Few venues can boast extensive facilities and sheer size as the IMPACT in north Bangkok, 20 minutes from city center. Originally opened in 1988 for the Asian Games, the facility has developed into a colossal event space. With several structures for different uses, the massive venue has helped Thailand attract many large scale events, and continues to draw more. Most notable are the XV International AIDS Congress in 2004 with some 15,000 participants and the Lions International Convention in 2008 when some 30,000 Lions worldwide will converge.

Here are the dazzling figures to impress;

IMPACT Arena, a 12,000-seat amphitheater in 3 levels, ideal for AGMs, opening or closing ceremonies, launch events and concerts. The ceiling is 24 metres/78 feet high and the hall has special lighting panel and sophisticated audio-visual systems. There are also 25 private suites IMPACT Exhibition Center, 8 event halls with a combined total space of 47,000 square metre/505,900 sq.ft, supplemented by 6 meeting rooms

IMPACT Convention Center, 30,000 sq.m/320,000 sq.ft with 2 exhibition halls, a grand ballroom and 12 meeting rooms

IMPACT Challenger, the largest (as of 2007) column free exhibition hall in the world. There is 60,000 sq.m /645,785 sq.ft in area, larger than 8 football fields. The Royal Jubilee Ballroom is one of the grandest in town with 3,500 sq.m/37,000 sq.ft of column-free space and 16 sub-meeting rooms.

Outdoor areas include Aktiv Square with 37,900 sq.m / 407,800 sq.ft and a vast lakeside space which accommodated the grand firework extravaganza in June 2007 to celebrate HM. The King's 60th anniversary of accession to the throne, televised worldwide.

Bangkok has all the attributes of a grand meeting destination. Events taking place here attract participation, provide enjoyment to delegates, visitors and accompanying persons and result in success for hosts and planners.

Contact CDM for solutions of successful events in Thailand.

More eateries have sprung up and are helping visitors enjoy Bangkok in many more ways. The stylish MahaNaga has caught on rather well, with the distinctive middle eastern ambience and decor to go with Thai fusion cuisine. The combined 2 houses plus the outdoor garden can comfortably accommodate up to 220 guests on a night out.

Supatra River House's sister restaurant Fisherman's Seafood is on the Bangkok side of the Chao Praya River, serving delectable seafood cooked Thai style or in western ways. The casual atmosphere makes for leisure and enjoyable dining or lunch - by the River of Kings. Capacity is 120.

100 Rajdamri is hugely popular with parties and product launches, with 2 restaurants in the garden compound: Tai Thai and Fallabella, complemented by lovely landscape next to the exclusive Royal Bangkok Sports Club, a prime location in downtown

Bangkok. The restaurants and outdoor area can host up to 300 for drinks and dinner.

High above it all is Vertigo on the 61st. floor of the Banyan Tree with a panoramic view of Bangkok at night. Offering a creative menu of Mediterranean cuisine with superb service and the ambience to match, this is top choice for a function to impress.

The multilevel platforms can accommodate sit down dinner for 150, with space for a band. A unique place to dine in combination with a night out on the town, perhaps after a visit of a Thai Boxing stadium, is an old favorite, the one and only Seafood Market.

Often referred to as The Psychedelic Supermarket with bright fluorescent bulbs and exhibiting all kinds of seafood there is, and more, it lives up to the catchy slogan "If It Swims, We have it". Diners pick fresh seafood which is sold by the weight and consult the staff on how each item is to be cooked. The capacity of 2,000 makes it a very impressive venue that is fun and different.

Thailand is a destination made for incentive travel programs. Contact CDM for program proposals to motivate and inspire.

Lanna, meaning Land of a Million Rice Fields, is the capital of north Thailand that flourished some 7 centuries ago. The fertile area is rich in culture influenced by Siam (Thailand's former name), Burma and Laos during various eras of the past. North Thailand is known for cooler climate, beautiful women, hand made arts and crafts produced as they were originated ages ago and handed down from generation to generation.

All of this and more is to be experienced at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, an incomparable resort that has placed Chiang Mai high on the list of must-see destinations. Set on 60 acres of verdant tranquil grounds the resort's buildings bear three styles of architecture, from graceful Thai to delicate Burma to opulent colonial. Facilities include Thai, Chinese, French and international restaurants, the heavenly 33,000 square feet spa/holistic centre, Thai culinary academy, meeting facilities, art & culture centre, library, a shopping village and even an amphitheatre.

The grounds are spacious and well manicured, with great possibilities for memorable functions complete with entertainment to impress.

Chiang Mai is just an hour's flight from Bangkok and is convenient to connect with other north Thailand destinations such as the Golden Triangle and Mae Hong Son, or even with a direct flight to Phuket as a perfect final portion of the ultimate incentive travel program. Activities include elephant safari, bamboo rafting, mountain trekking, craft village exploration, etc.

Contact CDM for travel programs in Thailand's north that will enchant and inspire your incentive achievers with an unforgettable experience

Thailand's newest pride opened for flights on September 28, 2006. It is aimed to serve 45 million passengers and 3 million tons of cargo per year, with future plans to increase to 100 million passengers and 6.4 million tons of cargo. The steel & glass structure is stunning in design and equipped with state-of-the-art operations systems, and beautified by Thai art. It is 30 kilometres or 19 miles east of Bangkok and is well served by a number of motorways and expressways. It is also closer now a little over 1 hour's drive to Pattaya, Thailand's most popular beach destination on the east coast.

Here are some facts and figures;

• The passenger terminal building has an area of 563,000 square metres world's second largest single building in terms of floor space
• 200,000 sq. m of laminated glass is used making it the largest glass structure in the world
• Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn in Chicago is lead architect
• World's tallest control tower at 132.2 metres or 434 feet
• 2 parallel runways and 2 parallel taxiways with long term plans for 4 runways
• world's longest runway, 75.3 metres by 4,000 metres long
• 7 concourses and 120 parking bays with 5 capable of accommodating Airbus 380
• Currently capable of handling 76 aircrafts per hour
• It cost US$3 billion to build.
• The high speed rail link will be completed in late 2007 or early 2008, linking the city terminal with a 15-minute journey

The name Suvarnabhumi was chosen by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej which means "The Golden Land", specifically referring to continental Indochina. "Golden Peninsula" or "Golden Land" is a traditional name for the Thailand-Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar region.

It is pronounced "su-wan-na-poom" The airport is deemed to contribute to the growth in visitor arrivals to Thailand and neighboring countries. Participants of incentive and meeting events will definitely appreciate the new facilities that this landmark airport has to offer.