# Proposed location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
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*Why is Chiang Mai the best place to host Devcon VII? Convince us* 🙂


Chiang Mai, Thailand's 2nd largest city, with a population of over 200,000, is a vibrant city with an International airport that retains the culture, art, and architecture from the days when Chiang Mai was the Capital of the ancient Kingdom of Lanna. Today, Chiang Mai serves as the gateway to Northern Thailand.


Located 700km north of Bangkok, Chiang Mai has become a significant destination for Thai and foreign visitors. Modern Chiang Mai, built on the banks of the Ping River, nestles between fertile rice fields and is surrounded by some of Thailand's highest mountains. Chiang Mai's tropical climate is tempered by its elevation, which keeps temperatures and humidity slightly lower than in most other parts of Thailand.


Chiang Mai means the "new city," over 600 years old, the perfect melting point of new and old, not just in name but in reality.
Chiang Mai is a top nomad destination, a tourist paradise, a crypto city, a healing center, a food paradise, and so much more. It's one of the most beloved cities on Earth.

Thailand is known as "The Land of a Thousand Smiles.", and Chiang Mai will be adding a pinch more, as it has a tighter community compared to the capital city, Bangkok, and lovely surrounded by lovely mountains offering an escape to nature.

*Tired from dev sessions ?*

It's a well-known destination to bootstrap startups, escape the 9-5 life and work remotely. The city is boosting with coffee shops, offering locally grown coffee, as a workplace with a good internet connection, or as a hangout or restaurant.
Or if coffee is insufficient to boost your energy, go to nature, book a massage session, or go to a pool. Still, need more? Mountain hikes are only a ten-minute drive from the city.

*Hungry between dev sessions?*

No worries!
Thai food is one of the best and freshest around the Earth; Chiang Mai is packed with fantastic street food vendors, Lanna food, and international restaurants offering a wide variety of food choices.


<br>

## Country and Entry

*1. What are the visa restrictions for the country?*

Thailand is a country open to visitors. Sixty-four countries have a visa exemption rule that allows their citizens to enter without a previous visa. Other countries require a prior Visa, but this is usually trivial for most countries. People in some countries can stay up to 45 days, extendable by 30 days more.

For example, people from **India can obtain a visa on arrival for 15 or 30 days**.

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-cabinet-approves-45-day-stay-for-tourists-entitled-to-visa-exemption-and-30-days-with-visa-on-arrival/

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For country by country basis, check at [Thai E-Visa eligilibity](https://thaievisa.go.th/)

*2. How easy is international access?*

Chiang Mai is a primary gateway to Northern Thailand, becoming an increasingly popular destination. Its international airport welcomes approximately 2 million visitors annually, having 130 flights per week from Bangkok, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Myanmar, and Laos. It is known that the airport can handle 24 flight operations per hour.

Chiang Mai Airport has two terminals in a single building, one for domestic passengers and the other for international flights.

Flights can be booked with or without a stop-over in Bangkok.
If international flights cannot be booked directly to Chiang Mai, Bangkok has two additional international airports with daily direct flights to Chiang Mai.

*3. What about the safety and political stability of the region?*

According to [US's state.gov](https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/thailand/) Thailand is considered as "Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions", meaning the safest level for travel.

The general election is coming up next year, in May of 2023, and which has a slight chance of protests happening in Bangkok.

Thailand has laws that limit freedom of speech regarding the monarchy and specific institutions.

*4. How expensive are venue rentals, accommodation, food, and transport?*

[Scores on Nomad list](https://nomadlist.com/chiang-mai)

*5. What is the climate during Q3/Q4?*

[https://nomadlist.com/weather/chiang-mai](https://nomadlist.com/weather/chiang-mai)

The best season to travel and stay in Chiang Mai is from September to December.
September and October could be rainy.

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## City and Venue

*1. How easy is the transportation in the city (between venues, airport, etc.)?*
- Grab (Asian version of Uber)
- Tuk-tuks
- Songthaew
- Walking could be dangerous for longer distances as there might be no sidewalks and few traffic lights to cross the streets. The chances of being a victim of petty crime are low.
- Renting a motorbike or car is inexpensive, but it is only recommended if you have previous experience driving motorbikes as it is a challenging driving environment. For short distances, walking is safe if you are careful with vehicles.

*2. Are there modern venues (WiFi/Maneuverability/Catering)?*

- [Le Meredian](https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/cnxmd-le-meridien-chiang-mai/overview)
- [Shangri-La](https://www.shangri-la.com/chiangmai/shangrila)
- and many more from small to mid-side serving tourism

Chiang Mai is a tourist city their many food choices. (Elaborate on this)

*3. Are there venues with the capacity to host between 5-10k+ people?*

> Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre, or CMECC, is one of Southeast Asia's largest convention and exhibition centers. With a usable space of 60,000 square meters, the centre is perfectly prepared for all types of events at both national and international levels. The Convention and Exhibition Centre is composed of two main buildings, SMEs building, and main exhibition and convention hall. The main exhibition and convention hall is a large 2-story building with three main services including exhibition halls, convention halls and meeting rooms. 3 interconnected exhibition halls with a combined column free space of 8,000 square meters can accommodate more than 10,000 people. CMECC provides a large convention hall with 1,700 square meters, 29 various modern designed meeting rooms and other supporting facilities. Chiang Mai and its Lanna history are also well represented through the beautiful Thai-Lanna style arts and architectures within the premises. Parking for over 3,000 vehicles is available to visitors around the area which can be put to other uses. CMECC is a 10 minute drive from the city and 15 minute drive to Chiang Mai International Airport. It is surrounded by 2-5 star hotels, shopping malls and restaurants.

> SMEs building is subjected to promote Thailand's entrepreneurship stimulus program, known as OTOP. It provides usable areas with 11,988 sqm which are composed of temporary exhibition hall, product display hall and supporting areas such as business meeting rooms, seminar rooms, and rental offices.

> The 7,443 square meters of multi-use outdoor space is designed to accommodate the need of all types of outdoor events and activities.

[Convention Center](http://www.cmecc-mice.com/frontend/web/index.php?r=site%2Fabout) can accomodate more than 10k+

*4. What are attractions in or around the city, and how close are they to the venue?*

Too many to count. For the top and closest one [see](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g293917-Activities-Chiang_Mai.html)

Recommendations
- Tours (hiking).
- Meditation retreats.
- Street markets.
- Lantern festival if visiting during the festival.

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## Ethereum community and Impact

*1. How does the Ethereum community look like in this region (e.g.: existing large community/ small but growing rapidly, etc.)?*

- Startups in the city. Many entrepreneurs worldwide move to Chiang Mai to start their business, community, affordability, and lifestyle being the main reasons.
- Huge community around web3, Ethereum and bitcoin. [PUT links here to meetup, Facebook, etc.] https://www.facebook.com/groups/219236462407862 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1882408732043431 https://www.meetup.com/bitcoinsinchiangmai/
- Chiang Mai is a crypto city, and several businesses already accept crypto as payment. [LINKS?]
- Yellow Co-working is a blockchain-oriented, really big co-working. There are many other co-workings and co-livings around the city.
- Important tech university in Chaing Mai. It has a critical Computer Science department. Many Thai and worldwide students move every year to Chiang Mai to study.
- Thailand hosts many blockchain projects, the biggest perhaps the CEX Bitkub.

*2. What is the potential of Ethereum to have an impact in that region?*

- Thailand is a blockchain-friendly country with a good attitude toward innovation.
- Many young people are interested

*3. How is hosting Devcon in that city benefiting the Ethereum ecosystem?*

- Decentralization. There are known business cities around the world like London, New York, etc. Places like Chiang Mai should also be placed on a map to foster reaching people who don't have access to those business hubs.
- Cryptocity. It's a very affordable location to travel from most Asian countries, which would foster reach and leave the city as a hub for further networking potential.
- Evolution of trust. Chiang Mai is already known as a crypto city, but there are no events or conferences that would strengthen this bond.
- Local dev community.

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## Concerns and Downsides
*Every location has its pros and cons. It's important also to consider the potential downsides.*
1. *What are possible risks?*
- raining season
- avoid buring season Feb-March
2. *What could be the downsides?*
- 10k people, traffic jam
- double pricing for foreigners
- pubs until 12
- alcohol consumption is not allowed on Buddhist dates
- Dates for lantern festival or other popular events should not be inter lapping with conference dates
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## Additional Information

*Please add any extra information you want.*

Legal marijuana is the first country in Asia.

Buses need to be provided to help traffic.

Companies showcasing their products in the boot without a license and Thai SEC