The Conference attracted app. 100 participants, from 13 countries and regions
The Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) is hosting until tomorrow (4 December) the International Conference on Tourism and Retail Management 2018 (TRMC2018). The conference – under the theme “Advances in Tourism and Retail Services” – innovatively aims to provide a niche forum to discuss the latest developments and research in these two substantial fields, both of which are becoming more and more integrated economic activities.
The conference is jointly organised by IFT, the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management of the University of South Carolina, in the United States, and Nankai University’s College of Tourism and Service Management, based in Tianjin, Mainland China. The opening ceremony took place this morning, at the IFT Mong-Há Campus and was preceded by a one-day workshop on Sunday, 2 December, on modern research and analysis techniques led by Professor Arch Woodside, one of the most eminent marketing scholars in the world.
The event has attracted approximately 100 participants, coming from an aggregate of 13 countries and regions, namely: Australia, France, Germany, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam, Mainland China, the Hong Kong SAR, the Macao SAR and Chinese Taiwan. Discussion topics range from shopping tourism to the role of social media in consumer decisions and “hyper-personalisation” in luxury retail.
The conference includes an open-to-the-public session focused on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It takes place tomorrow (4 December), from 1430 to 1600, at the Grand Hall on IFT’s Mong-Há Campus. The session – titles “The Strategic and Integrated Tourism Development of the Greater Bay Area” – featuring a panel of experts hailing respectively from higher education institutions in the United States, Mainland China and Macao.
TRMC2018 also features a post-conference tour on Wednesday (5 December), titled “Visiting the leading travel retailers in Macao: themed shopping mall and luxury retailing experience". It offers participants an opportunity to visit some of the largest shopping malls in the city and to meet industry representatives in order to discuss luxury tourism retailing and mall development in Macao.
This week, IFT welcomes a second major international conference. Following TRMC2018, the Institute will hold the 3rd Annual Conference of the International Place Branding Association Hosted by the Destination Branding and Marketing Special Interest Group, starting on Wednesday. The hosting of the 2 events is part of a wider effort by IFT to position itself as a key locale for specialised international conferences on tourism and hospitality.
