Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, precautionary measures were employed by IFTM to adjust the format of its fifth annual TEd Summit, held on 27 May, to ensure the safety of speakers and participants alike.
A virtual format enabled the participation of Tourism Business Management student Chloe Yuen Han Fang, who was unable to return to Macao due to imposed travel restrictions. She presented her findings before a panel of industry leaders. All components of the full-day event – addresses, keynote speeches and panel sessions – were delivered in webinar format.
Shown Lei San Lam, a student presenter from the Tourism Event Management Programme, expressed that it was “less stressful for students to deliver their work online than it would have been to stand in front of a live audience, presenting to panels featuring business executives.”
Talent showcase
The TEd Summit is an opportunity for the best IFTM senior research students to present their BSc Thesis/Projects to an audience consisting of business executives, government officials and select industry leaders from the community. The required research component provides undergraduates a chance to think independently, and to develop their critical and analytical skills. The topics of their findings are relevant to the industry and address existing concerns in society as attested by many of the panel members and attendees who expressed appreciation for the students’ findings and contributions.
One of the local student presenters, Selena Lei Peng Ieng from the Heritage Management Programme, analysed the major role community plays in the decision-making around the revitalisation of Macao’s cultural heritage sites, enabling authorities to develop “practical solutions for the long-term sustainability of cultural heritage projects”.
Linda Jiang XinYi, also from the Heritage Management Programme, suggested more financial resources could be allocated to help interpreters acquire additional skills. Her finding was particularly relevant after the negative impact of the economic slowdown related to the Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism and hospitality sector, and since professionals now have more time to invest in their development.
Regional collaboration and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area – known as the Greater Bay Area – were themes that attracted the interest of many student researchers in academic year 2019/2020. Pearl Chen Kun, a student presenter from the Tourism Event Management Programme, looked at the Greater Bay Area as a laboratory for promoting multi-destination synergies. Regional cooperation among the 11 cities included in the Greater Bay Area could “help develop attractive tourism products to satisfy visitors’ various demands”, her research findings suggested.
Corporate volunteering was the research topic for Tourism Event Management student presenter Leanna Lo Chak Kuan. She indicated ways in which the management of volunteer programmes could be improved.
Ms. Jessie Fu, Executive Director of Hotel Operations at The Parisian Macao Hotel Resort, appreciated the invitation to attend this year’s TEd Summit as a panel member, since the topics featured at the event were very interesting for managers at integrated resorts. She intends to invite some of the student presenters to The Parisian Macao recruitment events.
Another panel member, Ms. Athena Wong, Store Director for Louis Vuitton – as well as an IFTM alumna – was particularly satisfied to have been given the chance to learn more about Macao’s positioning within the Greater Bay Area. She believes that the TEd Summit event enables business executives to learn about the next generation of industry professionals.
