The international golfing community will descend on the popular tourist city of Pattaya from 31 October until 6 November, turning it into a major golf hub in Southeast Asia. During this period, there will be no fewer than four conferences and a major golf merchandise exhibition.
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The events are being organised by the Asia Pacific Golf Group (APGG) and will include:
The Mayor of Pattaya, Khun Itthiphol Kunplome, patron of the events, said the city is delighted that it has been chosen by the Asia Pacific Golf Group for the staging of its exhibitions and international golf conferences. He added that confidence in the city is high and Pattaya will prove to be a successful venue. For the second consecutive year, the Asia Pacific Golf Group is coming to Thailand for its events. In 2010 they held their events in Bangkok while this year’s events are to be held at two different venues in the city. The chief executive of the APGG and owner and producer of all events, Mika Sebastian, was proud to declare that this year’s event is definitely the first time anywhere that such a number of golf business events have been held in one venue. Mr Sansern Ngaorungsi, the deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that the TAT is delighted that Pattaya is to host this golf carnival as it will boost tourism and especially golf tourists. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) are joint partners in all of the events and the president of TCEB, Mr Akapol Sorasuchart, declared that having the events organised so quickly and efficiently in Thailand by the APGG shows that the country has the ability to host major international golf events and conferences and this can only help Thailand to become a leading golf hub in Asia. |
The governor of SAT, Mr Kanokphand Chulakasem, was happy to add that the position of Thailand in the world of golf business has been greatly helped the decision of the APGG to stage their events here. They kept faith with Thailand last year despite the political upheaval in Bangkok and had very successful conferences. Despite the problems, some of the legends of the golf game including Gary Player, Greg Norman, and Anita Sorenstam attended the events. This year’s Asia Pacific Golf Summit will have the former British Open Champion Tony Jacklin attending. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of his generation having won two major titles. When asked about his appearance in Pattaya he said that he is looking forward to visiting the Asian region again and seeing the how much the game has advanced. Another sporting legend that will be in attendance is Jimmy Connors. He is without doubt one of the greatest tennis players of any generation, winning eight majors during his career. This year’s conferences will have 50 international speakers attending and Mika Sebastian said that it shows that the Asia Pacific Golf Summit is the premier event in the region. The theme of the conferences is Challenge of Change and this will address the challenges that the golf industry is facing and hopefully give some solutions. |