• Burmese
Thursday, July 10, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Where the Deal-makers Meet

Simon Lewis by Simon Lewis
February 19, 2014
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Where the Deal-makers Meet

A man is seen above advertisement boards after landing at the airport in Yangon on Oct. 29

10.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON — Sales of finger food, lanyards and plastic binders may be set to boom in Myanmar in 2014.

As the country opens up to post-sanctions investment from overseas, it’s at the dozens of business conferences in Yangon’s hotels that contacts are made. Over spring rolls and coffee, foreign businessmen—paying for the privilege—will meet potential local partners and the officials they need to impress to get the sought-after opportunity to operate here.

Perhaps the busiest sector for conferences this year will be the extractive industries. There’s “Oil & Gas Myanmar 2014” in July, not to be confused with “Oil & Gas 2014 Myanmar” in October, as well as “Myanmar Oil & Gas Week,” to be held in February.

RelatedPosts

To Belarus for Bullets and Ballot Scam; A Bogus Peace Forum; and More

To Belarus for Bullets and Ballot Scam; A Bogus Peace Forum; and More

June 28, 2025
1.1k
Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

June 19, 2025
1.5k
Junta Boss Drops Green Bombshell; Goes Plane-Crazy Over Dollar Shortage; and More  

Junta Boss Drops Green Bombshell; Goes Plane-Crazy Over Dollar Shortage; and More  

June 7, 2025
2.5k

Perhaps that is no surprise, since a batch of onshore oil and gas exploration blocks were awarded to companies in late 2013, and 30 offshore blocks are set be awarded early in 2014.

There are also conferences on related sectors—mining and power and electricity, for instance. And other sectors are not ignored: The “Myanmar Urban Development Conference 2014,” “Myanmar Banking & Finance Conference,” an agribusiness investment summit and a hospitality and tourism conference are all planned in coming months.

The glut of conferences coincides with a rapid growth in foreign direct investment (FDI), which rose from US$1.9 billion in 2011-12 to $2.7 billion in 2012-13, according to the World Bank. More deals must be done if FDI is to keep on growing, as is expected.

The Centre for Management Technology (CMT) is one company that has already organized numerous such events in Myanmar. In 2014, CMT is hosting the 2nd Myanmar Telecoms Infrastructure Summit in February and the Myanmar Construction Summit in March.

Ummu Hani, CMT’s general manager of marketing, told The Irrawaddy such conferences were a source of “vital business intelligence” as the country opens up to investment.

Since the company began running conferences in Myanmar, more than 4,000 delegates from 50 countries have attended the events, she said. “Most have commended us on the ease with which they can network with the right persons or companies, be it from the government, public or private sectors,” Ms. Hani said.

A key factor at such conferences is the cooperation of the relevant government ministries, who often send a senior representative—usually the most popular person at the buffet.

To this end, CMT facilitates “private consultation sessions” between attendees and government officials, she said.

“Generally the government’s role in our event is akin to them providing some kind of endorsement and/or added credibility, especially when the authorities themselves are presenting a paper related to the subject matter,” Ms. Hani added.

While the summits the Myanmar government will host during 2014 as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be held in the new capital of Naypyitaw, those looking to lure the business and political elite are mostly sticking to the former capital, Yangon, the heart of commerce in the country.

Despite the convenient locations, and although public officials are regularly in attendance, the media often has some difficulty getting in. Organizers often demand of media organizations a certain amount of coverage, or free advertising, effectively shutting the doors of these key meetings to those who don’t comply.

The story first appeared in the February 2014 issue of The Irrawaddy print magazine.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: MagazineTrade
Simon Lewis

Simon Lewis

Similar Picks:

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses
Business

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

by The Irrawaddy
November 27, 2023
38.6k

Jin San Jiao is latest northern Shan State trade hub in crosshairs of ethnic Brotherhood Alliance.

Read moreDetails
General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption
Burma

General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

by The Irrawaddy
September 14, 2023
28.7k

The arrest of ‘kickback king’ Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, once seen as a possible successor to Min Aung Hlaing, comes...

Read moreDetails
Indian Blockade Isolates Myanmar’s Rakhine, Pressures Arakan Army to Leave Chin State
Burma

Indian Blockade Isolates Myanmar’s Rakhine, Pressures Arakan Army to Leave Chin State

by The Irrawaddy
June 28, 2024
13.3k

An ethnic Chin group on India’s border has cut off the last major supply route to Rakhine and issued an...

Read moreDetails
Singapore and Indonesia in Spotlight Over Illegal Arms Exports to Myanmar
Guest Column

Singapore and Indonesia in Spotlight Over Illegal Arms Exports to Myanmar

by Bertil Lintner
October 3, 2023
11.7k

Two recent cases reveal how companies have evaded local and international rules to supply the junta with military hardware.

Read moreDetails
Karen Ethnic Army Launches Final Push to Capture Myawaddy on Thai Border
Burma

Karen Ethnic Army Launches Final Push to Capture Myawaddy on Thai Border

by The Irrawaddy
April 9, 2024
10.3k

The KNLA and PDF groups launched an attack on the last junta battalion defending Myawaddy on Tuesday afternoon and were...

Read moreDetails
China’s Export Ban is Causing Shortages of Medicine, Fuel And Food in Myanmar
Business

China’s Export Ban is Causing Shortages of Medicine, Fuel And Food in Myanmar

by The Irrawaddy
October 28, 2024
10k

Beijing’s crackdown on border trade with Myanmar is aggravating the post-coup economic crisis and the construction sector could see a...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Public Shares in Thilawa SEZ to Go on Sale Next Month

Public Shares in Thilawa SEZ to Go on Sale Next Month

A New Suit

A New Suit, Chemotherapy as Aging Koreans Prepare For Reunions

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

37 Years and Counting: Why Has Myanmar’s Democracy Struggle Taken So Long?

37 Years and Counting: Why Has Myanmar’s Democracy Struggle Taken So Long?

1 week ago
1.4k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

2 days ago
788

Most Read

  • Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ

    Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s Top Russian Arms Supplier Tosses in Quake ‘Donation’

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.