Thailand has been encountered with impacts generated from the world economic fluctuation, social crisis and internal dilemma for the last few years. APEC CTF was invited by The Knowledge Network Institute of Thailand (KNIT) to facilitate a series of 3 scenario planning workshops known under the name “Design Thailand 2019” at Rose Garden Riverside Hotel, NakonPathom. Participants attended each workshop were selected by their expertise, background and specialization in various fields. The difference between each workshop was the age range of participants as it was intended to create a dynamic context on the future of the country.

This exercise resulted in three distinctive scenarios that were later reported in the mass media (newspapers, television, the internet), stimulating serious and open discussions about the tangible and plausible futures of Thailand and its people as never before.

Three 2-day sessions were held throughout the year 2009 where thinkers from all ages and all walk of life participated in the process: civil servants, company employees, entrepreneurs, social workers, the media, and artists. It should be noted that the age range was carefully selected to cover the old (50-70), the middle (35-50), and the young (18-35) in each respective sessions, thus making sure that the process as a whole does not suffer age bias. All together there were nearly 200 people participated in the scenario building, and more than 10 scenarios were created.

The many scenarios were then converged and participants finally agreed on three scenarios that they believed to be plausible and relevant. The scenarios came in the form of a menu of three kinds of Thai food, representing three futures: the slow, stable and independent traditional.