Conventions, Exhibitions and Business Meeting Activities - Coursework Example

Assessment 2- Industry Based Individual Project for Externals By Student’s name+ ID Code+ course name Professor’s name University name City, State Date Executive summary The importance of Conventions, Exhibitions and Business Meeting (CEBM) industry, have significantly increased in last few decades, and this is attributed to the effect of globalization and increased use of the internet. The combinations of these factors have significantly contributed to growth in this industry. CEBM accounts for the increasing growth of destination tourism in Australia and expenditures of the business visitors have in the recent past exceeded that of leisure visitors. The CEBM industry is now recognized as one of the economic sectors that draws direct and indirect revenues for Australia. In addition, this sector contributes to trade development through the showcasing of local products, services and skills; therefore, eliciting local investments and demand for exports. Besides, it generates foreign exchange and helps in creating employment opportunities. Importantly, showcasing the local potential helps in gathering more information, further knowledge and establishment of productive networks. However, the Australia CEBM industry has several unique strengths, but also faces some challenges as the industry continues to be highly competitive both locally and internationally. To remain viable and competitive in the industry, Australia must be able to provide a good balance between maintenance of high quality facilities and effective marketing of such facilities both locally and internationally. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive summary 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Definitions 3 Appendices 23 Definitions A conference is defined as an event held by company management in order to meet and exchange views, open debate, convey messages or give publicity to opinion on a given issue (McDonald 2004). A conference is generally smaller in scale and seeks to facilitate the exchange of information. Convention represents a formal meeting by an economic or social group with the intention of providing information on a given situation through deliberations after which common ground is arrived at among the participants. Such event is usually attended by a large number of people and is highly beneficial to the host country in terms of economic impact on the entire industry. Exhibitions refer to those events in which organizations send their sales staff to display their wares to potential customers in attendance with the intention of eliciting demand or to offer expert information concerning goods and services being exhibited. The main aim of the exhibitions is to inform customers on the available products and services. Meeting is a general term referring to coming together of a group of people to carry out or confer on a given activity. The reasons for holding meeting could be very different, but the common reason is to find solutions to problems by coming up with solutions that can change the market. The main aim of meetings as identified by Hoyle (2002) is to exchange information with other like minded people. Introduction In the early nineties, the acronym ‘CEBM’ referring to conventions, exhibitions and business meetings have constantly appeared in many business forums. Since then, CEBM market has significantly grown to become one of the important sectors not only in the Australian market, but in the entire world. According to Gecker (2003), as long as there are people, meetings will have to take place. The desire to meet and exchange ideas dates back many years ago. This industry not only generates revenues, but also earns Australia foreign exchange currency. In addition, it also creates employment for its workforce. Based on appendix 1, Australia was ranked second from United States of America (USA) with a total of 797 meetings in 2008 which represented 7.19% of all global business meetings held. Further, appendix 2 shows that, among the international meeting cities, Sydney was also ranked as the second leading city with 419 business meetings in the year 2008 (Braley 2008). A career fair represents a unique opportunity for expanding students’ network with important contacts, knowing various organizations, career fields and more importantly acquire valuable career advice from numerous professionals in attendance. Indeed, career fair offers valuable experiences that enhance chances of universities students’ success in future careers. Career fair are not only important for graduating students, but also other students as they present an opportunity of meeting and establishing essential relationships personnel in different organizations. The reason behind choosing this topic is firstly to conduct in-depth research by examining the contents of previous literatures. Secondly, the literature regarding this particular industry is broad and lack of specific industry information also motivated me to write this report. This will not only help me to gain more insight in CEBM industry, but also other people interested in learning much about the industry. Therefore, this report focuses on economic, social and environmental impacts of CEBM by narrowing on employment and careers fair held in Adelaide, Australia. Further, the report evaluates the effectiveness of this career fair and suggests contingency plans that should be put in place and other best practices that can make the fore mentioned aspects more effective. Description of the business meeting A meeting is referred as association of two or more people who come together with the intention of achieving a common purpose through verbal communication. Meetings can either take place virtually or through face to face interaction. This meeting was held in Adelaide Convention Centre, Australia and covered different exhibitions and trade shows for the purpose of student career advice and team building sessions. In order to learn about different careers and employment opportunities available, the students interacted directly with career counselors, human resource managers and members of professional associations face to face Stakeholders Career expos are famous with many universities as they present a broad spectrum of graduate career options under a single location. It is a great place for graduates looking for vacation work to meet potential employers. This is because its presents an opportunity of asking questions in quest for clarity of different career pathways. The stakeholders in participation included: University In the recent past, many educational centers have invested substantially in developing facilities able to hold conferences and business meetings. In additions, some of these venues are of high standards and are closely compared to a three star hotel. The role of the university was to facilitate holding the career expo for the benefit of students. The university attracts various industry players by offering various programs cutting across different industries in the job market. In this light, the university attracted companies from different industries to come and enlighten the future potential employees on the various opportunities available in the industry. In addition, the career expo served as an opportunity for the organization to tap best talents. Buyers and suppliers In a career expo, various buyers and suppliers of both products and services meet the exhibitors. Buyers include conference organizers and other planners who purchase or even hire conference venues and other related services in order to display their events. For the buyers, they are able to get information on what the market is offering. For instance, we may have suppliers such as booksellers, computers hardware and software Merchandisers who could be displaying their merchandise eyeing university students as potential buyers. Thus, this event offered a good avenue for both buyers and suppliers to meet and trade. CEBM activities attract different suppliers including transporters, caterers, accommodations, purpose built convention centers, audio visual services and exhibition facilities. These suppliers are attracted due to high spending by the participants. Venue The venue refers to the space within which the exhibitions and meetings are conducted. It provides space for displays and also an opportunity for both exhibitors and students to meet. Popular venue that is resonating well with the audience attracts large crowds making the conferences, exhibitions and business meeting very successful. Organizers For every career expo to be successful, the role of organizers has to be played efficiently. It is through organizers that different participants are brought together to meet with the students. The organizer identifies the venues, exhibitors to participate and more importantly the chief guest officiate the function. Transport Transport is also an important facet in careers expo. This is because the expo involves different participants from distinct industries and also the students. In this vein, effective means of transport are critical for the success of the entire fete. Exhibitors require efficient means of transport to move their displays to the venue, whereas other participants including students also need transport to get to the venue. Exhibition Exhibition refers to the actual displays in a career expo. Different suppliers will display their products and services to the consumers who can then ask any relevant question. It is through this forum that employers from different industries provides an opportunity for students to familiarize with what they have to offer and what is needed for a student to qualify as an employee. Further, the students also get an opportunity to learn the combination of courses that can make them more marketable in their career path. Agencies & intermediaries Agencies play a vital role of linking the buyers with the suppliers. Therefore, many companies employ experienced and skilled personnel to carefully plan and organize a successful event. Career Expo has overtime time proved to be a good avenue through which companies’ recruits. It is evident that, through this interaction between recruitment agencies and intermediaries, students have been able to secure part time employment as they continue with their studies, which eventually help them to secure a permanent job as soon as they graduate. Therefore, agencies and intermediaries are critical in every career expo as they link students to different available opportunities in the job market. Relationships between the stakeholders Undeniably, no single stakeholder can work in isolation. The success of any career expo is an integral activity and calls for the input of different stakeholders. Interestingly, every stakeholder plays a different role, and it is the combination of all their roles that make the expo successful. Marketing Marketing literature A well-attended career fair is one in which both large, medium sized and small organizations meet potential candidates. In addition, it presents an opportunity for face to face interaction with students interested in joining various organizations. Importantly, it raises the organization’s profile since the organization gain exposure and a solid employment brand (Davies & Chun 2002). Notably, in Australia, career fairs are held throughout the year and they are promoted via both online and hard copies mediums. Further, marketing can also be done through other strategic and creative means that can attract the attention of university students. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Every successful organization embraces effective customer relation management practices. Therefore, in a career fair, the participants will need to portray a high degree of customer relationship management as this is one of the marketing strategies that endear them to potential buyers and also targeted recruits. Use of social media & IT In the face of globalization, use of information technology has become part and parcel of day to day activities. Notably, the modern generation is overly technology savvy, and unlike the older generation, it has embraced modern technology. Therefore, in order to net more participants, career fair should intensely employ both social media and other modes of information technology to enable reach many potential participants. Unlike traditional career fairs, nowadays the organizations do not have to carry heaps of products for display in career fairs as such can be presented effectively and more clearly through the use of computers. Competition Competitiveness of every expo is its organization and clarity. Therefore, to maintain a competitive advantage over other career expos, it must be properly organized and presents its products and services in a clearer manner to participants. This makes it more popular in such a way that people in attendance would wish to attend future such career expos. Program Indeed, career expo programs are known to add value. This is because they provide an opportunity for sharing information that was not known to information seekers. Programs that were less known are well understood through presentations and students are able to learn the career path such programs. Sustainability & impacts Career fairs are job seeking tools that enable students to establish relationships with different potential employers. In addition, they provide opportunities to network; gather information on new opportunities and more importantly to assess individual worth in the respective career path by asking relevant questions regarding the industry. Sustainability takes an approach that tries to balance economic, social and environmental concerns against the needs of a business. Demand for Expos While many students attend career fairs to search for job opportunities, Lee (2006) points out that the increasing demand for career fairs could also be attributed to the desire by human resource departments to tap the best brains. In addition, such events are also popular as they provide opportunities for expanding networks, gathering industry information regarding different companies, exchanging business cards and more importantly for human resources to horn their interviewing skills Changes to student study & employer recruitment Career fairs present students with information regarding marketability of different cars in the industry. This information helps the students to make rational choices on the career path to pursue. Therefore, such events could see student moving from one course to another after identifying the future of certain areas of study. Likewise, organizations after attending career trade fairs identify themselves with various courses being offered by universities which enable them to establish the core competencies for certain positions in an organization. Through career fairs, the organizations are also able to understand the topic covered in various degree programs, and therefore, able to effectively match different positions to necessary qualifications. Alternative ways to deliver outcomes & connect students & employers Other than attending career fairs, there are other numerous ways through which students and employers can get connected. Networking is one of the widely used ways as it has helped many job seekers locate jobs. Even if you know no one who has an idea regarding a job, such a person may know someone else who has knowledge about a job in a certain organization. Networking can either be done in person or via online through LinkedIn which allows contact with other professionals (Kowalczyk & Pawlish 2002). A student can join professional associations; attend graduate events all of which can provide vital information on possible job openings. Other possible avenues through which a student can learn of job openings include Twitter and Facebook. Job boards even though part of traditional ways of searching jobs still exist in the literal sense. Students who have completed their degree courses can search for jobs via search engines on various career related websites. These websites even though function similarly to traditional advertisement boards are faster and allow an individual to access a large number of jobs. Students who have their dream employers can keep on visiting the career section of their website to check for job openings. In this light, a student can maintain a list of potential desired employers and could keep on visiting the career section of their website more often. Other avenues that can connect a student with the employer are recruitment agencies and head hunters. A number of organizations hire recruitment agencies since they help in streamlining the long process of searching and interviewing candidates. According to Sanders (2002), temporary employment also presents an opportunity of landing a job. It provides useful business contacts that eventually lead to permanent employment. Moreover, internships and volunteer work also are notable methods of gaining valuable industry contacts. Role of technology in current Expo & future Presently, we are living in an era of advanced technology that has seen increased use of social media, interactive and virtual technologies in recruitment processes. Today recruiters are using social media to enlarge their talent pool and also job seekers are using it in their job searches. Use of information technology has not only helped in expanding talent pools in career expo, but has also been instrumental in hiring, as well. According to Klassen & Rohleder (2001), recent surveys on the impact of technology indicated that 64% of the employees were hired through social networks. Even though, the quality of hiring still remains an issue of concern, social networks are ranked fairly well as one of the valuable sources of quality employees. Notably, social networks and employee referrals are not mutually exclusive since social networks such branch out and be-known have features that require employees to recommend either friend or a colleague. Financial and economic aspects Australia enjoys well established career fairs due to numerous institutions of higher learning coupled with the nature of her economy. Australia is an industrialized nation, and therefore, has numerous organizations both from service and commodity manufacturing industries constantly searching for talents with potential of driving organizational goals further. In this vein, both direct and indirect spending on career fairs leads to significant economic benefits for many participants who attend the career fair. In addition, during the presentation, the customers' desires are aroused which could elicit not only demand for the products and services on offer, but also actual order for such goods and services. In addition, the organization gets an opportunity not only to present their products and services, but also positions themselves as the employers of choice. This helps them to attract the best brains to be part of their workforce. Social impacts Through career fairs, information is shared between students and potential employers. In this case, students acquire knowledge of industry demands, and they are able to focus on specific career areas that are more marketable. Further, this has a deeper impact on the entire society as it helps curb the chances of students pursuing less popular courses that would eventually render them jobless after graduation. Environmental and corporate social responsibilities Presently, consumers no longer rate the organization based on profitability. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and environmental conservation are now the parameters in which the society measures the effectiveness of any given organization. Considering this fact, many organizations are presently conducting their businesses in a more environmentally friendly manner while at the same time directing part of their profitability to programs that support the community’s wellness. ‘Green’ meetings Green meetings are those meetings that take into account the significance of the environment to minimize negative impacts of such meeting on the environment. In this regard, the event needs not only to be environmentally responsible, but also should have economic benefits for the event organizers. For instance, manufacture of name badge holders that are re-usable can considerably save for the event organizers. In addition using re-cycled materials, re-using items, re-cycling material used and reducing materials used significantly reduces the impact an event has on the environment. Political viability When holding meetings, conferences, exhibitions and career fairs, it is always important to seek a license from the authorities. In addition, such gathering should strictly operate within the laws and should help promote societal wellness activities. Evaluation The current feedback received from students who attended the 2013 Employment and careers fair indicated it was a total success. According to questions in Appendix 3, a total of five questions were asked to evaluate whether the objectives of the expo were met. A total of 201 evaluation forms were received with 63% expressing satisfaction. Further, the responses from exhibitors to questions in appendix 4 had 19% rating as excellent, 47% as great while 34% termed it as good. In addition, most exhibitors expressed that the returns on investments were favorable and increasingly continues to fair well even after the exhibition. More importantly, the employment and career fair have immensely contributed to closer relationships and engagement between businesses and education sectors. The event was a total success according to many positive reviews and responses from both students and exhibitors. Undeniably, the information provided at the expo was helpful to the students as it was critical in identifying the subjects to select in order to pursue the most desirable career in the future. Nevertheless, the massive positive feedback expressed by both students and exhibitors is evident that the majority of stakeholders involved agreed in totality that the expo was both worthwhile and viable and should be repeated again the following year. Contingency plans To avoid inconveniences as a result of natural calamities such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which can destroy the venues earmarked for holding conventions, exhibitions or business meeting, it is important to identify alternative holding sites. In addition, such facilities should also facilitate the provision of sustainable services in the event of disruption. Recommendations Stakeholders The support and relationships of this employment and career expo were based on vigorous awareness campaign conducted by organizers of the event. All colleges and universities in Adelaide were invited, and the organizers were fully committed to ensure that all institutions were aware of this event well in advance, and a suitable date was set to facilitate attendance of all. Some of the organizations in attendance included Baron Water, Inco link, Wools worth, Power co Australia, Match works, Master Builders among many more. To enhance increased students' attendance, transportation to the venue was subsidized. It is evident that the organizers of this event kept communicating regularly with different stakeholders throughout the event preparation process. Event organizers selected different re-known employers from various industries who were then assisted to showcase their services while at the same time interacting with students for possible recruitment. To enhance competitiveness, the event was highly publicized both in traditional as well as modern means of advertisements such through the social network, televised and other online mediums Marketing To increase event attendance, it is critical to quantify what percentage of event stakeholders are using what medium to access the event marketing information. However, event marketing is turning more and more complex particularly due to the need of reaching segments that behave differently to various methods and mediums of advertisement. With the advent of new technology, the event market role is increasingly becoming more challenging, but there is also a wide range of new opportunities available. In this regard, the various tactics and marketing mediums should be more integrated to enhance accessibility of more prospects through telemarketing, social media, mobile marketing, follow ups and other modern marketing approaches. Sustainability & impacts Since conferences attracts lucrative sponsorships from different large companies which send large numbers of delegates to promote their goods and services, there are other services such as accommodation and recreational facilities needed, and therefore, investors should consider investing in such facilities around areas in which conferences and exhibitions are held to accommodate the diverse needs of the attendees. More importantly, hosting conferences may serve as a major credit to the host city as it may be a means of regeneration and renew of the city in question. Seasonality is another considerable feature of business meeting, exhibition and conferences. The organizer tries to focus on periods when leisure visitors are at the lowest. This is because, during the peak period, the hotel rooms are usually full. Considering that the delegate may bring with them accompanying people or family members, and then this could help in recording hotel booking even during the low seasons (Dwyer & Forsyth 1997). With the present mass destruction of the environment, CEBM must prioritize on promoting environmentally friendly practices. This should include passing conventions that support the proper disposal of hazardous gases produced by various companies to ensure their minimal harm to the environment. In addition, the participating organization should lead in the front line by ensuring they economically utilize available resources through recycling and putting the scarce natural resources into efficient use. Evaluation Evaluation helps to indicate whether the desired objectives were achieved. However, the evaluation process should be such that it obtains the feedback from all stakeholders in participation to ensure that their objectives were sufficiently met. A net effect of the event should also be conducted to find out of such event contributed to economic, social and environmental wellbeing for the benefit of the entire society. In essence, this should be the barometer to determine if such an event should be conducted again in the future. Contingency plans Event management is no easy task as it is faced with myriad of challenges including catastrophic occurrences. Therefore, to be adequately prepared for local and international events, the event organizers must have in place alternative facilities with the capacity of holding the desired and planned events on happening on any unfortunate event that could render the suggested facility not useful. In addition, the organizers should have adequate financial and manpower resources for the establishment of an alternative facility in the event of such occurrence. Recommendations for future Expos Even though some expos are designed for specific purposes, the organizers should also try to focus on enlightening both local and international participants on other locally available facilities. This could help in promoting destination marketing, which is vital for tourism as it could shed more light on other facilities locally available and that could be utilized (Dwyer & Forsyth 1996). Interestingly, such an eye opener to visitors could endear them to other locally available facilities which they may choose to visit in future not only for future events, but also for leisure. Rather than restricting events such as employment and career expo to students only, the organizers should in future consider inviting the parents who could also gain vital insights about industry requirements and in turn can use such knowledge to counsel their children on career choice matters. References Braley, S.J.F. 2008. Meetings market report. Meetings and Conventions, 41, 1-22. Davies, G. & Chun, R. 2002. Gaps between the internal and external perceptions of the corporate brand. Corporate Reputation Review, 5. 2/3, 144-160. Dwyer, L. & Forsyth, P. 1996. MICE tourism to Australia: a framework to assess impacts. Australian Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, 313-323. Dwyer, L. & Forsyth, P. 1997. Impact and benefits of MICE tourism: a framework for Analysis. Tourism Economics, 3.1, 21-38. feasibility studies. Economic Development Quarterly, 16.3, 195-210. Gecker, R. 2003. Lead times get even shorter. Successful Meetings, 52. 6, 15-16. Hoyle, L. 2002. Event Marketing: How to Successfully Promote Events, Festivals, Conventions, and Expositions, New York, John Wiley & Sons. Klassen, K. & Rohleder, T. 2001. Combining operations and marketing to manage capacity and demand in services. The Service Industries Journal, 21. 2, 1-30. Kowalczyk, S. & Pawlish, M. 2002. Corporate branding through external perception of organizational culture. Corporate Reputation Review, 5. 2/3, 159-177. Lee, M.J. 2006. Analytical reflections on the economic impact assessment of conventions and McDonald, T. 2004. Come Together. Successful Meetings, 53.6, 24-25. Sanders, H.T. 2002. Convention myths and markets: a critical review of convention center special events. Journal of Convention and Event Tourism, 8.3, 71-85. Appendices 1. Top international meeting countries in 2010 Country Number of meetings Percentage (%) of all meetings USA 1079 9.73 Australia 797 7.19 Singapore 637 5.75 Japan 575 5.19 Spain 467 4.21 Germany 440 3.97 Netherlands 428 3.86 Italy 413 3.73 Belgium 383 3.46 United Kingdom 349 3.15 Source: Braley 2008. 2. Top international meeting cities in 2010 City Number of meetings Percentage (%) of all meetings Singapore 637 5.75 Sydney 419 3.78 Brussels 299 2.70 Vienna 249 2.25 Barcelona 193 1.74 Tokyo 150 1.35 Seoul 125 1.13 Budapest 116 1.05 Copenhagen 104 0.94 London 103 0.93 Source: Braley 2008. 3. Student evaluation sheet Thank you for participating in 2013 AUS Employment and Career Expo. Your completed form will go into the draw to win a double pass to the movie of your choice at the Adelaide Cinema. Please your name and school so that we can award you the price if you win. 1. What is your level of study……………? 2. How would you rate the range of exhibitors at the career Expo…………..? 3. How would you rate the information provided by the exhibitors’ the career Expo…………? 4. After attending this Expo, are you now more aware of the opportunities at Adelaide…………….? 5. Are you now interested in a career that you had not previously considered ……..? Name:………………………………….. School:…………………………………… Privacy statement: The personal and business information collected will only be used for this purpose and will not be passed too other parties or applied for any other purpose. Derived from Adelaide 2013 Employment and Career Expo 4. Exhibitor Evaluation questions and comments How would you rate the success and service quality of the 2013 AUS Employment and Careers Expo? Would you participate in this event again? Did the students interact well with you at your stall? Did the layout of the Expo allow you to promote your exhibit well? The focus this year was on 'subject selection'. Do you think this event assisted the students in choosing the correct or appropriate subjects for their desired career? Did the students seem interested and willing to ask questions about what subjects are suitable for their desired career? Do you believe that having a lunch break built into the format of the Expo was a good initiative? Were you given enough notice about the Careers Expo date and due date for requirements needed from you? What were your thoughts on the Careers Expo branding and advertising leading up to the event? Are there any further comments you would like to make about the Careers Expo? How were the returns on investment? Read More