CIAT - A Loyal Fellowship of Enterprises

As a professional trade fair organisation, in recent years, CIAT has achieved a lot of successes and gained a good reputation in Vietnam. Multi-sector trade fairs held by CIAT are actual bridges and meeting places for both domestic and international companies to promote trade, transfer technologies and sign contracts. Reporter Van Luong of the VIB FORUM Magazine Weekly had an interview with Ms Doan Thi Kim Hong, chairwoman of CIAT, to learn the advertisement market share and efficiency for enterprises after many multi-sector trade fairs in Vietnam. 

 

CIAT cooperated with relevant agencies to organise the Central Highlands Festival in early March 2005 in order to advertise goods and service products to this potential market and the Trade Fair on 30-year Social Economic Achievements and Development of Thua Thien Hue Province, the Ooc Om Bok Festival in Soc Trang Province from November 10-16, 2005, the Buon Me Thuot Coffee Gala from December 12-16, 2005 and the Trade Fair for Social Economic Achievements and Development of Kien Giang Province in mid-December, 2005. This year, CIAT will cooperate in Vung Tau Sea Festival and Trade Fair in April 2006 and Thua Thien Hue Trade Fair and Festival in June 2006.

 

Among programmes held by CIAT, the Buon Me Thuot Coffee Gala had the deepest impressions because this was the first time a sizable coffee fair was opened. The carnival was under the sponsorship of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Culture and Information and the General Department of Tourism, and under the direction and assistance of the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee and Vietnam Coffee Corp. The coffee festival was a rendezvous for entrepreneurs and partners to expand markets and attract tourists to the coffee capital of the country. With 300 booths, the fair featured the uniqueness of each showcased brand. In addition, the trade fair also attracted many companies to display machines for manufacturing, processing and packing coffee products, fertilisers and pesticides. After the festival, the Organising Committee handed golden cups for quality coffee products. I think this kind of event should be opened in the following years.

 

Trade fairs are good chances for enterprises to advertise their products and seek cooperation opportunities with influencing and strategic firms and find more export markets. All managers, investors and enterprises highly appreciate opportunities at trade fairs. Through the trade fairs, customers have the most sufficient and accurate information about products. In addition, consumers can gain an understanding of the true product quality, after-sales service and warranty policies. The trade fairs also create good chances for investors to joint venture and cooperate together. This can be seen at all trade fairs.

As you know, up to 80 per cent of the market share is held by more than 20 foreign ad companies. This statistic from the Vietnam Advertisement Association didn’t surprise insiders. All 1,000 domestic ad firms are seeking measures to stand firm in their own home market. According to the expert circle, the Vietnamese advertisement industry formed 10 years ago when the United States lifted embargos. At that time, foreign ad firms followed leading groups like Unilever, CocaCola and Pepsi and they blew a fresh vital force into the infant industry. At that time, Vietnamese ad firms were only reprocessing programmes like radio and television production programmes. Gradually, domestic companies gained experience from foreign partners to carry out full service contracts. From a dozen enterprises 10 years ago, the number of domestic ad firms has risen to over 1,000. Vietnamese ad firms are developing and are accumulating experience from foreign partners to apply to the Vietnamese market. However, local ad firms account for 10-20 per cent of the total annual revenue of the advertisement industry (US$1 billion) while the remainder belongs to a few leading multinationals. “In Vietnam, domestic ad firms carry out 90% of final stages of ad processes. However, the big and full service contracts are held by foreign companies.”

 

In spite of holding various important positions, you are still very active in social and charity activities?

Charity work begins from a sincere heart. I actually want to care and share with unlucky people. Hence, I feel very happy when taking part in social activities and arranging suitable schedules for these events. I have visited and presented gifts to the disabled, poor students with good study results, street children and homeless old people in Central Highlands and central region on the occasion of the Moon Cake Festival, the National Day and the New Academic Year.

 

Has the Mrs. Congeniality award you received at the Mrs World 2005 facilitated your work?

I feel very honoured and confident as I have learnt many things. By in my opinion, apart from a good education background, a true entrepreneur needs humanity and loyalty. Humanity is very important to a businessperson, especially women, because it originates from mercy. This has helped me to improve my conduct in business and private life. Humanity also helps businessmen win others’ hearts and recruit talent to ensure that their company becomes a solid community. In addition, loyalty is indispensible to entrepreneurs because it contributes to 90 per cent of their companies’ trademark success on the market.