‘Chiang Mai Connect x CNX Chamber: Travel & Tourism Ecosystem Meet-up & Networking’

David Barrett
CEO
PIGS dmc

David made a life-changing decision with his move to Asia in 1988. With 30+ years in Thailand’s tourism and hospitality scene, he spearheaded Diethelm Events, the event division of Diethelm Travel Group. Nicknamed ‘King of Events’, David is known for his out-of-the-box way of event curation and passion for the MICE industry having served in TICA’s (Thailand Incentive Convention Association) as Board Member and Co-Chairman of the Marketing Committee. David currently is the CEO of PIGS – Premier Incoming Group Services; a state-of-the-art destination management company. Join us and David on a fruitful session on the future of Thailand’s MICE industry.

Parichat Haehnen

Regional Manager
Thailand, Indochina, Myanmar
Booking.com

Parichat joined Booking.com back in 2007 as the first Thai employee based out of Singapore. Later on, she pioneered the launch of Booking.com’s Bangkok and Chiang Mai offices. Representing a data-driven traveltech company, Parichat will share with you trending insights for the hospitality sector and how Chiang Mai accommodation owners can leverage on digital travel trends. Before joining Booking.com, Parichat spent 3 years with the Accor group in the Sofitel and Novotel brands, gaining experience in both sales and operational roles. Although she’s frequently on the road for work, she enjoys traveling, cooking and joining running events during her free time.

 

Lauren Groves
General Manager
GROUND

Lauren is a ‘responsible tourism’ enthusiast; leading GROUND, a tourism start-up (spin-off company from YAANVA Ventures Group of Khiri Travel) with community-development goals at heart. GROUND curates transformative journeys for youth groups; everything from leadership development, cross-cultural learning in alignment with sustainable development of local communities in Thailand and Southeast Asia. She is a well-seasoned tourism professional having worked for boutique and known tour operators, youth hostels in Eastern Europe. Explore how educational travel can plant seeds of sustainable impact from her experiences at our event!

 

Jeannette Woelinga

Sales Manager Thailand
Elephant Parade

Jeanette represents Elephant Parade, a Dutch social enterprise based in Chiang Mai running the world’s largest art exhibition of decorated elephant statues. In collaboration with artists and celebs around the world, Elephant Parade creates unique designs where elephant replicas are exhibited world-wide to raise awareness for the need of elephant conservation. 20% of Elephant Parade net profits are donated to elephant welfare and conservation projects. Join us for a fruitful session on how social enterprises can work hand-in-hand with the tourism sector to support conservation.

 

Chalit Nakpawan

Independent Artist
Chalit Art Project & Gallery

Khun Chalit, apart from being an independent artist; is a community developer, art teacher, and frequent speaker at key cultural events. He is passionate about how art evolves and its impact on society. An innovative thinker of the Chiang Mai art scene, he will be speaking about how the ‘creative life’ affects tourism; how art and tourism go hand-in-hand against the backdrop of the flourishing arts & gallery scene in Chiang Mai.

Thanachai Ujjin
(Pod Moderndog)

Independent Artist

Thanachai or Khun Pod is a talented and renowned musician in Thailand. His debut with Modern Dog kickstarted his career in the music world in the 90s; Modern Dog’s alternative rock shook Thailand’s music industry throughout the 90s until the present day. A passionate artist, he has worked on many solo exhibitions including the design of Art Mai? Gallery Hotel, the star host of this event. Stay tuned for his surprise talk on the 3rd May!