Report from "DIGITECH ASEAN THAILAND," Thailand's largest IT exhibition

We exhibited at "DigiTech ASEAN Thailand 2025 & AI Connect 2025" held near Bangkok, Thailand from November 19th to 21st, 2025.

This exhibition provided us with an opportunity to experience firsthand the local IT trends, as well as to experience the crucial differences between exhibition culture and marketing strategies in Japan and Thailand. Here we report on the local situation and the insights we gained from it.

The death of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and the situation in Thailand

Before getting into the main topic, I would like to touch on the situation in Thailand.

On October 24, 2025, just before the exhibition, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, deeply revered by the Thai people as the "Mother of the Nation," passed away at the age of 93. In response, the Thai government established a one-year mourning period and recommended that its citizens also mourn for around 90 days and wear black or other subdued clothing.

Memorial altars and portraits were set up all over Bangkok, conveying the sense of grief across the country.

Although the direct disruption to business was limited, there was an announcement recommending wearing white, black, etc. at this year's DIGITECH exhibit. However, after spending about a week there, I got the impression that rather than strictly enforcing the dress code in the streets and at the venue, people were saying goodbye in their own way, showing their respect.

The excitement at Asia's largest venue, "IMPACT," and DIGITECH

The venue for this event was the IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Center (commonly known as Impact), located in Nonthaburi Province, about 30 to 40 minutes by car from central Bangkok.

With a total exhibition area of ​​over 14 square meters, it is one of the largest complexes in Asia, comparable to Makuhari Messe or Tokyo Big Sight in Japan. One thing worth mentioning is the extensive food court, so you'll have no trouble finding a place to eat or rest between exhibitions.

The event itself was large in scale, with over 350 exhibitors and an estimated 8,000 visitors. Many Japanese companies were also exhibiting, including cloud-related companies like us, which showed a high level of interest in the local market.

Live music and food stalls? A different exhibition culture from Japan

When I actually stood at the booth, I was surprised at some of the cultural differences with Japan.

Live music and hospitality fill the venue

The first thing that surprised me was the live music that was being played inside the venue. There were musicians constantly playing during the waiting time before the keynote speech began, and in the corridors next to the hall. In Japan, quiet background music is common, but here there was always live music playing.

You may be wondering why live music is used in a business setting, but it seems there is a cultural background unique to Thailand. The Thai spirit of "Sanuk," which means enjoying everything, is deeply rooted in the country. Fun and comfort are essential elements, even in a business setting. It can also be seen as part of the hospitality shown to visitors. Music helps to ease tension in the atmosphere, allowing conversation to flow in a relaxed state. Rather than stiff silence, this harmonious atmosphere seems to lower the hurdles to business negotiations and help to close the gap between people. (Is this correct, Thai people?)

Even "noise" can be seen as an "opportunity"

Another distinctive feature is that the corporate booths are located right next to the lecture hall (session area). In Japan, this location is often avoided as it is considered "noisy" as the audio from the lectures and the voices of business negotiations mix together, but in Thailand it seems to be perceived very positively as "the best seats with the most flow of people."

Including the live music mentioned above, I felt the Thai people's open-mindedness and their prioritization of practicality, as they don't mind a little noise and instead prefer lively places where people gather.

A natural business negotiation style without any ambushes

There are even food stalls set up inside the venue, creating a very relaxed atmosphere. In terms of operations, you rarely see exhibitors who "ambush" people in the aisles, as in Japan, and try to stop people. Instead, if visitors are interested, they tend to stop of their own accord and listen carefully to explanations.

We were also able to smoothly move into business negotiations through natural dialogue, and felt that engagement was higher (the quality of dialogue was higher) than in Japan.

Passionate interest in AI and unexpected visitor demographics

The current state of the Thai market was reflected in the trends of the booths and the attributes of the visitors.

The booths that attracted the most people at the venue were, unsurprisingly, those of AI-related companies. This is not just a trend, but is backed by national policies such as the Thai government's economic model "Thailand 4.0" and the "National AI Strategy Master Plan." Thailand is accelerating its transition to a digital economy, and there is a strong desire to invest in the use of AI in industries from manufacturing to services, and the enthusiasm of visitors seeking concrete solutions was palpable.

On the other hand,Relatively few security-related companies exhibitedThat made an impression. It seems that the entire market is now in a phase where it is shifting from a defensive approach to an offensive one (utilizing AI and DX).

Many student groups and visitors who just happened to be there

Another big difference from Japan is thatMany students visit as part of their classesThailand is focusing on developing digital talent from university level onwards, and these people are also potential future engineers. Furthermore, since multiple events are held simultaneously at a large facility like IMPACT, there are many casual visitors who just drop by on their way to a nearby event.

It's interesting to see such a diverse mix of visitors.

This time our booth was medium-sized, but people naturally gathered around the companies with larger booths. Next time, we will ensure a visual impact with a larger booth, while optimizing the internal operations to be well-received by the Thai people - with this "hybrid strategy," we hope to further promote the use of cloud computing in the Thai market.