TDEX Wrap Up
Another year, another successful Thailand Travel & Dive Expo. This year, the show was held from 24 to 27 May at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok. Located in the center of town, with lots of parking and a subway station directly underneath the venue, access to the show was quick and easy for the visitors who came to TDEX.
This was TDEX’s fourth year. Our booths were relatively close to the main entrance, and we were busy the entire show with friends dropping by, people subscribing to the magazine, visitors purchasing guidebooks, and just running around saying hello to all our friends.
Speaking of which, we were particularly happy to see growing regional participation in the show this year. In addition to a sizeable contingent from Sabah, Malaysia (we ran into Borneo Divers, Roach Reefs Resort, Layang Layang, Mataking, Seaventures, SMART), there were many first-time exhibitors, including two of the most popular resorts in Manado…Thalassa Dive Center and Eco Divers.
Also visiting the show were Denny and Hilda, show organisers from Deep Indonesia, a dive show in Jakarta which just started earlier this year. Denny and Hilda were kind enough to drop in to our booth say hello and chat for a while. Oh yeah…Deep Indonesia had a booth at TDEX…gee, it’s nice to see dive shows in the region cooperating with one another for a change!
This may be an indication of things to come, as successful national dive shows have taken root in Thailand, China, Indonesia and Malaysia, leaving question in the minds of many about the relevance of having a regional dive show.
Of course, the largest booths at the show were from domestic dive entities, including industry stalwarts Aquamaster, Dive Master Thailand, Dive Supply, Mermaid Liveaboards , Wahoo Diving Center…among many, many others.
And of course, the highlight for our booth was the lucky draw to pick five fortunate winners from the list of new subscribers who signed up with us at TDEX. Our Celebrity Diver Plub dropped by on the final day of the show to say hello and pick our winners. If you subscribed at the show, check our other blog post to check if you’re one of the winners!
With the frenzy of activity, the packing/ unpacking/ repacking/ re-unpacking, etc., we’re all pooped. A big thanks to everyone who dropped by to say hello, and see you at next year’s show!