Mr. Jackson Chang, President of IPIM, attended AFECA´s Advisory Council Meeting
Mr. Jackson Chang, President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) has been invited as Advisor to the Asian Federation of Exhibition & Convention Associations (AFECA) in 2013 and attended AFECA´s Advisory Council Meeting on November 10-12, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the invitation of the said organization. Mr. Chang also took the opportunity to attend the “AEC+ Expo”. AFECA was founded in 2005 at the initiative of the convention and exhibition associations of some of the Asian cities, regions and countries, namely, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore, among others, being a non-government organization aiming to build a cooperation and exchange platform for the convention and exhibition industry in Asia, focusing on education and training, promotion of exchanges and cooperation among its members and to push for the sustainable development of Asia´s MICE Industry. Macao Convention & Exhibition Association (MCEA) is a member of AFECA. The MICE industry has already become one of the key industries in many Asian cities. Jointly with the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (MACEOS), AFECA organized the first edition of “AEC+ Expo”, with the theme “Innovations in MICE – The Way Forward”. Through the exhibition platform, “AEC+ Expo” aims to share current innovation technologies and development, and provide a platform for cooperation for the members of “AFECA”, through the sharing of experience and innovative theme, in a bid to encourage the overall development of the MICE industry. A series of activities were held in connection with “AEC+ Expo”, including “AFECA Forum”, “AFECA Awards” and “AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge”, to promote Asia as the world´s best destination for MICE activities. Mr. Jackson Chang, President of IPIM, participated in the above-mentioned activities to exchange opinion with the leaders and elites of the convention and exhibition industry in Asia, and also took the opportunity to introduce the advantages of Macao as a convention and exhibition destination, so as to articulate with the new role of IPIM, of coordinating and following-up on the development of the convention and exhibition industry of Macao as from next year, in order to provide a more effective “one-stop service” for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao, provided by IPIM, by offering better services to those convention and exhibition organizers planning to host their events in Macao. In this connection, all participants are warmly welcome to select Macao as the destination for their convention and exhibition activities, he said. In the opinion of Mr. Jackson Chang, the above-mentioned events, which congregated the operators of the convention and exhibition industry in Asia, were useful in reinforcing contacts and communication, and thus helped promote the advantages of Macao´s MICE industry. Dignitaries participating in the above-mentioned events included the CEO of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), Zulkefli Haji Sharif, the President of MACEOS Dato´ Vincent Lim, the Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Walter Yeh, and the Director of Exhibition and Conference (Business Development Group) of Singapore Tourism Board, Andrew Phua.