The organiser of the event, Pat Ferrara, met with Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob today to outline the proposal, which is expected to attract advertising industry leaders from around the world to Phuket from February 20 to February 25. Mr Ferrara, an advertising industry veteran, said the Phuket awards could outdo the existing advertising awards in Cannes and become the ''world's most coveted award'' within three to five years.
A colleague promised that Phuket would receive publicity from the event that would enable it to compete ''with the Caribbean, with Rio, with Miami'' as ''absolutely the place to go.'' Most of all, though, the event would be taking on the existing annual festival in Cannes, which Mr Ferrara said he helped to develop.*
High-fliers from ad agencies on Madison Avenue in New York are expected to be among the visitors to Phuket for the festival, which will mostly be concentrated at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, at the beachside resort of Karon.
Awards will cover print, television, radio, the Internet and other media. Phuket can expect to have some brilliant marketing ideas floated.
There to hear the organisers outline the concept were the president of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organision, Paiboon Upatising, the director of the regional office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, Methee Tanmanatragul, former president of the Southern Chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, and other industry leaders.
The gathering heard that despite the existing travel warnings and alerts, Thailand's Commerce Ministry was backing the Global Advertising Awards with 16 million baht in funding. With the support of the Advertising Association of Thailand, the new Phuket awards are expected to quickly establish a regional and global presence.
Mr Ferrara said he planned to fly in representatives from 50 of the world's top advertisers and 50 of the world's top agencies.
He said the Phuket competition and festival would differ from the Cannes competition by avoiding peer judging and having the clients decide winners of the awards. The entry fee for Cannes was too high at 650 Euros for a single entry, he said.
As well as becoming the centre for the most coveted awards in three to five years, Mr Ferrara said that Phuket would ''become a known entity,'' and other world events would follow.
''I think we will be able to place Phuket as a resort of class, a resort of elegance, and a very, very special place for conventions and corporate meetings,'' he said.
He said the clear difference between Phuket and Cannes would be that the Phuket awards would be given '''by the people who pay the salaries.'' ''Over the years, clients have become very, very educated,'' he said.
The entry fee ''is going to be very, very reasonable,'' he added, enabling small agencies who could not previously compete with large agencies to show their genius.
News of the Phuket event is expected to cause considerable interest and controversy in the advertising world, where many hardened copy writers will probably opt to enter and attend both sets of awards.
The Global Advertising Awards already have a perfunctory online presence that Mr Ferrara says will expand considerably once the competition begins.
*We got this wrong. Mr Ferrara helped to develop another set of awards, the Clio awards.
Another great idea to put Phuket on the front page to the world. Goes hand in hand with the World Expo Plans and the Patong tunnel.
Unfortunately all the hi-so's that attend these events are not subjected to nor see the real problems that exist here. Not one will have to hail a tuk tuk to find their way home, not one will be subjected to time share or tailor shop touts, nor a knife in the ribs outside a 7/11 during their tinted window tours, their bodyguards will see to that. Limo here, limo there. Oh, the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
They will simply share around the 16 mill baht on offer and put very little back into the real economy of Phuket. The 16 mill Govt. funding would be far better spent trying to solve some local issues instead.
Editor: Micro-economics? Phuket also needs macro-economics to stimulate long-term growth.
Posted by innocent bystander on June 7, 2010 16:56