PolyU Hosting 11th APF for Graduate Students Research in Tourism and ICES

More than 250 delegates from around the world are in Hong Kong to attend the 11th Asia Pacific Forum for Graduate Students Research in Tourism (APF) and International Convention & Expo Summit 2012 (ICES) organised by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) from 22 to 24 May 2012.

The Conference was officially opened on Tuesday at PolyU’s teaching and research hotel, Hotel ICON, by Miss Rosanna Law, Deputy Commissioner for Tourism, HKSAR Government; Mr Daniel Cheung, Chairman, Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association; and Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor of SHTM.

Taking the theme Initiate Connecting Opportunities Now!, it is the first time that the two prominent events have been combined into one and are being held concurrently in Hong Kong. Whilst APF aims to provide 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 is dedicated to positioning itself as the leading conference of the MICE industry in Asia by providing an opportunity for the exchange of interdisciplinary ideas.

The opening ceremony was followed by a keynote session during which Professor Rohit Verma, Professor and Executive Director for The Center for Hospitality Research, School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, delivered a speech on “The Future of Tradeshows, Meetings and Conventions: The Role of Technology, Social Media and Sustainability” and Mr Cliff Wallace, Managing Director, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Management Limited, spoke on “Confronting the Challenges in Asia’s Convention and Exhibition Industry”.

The Conference also features panel sessions on a variety of topics which include “New Technologies in Research and MICE Industry”, “Current Issues in Postgraduate Education in Hospitality and Tourism” and “Destination Marketing for MICE and Tourism”.

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