Govt spending brightens Index outlook

       Event organiser Index Creative Village said government spending on several projects and the private sector's plan to hold marketing events during the fourth quarter will help boost the events industry growth to 10 per cent this year.
       Index co-chief executive officer Kreingkrai Kanjanapokin said yesterday that the industry would only have grown 5 per cent without such spending.
       The company's recorded revenue in the first seven months was Bt909 million, up by 54 per cent year on year. He said part of this growth was due to state agencies' spending on events. For instance, this year Index secured deals from the Prime Minister's Office to promote the "I Love Thailand" and "Strong Thailand" campaigns.
       It also secured a deal from the Commerce Ministry to promote the Thailand pavilion at the World Expo 2010 in China.
       "All state agencies are rushing to spend on events in order to publicise their performance. Moreover, the type-A (H1N1) flu has prompted several state agencies to hold flu-prevention campaigns," he said.
       Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday announced that the government was moving ahead with its investment budget under the "Strong Thailand" economic stimulus package to boost the country's economy. Abhisit said he believes the country's gross domestic product growth will start becoming positive in the fourth quarter.
       Kreingkrai said the company projected this year's revenue at Bt1.56 billion, a 22 per cent increase from last year. The rate of growth might even climb to 30 per cent, if there are no new serious political problems.
       The proportion of government projects won by Index has risen to 60 per cent this year from the 30 per cent in previous years, while projects won from the private sector have dropped to 40 per cent from 70 per cent.
       However, Kreingkrai said private businesses such as automobile, consumer products and beverage firms were planning to spend on marketing campaigns for the fourth quarter.
       Index has also recently decided to use the Internet as a marketing tool, by developing a community homepage where its corporate customers can interact and share their experiences.