{"id":413117,"date":"2024-09-13T11:37:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T11:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=413117"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Thai-culture-lit-up-Times-Square-in-September-Now-the-trade-work-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Thai-culture-lit-up-Times-Square-in-September-Now-the-trade-work-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"Thai culture lit up Times Square in September. Now the trade work begins."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(BPT) &#8211; The vibrant culture of Thailand took center stage in New York&#8217;s Times Square this September with the Ignite Thailand Festival \u2014 a groundbreaking event that immersed New Yorkers and visitors with all the innovations coming out of Thailand, from the bright colors, flavors and lifestyle brands to fashion, music, and dance. Supported by the Department of International Trade Promotion for the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, the festival was more than just a celebration of Thai culture; it was a way to showcase all of Thailand&#8217;s innovative products and brands.<\/p>\n<p>Leading the charge was Permanent Secretary Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, who headed a delegation to New York City to participate in a series of high-profile meetings and events. His presence underscored the importance of this initiative, which seeks to boost Thailand\u2019s footprint in the U.S. market.<\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 600px; width: 600px;\">\n<div style=\"max-width: 600px; width: 600px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brandpointcontent.com\/images\/517ea2d0-506e-4c30-8cb8-2a5cb3e65b77.jpg\" alt=\"Man at a podium speaking to a group of people at the Ignite Thailand Festival.\" width=\"600\" border=\"0\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"ListicleCaption\" style=\"font-size: 11px;\"><em>Photo courtesy Donovan David Lee<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI am truly honored to have had the opportunity to be in Times Square, the epicenter of New York City, for the inaugural Ignite Thailand Festival. This event will significantly enhance trade opportunities in the U.S. market and reinforce Thailand\u2019s image as a reliable trade partner and a leading exporter of world-class products,\u201d said Permanent Secretary Vuttikrai Leewiraphan. \u201cOur goal was to dazzle all attendees with the sights, sounds, tastes, and talents of all things Thailand. We wanted to show everyone our ideas and capabilities \u2014 our resources and style.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Ignite Thailand Festival is a strategic initiative to showcase Thailand\u2019s high-quality products and innovative spirit. From inventive culinary delights to high-quality goods, this festival was everyone\u2019s chance to discover why Thai products are celebrated worldwide. Alongside traditional music, theater, dance performances, and showcases from world-class Thai brands, the event underscored Thailand\u2019s dedication to being a trusted and innovative partner in global commerce.<\/p>\n<p>This aligned with the \u201cThink Thailand, Next Level\u201d campaign, which aimed to position Thailand as a leading source of lifestyle products, exceptional cuisine, and cutting-edge innovations. \u201cWe have had steady growth in trade between Thailand and the U.S. for decades, but now it is time to turn up the heat. It is time to \u2018Trade up to Thailand.\u2019 The Think Thailand, Next Level campaign is a mindset to surprise, overdeliver, and delight \u2014 with a smile. Thailand, we don\u2019t just slice our fruit; we create works of art,\u201d said Permanent Secretary Vuttikrai Leewiraphan.<\/p>\n<p>The festival brought together culinary delights from celebrity chefs like Chef Arnold Myint, known for his memorable run on <em>Top Chef<\/em>; Chef Bao Bao, a recent star on <em>Food Network<\/em>\u2019<em>s Chopped Legends<\/em>; and Chef Hong Thaimee, a celebrated Thai chef. Attendees savored dishes from nine Thai Select certified restaurants, refreshing coconut water, tasty Thai snacks, Mama noodles, and Thai energy drinks. Chef Myint added humor to his hosting while enlightening the crowd on the exceptional quality of Thai products. Moreover, some fun activities lined up to truly experience Thailand in New York, including showcased traditional Thai dance performances and a Muay Thai demonstration. This festival perfectly showcased Thailand\u2019s culinary scene\u2019s richness and vibrant culture.<\/p>\n<p>That wasn\u2019t all. Given New York City\u2019s significance in fashion and lifestyle, especially during New York Fashion Week, \u201cThe Treasure\u201d project introduced talented Thai designers to the New York market and helped them strengthen their brand in this market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are committed to increasing Thailand\u2019s presence in the U.S. market, making more Thai products available to consumers, and solidifying our reputation as a trusted trade partner. I am here, permanently, to make things easy, just what you wanted products. Thai Trade Center under the Thai Ministry of Commerce was chartered to serve you daily \u2014 as are our four centers throughout the U.S., Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York,\u201d Mr. Leewiraphan said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 600px; width: 600px;\">\n<div style=\"max-width: 600px; width: 600px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brandpointcontent.com\/images\/9d0769ec-3eea-4a2e-8e83-6b94c1fffbf3.jpg\" alt=\"Large group of Thailand festival attendees near vendor booths in New York.\" width=\"600\" border=\"0\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"ListicleCaption\" style=\"font-size: 11px;\"><em>Photo courtesy Aen Fong<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>With the momentum generated in New York, the Ministry of Commerce plans to expand the \u201cThink Thailand, Next Level\u201d campaign to other key cities worldwide, further solidifying Thailand\u2019s reputation as a trusted trade partner and a hub of innovation and quality.<\/p>\n<p>Looking to the future, the Ministry of Commerce, Thailand, plans to build on the momentum from the Ignite Thailand Festival to expand the \u201cThink Thailand, Next Level\u201d campaign to other cities around the world.<\/p>\n<p>For more details on the Ignite Thailand Festival and Thailand\u2019s ongoing trade initiatives, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thaitradeusa.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">ThaiTradeUSA.com<\/a>.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hmart.com\/thai?_q=Thai&amp;map=ft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/IgniteThailandFest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Top photo courtesy Aen Fong<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/imgupload\/346eb7ab313798ed61a4522b8eeaf44d.jpg\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" \/><br \/>Thai culture lit up Times Square in September. Now the trade work begins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(BPT) &#8211; The vibrant culture of Thailand took center stage in New York&#8217;s Times Square&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-413117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413117\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}