First Sodality-themed Activity for Conference Planners Held in Beijing
On May 31st, 2012, the first “Sodality-themed Activity for Conference Planners” was co-held by MeetingsChina Magazine, and Beijing High-end Tourism and Meetings Industry Association (BHTMIA) in Xizhao Temple Hotel. This activity had attracted some heavyweights in China’s PCOs, during which 30 people from conference organizing firms, PCOs, and conference hotels discussed and networked on the theme “Annual Meetings Planning & Strategies for Operation Management”.
Huang Jianyin, Vice-secretary-general of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Society, Song Zhuo, AcrossChina Communication (ACC), and Cao Jin, Market Director of Xiamen C&D Tour Co., Ltd. delivered a splendid speech respectively on “Association Conferences Planning and Implementation”, “Techniques and Direction for Society Meetings Planning”, and “Itinerary for Fujian Conferences and Advice for Distinctive Banquets Planning”. Representatives at the meetings strengthened mutual understanding through various ways, laying a solid foundation for further cooperation. Meanwhile, Zhang Zhonglian--Conference Director of CICCST, Lu Di--Executive Director of Marketing of HRH Communications, Li Xiaojun--Vice Chairman & Secretary-in-general of China Seal Industry Association, Zhou Ying--Director of Academic Department of the Chinese Institute of Electrical Engineering, Ma Chunling--Vice Secretary-in-general of the Industry Cleaning Association of China, and others also addressed during the conference. All people held positive view of this sodality, and put forward advice and suggestions to improve it.
参加联谊会成员大合影/A Picture of Members Joining this Sodality
Along the meetings industry chain, conference planning firms of all categories stands at the upper reach, and they’ve been playing extremely important roles in the development of our national meetings industry. Under the joint efforts of meetings industry professionals, China’s conference industry has witnessed great improvement in terms of planning, management, and operation recently, contributing a lot to various organizations to raise brand awareness and influence through meetings, and also offering our national meetings industry invaluable experience on brand establishment, becoming professional, and going international.
China Meetings Industry Committee (CMIC), MeetingsChina Magazine, Beijing High-end Tourism and Meetings Industry Alliance (AHTMIA) would also invite other people in charge of meetings planning organizations and companies nationwide to regularly hold sodality-themed activities for conference organizers so as to establish an efficient platform facilitating exchanges and co-operations among all parties involved.
主题演讲部分/Keynote Speeches
Huang Jianyin, Vice-secretary-general of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Society gave a keynote speech on Several Issues Deserving Special Attention regarding Association Meetings Planning and Implementation, by taking the CTM academic conference held in South Africa as an example. He held that several factors should be taken into account when holding a conference, such as “Why the meeting need to be held?”, “What’s the goal of it?”, “What’s the theme of it?”, “How to fund it?”, “Where to hold it?”, as well as “who are going to atend?”.
In response to the questions said above, Mr. Huang Jiangyin made specific explanations. By taking the Determination of the Theme of A Certain Conference, he shared experience in holding meetings successfully.
To sum up, themes of association conferences can be chosen and finalized, based on their categories, or on goal(s) and objective(s), or on requirement(s) of sponsoring units or disciplines, or on industrial hot spots, or on resources. Besides, leaders and industrial heavyweights can also be relied on to determine the theme of a certain conference.
Song Zhuo, AcrossChina Communication (ACC),shared “Techniques and Direction for Society Meetings Planning” with years’ experience in planning and organizing conferences. She held that the success of an activity can be measured at the “5W” mode, i.e. Harold Laswell's 5 W's, namely Who, What, Whom, What channel, and what effect.
Cao Jin, Market Director of Xiamen Jian Fa Tour Co., Ltd., showed a video featuring a grand banquet in the first, and then gave a speech on “Itinerary for Fujian Conferences and Advice for Distinctive Banquets Planning”. She also conducted detailed introductions to Shanhai Meetings and Incentives Products, Shanjian Conference Tourism Products, and Ocean Conference Tourism Products.
Essence of Speeches delivered by other Guests
“CICCST provides exclusive services to organizations holding international conferences nationwide, through the sodality-themed activity for conference organizers”, Zhang Zhonglian, Conference Director of CICCST.
“Every theme activity is hoped to attract people from different domains; the theme of future conferences should be refreshing and demonstrate the characteristics of the times; new media could be employed; and site selection ought to be flexible”, said Lu Di, Executive Director of Marketing of HRH Communications
“As a person in charge of association conference and exhibition, I hope conference organizers are able to find out more distinctive meeting venues, and meanwhile design the meeting process with hearten and soul”, said Ma Chunling, Vice Secretary-in-general of the Industry Cleaning Association of China.
“It’s sincerely hoped that themes of conferences can be more creative. Meanwhile, more brand meetings are to be held, with the operation mode geared toward a sustainable development”, said Su Jianhai, Project Director of Beijing Yuan Jian Culture Development Center.
“We are committed to carrying forward Chinese traditional culture, and therefore I hope attention could be paid to core stories, the venue itself, as well as an appropriate opening ceremony, if an annual meeting is to be organized. Meanwhile, I want to take this opportunity to better disseminate Chinese seal culture”, said Li Xiaojun, Vice Chairman & Secretary-in-general of China Seal Industry Association
“Every sodality has its own theme which addresses current hot issues”, said Zhang Hongxian from Representative Office in China of Netherlands Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
“We hope such sodalities can draw more people’s attention, and meanwhile we conference organizers are more than willing to share experience in holding conferences successfully”, said Jiang Ge, Secretary-in-general of Chinese Sleep Research Society (CSRS) & Chinese Sleep Alliance.
“I sincerely hope that this sodality can function as a platform on which people involved are able to network and share experience in establishing conference brands”, Shao Jianjie from Beijing Xinhua International Travel Co., Ltd.
“We are grateful to the organizer for offering us such a good chance to network with others”, said Li Wen’ai, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Hua Yuan International Travel Co., Ltd.
“We hope to have more communications with other conference planners through a sodality. By sharing cases of successful meetings in terms of organizing, planning & designing, and operation, we are able to learn a lot”, said He Yang from S&T Development Center of Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.
“I sincerely hope that there will be more topics about conference technologies in the theme activities in the future, for example the better applications of technologies such as the micro-conference platform, solutions to the mobile internet, check-ins, and two-dimensional codes in conferences”, said Li Zhigang, Sales Director of Beijing RichMobi S&T CO., Ltd.
“We hope to communicate and network with colleagues through sodalities to help enterprises raise their information management while keep advancing forward on our part”, said Sun Debao, User Work Department of China Quality Management Association for Electronics Industry.
“It’s hoped that organizers of sodalities could invite associations in conformity with the theme of the sodality. Meanwhile, some ideas are able to ignite participants’ passion, and well-established conference planning schemes can be adopted as activities go on”, said Zhou Ying, Director of Academic Department of the Chinese Institute of Electrical Engineering.
“It’s meaningful to hold sodalities for conference organizers, since they function as an ideal platform for us to communicate, exchange, and co-operate”, said Huang Fengrong, Vice Secretary-in-general of China Industrial Economy of Journalism and Communications /Association of China Industrial Newspapers.
“I hope to know more professional conference organizers (PCOs) through the sodality to share successful experience in holding meetings”, said Zhang Jianxin, Conference Director of China Cement Association.
“I hope that the up-to-date development of the meetings industry will be covered in a timely and penetrating way by media”, said Tian Kun from China Economic Net.