I recently had the opportunity to make a trip the city of Yangon. While in Yangon, I visited the region of Bago - it is located from 80km outside of Yangon. It's one of the primary rice growing regions and is also famous for some of its pagodas. One of the interesting sites near the city centre of this region is the site of the original Kambawzathadi Palace. This was the residence of one of the 3 better-known monarchs of the country.Foundations of the original palace were discovered at the site and the authorities rebuilt what is supposed to be a replica of the palace, including the king's bed chamber. Anyway, the site now stands as a sort of tourist attraction though lacking in the usual augmentation that accompanies such sites.
My first instinct was to view this place as a possible venue for M.I.C.E. activities. There are 2 fairly spacious halls - great for holding banquents, workshops, seminars and possibly exhibitions. However, this is where we need to take a 360 degree approach when considering venues for M.I.C.E. activities. Here are some points to note:
- the venue owner needs to be open to allowing the venue to be used for such activities
- the site needs to be accessible; this palace is a good 2-hr drive from the city of Yangon
- the site needs to be equipped with proper utilities - power supply, water
- the site needs to be equipped to host visitors for a considerable length of time (i.e. 2 hours or more); this palace does not have toilet facilities
- the site needs to look the part; although a palace, the grounds of this site were not reflective of the grandeur that usually represents a palace
I hope that some of the government officers I met in Yangon will be able to convey some of these points to the relevant authorities - yes I did bring this up with them. Just imagine - a royal banquet for important conference delegates or VIP buyers attending an exhibition being held on the actual site of one of the country's greatest rulers. Now that is what I call a value experience!
4 comments:
Using the place as a potential MICE venue is a good idea. It can be like TAS, whereby the interior is modified to make it suitable for MICE events while preserving the outer areas to present to the visitors the historical infrastructure. It is a memorable experience for the visitors but I think the travel time to the venue is a bit too long and the surrounding area does not seem to have any supporting services and facilities. The government could clear the surrounding land to build the necessary facilities and at the same time employ the villagers who were living in the cleared land to give them jobs and also raise the standards of living for them; positive social impacts~
Yea I agree, it would be really impressive to have such an event there. (of course with the appropriate facilities in place.)
Just imagine some high ranked overseas ambassadors coming in; something unique the locals could offer would certainly be a reception venue that represents and evokes the sense of the local identity and traditions.
who would have thought a country like that could have such an impressive venue.. lets just hope the government might be able to fiddle around the place a little and give it a little touch to make it MICE-friendly.
haha
I really like the venue. It looks like a castle from afar. And i agree that it is a good MICE venue - something different from the usual. It'll be really cool.
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