Index Creative Village Plc plans to expand its presence into South Asia and the Middle East with the aim of becoming one of the top event management firms in these regions in the next five years.
Kreingkrai Karnjanapokin, founder and co-chief executive, said the company will pitch a proposal for fair management in Bangladesh in 2019. If a deal is reached, Index will enter South Asia for the first time.
Negotiations with partners in Bangladesh have started. Fair management would begin in 2020.
The company is also working with another country in Asia and a country in the Middle East on managing their pavilions for World Expo 2020, scheduled to take place Oct 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 in Dubai.
The names of the countries weren't disclosed.
"For the Middle East, we are open to both options, building the pavilion and joining pavilion operations," Mr Kreingkrai said. "The deals are expected to conclude in mid-2019."
He said the company will continue managing existing trade events in Southeast Asia, with trade fairs in Cambodia such as Cambodia Architect & Decor and Myanmar's FoodBev, Retail Sourcing Expo, and Build and Decor.
In addition, Index will expand its Kilorun to many more capitals in Asia.
The company recently was selected by the government as organiser for the Thai pavilion at World Expo 2020 in Dubai.
"This is another world-class event that we have a chance to be a part of as a Thai representative," Mr Kreingkrai said. "The World Expo is considered one of three biggest events in the world, same as the Olympics and the World Cup. We are now ready to create event history for Thailand again."
The company seeks to become one of the top event management and solutions firms in three regions over the next five years after expanding in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.
For this year, the company expects to hit its total revenue target of 1.6 billion baht, up 11% from last year, as the overall events industry expanded.
The three service types of the firm's involvement -- creative business development, marketing services and own projects -- all grew. Of total income, 88% comes from marketing services, 7% from creative business development and 5% from own projects.
Some of the highlights from this year include the grand opening of Iconsiam on the Chao Phraya River, last week's Bike Un Ai Rak and the upcoming Count Down 2019 at CentralWorld.
Index said total revenue will grow to 1.8 billion baht in 2019, up from an expected 1.6 billion baht this year.
The company also revealed that the trend for event marketing next year is 3S: Strong, Sentimental and Suddenly.
Event marketing in 2019 will encompass events with strong ideas that share sentimental experience and create sudden feelings that initiate word of mouth and attract interest from the public.
"We will focus on expanding our own projects, which involve consumer lifestyles," Mr Kreingkrai said. "Our customers are divided into two main parts, with 70% in the private sector and 30% in government."