Twenty-five undergraduate students from the SHTM formed the organising committee and ran the combined 11th Asia Pacific Forum for Graduate Students Research in Tourism (APF) and 2012 International Convention & Expo Summit (ICES) at Hotel ICON from 22 to 24 May.
APF served as a platform for the exchange of information between postgraduate students and academics engaged in research and teaching in hospitality and tourism programmes in the Asia-Pacific region. ICES positioned itself as the leading conference of the MICE industry in Asia by providing an opportunity for the exchange of interdisciplinary ideas. With support from SHTM faculty members, the organising committee was in charge of the whole conference from planning to staging, an invaluable opportunity for the students to show their passion and a unique experience for all delegates.
With a theme of Initiate Connecting Opportunities Now! the conference attracted delegates from a range of backgrounds and countries. The keynote and panel sessions covered:
- Recent developments in convention venues
- Contemporary design for convention venues
- Influence of social media in the hospitality industry
- Destination marketing for MICE and tourism
- Forecasting for tourism arrival in Asia
- Current issues in postgraduate education in hospitality and tourism
- New technologies in research and the MICE industry
Many prominent international and local scholars and experts were invited as speakers, including:
- Professor Rohit Verma, Cornell University-School of Hotel Administration
- Professor Judith Long, Harvard University-Graduate School of Design
- Dr Andy Nazarechuk, President, APacCHRIE
- Miss Rosanna Law, Deputy Commissioner for Tourism, Hong Kong SAR Government
- Mr Daniel Cheung, Chairman, Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association
- Mr Cliff Wallace, Managing Director, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Management Ltd
- Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor, SHTM, PolyU
A resounding success, the conference was closed by Professor Walter Yuen, Vice President of PolyU; Professor Kaye Chon, Dean of the SHTM; Dr Catheryn Khoo-Lattimore, Associate Professor, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, Taylor's University; and Dr Bongkosh Rittichainuwat, Ph.D. Director and Associate Professor, International Programme in Hotel and Tourism Management, Siam University.
