Ran a day long workshop on Basel II – Risk Models in Bangkok. Couldn’t be possible without the support and effort of our local partners in Thailand, Wealth Management. We had around 60 participants from the Thai SEC, the Ministry of Finance, the local mutual funds, local banks, and related financial institutions. I am still running on steriods so we finished a full 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.
Found out that the Thai are extremely polite and shy and will only ask questions on a one on one basis. Somkiat’s team had two people positioned at the back with a sign asking me to slow down, every time I started speaking faster. Was also advised to avoid a hard pitch and be focused on building a relationship, rather than selling immediately. Food as usual was great, except for the fact that Mohtashim would give me a dirty look, everytime I even looked at something remotely connected to sea food.
Even though BKK is quite warm, busy and clogged with traffic, it tends to grow on you. Serviced apartment in the city center or the financial district run at around 60 – 70 dollars a night, there is a great service called food by phone (02-663 4 663) that will let you order from 80 plus local deli’s and deliver at your doorstep. If you are looking for Halal food, don’t look beyond Beirut, the local labenese place. For breakfast, find a street vendor and try the freshly squeezed orange juice, I haven’t had anything like it before.