Bangkok--27 Sep--Digital Economy Promotion Agency
"Digital Thailand Big Bang 2018" has received overwhelming success when the world rejoices with the greatest international digital exhibition in Southeast Asia, with 355,000 visitors, more than 40 international exhibitors, and more than 700 media outlets attended the events. The event showcased more than 100 topics in digital technologies and innovations by over 200 leading digital gurus from 12 countries around the world. The event can now be reviewed via Facebook to reach over 10 million online views by the end of the year. Next year, Thailand aims to be digital chairman of ASEAN, upgrading the Big Bang event to ASEAN Connectivity, supporting Thailand to open doors to non-ASEAN countries.
Dr. Pichet Durongkaveroj, Minister of Digital for Economy and Society (DE), reveals the success of Digital Thailand Big Bang 2018 under the concept "THAILAND BIG DATA", organized by DE by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) during 19-23 September 2018 at Challenger Hall 1-3, IMPACT, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani that it is the largest international digital innovation exhibition in Southeast Asia. The event had received positive response and gained a large number of visitors from public sector, private sector, startups, SMEs, entrepreneurs, investors, students, local and international people. Over 5 days of the event, there were over 355,000 visitors. Total number of visitors from Digital Thailand Big Bang Regional 2018 in 4 regions of the country in the major cities of Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Songkhla and Rayong during July - August 2018, another 61,089 visitors added, resulting in total attendance of about 410,000 people, which is not included in the audience through the LIVE broadcast and the past through Facebook LVIE. We expect to reach over 10 million online users through the end of the year.
Digital Thailand Big Bang 2018 was not only a platform for Thailand to announce its potential as a digital technology leader in ASEAN, but it also served as an inspirational platform to create learning opportunities to step into a country that drives the economy and society with digital technology completely. Innovation and creative ideas have been generated, including cooperation as follow:
1. IDC Thailand named Khon Kaen and Phuket cities as the most outstanding smart city projects in Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APeJ) for the 2018 IDC Smart City Asia Pacific Awards (SCAPA). The winning projects, Kohn Kaen Smart Health and Phuket Smart Tourism and Living Communities won under the "Public Health and Social Services" and "Tourism, Arts, Libraries, Culture and Open Spaces" categories.
2. The establishment of international cooperation network to launch the China-Thailand Digital Incubator between depa, Tus-Holdings and Tus Star, the largest business incubator network in the People's Republic of China.
3. Declaration of 25 MOUs in digital cooperation to jointly transform the country into the 4.0 era between government and private sectors both in local and international level.
4. Smart City cooperation in accordance with the government's policy to develop smart cities in 77 provinces within 5 years, which depa cooperated with 17 private sectors to implement the plan.
5. Collaboration in the development of digital manpower to have 21st century learning skills in youth, new generation through Coding Thailand Project is not less than 62,000 people.
6. Opening the area to spark, inspire, and provides opportunities for youth, new generation, entrepreneurs and startups to have a platform for learning skills in digital technology and further into digital innovations through Coding Thailand Project, Drone Mission Competition, Drone Racing Competition, and Innovation Invention and IoT Technology Competition.
7. The opening of the forum to learn the ideas and experiences from over 200 leading digital gurus from 12 countries around the world. These speakers provide the knowledge and ideas to create the technology for the future and share experiences with more than 100 topics on the digital era.
8. The creation of digital learning culture in Thai society
Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, President and CEO of Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) added, in addition to the widespread of digital awakening across the country, it also affects the various dimensions in terms of economy, society, education and culture e.g. there were more than 500 million baht worth of investment from over 480 booth entrepreneurs, more than 100 business matching partners between startup and and entrepreneurs, digital educational opportunities for youth in three major systems: coding education, software learning, and hardware learning, those are a new generation of people who will become a key force in developing country with digital technology, more than 100 business matching partners between startups and entrepreneurs, access to digital services in various fields – medical services, financial services, commercial services, data for decision-making services, as well as international recognition of the role and direction of more than 40 countries, to which will result in positive impact on Thailand's image. Additionally, the event brought cooperation and partnership among public sectors and private sectors to drive digital economy in regards to digital startup, smart city, digital manpower, digital community, data analytics, and digital education system.
Dr. Pichet said at the end that "digital" is very important for economic and social development. Both are the accelerators of the country's policy of Thailand 4.0 and a tool to turn Thailand into a "Digital Transformation" to help Thailand out of the economic trap. As Thailand will host ASEAN in 2019, the DE has already prepared ASEAN Digital Agenda to ensure Thailand will become a digital chairman of ASEAN. The next step of Digital Thailand Big Bang 2019 is 'ASEAN Connectivity'. Our Thailand is fortunate to have a geographical location in the middle of ASEAN. The link thus makes Thailand the most beneficial. Thailand will become a crossroads of ASEAN and will develop as a hub for future ASEAN integration.