences and seminars.
She set up Pacific Prime Co Ltd with registered capital of Bt1 million, a company that will specialise in arranging conferences and seminars targeting middle and top management types. Chris founded Pacific Prime with Methee Tanmanatragul, who has more than 30 years experience in hotel management and is currently managing director of Rising Sun Residence Co Ltd, which operates Holiday Villa hotel in Phuket.Both hold a combined share of more than 50 per cent in the company. The remaining shares are owned by individual partners from England and France. "I have a good personal connection with Khun Methee and approached him to join the new business. With great experience in the hotel industry for more than 30 years, Khun Methee has strong exposure and connections with business experts and guest speakers from abroad and event organising our own conferences and seminars in overseas markets," Chris said. "I see great potential in the industry of corporate conferences and seminars, particularly in the premium quality segment, which enjoys an annual growth rate of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent," said Methee. He said many business organisations -particularly those in the consumer goods, telecommunication, advertising and service industries - are willing to spend on educating all levels of staff through conferences and seminars. Pacific Prime's first seminar is "How to Cope with 2007: Proven Business Strategies to Meet Next Year's Challenges" to be held between October 3 and 4 at Hotel Plaza Athenee on the Wireless Road. Chris said Pacific Prime was committed to organising between 12 and 15 conferences and seminars a year and the company expected to earn around Bt30 million in its first 12 months. "My desire is to present an advanced body of knowledge and thought, which are in line with current situations. We draw upon the valuable experiences of our guest speakers who are some of the leading professional executives from top business organisations as well as government institutions," she said. "By doing this, we hope to effectively promote organisational development as well as individual competencies and capabilities within the private and public sectors." Chris spent almost four and a half years working for Unilever in Thailand as brand manager for Lipton and in new project development for food products. She then moved to Inchcape Consumer Co Ltd where she was marketing manager for its household, food and personal care products for four years. She was marketing manager at ICI for two years and spent another two years as marketing director for SSUP Group's Cute Press and Spices cosmetics brands. Chris said the total market for corporate conferences and seminars in Thailand was worth more than Bt1 billion. Premium end conferences and seminars focus on strategic issues, both at the upper level of general and specific management, while middle-range and lower-end conferences and seminars focus on functional management such as sales and human resources training and operational staff and junior supervisors. "The conference and seminar market in the premium segment is worth between Bt250 million and Bt300 million a year and is dominated by only a few multinational organisers such as Asia Business Forum from Singapore and Marcus Evans from the US," Chris said. Methee said Pacific Prime would break the iceberg between top and middle executives and guest speakers by creating a new environment of interaction and two-way communication. Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn, The Nation
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