Message From Chamber - August 2026 | Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Business News

Message from Chamber

31 Aug 2026

Dear Members,

September is shaping up to be another busy month at AustCham, led by one of our biggest and most anticipated events of the year, the 2026 AFL Grand Final Family Day on 26 September. This is always a fantastic day for our community, so make sure you secure your tickets and join us.

Before then, we begin the month on 2 September with our September Members Briefing, exploring how businesses can build capability for competitive advantage. This will be followed that evening by September Sundowners at Avani Ratchada Bangkok Hotel.

Our recent Bangkok Sundowners have consistently sold out, so please don’t wait until the last minute to get your ticket.

The September programme also includes:

9 September: AustCham Thailand Executive Luncheon, Thailand Tourism Outlook: Connecting Demand, Aviation & Market Intelligence
10 September: SME Coffee Morning, covering Thai VAT and the hidden tax risks of buying services from overseas
26 September: 2026 AFL Grand Final Family Day

We also have more AustCham TV content coming, and I’m looking forward to seeing who joins us this month and hearing more from across our business community.

Last month, we launched the AustCham Health Advantage programme at August Sundowners and through our member email. This initiative brings together exclusive healthcare benefits from members of our Health & Wellness community.

This month’s offers alone include free influenza vaccinations, free work permit medicals, complimentary health assessments, executive screening programmes, specialist second medical opinions and savings of up to THB 5,000 on selected healthcare services. Whether you are looking after your own health, supporting your family or reviewing employee wellbeing initiatives, I encourage you to take a closer look at the benefits available and make use of them.

August was another strong month for the Chamber, with activities covering cross border finance, leadership, digital transformation, AI, hospitality and tourism, data privacy, tax and regional business issues. We also brought members together through our Bangkok and Phuket Sundowners, as well as the AFL Asia Sundowners in Pattaya in support of the Thailand Tigers. Congratulations to everyone involved in the AFL Asia Champs. It was another outstanding event that our Chamber community should be very proud to support.

It has been great to see the continued progress of AustCham’s committees and the quality and variety of activities they are starting to deliver. These initiatives reach across a broad range of industries and provide real value for businesses of all sizes.

August at a glance

5 August: AustCham Thailand August Members Briefing, Scaling Across Borders Without Financial Friction
5 August: August Sundowners, supported by Venue Sponsor InterContinental Bangkok and Corporate Sponsor Airwallex
11 August: AustCham Thailand Digital/AI Webinar #2, AI for Dummies: Basic Prompting Essentials and Pitfalls
13 August: AustCham Leadership Roundtable, Business First: Self Last
14 August: AustCham Thailand Hospitality & Tourism Webinar #1, Hospitality Pulse
21 August: AustCham Thailand Phuket Members Briefing, PDPA & Data Privacy Readiness and AI Governance & Risk Readiness
21 August: Joint Chambers Phuket Sundowners, supported by Venue Sponsor Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town and Corporate Sponsor BDO
25 August: AustCham Thailand & ASEAN Webinar, Budget’s Nasty CGT Surprise for Australians Doing a Stint Overseas
26 August: AustCham Thailand Digital/AI Webinar #3, AI Agents at Work: Practical Applications for Modern Businesses
28 August: AFL Asia Sundowners

We should also thank the AustCham office team, who have been working tirelessly to deliver more activities while continuing to lift the quality each time. If you see one of the team at an event, please say hello and thank them for the great work they are doing.

On a personal note, I would like to thank the many members who have made me feel so welcome since joining the Board. I have really appreciated the support, conversations and encouragement. The Board is working hard to ensure AustCham continues to increase the value it provides to members. We are always open to your input and guidance, and most importantly, we want your participation.

If you are not currently involved in one of our committees, I encourage you to get involved. Some great things are happening, and the committees are an excellent way to contribute, meet other members and help shape activities that support our wider business community.

As always, we are here to listen and support your business needs. Please feel free to reach out to me or any of our other Directors. We would love to hear how we can assist or introduce you to the broad range of experience and expertise that makes the AustCham community so valuable.

I look forward to seeing many of you throughout September, particularly at the AFL Grand Final Family Day.