[Sanxiang City Express] A Big Gap Between Demand and Supply: 150,000 Professionals Needed in Changsha Convention and Exhibition Industry
2016-06-20
Report from Voice of Sanxiang City Express (journalist/ Cai Ping) “Convention and exhibition industry develop rapidly in Hunan but there are barely any professionals in this field” said Rong Liping, chairman of Hunan Convention and Exhibition Association in yesterday’s Meeting of Convention and Exhibition Education in Hunan and Chongqing.
"Hunan Convention and Exhibition Industry Development Report 2015" released last week showed that 748 exhibitions were held in Hunan in 2015, bringing in a direct revenue of 2.205 billion and a revenue of 20.113 billion from related industries like transportation, travel, accommodation, communication, advertising, etc. But according to Li Weizhi, secretary of Hunan Convention and Exhibition Association, this industry was confronted with a lack of venues and talents in Hunan.
It was under this background that the meeting for convention and exhibition education in Hunan and Chongqing was held in Hunan University of Commerce yesterday, aiming to understand better the present situations and to educate more professionals in this field.
Experts from academic circles, industries as well as associations gathered to air their views on the present and future of Hunan convention and exhibition industry.
Exhibitions Per Day, with Income Up to ¥ 20 billion
"Hunan Convention and Exhibition Industry Development Report 2015" released last week shows that 748 exhibitions were held in Hunan in 2015, among which, 357 were provincial exhibitions, 265 national and international conferences, 126 major provincial celebrations.
This data means that in Hunan, 2.05 exhibitions are held every day on average. They are held successively as if in the case “I come while you rest”.
Deputy director Peng Youqiu of Changsha Convention and Exhibition Office considers convention and exhibition to be an industry instead of just an activity.
"The economic pull effect of tourism industry is 1:5, while that of convention and exhibition industry is 1:9.12. The direct income of Hunan convention and exhibition industry in 2015 was up to 2.205 billion yuan, but it drove the related industrial revenue to exceed 20.1 billion yuan." Rong Liping, chairman of Hunan Convention and Exhibition Association said in an interview to reporters in the Meeting of Convention and Exhibition Education in Hunan and Chongqing.
But compared with the convention and exhibition industry in more developed city, there is still spacious room for development in Hunan.
Dilemma: Lack of Professionals in Hunan Convention and Exhibition Industry
It is not hard to find from Shanghai World Expo, Guangzhou Canton Fair and Shenzhen High-tech Fair that a standard for judging a city to be an international city depends on the quantity and scale of international exhibitions held in this city.
Li Weizhi, secretary of Hunan Convention and Exhibition Association declares, "Although more and more competitive industries like equipment manufacturing, steel and nonferrous metals, advanced materials, electronic information have turned up in Hunan, well-known brands of convention and exhibition are still very few".
According to professionals, Hunan convention and exhibition industry begins early but is developed at a slow speed as ten years ago Hunan Convention and Exhibition Center was built occupying an area of 85,000 square meters and the first conference exhibition association in middle-west of China was established at that time, but now it can’t even enter the second-level of conference and exhibition industry in China and ranks low among six provinces in the middle part of China.
According to Li Weizhi’s analysis, the main causes of "waking up early but getting up late" case in this industry are the scarcity of hard-ware conditions such as the small areas of exhibition halls and lack of professionals in this field. Some short-sighted recognitions and system limitations not only restrict the developments of convention and exhibition industry in Changsha but also hinder companies co-operations among the cities.
Peng Yanqin, deputy director of Changsha Convention and Exhibition Office says that the competition in this industry is actually a competition of human resources.
A professor from Changsha Commerce and Tourism College says that in Changsha, 150,000 professionals are needed in convention and exhibition industry, who can mainly be classified to two kinds, high-end innovative planners and well-trained technicians.
Wang Peiliang, director of Department of Convention and Exhibition Management in Hunan University of Commerce says that in Hunan now only 3 institutes of higher learning set up convention and exhibition major. Besides Hunan University of Commerce, this major in Central South University of Forestry and Technology has only existed for two years“Professionals in Hunan convention and exhibition industry are in serious shortage” he says.
“In the field of convention and exhibition in Changsha, even in Hunan, skillful controllers could hardly be found”, says by Rong Liping , chairman of Hunan Convention and Exhibition Association.
During the exchange activities, many companies offered job opportunities to student representatives from different institutes of higher learning.
Solution: Interaction of Production, Study and Research to Fill the Talent Gap
The reporter learnt on the spot that Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center, with a total investment of 5.78 billion yuan, would be completed and put into use at the end of the year and would provide an exhibition area of 260,000 square meters.
The problem of insufficient venues can be solved immediately, but how to fix the talent gap?
Yesterday, professional teachers and students majoring in convention and exhibition management from four universities, that is, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha Commerce and Tourism College, Hunan University of Commerce, people in charge from associations, governments and companies all gathered in the Hunan University of Commerce to attend the meeting for convention and exhibition education in Hunan and Chongqing, discussing the talent training plan for the industry.
Wang Peiliang said in the interview that the visit of teachers and students in convention and exhibition major from Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences together with the meeting held could make convention and exhibition talents cultivation well targeted since in this way, universities, governments, industry associations and enterprises were gathered, to know what kind of talents were needed by enterprises and how schools should cultivate exhibition professionals by integrating the resources and the interaction of production, study and research.
Peng Youqiu also said Chongqing was famous for its convention and exhibition while Chongqing University of Arts and Science took the lead to set up convention and exhibition major in the western region. Chongqing’s experience of cultivating exhibition talents needed to be brought in to provide valuable references for development and personnel training of convention and exhibition industry in Hunan.
Professionals: Talents of Convention and Exhibition Should be Practical.
“Now we are preparing for a large international airline exhibition and international transportation exhibition. Professor Wang, please recommend me some talented students.” Rong Liping, chairman of Hunan Convention and Exhibition Association, offered her olive branch. But she also pointed out that the students must be equipped with the ability to speak foreign language and to perform real deeds.
Peng Youqiu, deputy director of Changsha Convention and Exhibition Office showed that the talents should high-end and compound, who should not only have attainment of liberal arts but real achievement in liberal arts, In this case, practice played a significant role.
In the activity, many professionals including Rong Liping, Luo Wen, general manager of Changsha Shijiefeng Company, and Xia Weiyi, general manager of Changsha Renchuang Company suggested exhibition business was a service industry and talents in this industry should have practical abilities, who should know both theories and practices well. Therefore, “Let students go out of the classroom and come into the companies. Cultivate them to obtain practical abilities so that they can integrate into society more smoothly.”
“Every year, students should practice in the company for at least 3 months.” Rong Liping suggested.
The industry development needs more top-level design.
7.83 billion RMB has been invested in building Wuhan International Expo Center with an area of 443,000 square meters; great efforts are being made in building Hefei into “a city as regional convention and exhibition center”; and it is proposed that Zhengzhou will be built to become a “leading city in convention and exhibition industry”......
Faced with the pressures from the surrounding rival cities, what should be done in order to make Changsha a leader instead of a follower in convention and exhibition industry in middle regions of China?
As for this, general secretary of Hunan Convention and Exhibition
Association, Li Zhiwei said that the first step was to strengthen the awareness. People in charge from all levels of government and industries should realize the important status of exhibition business. At the same time, great efforts should be made to support the large-scale exhibitions in line with the development of the industry in Hunan. Besides, it was also urgent to lower the conditions of entry and to strengthen the surrounding infrastructures.
“It’s also of great significance to introduce, cultivate influential brands of convention and exhibition.” Peng Youqiu expressed said, and this also needed the support of governments and related departments.
