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Curiosity Is the Key Quality Global Premium Retailer Values in Candidates

Representatives from Louis Vuitton Macau was invited to deliver a guest lecture to IFTM students.
中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese

Three representatives from global premium retailer LVMH, two of whom are graduates of IFTM, reiterated the importance of curiosity to expectant to work in the industry.

Mr. Arthur Lupker, Retail Director at Louis Vuitton Macau, as well as Mr. Giles Leong, Retail Learning and Development Manager and Ms. Celia Shi, Store Manager at the brand, have recently been invited by Dr. Catherine Li to deliver a guest lecture at IFTM, drawing a clear picture for students aspiring to shine in the industry. The guest lecture focused on the topic, “How to maintain Customer Relationships while Executing their Marketing Strategy in a Luxury Brand Setting,” and the three representatives shared their expertise on creating brand desirability, brand communication strategies and what is behind the client experience.

When asked to comment on the attributes that the company is looking for in candidates, all three representatives pointed to curiosity, for it is the quality that will entice people to explore and expand. Curious people will be “more willing to acquire new knowledge, to refine themselves, to ask good questions, to be better listeners, and to try to understand why they’re doing a set of tasks,” according to Arthur.

Adding to that, Celia reiterated the quality’s weight, saying that it leads to people’s proactive learning. “The industry sees changes every day. Industry practitioners must be curious about industry happenings,” she said. Restating her senior, Celia added that candidates or industry practitioners must strive to be aware of their areas of interest and their capabilities so that they will ride on the right track in “the retail industry that is not all about retail.” With these said, all three representatives ascertained that candidates would thrive in the industry, not only because there are a lot of opportunities for them to grow, as Arthur put it, but also because they will constantly be willing to request peer feedback and conduct self-reflection. Celia added that at Louis Vuitton, there are four key qualities, namely empathy, efficiency, commercial mindset, and curiosity.

Both Celia and Giles graduated from programmes other than Tourism Retail and Marketing Management – with the former from Hotel Management and the latter from Tourism Business Management – they found the knowledge they had acquired at IFTM beneficial to their work in the retail industry.

Recalling their days at IFTM, they were consensual about the institute being a sanctum for self-preparations. Celia recalled that there were a lot of project assignments during her school days, through which she had learnt presentation and explanatory skills. At work, these skills are used to clarify concepts appealingly. Specific courses offered by IFTM have intrigued Celia to think big and brave before constructing paths to realise these ideas. She has carried on with this creativity at her present workplace by injecting it in her work. On the other hand, Giles suggested that grooming requirements and awareness were critical knowledge learnt at IFTM. It helps positively impress others even if grooming is not mandatory for a job or workplace.

Speaking about Macao’s retail industry prospects, Arthur revealed that although the city’s average daily tourist arrival figure has only resumed to half of 2019, retail has boomed disproportionately. Further explaining this, he said tourists recently visiting Macao were more leisure and entertainment-oriented, meaning that shopping is part of their core reasons for travel. He believes that retail has a roll in giving new opportunities and enticing visitors to stay longer and have better experience, hinting that the industry will be part and parcel of the city’s adequate diversification.

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