News10 / ConferenCe & Meetings World / issUe 67Jump in EIBTM's audited attendance of 15,219 for 2011ABC6.9%Thailand-Vietnam MoUASIA - The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on MICE collaboration with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The MoU, signed in Hanoi, paves the way for joint work on bilateral trade missions, meetings and trade events, cross-promotion, and market surveys in the ASEAN region.Bilateral Thai-Vietnamese trade increased 25 per cent in 2011, to reach US$9bn. Thailand ranked ninth and Vietnam 13th the ICCA Country Rankings 2010. San Diego realignmentAMERICAS - The San Diego Convention Center Corporation (SDCCC) is transferring its citywide sales and marketing efforts to the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau (SDCVB), effective 1 July 2012.The realignment is designed to make the destination more effective in the national group meetings market by providing unified sales and marketing."The transition is important as the destination looks to support the Phase 3 expansion of the Center," said Carol Wallace, President and CEO of SDCCC.Management of the 241,547sqm facility will remain with the SDCCC.Seoul gears up for KMEASIA - Seoul is to host South Korea's largest MICE show for a third year in succession. The Korea MICE Expo (KME) will run 3-5 July and applications are open for hosted buyers. The 2012 KME is expected to draw 200 exhibitors, 300 local and international buyers, and over 3,000 visitors to Seoul's largest convention centre, COEX. German partner for GBTAEUROPE - The Global Business Travel Association will work with German business travel association VDR as its European partner. Paul Tilstone, MD of GBTA in Europe, said: "This demonstrates the value the Germans can clearly see in being part of the GBTA family in Europe and beyond." In briefEUROPE - The Gdansk Convention Bureau (GCB) claims to be the first Polish bureau to sign up to the social media portal based on geo-location, Foursquare. The bureau also recently joined search engine Google's own social networking site, Google+ with the aim of attracting the attention of the international meetings industry. The GCB says social media allows it to conduct an intensified promotion for both business products and destination. The bureau's brand page on Foursquare is dedicated mostly Gdansk Foursquare behind social mediaVisitors can see the location on the map, browse through photos and see opinions of other users. One of Foursquare's options is to make a 'check-in', or informing other users about your place of stay and your impressions of it. Gdansk Convention Bureau CEO, Anna Górska, says presence in different social media gives the opportunity to establish a bigger co-operation network. "After industry meetings and international business tourism fairs, social media let us keep in touch and exchange information with the attendees," she says. NewcastleGateshead centre back onEUROPE - The Arts Council England (ACE) has agreed to put in £10m (US$16m) of funding towards a new events venue in Newcastle, UK. The new plan, more modest than the International Convention and Exhibition Centre blueprint which failed to attract financial support last EUROPE - International hotel group Fairmont Hotels and Resorts is set to open its first hotel in Eastern Europe, the Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv. The hotel in the capital of Ukraine joins a growing portfolio of Fairmont hotels in Europe, including the soon-to-open Fairmont Baku in Azerbaijan.The hotel in the Ukrainian capital offers a business centre, 1,210sqm of meetings space, including a 480sqm ballroom, and eight private dining rooms. The hotel will open in time for the UEFA Euro Championship, 8 June-1 July 2012. Fairmont opensJuly, would see a 3,000sqm in Eastern Europeevent space built adjacent to the existing Sage centre.The ACE funding success now triggers a search for the remainder of the investment necessary to complete the £30m plan. It would be ACE's largest contribution to any project outside of London.Motivcom profits up 6%EUROPE - Motivcom, parent company of event management businesses including P&MM, AYMTM, Goldserve and Zibrant, has posted gross profits up six per cent for 2011.The gross profit of £29.5m (US$47.2m) followed £3m invested in new IT technology and two strategic acquisitions. The group has £5m in net cash reserves, and dividends to shareholders increased by 25 per cent cent.The events division contributed 55 per cent of the group's gross profit. to smartphone and tablet users and recommends tourist attractions, business tourism locations such as hotels, conference venues, events, incentive offers, selected restaurants and PCOs. ASIA - The CEO of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Martin Sirk, delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the three-day IT&CM China 2012 tradeshow in April. The presentation 'China's century: fulfilling its destiny as a mega meetings destination' focussed on the critical role of international meetings in a country's development and why it is yet to be properly understood by policymakers. Sirk keynotes at IT&CM