25th SEA Games, Laos

Souvenirs. Every major event has them, and the SEA Games is no exception.

As you might imagine, there are already many mementos with which to memorialise the games.

Personalised stamps will provide a suitable souvenir for visitors.
These include everything from locally made handicrafts to mass-produced mascots and other products available for both interested visitors and locals alike.

The Lao National Post and Telecommunications Authority is one of many government sectors in Laos involved in promoting the games.

With this in mind, they have asked for permission from the SEA Games Organising Committee to use the SEA Games logo on special edition personalised stamps to sell as souvenirs for visitors to the games.

The authority's Head of Office, Mr Phueay Sadalom, said yesterday the stamps will be a perfect personalised souvenir for those seeking to preserve memories of the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane .

“Many people believe that stamps are only to be used for mailing letters through a post office, which of course is their primary function. However, they are also valued very highly by people who collect them,” he explained .

The authority is working with Thai British Security Printing in Bangkok , Thailand , to design the stamps.

The first set of one dozen will have four pictures of the National Stadium in the background, four SEA Games logo stamps and four bearing the picture of the purchaser.

The second set will feature four stamps with mascots in the background, with four SEA Games logo stamps and four purchaser pictures.

“Those two designs will be printed in an edition of 12,000 stamps, and will sell for 50,000 kip each,” Mr Phueay said.

Personalised cards with calendars and pictures of buyers, the stadium, and the mascots will also be on sale.

“We still don't know how many we can print because we are in discussions with the printing company. We do know that we will sell them for 30,000 kip each,” he said.

The authority plans to begin distributing the personalised cards from November 15, but the stamps will not be available until the opening day of the 25th SEA Games on December 9.

“We believe that these are great souvenirs that people will want to buy. No other country in this region has created such stamps for previous SEA Games, so Laos is the first to do this for the games,” Mr Phueay said.

Two booths will be installed at the National Stadium during the games to sell the products to visitors and athletes.

“Just take a good photo and we'll print it out. Within 10 minutes, you will get a great set of personalised stamps,” Mr Phueay said.


By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
October 30 , 2009

The newest market in Vientiane , Vangthong Night Plaza or the 450 Year Vientiane Market, officially opened yesterday to welcome guests and locals to the 25th SEA Games and mark the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as the capital of Laos .

The market is located on a site of about 18,000 square metres in Thongkhankham village of Chanthabouly district, Vientiane . The area contains six two-storey buildings offering various kinds of local products and food, as well as a small garden and parking spaces.

The market's Managing Director, Mr Khamphay Somsana, said the market cost 25 billion kip to build and was targeted at visitors to Laos during the SEA Games in December and the city's anniversary celebrations in 2010.

“Shops at the market will offer organic products, souvenirs, jewellery, local handicrafts, clothes, bags and make-up. There will also be stalls selling various local and international foods. During special events we will organise daily cultural shows to promote Lao culture,” he said.

Mr Khamphay said the market will also display and sell products made by different ethnic groups across the country.

The market also includes a nice garden where people can rest after shopping. There is enough space for people to exercise or gather to chat with friends.

Vientiane Vice Mayor Bounchanh Sinthavong congratulated local investors on setting up a market for local and foreign people that was clean, secure and convenient.

“It's a good model for other businesses to follow in fulfilling the city's objectives of cleanliness, green spaces, lighting and security. This market will also assist with the socio-economic development of the country,” Mr Bounchanh said.

He urged the investors to continue to improve the market ahead of upcoming important events.

Construction of the Vangthong Night Plaza began in February 2008 in readiness for the SEA Games.

Mr Khamphay said the investors are pleased the market is ready in time for the games so visitors can have an enjoyable shopping experience.

Mr Bounchanh said the market will be a popular site with visitors to Vientiane , particularly during the SEA Games.



By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

Members of the Lao Handicraft Group and Women's Union of Tanmixay village in Xaythany district are sculpting replicas of the Lao national flower (white frangipani) and flower pots for sale during the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane this year.

Currently, the group and union have more than 60 people able to make about 300,000 flowers and more than 1,000 flower pots.

Their target is to produce 600,000 flowers and about 1 million pots, which will come in three different styles.

They are promoting these products around the country from this month until December 31. The flowers will be pinned with the SEA Games logos of That Luang and Champa and Champi.

At the Lao National Sports Committee office on Monday, the SEA Games Marketing and Benefit Committee's Vice President, Mr Chanpheng Siratana, signed an agreement with the handicraft group's representative Mr Bouala Phanthavong.

Mr Bouala said Laos is honoured to host the games and would like to promote the national flower to visitors, who will keep the flowers as souvenirs.

Making the flowers also assists in promoting Lao peoples' skills during the games. A portion of the income from the sales will support the games.

The handicraft group uses more than 1 billion kip for sculpting the flowers and pots. One flower costs 7,500 kip, while the cost of a flower pot ranges from 300,000 to 3 million kip. The flowers and pots are made of a mixture of clay and flour.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

(KPL) Some members of the Lao Jewelry Association and other local businessmen voiced their unhappiness that they were not given equal opportunity to buy any of the sponsorship copyright of the 25th SEA Games? as they were priced at skyhigh levels.
Lao Jewelry Association said that they felt very upbeat and optimistic when they first heard that Laos would be hosting this regional sporting event and added that the business people who dealt with handicraft, souvenir, textile industry and jewelry dreamt they would be able to use their skills and creativity to design special products for the SEA Games meet in
December.

This association argued that they could acquire the coveted copyright only if they are reasonably priced and on its acquisition it would set off the ripple effect of creating jobs and income for the low income Lao people.

Mr Phouvong Khamisith, President of Lao Jewelry Association told KPL News last week that his body is not a large organization and could not afford to buy a SEA Games copyright which costs US$10,000 but what they are after is just the 25th SEA Games logo for labelling their goods.

?If we buy the copyright we might make a loss as the expenditure on the purchase is higher than the capital of our products,?? said Mr Phouvong Khamisith.
Commenting on this issue, the Lao traders in Vientiane Capital said that almost all the goods for the 25th SEA Games might be manufactured in foreign countries, especially Thailand and Vietnam and they would be sent to Laos for sale during the SEA Games period.

They added that this is only a scenario but it is most likely to unfold in the days to come but what is clearly discernible is that the Lao people are not deriving any benefit and they are the losers.

Lao traders argued that they should be given discounts as the event would be held in Laos and their design and craftsmanship would surprise the SEA Games visitors and also raise the image of the country.

Phetchampa Company is a joint venture company which got the green light from the government to operate its business on advertisement during SEA Games. Currently, some local companies, such as Lao Brewery and others had already bought copyrights from Phetchampa Company.

The organisation responsible for catering at the 25th SEA Games Village will run public testing in October to receive feedback from members of the public regarding the quality of the products they intend to offer during the event.

An agreement to allow the Lao World Group to provide catering services at the village during the games was signed by the company and the 25th SEA Games Accommodation, Food and Tourism Committee last week.


Chairman of Lao World Group, Mr Peter Chan said the company plans to organise a one-day public testing event in the lead-up to the games.

“It is an honour for our company to have the opportunity to manage food services at the SEA Games village. I would like to express our thanks to the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) and the Lao government for the trust they have displayed in our company,” he said.

“Before the SEA Games, we plan to hold a public tasting event. On the first or second weekend in October, we will invite more than 4,000 people to taste the products we intend to provide and offer their feedback,” Mr Chan said.

The company has budgeted 7 billion kip in its role as the official supplier of food for the village which will accommodate between 3,000 and 4,000 athletes during the event.

The company will sub-contract certain aspects of the job to CP Company, Vientiane State Foodstuff Enterprise and the Organic Vegetable Group, which fall under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

The company will use locally sourced produce and offer athletes Lao, European and halal meals suitable for Muslims.

“LAOSOC had a shortlist of about seven companies that could've got the nod to run food management services at the village, but we selected the Lao World Group after several rounds of discussions,” said Chairman of the Accommodation, Food and Tourism Committee, Mr Somvandy Nathavong

“Both committees will continue to work closely with the company in the lead-up to the games,”

Lao World Group is a multi-faceted business with investments in the agriculture, engineering, construction, hotel and tourism sectors.

By Sisay Vilaysack
Vientianetimes

Sports fans throughout Laos can now buy clothing items to wear at the 25th SEA Games, which will be held in Vientiane in December.

Spectators are particularly urged to wear the clothing when they attend the games' opening ceremony and can choose from jerseys, jackets and shorts.

The garments feature logos of iconic Lao symbols including That Luang stupa, Champa (the male elephant mascot) and Champi (the female elephant mascot) .

The clothes are available at the Stadium Sports Centre in a variety of colours and styles. Shorts sell for 32,000 kip, jerseys for 50,000 kip and jackets for 108,000 kip.

The centre's Manager, Mr Viengsavanh Sengchanh, said the garments were already proving popular with Vientiane residents.

The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) has engaged the Football Thai Factory Sporting Goods Company (FBT) to produce official clothing for the games, under a contract worth 281 million kip.

FBT will provide sports equipment, tracksuits and jerseys worth more than 7 billion kip to the LNSC and Lao athletes.

The company will also provide some international standard sports equipment for the games, primarily for the muay, petanque and boxing events.

Mr Viengsavanh said many sports federations needed different equipment for the games, but the centre would provide equipment of international standard for 21 sports.

Mr Viengsavanh said further promotional activities were planned in the lead up to the games.

The centre will expand its promotional operations to include booths selling the clothing and other souvenirs at stadiums and sporting facilities throughout the city during the games.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

Phetchampa Advertising Co., Ltd. has been entrusted by the Lao 25th SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) to run the games' marketing programme.

The company held a workshop on Saturday in Vientiane to discuss marketing activities relating to the games. Laos will host the games in Vientiane from December 9-18, which will be sponsored by 11 companies from Laos and Thailand .

The workshop was attended by Phetchampa Advertising Co., Ltd. President and Chairman of the LAOSOC Marketing Sub-Committee, Mr Khammoui Keomany, and representatives from the sponsoring companies.

Sponsors include Lao Brewery Co. Ltd., Football Thai Factory Sporting Goods Co. Ltd., Lao Soft Drink Co. Ltd., PTT Public Co. Ltd., TOT Public, CAT Telecom Public, TRT Intertrade, Mikasa Industries (Thailand), TK Logistic and Supply Chain (Thailand), President Grand, and P and C World Class.

Mr Khammoui said some companies had already signed a marketing agreement and others would sign in the future.

The agreements mean the companies can set up booths in the sports complex and other sports venues during the games, and can advertise their products in the main stadium.

Vice Chairman of the 25th SEA Games Marketing Committee Sub-Committee, Dr Santiparb Tejavanija, said sponsors would be able to sell goods bearing the games' mascots Champa and Champi and pictures of That Luang.

The companies will also benefit from booths set up at the media centre and the attention they attract from Lao and foreign reporters.

Some 1,200 overseas personnel will report on the games, with 700 hours being allocated for TV broadcasting rights. There will be 390 events in 25 sports.

Phetchampa Advertising Co., Ltd. held a meeting in Vientiane on March 26 to discuss the live broadcasts on 16 television channels in seven countries.

Reports will be carried on Brunei radio and television, Lao National Radio and Lao National Television, Lao Star Channel, Forever Group Co., Ltd. (FRTB4-Myanmar), RTM from Malaysia and Media Corp TV Singapore Pte. Ltd. In Thailand , the games will be aired on the National Broadcasting Service of Thailand, TPBS, Channel 7, Channel 5, VTC Digital-Vietnam, VTV, TOT Co., Ltd, and CAT Telecom Co., Ltd.

Laos will use about 16 mobile broadcasting vans to cover all sports venues and will employ more than 144 people to work as cameramen and producers. The budget for the management of TV broadcasting is about 34 billion kip (US$4 million).

Vientianetimes

Hongthong to be developed night market for SEA Games 2009


Photo: Famous night market in Luang Prabang, northern Laos

(KPL) Domestic and foreign investors are constructing a night market in Hong Thong, Chanthaboury district, Vientiane Capital.

“At present, only 20 per cent of the construction has been carried out but we believe it will complete before the opening of the Vientiane Games in 2009,” said this week Mr. Phouvong Phamisith, the project manager.

The construction is being carried out on an area of 17,720 sq m occupying the land of Ban Sailom and Ban Thong Khankham Tay, Chanthaboury district.

The development costs around 45 billion kip. The market would feature handicrafts, souvenir shops, beauty salons, traditional food restaurants and traditional music gigs.

Local companies are being sought to produce merchandise for sale during the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be held in Laos next year.

Companies wanting to produce merchandise branded with the SEA Games logos must first seek permission from Phetchampa Advertising Company, otherwise they will be in breach of copyright.

Eight foreign companies have already been granted these rights, but no Lao companies have expressed an interest in using the official SEA Games' logos.

Phetchampa Advertising is contracted by the government to organise sponsorship and marketing for the SEA Games and they can license companies to use the logos for a fee.

Company Director, Mr Khammoui Keomany, said the company was outsourcing the production of merchandise so it did not have to be involved in manufacturing or distribution.

Local companies had proposed manufacturing goods and selling them to Phetchampa Advertising for distribution, but the company is not interested in this.

“Granting permission for companies to use the logos, for a small fee, allows the event to generate income without us having to become involved in the production process,” he said.

“It is the responsibility of the company rather than the committee for any issues with product quality. We are not responsible for controlling the scale of production, so if the companies have surplus merchandise after the event it will not have any effect on our company.”

Those who have registered have enough experience to evaluate the market and how much merchandise they can sell, he said.

Mr Khammoui is also a member of the SEA Games Organising Committee. He said the fee for companies to use the logo was not too high and was not deterring local businesses. Instead, he attributed their lack of interest to insufficient marketing experience.

“We are working hard to convince local and foreign businessmen and companies to be sponsors, in order to promote the SEA Games to the outside world,” he said.

Mr Khammoui said there would be a large market for SEA Games merchandise because local people, tourists and athletes from the 10 participating countries would be interested in buying souvenirs at the event.

Businesses which have already been granted rights to use the logos include companies from Malaysia , Singapore and Thailand.

By Phonesavanh Sangsomboun
Vientianetimes

Two companies awarded advertising rights for the South East Asian (SEA) Games, to be held in Vientiane in 2009, have now sold part of their stake in the business to a Thai company.

Phetchampa Adverting Company of Laos and the RS International Broadcasting and Sports Management Company (RSBS) of Thailand were given sole advertising rights to the games last year.

The business comprises marketing, the opening and closing ceremonies and international TV broadcasts of the games, including advertising.

Phetchampa and RSBS signed an agreement on Friday in Vientiane with the Tee Ro Thai Intertrade Co Ltd of Thailand , selling them the sales' rights for the production of the games' mascots, Champi and Champa, for about 140 million kip (500,000 baht).

More than 50,000 units will be produced for sale.

In addition, RSBS plans to invest provide 560 million kip (2 million baht) for the production of medals and sportswear for Lao athletes and trainers.

The signing ceremony took place between the Director of the Phetchampa Advertising Company, Mr Khammoui Keomany, and the Managing Director of TRT Intertrade Co Ltd, Mr Praphan Prangla-or.

“We will also help with adverting for the sale of Lao handicrafts during the games,” said Mr Khammoui.


By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes