IT&CM China 2015 wins industry praise for raising knowledge enhancement and engagement opportunities

SHANGHAI - IT&CM China has won praise for delivering an enhanced learning and sharing platform that all delegates can leverage on at this year’s show.

This 2015 event features 6 brand new Campfire knowledge sessions that cater to specific delegate niches including suppliers, PCOs, PEOs, corporate buyers, and feature topics from effective selling at tradeshows, talent acquisition, harnessing mobile for meetings and events ROI, understanding the Chinese corporate travel market, technology trends in China, to planning successful and impressive meetings and events. These educational platforms are in addition to already established destination presentations, media briefings, as well as the show’s 3rd consecutive Association Days forums @ IT&CM China for Association Executives and professionals.

“From our experience in developing conference programs and organising events for nearly 2 decades, we recognise the significance of knowledge, education, sharing and engagement as a catalyst to the industry’s growth and sophistication. China is no different. Delegates come with the purpose of wanting to be inspired by new ideas, concepts and solutions that can take their business further,” shared Ooi Peng Ee, General Manager of TTG Events.

He further explained, “What we have done this year is to tailor different platforms to the objectives of specific delegate groups. Destination presentations are meant for NTOs and CVBs to update our buyers and media on their campaigns while media briefings are structured for companies to engage both international and local press in a captive setting. The Association Days @ IT&CM China programme that includes forums which offer simultaneous English-Chinese translation are specifically meant to draw local Association Executives and professionals into the show, while the brand new Campfire knowledge sessions impart practical business know-how to our various delegates.”

More than 20 sessions helmed by international and local organisations such as Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH, Bloomington MN Convention & Visitors Bureau, Business Events Hangzhou China, Carlson Wagonlit Travel China, Central Hall Westminster, China Automotive Dealer Association, Delta Airlines, Guidebook, Info Salons China, Marriott International Inc, MEET Taiwan, Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, SITE Global, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau and Xiamen Conference and Exhibition Association, were motivated to leverage on these knowledge enhancement and engagement platforms.

Fully supportive of this year’s educational programme, Association Days @ IT&CM China forum speaker Heike Mahmoud, CMP, Director Conventions of visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office commented, “Trade Shows are good platforms for sharing information and meeting potential partners. As we work in a global world, understanding other cultures is a key for success. Learning together through knowledge sharing to find solutions, should be part of our collaborative DNA. We should also create win-win situations to encourage business opportunities. Education sessions, like the forums at Association Days @ IT&CM China 2015, are excellent avenues to tailor content to the right target groups. As Berlin is an open city with endless solutions for our clients, I am very excited to present the city as a leading Convention Destination and to share best practices with our potential clients. The Asian market is certainly our top priority going forward.”

Zhang Te, Secretary of MICE Committee of China Association of Travel Services, an association professional at the event said, “I attended the first two sessions on choosing a meeting destination and changing membership models, and found both topics to be of relevance. The information and tips presented are also particularly practical to Associations. The speakers, who are mostly local, expressed views and insights that are very relatable to Chinese associations. As a result of today’s forum, I’m now interested in Berlin as a destination and believe that there will be opportunities for collaboration in the future.”

Marriott, one of the show’s largest brand sponsor this year finds the brand new campfire session a great way to educate and engage their desired audience. Expressed Adelina Ye, Area Director of Sales and Marketing, East China, “Marriott is setting trends within the MICE industry through technology and innovation like our Meetings Imagined approach and the Meetings Service App. These solutions were founded on our research that discovered the seven purposes for meetings: celebrate, decide, educate, ideate, network, produce and promote. As the campfire sessions are held in intimate, up-front settings, they are ideal for sharing in detail how we are changing the way event planners book meetings by reinventing the planning process to be more visual, social and purposeful.”

Ye further explained, “We at Marriott are able to create unique meeting experiences by helping meeting planners design and execute their meetings in creative ways to inspire results. During our campfire session, we would be able to answer questions first-hand and provide an in-depth walk-through of our unique services and solutions such as the complementary meetingsimagined.com website that is curated around the seven meeting purposes and the component building blocks of meetings – setup, food & drink, tech & supplies and experiences. The website also houses hundreds of inspirational images and meeting concepts, and allows planners to create and share favourite ideas through social media and email.”

sourced:traveldailynews.asia